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- Herausgeber: Allison & Busby
- Kategorie: Krimi
- Serie: St Ives Mysteries
- Sprache: Englisch
As St Ives moves into the summer season, Chief Inspector Louis Peppiatt is handed the coldest of cold cases - a local farmer's disappearance many years ago. Merrin McKenzie, who crossed Peppiatt's path in a case the winter before, is related to the troubled family and among his first ports of call. The question is, who has something to hide decades later? While searching for the thread that will reveal the mystery of the missing man, what Peppiatt and Merrin encounter has the power to shock. And in unearthing family secrets and emotional betrayals, the inner workings of the seemingly peaceful Cornish town are shockingly exposed.
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Seitenzahl: 419
Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2025
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Secrets in St Ives
Deborah Fowler2
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To Bonce – thank you for your wonderful friendship and support over so many years.
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CONTENTS
PROLOGUE
Trehearne Farm, St Ives, West Cornwall, July 1992
‘Is that you, Philip?’ Sarah called out.
‘No, it’s that Mel Gibson, come to pay you a visit, lovely lady,’ was the reply.
Sarah smiled. It was an old joke. ‘Supper’s on the table, love.’
‘I’ll just clean up a bit,’ said Philip. ‘It was a difficult calving but we’ve a fine heifer at the end of it.’ A cheerful, red face appeared round the kitchen door. ‘Where are the kids?’ he asked.
‘They’ve gone into town with Annie and Dan from down the road. Geoff has passed his driving test now so he’s going to drop them all home later.’
‘I hope that Geoff is a careful driver, particularly now the visitors are about – most of them drive like maniacs – they just don’t understand narrow lanes. What are the kids doing in St Ives anyway?’8
‘They’re just seeing a film, Philip. Stop fussing.’
‘At fifteen, I think Gemma is still too young to be gallivanting about in town at night.’
‘I seem to remember that you did quite a bit of gallivanting at her age,’ said Sarah, with a smile.
‘My point exactly!’ said Philip, laughing as he disappeared off to the bathroom.
Sarah opened a bottle of beer and, on his return, she placed a hearty plate of stew and mashed potatoes in front of him. ‘As I recall,’ she said, ‘rather than watching a film and behaving yourself, you spent most of your free time cuddling your girl on the beach.’ She smiled. ‘And look how that worked out – we got ourselves a life sentence!’
Philip stopped eating, his fork in the air. ‘Best thing I ever did, marrying you. We’re happy, aren’t we? No regrets?’
‘We are, my love, both us and our wonderful children. Alright, money’s sometimes tight and we work too hard, but no one goes into farming just to get rich and sit on their bums all day. I wouldn’t change a thing.’
They ate their meal in contented silence for a few minutes and then began a spirited discussion as to whether they could turn one of their large barns into bedrooms to provide bed-and-breakfast accommodation. It was a pipe dream, they couldn’t afford it, but they always enjoyed a little gentle bantering around the subject.
‘Would you mind if I dropped in at Halsetown Inn for a quick one?’ Philip asked as he helped clear the table. ‘Jim Ferrell reckons he’s sourced some winter feed at a really good price.’
Sarah laughed. ‘You know, that almost sounds like a 9genuine reason for going to the pub – hardly an excuse at all.’
‘You cheeky mare.’ Philip grinned. ‘Particularly since it’s God’s own truth.’
Sarah came to the back door with him. Unexpectedly, he swept her into an embrace and kissed her soundly. ‘I love you, my darling,’ he said, still holding her close.
‘I love you too, Philip,’ she replied.
In the gathering dusk, as Philip trudged down the lane, Sarah watched him fondly, leaning against the door frame and straining her eyes against the gloom until he was completely out of sight.
She would always be grateful she did that – for she never saw him again.10
CHAPTER ONE
Present Day
Merrin McKenzie walked briskly along Porthkidney Beach, deep in thought. It was fifteen months since her policeman husband, Adam, had been fatally stabbed ‘in the line of duty’. It was a term she loathed – it wasn’t his duty to die at the age of only fifty-four.
As a direct result of Adam’s death, in an uncharacteristic knee-jerk reaction, she had sold the Bristol house they had lived in all their married life and returned to her childhood home of St Ives in Cornwall. After initial resistance from her daughter, Isla, they both agreed the move was a good idea – but what now? Having specialised as a solicitor in family law all her working life, she needed a change. There was no way she could retire in her mid-fifties; she had to work at something – in fact, she couldn’t imagine ever retiring, she craved the discipline and structure of a working day. But working at what? The problem was on 12her mind, night and day with no obvious resolution.
Turning to discuss the problem yet again with her childhood friend, Clara, she found her walking companion was no longer with her. Shading her eyes, Merrin saw that Clara was some distance behind her, busy collecting shells, which she liked to use as decoration in her restaurant.
‘Come on, Clara,’ Merrin shouted above the sound of the breaking waves. Clara waved an arm in acknowledgement but continued picking up shells.
‘What’s she like?’ Merrin addressed the dog at her feet. William, a dog of indeterminate breed, wagged his tail in agreement. ‘Still,’ she continued, ‘there could be worse places to wait.’
It was a sunny day in early July, that sweet spot where the summer had begun but the schools had not as yet broken up, so the beaches were still quiet. The sea was deep blue, turning to fluorescent green in the shallows, the surf, by contrast, a crisp white. It was fabulous, with just a light breeze to make walking comfortable. William cautiously ventured into the sea, but he was no swimmer – ‘never above the knees’ was William’s rule and his knees were very close to the ground. Inspired to follow, Merrin whipped off her flip-flops and paddled in to join him. The tide was coming in so the water was warm as it swirled over the hot sand. Merrin gazed out to sea. It was moments like this, when she was close to nature, that she felt as near to being happy as was possible since Adam’s death.
‘Here I am, darling Pearl,’ said Clara, interrupting Merrin’s reverie. ‘Pearl’ was the exclusive nickname Clara used when addressing her friend, for ‘Merrin’ in Cornish means ‘sea pearl’. ‘Look,’ said Clara, waving her carrier 13bag. ‘I’ve got quite a haul today. Come on, we’d better hurry or otherwise … oh God.’ She pointed ahead of her to where waves were curling round the rocks, known as Hawkes Point, which separated Porthkidney Beach from the beach at Carbis Bay. Already a deep pool was forming.
‘I thought you said we had plenty of time to get back to Carbis Bay before the tide cut us off?’ Merrin challenged.
They had begun their walk a couple of hours earlier, driving out of St Ives, parking at Carbis Bay and then walking through to Porthkidney and across the beach to the Hayle Estuary.
‘Don’t fuss, Pearl. There’s still a good half hour before we’d have to swim for it,’ said Clara. ‘At the moment, the state of the tide won’t involve anything more than a shallow paddle.’
Clara sounded full of confidence but Merrin was not reassured. ‘Why don’t we go back on the cliff path?’ she suggested.
‘Because I haven’t got time. I need to get changed and be in the restaurant in half an hour. Stop whinging, Pearl darling, it’ll be fine.’
Of course, it wasn’t fine. As they waded through the pool, Clara holding her carrier bag of shells above her head, Merrin with a deeply disapproving William firmly tucked under her arm, the sea was up their waists. ‘Oh for heaven’s sake, Clara!’ Merrin began.
Clara turned and their eyes met. Suddenly, like the children they had once been, they were convulsed with laughter, struggling out on to Carbis Bay Beach, doubled up with mirth. Only William did not find it funny. He stood watching them with ill-disguised disdain.
CHAPTER TWO
Chief Inspector Louis Peppiatt had been running late all day. A briefing with his team, concerning an armed robbery at a Newquay sub-post office, had badly overrun. He had then made a mad dash to Falmouth to witness his son’s sports day. Edward, aged nine, was not a sportsman and was quite happy for his father not to attend, on the grounds that sports day was boring. Louis, however, felt he should be demonstrating support, whatever his son’s views. Meanwhile, his ex-wife, Stephanie, and her new husband, Andrew, were attending the sports day of his daughter, Daisy, who was at secondary school. Sports day mercifully over, he was back in the car heading for Camborne, having been summoned by his boss, Chief Superintendent John Dent.
The summons, according to John Dent’s wonderful secretary, Sally, was an urgent one, though Louis could 15not imagine why. The armed robbery was nasty and had put the postmaster in hospital, though not critically so. An armed robbery was something that very rarely happened in Cornwall and, working with the Met, Louis was now confident that the perpetrators were a gang from London. The investigation was going well and Louis was pretty sure of an arrest within the next few days. There was nothing else major on the horizon, which left Louis a little nervous – he didn’t relish an urgent summons from the chief super without knowing the cause.
He took the stairs two at a time and reached Sally’s office seriously out of breath. He looked at her clock on the wall, he was ten minutes late and John Dent had strong views on punctuality.
‘I’m so sorry, Sally,’ he managed between gasps, ‘only it was Edward’s sports day this morning and, of course, he was in the last race so I had to stay until the bitter end.’
‘Of course you did, Louis dear,’ said Sally, ‘now calm down. I’ve just taken sir a lovely coffee and a piece of toasted saffron cake with plenty of butter. He perked up no end. How did Edward get on?’
‘Not well,’ said Louis, ‘but he didn’t seem to care; sport is not his thing, unlike Daisy.’
‘He’s still a lovely lad, just like his father. Now what can I get you?’
‘You old charmer. Just a glass of water would be great before I face the music. What’s up anyway?’ Louis asked.
‘He’d better tell you himself but don’t worry – for once you’re not in any trouble.’ Sally smiled fondly. ‘You know, now you’re a chief inspector, you really ought to slow down a bit, let others take the strain for once.’16
‘That’s rich coming from you, Sal dear. How many years are you past the official retirement age?’
‘It’s extremely rude to refer to a lady’s age, particularly if she is a little on the mature side. Get in there, Louis. I hope he gives you hell!’
‘I’m so sorry I’m late, sir,’ Louis began.
‘No problem,’ said John. The two men shook hands and the normally rather dour John Dent appeared to be smiling. Clearly, the coffee and saffron cake had worked their magic.
‘Come and sit down,’ John said, indicating the two armchairs at the end of his office, which suggested the subject matter was not too serious. Louis relaxed a little.
‘I want you to take on a cold case, Louis. I want it investigated as a matter of urgency and I want you to re-assign all your other cases and concentrate entirely on this one.’
‘I thought cold cases normally went to retired officers?’ Louis said. ‘You’re not suggesting I retire, are you, sir?’
‘Of course not,’ said John irritably, his substantial eyebrows starting to bristle, which was never a good sign.
‘It’s just that I’m very much involved with the Newquay armed robbery at the moment,’ said Louis. ‘I only need a few more days. I’m working with the Met and an arrest is imminent.’
‘This can’t wait, I’m afraid, you’ll have to offload Newquay and everything else you’re working on. The case in question is close to St Ives so you can have Jack Eddy to assist. Otherwise you’re on your own.’
‘Great,’ said Louis, with a barely disguised sigh.17
‘Just listen, Louis, and let me explain. Back in the summer of 1992, a farmer named Philip Trehearne disappeared on his way to the Halsetown Inn from his home, just outside St Ives – a journey by foot of about twelve minutes. He never reached the pub and no trace of him, dead or alive, has ever been found. He was very happily married, the farm was doing well, he was a cheerful chap, very well liked, a positive pillar of the establishment and a true Cornishman.’
‘So why are we opening the case after all this time? In any event, I was still in Newton Abbot when this chap disappeared so I can’t see I’ll be much use, particularly as no one could find him at the time.’
‘I’m coming to that,’ said John impatiently. ‘Ten days ago, Philip’s widow, Sarah, killed herself with an overdose of sleeping pills. She left a very brief note for her children, saying how sorry she was to leave them but she just couldn’t bear living any longer with the uncertainty surrounding Philip’s disappearance. She was seventy-three.
‘Their son, Tom, who has run the farm for many years, blames the police for his parents’ deaths. He’s very angry and bitter, not an easy man at the best of times, so I understand. However, he is getting a huge amount of media coverage, nationally as well as in Cornwall and on the socials. The whole story is really going viral and the “powers that be” want someone senior to clear up the mess as quickly as possible, aiming to vindicate the police at the time from having made a balls-up, whether they did or not. So, naturally, we thought of you.’
‘I’m flattered,’ said Louis, sounding anything but.
‘Look, Peppiatt, I know you are an officer of very high 18moral standards, and I admire you for that. However, it is extremely important that we shut down the vitriol that has developed in respect of this missing man, who obviously must have been dead for years. I’m not looking for a solution, it would be nigh impossible after all this time. I just want you to satisfy the Trehearnes that the police did everything they could.’
‘Sir, I’ll take on the case, but only if you agree that my aim will be to find out what really happened to Philip Trehearne. I’m not prepared to simply patch over the cracks in a thirty-year-old investigation to make the force come out smelling of roses. But assuming that you accept my approach, then I’ll do my best. When do I have to start?’
‘Right now,’ said John. ‘There’s a fat file for you to take home and read. Whatever you say, I can only repeat that I am not looking for answers as to what happened to the missing man – just a calming-down of what threatens to be a media frenzy.’ He buzzed through to Sally. ‘Could you bring me the Trehearne file please, Sally?’
Sally appeared in the doorway and gave Louis a brief wink. ‘Here’s your light reading, Chief Inspector. Could you just sign here to say you’re taking the file out of the office?’ She turned to her boss. ‘Oh, one thing, sir. I’ve just heard that the Trehearne sister is flying back from Australia to be with her brother and presumably attend their mother’s funeral. Her husband’s coming too, they’re a Mr and Mrs Tripconey. Presumably they’ll be joining in the campaign to help discredit the police who originally handled of the case, God help us all.’
‘Tripconey!’ said Louis, suddenly showing real interest 19for the first time. ‘They must be related to Merrin McKenzie. She was a Tripconey before her marriage to Adam and now I come to think of it, I believe she said she had a brother in Australia.’ He hesitated, frowning in thought. ‘Jago, I think she said his name was.’
‘Bullseye,’ said Sally, ‘that’s the one.’
‘You remember Mrs McKenzie, sir, from the Steve Matthews case?’ said Louis. ‘I’ll start by talking to her to get some background.’
‘Of course, I remember Mrs McKenzie, she was a great help with that poor man. However, your starting point should be to try and convince Tom Trehearne to stop stirring up trouble. That’s your brief, Peppiatt. I don’t care how you do it, but your job is to bring to an end this adverse publicity, and bloody quickly.’
‘Nonetheless, I think I’ll talk to Mrs McKenzie first, she’s a clever woman and very perceptive. She’s bound to have a helpful overview.’
‘And she’s unattached now, Louis, as are you,’ said Sally wickedly.
‘Don’t be ridiculous,’ said Louis, picking up the file and heading for the door. ‘She’s a grieving widow.’
As the office door closed behind him, John smiled at Sally. ‘I can’t quite understand why, but he does seem to have an awful lot of faith in that woman.’
‘The gentleman doth protest too much, methinks,’ said Sally and they both laughed.
CHAPTER THREE
Merrin had been both surprised and intrigued by the phone call from Louis Peppiatt. He’d asked if he could come over to St Ives to see her but had refused to be drawn on the reason for the visit, other than to say he wanted to pick her brains.
‘I wonder what he wants?’ Merrin asked her African Grey parrot, Horatio, who cocked his head on one side as if giving the question serious consideration. This was something that, over their years together, Merrin had come to believe was highly possible. Horatio, without question, was very smart but he was also given to dramatic mood swings. At the moment, he was decidedly disgruntled, having been left alone all morning while Merrin, Clara and William had attempted to drown themselves on the beach. If that wasn’t enough, because a visitor was expected, Horatio was not allowed out of his cage. He 21liked to fly around Merrin’s cottage in the afternoon and then, bizarrely, settle down with William in the dog bed.
Reading his mind, which was not difficult, given the black looks she was receiving, Merrin said, ‘I’m very sorry, Horatio, but you know it’s for your own safety. I don’t want you flying out of the front door or being frightened by a visitor. And there will be biscuits for tea.’ The look she received suggested that Horatio thought bribery by biscuit was a low blow – deeply insulting and inappropriate.
On cue, there was a knock on the door and Merrin opened it to find Louis Peppiatt on the threshold. ‘Come in, Inspector. Horatio and I were just talking about you.’
They had not met for nearly six months and, for a moment, they stood awkwardly staring at one another. Finally, Louis held out his hand and they formally shook hands. ‘Thank you very much for seeing me at such short notice, Mrs McKenzie,’ he said.
‘No problem,’ said Merrin. ‘Tea and biscuits?’
‘Yes, please, to tea, but I should be avoiding biscuits.’
‘You can’t say no to biscuits, I’m afraid. I’ve promised Horatio we’d have them.’ Horatio gave his bell a mighty bash, as if to make the point.
‘So I see,’ said Louis dryly. Bending down, he gave William a scratch behind the ears. ‘Alright, William?’ he asked. William thumped his tail – he was rather picky about the people he liked but Louis was definitely one of them.
They sat down at the kitchen table and while Merrin fed Horatio and William a piece of biscuit each, Louis took out his notebook. ‘Heavens, Inspector, I don’t like 22the look of your notebook. Are you about to interrogate me? What have I done?’
‘Absolutely nothing to worry about; it’s advice I’m after,’ Louis replied. ‘I should have Jack here really, taking notes, but you know what an old gossip he is and it’s a slightly tricky subject.’
‘You intrigue me, Inspector,’ said Merrin.
‘Actually,’ said Louis, ‘it’s “Chief Inspector” now.’
‘And I suppose that’s a reward for nearly getting yourself killed?’ said Merrin, clearly not very impressed.
‘Or you could say, it was a reward for catching a major villain,’ said Louis, a little tersely. ‘Either way, as “Chief Inspector” is something of a mouthful, should we agree on Merrin and Louis going forward?’
‘Alright then, Louis.’ Merrin relented and offered a small smile.
‘I want to talk to you about Sarah Trehearne. I presume you’ve heard about her death?’
‘Yes, of course I have,’ said Merrin. ‘Sarah’s family and ours are related by marriage but then, you must know that or you wouldn’t be here. When you say “Sarah’s death”, you’re not suggesting foul play, are you? There is no question that she killed herself, she left a note and, poor woman, it’s not surprising really that she’d had enough.’
‘Absolutely,’ said Louis hurriedly. ‘You’re right and, sadly, there is no doubt that she killed herself. However, as a result, I’ve been asked to re-investigate the disappearance of her husband, Philip Trehearne.’
‘I see, so you’re involved in a police cover-up? You surprise me, Louis, I didn’t think you were that sort of policeman, not when you profess to have had such high 23regard for my husband. Adam would never have allowed himself to be a party to a cover-up.’
‘It’s not like that,’ Louis protested.
‘Oh, I think it is,’ said Merrin. ‘Tom Trehearne is kicking up an enormous fuss in the media generally because he holds the police responsible for his mother’s death, since they couldn’t find his father. Tom has been a troubled man ever since his father’s disappearance but you can’t blame him for being so angry. When I lost Adam it was terrible, but at least I knew what had happened to him. I can’t begin to imagine how I would have felt if he had walked out of the door one day and simply disappeared without trace. I do know, though, I would never again have found a moment’s true peace.’
‘Merrin, could you at least listen to me before making such a sweeping judgement,’ said Louis angrily. ‘I can explain my involvement, if you give me half a chance to actually speak.’
‘I’ll listen,’ said Merrin, ‘but you’ll have trouble convincing me that you haven’t taken on a very shabby job. No one these days seems to be able to accept that sometimes they get things wrong. Why can’t the police just admit they failed to find Philip, apologise to the family and admit that their failure may well have contributed to Sarah making the decision to take her own life? That would earn the force far more respect than you attempting to prove that the police aren’t responsible in any way.’
‘Have you finished now?’ Louis said. Merrin nodded. ‘Right, then at least listen to what I have to say and then, by all means, you can pass judgement.’
CHAPTER FOUR
Clearly agitated, Louis stood up and walked over to the window. The view looked down onto Fore Street, St Ives’s main shopping street. It was late afternoon and a sea mist was rolling in and funnelling up the street, which was now almost empty. He turned round to face Merrin. William, clearly upset by the anger in the room, began to whimper. ‘It’s alright, William, don’t worry,’ said Louis, reaching down to pat the dog. He didn’t realise it, of course, but his words of comfort for Merrin’s dog immediately drained away at least some of her anger.
‘My boss, Chief Superintendent John Dent, called me into the office at lunchtime today. I was still based in Newton Abbot when Philip went missing so I knew nothing of the story. The boss filled me in and, like you, I immediately saw it as a cover-up, which I’m sure is what it is intended to be, the prime objective being to get the press 25off our backs. I was going to turn it down, refuse to take the case, and then the super described Tom as being “very angry and bitter, not an easy man at the best of times”. Quite clearly he and his superiors are seeing Tom as the enemy, not as a victim, and it was then that I knew I had to take the case.’
Louis returned to the table and sat down, facing Merrin. ‘You confirmed just now that Tom has been troubled ever since his father’s death. What sort of man would Tom have been if his father had not disappeared? What sort of man will he become if we simply brush the cause of his mother’s death under the carpet? We owe it to him to at least have another serious go at finding out what really happened to his father.’ Louis hesitated. ‘And that, Merrin, is where my interests lie. No way will this be a police cover-up – not on my watch.’
‘I understand and I’m sorry,’ said Merrin, ‘truly, I’m very sorry to have sounded off at you like that. It’s just that I’ve seen this sort of thing happen before, in fact many times, and it stinks. Also, the fact is that if Tom hadn’t kicked up a media storm, the police wouldn’t even have considered opening Philip’s file when Sarah died. I’m right about that, aren’t I?’
‘Of course you are. Look, I’m going to say this just once, and then never raise the subject again. We ended up working quite closely on the John Lumley case. I would have liked to believe you could not have thought me capable of hushing up what has happened to the poor Trehearne family. If I’d refused to take this case, in my view, no one else was going to do more than just go through the file and say the police did everything possible 26at the time. I may be very wrong but I’d like to think I can do better than that – for Tom’s sake and the rest of his family. Of course I’m not the sort of policeman to become involved in a cover-up to protect the force’s reputation. Of course I’m not.’
‘I can only say again that I’m terribly sorry for misjudging you and you’re right, I should have known better. I will do anything, everything I can to help you,’ said Merrin. She hesitated. ‘So where do we start?’
It took Louis a moment to compose himself. When he spoke, he was once more calm and professional. ‘I was given the original file on Philip’s disappearance and, before coming here, I had a speedy read of it. From what I can see, while the police, coastguards and a huge number of the general public did some impressive searching of the area, there were no apparent background checks on Philip to see if he had any enemies or skeletons in his cupboard.’
‘I think that very unlikely,’ said Merrin. ‘I don’t know the family terribly well and I was at university when Philip went missing. However, I am absolutely sure that they were a very loving family – everyone locally was very fond of them. I know my parents were absolutely delighted when Jago married Gemma, Tom’s sister, and certainly Dad and Philip got on like a house on fire. Growing up, though, Jago and I had very little to do with Tom and Gemma so most of what I can tell you about them is hearsay. Jago and Gemma are on their way back to St Ives from Australia, incidentally.’
‘Yes, they told me at the station. So, why didn’t you spend any time with Tom and Gemma during childhood, given your parents were friends?’ Louis asked.27
‘A difference in age – Jago and I are older than the Trehearnes. In fact, Jago is nine years older than his wife.’ She smiled. ‘A cradle-snatcher, my brother! Tom and Gemma are still only in their mid-forties now whereas Jago and I are old codgers of fifty-six and fifty-four.’
‘They must have been very young when Philip disappeared?’ said Louis.
‘Yes, poor loves,’ Merrin agreed. ‘They were teenagers. I think Gemma was only about fifteen and Tom two years older. Tom never went to college. He left school immediately after his dad disappeared and began working on the farm to help his mum, and Gemma followed as soon as she was old enough to leave school.’
‘So, how come Jago and Gemma ended up in Australia? Presumably, Gemma was badly missed on the farm?’
‘Jago, naughty boy, went on a gap year to Australia. He’s naturally very clever at IT and he was supposed to be coming back to the UK in order to go to university, where he had a place to study computer science. Instead he stayed on in Australia and founded a business with an Australian boy of about the same age. They were both surfing mad. Firstly, they gave surfing lessons, then they opened a shop selling surfing gear and now they have five shops and, of course, sell on line. Jago came back to St Ives after a few years to tell Mum and Dad he was going to make his home in Oz and go for Australian citizenship. While he was home, he and Gemma got together and she went back with him. In order to cope, soon after Philip vanished, the Trehearnes took on a young farm manager and he still works for them, I believe. There’s no way they could ever give up on the farm – it’s been in the family for 28generations – and also they felt they had to keep it going for Philip.’
‘In case he ever comes home, you mean?’
‘Yes, I imagine so. Certainly if you or I were in the same position, I’m sure we would cling on to hope, even when it became increasingly unrealistic. Maybe the children gradually began to accept that their dad was not coming back but I very much doubt that Sarah ever gave up on Philip – she loved him so much. Actually, Louis, thinking about it, perhaps that’s why Sarah took her own life – she had finally given up hope.’
‘It’s a tragic story,’ said Louis. ‘Look, I need to really study the file and to think about what you have told me. Then, I’m afraid, I will probably have a lot more questions, if that’s OK. When are Jago and Gemma arriving?’
‘Tomorrow. What would be really helpful is if you could talk to Jago on his own initially – without Gemma, I mean. Understandably, he knows a lot more about the family than I do. Also, he tells me that Gemma is equally as angry as Tom about what happened to Sarah. She was very close to her mum and, of course, is blaming herself for not being here for her – for going to Australia and leaving Sarah to cope. Shall I suggest to Jago that the three of us meet up?’
‘Yes, please do. I want to understand as much as possible about the background to all this before talking to Tom and Gemma. If I go in without a thorough knowledge of the whole situation, it might well appear disrespectful, like I’m not taking their concerns seriously. That mustn’t happen.’
‘You’re not such a bad chap, Louis, and William likes you, which is a major plus point,’ Merrin said magnanimously.29
‘We’ve had quite a number of battles and misunderstandings one way and another, since we first met, haven’t we?’ said Louis. ‘Are we alright now?’
‘We’re alright now,’ said Merrin, smiling, ‘and I’m sorry again for misjudging you. You’re right, I should have known better. About the Trehearnes – try not to let what has happened define them in your mind. They were just a very ordinary family, to whom a very extraordinary thing happened.’
CHAPTER FIVE
Sergeant Jack Eddy ended the call with the chief superintendent’s secretary, Sally. He rose from his desk and walked over to the very small window in his very small office. He had never received any direct communication from the chief super before, and so surprised was he that the instructions given to him were not entirely clear in his mind. He gazed over the rooftops, trying to work out what could possibly be expected of him. He would be working with Inspector, no, now Chief Inspector Louis Peppiatt, something that pleased him very much. He had always been completely in awe of Louis Peppiatt and now it appeared that the two of them would be working alone together on a cold case – he had been especially chosen, Sally said. Jack was not as intimidated as he once would have been because, just before Christmas last year, he had saved the chief inspector’s life and several times the boss had expressed his 31gratitude. Perhaps this was the boss’s way of saying thank you again.
Jack counted himself as having been very lucky over the last few months. He had been much praised by his colleagues for his action in saving the boss’s life and Mrs Eddy had even declared herself to be proud of him – something that had never happened before. Secondly, and amazingly, he had passed his latest medical. This time last year, he had quite expected to be pensioned off by now. Instead, although he was overweight and not very fast on his feet, his blood pressure and cholesterol readings were excellent, due, it was decided, to him being not much of a drinker. So, he had scraped through, and now Sally had said he had been specially chosen to help the boss with a tricky case. He felt quite pleased with himself and also hugely grateful. He loved his wife, of course, but the thought of being at home with Mrs Eddy every day of the week was not something Jack relished – in fact, it didn’t bear thinking about.
Jack’s reverie was interrupted by the arrival of the man himself. ‘Ah, Eddy, I’m glad you’re here. We have an important and very urgent job to do.’ Louis burst into the office, his energy appearing to make the already small space seem suddenly very overcrowded indeed.
‘The chief super’s office has just rung me. What’s it all about, boss?’ Jack asked.
Louis explained the details of the Trehearne case and noticed that Jack was starting to look increasingly appalled by what he had to say.
‘Bugger, we’re not going to have to start tramping all over the moors again, are we, boss?’ Jack said when Louis had finished.32
‘Eddy, this is a case that is over thirty years old. Of course we’re not going to be searching the moors for a body. We have to look at it in an entirely different way. I take it, from your unhappy expression, that you were involved in the original search for Philip Trehearne?’
‘I was, boss,’ said Jack, ‘and I can promise you that we left no stone unturned in our search of the moor. We went backwards and forwards along the path Philip would have taken and then we spread the search outwards – widely in all directions. As well as us, the coastguards became involved and the public – Philip was very well liked. It was July but the weather was awful – quite chilly, as well as very wet and windy. I’d just got engaged to Mrs Eddy and I turned up night after night covered in mud. I thought she’d call off the engagement – in fact she threatened to, as I remember. I tried to explain not all police work was the same but she was very displeased at the time, very displeased indeed.’
‘Well, you can tell Mrs Eddy that mud is unlikely to be involved on this occasion,’ said Louis, failing to suppress a smile. ‘What do you know about the Trehearne family?’
‘Not much when they were kiddies. Tom and Gemma are quite a bit younger than me so we didn’t really play together at that stage.’
‘I’ve just been to see Mrs McKenzie,’ said Louis, ‘and she said exactly the same thing. Still, as her brother is married to Gemma, she may know the family rather better than you, I imagine.’
‘Maybe, maybe not,’ said Jack mysteriously.
‘What on earth do you mean by that, Eddy?’ asked Louis.33
‘Well,’ said Jack, looking pleased with himself. ‘Three years before Philip disappeared, I went to work on their farm for the summer. I’m quite a lot older than Tom, but although he was still a boy and I was grown up, we got along very well. I was about to start my police training in the autumn. I lived with the family as it was easier than going home at night – we worked all hours. There was a good harvest that year and they were in the process of increasing their livestock so they were busy times. The children worked hard as well, though Gemma can’t have been more than twelve. I shared a room with Tom and I’m ashamed to say I taught him to smoke.’
‘This is very helpful, so, in fact, you must know a lot about the family.’
‘Yes, I suppose so. There was no time for chit-chat, we all worked from dawn until dusk, including Mrs Trehearne. She was lovely, by the way, so sad she died. Also, a few times Philip took me to the pub for a pint. Spooky really, taking the same path as he did that fateful night.’
‘I am aware that your knowledge of the people in this area is encyclopaedic, but I wasn’t expecting anything as useful as this. Tomorrow, I want you to think long and hard about your time at the farm and write down any memories you have, good or bad, however trivial, in as much detail as you can. Will you do that, please?’
‘Of course, boss. I’ll start dreckly.’
‘Do you still see much of Tom? It sounds as if you were quite close as boys.’
‘I haven’t seen him for years,’ said Jack. ‘When Philip first disappeared, I offered to help out on the farm during the times I was off duty and I did work when I could for a 34few weeks but, obviously, I didn’t have much spare time. After a while, they took on a full-time farm manager and after that I’ve hardly seen any of them. I was invited to Gemma’s wedding to Jago Tripconey but I couldn’t go as I was on duty.’
‘OK. Just one last question – with your knowledge of the family, did you have a theory, at the time of his disappearance, as to what had happened to Philip?’
Jack was silent for some time. ‘Not really,’ he said at last. ‘I was only a young man and I was courting so I had other things on my mind. During the search, I just did as I was told. The sergeant in charge of the search was ex-army and a very hard man. There wasn’t much time for thinking.’ There was another silence while Louis waited patiently. ‘All I would say, boss, is that no one could believe, not for one single moment, that Philip would have left his missus and the kiddies. It would be hard to find a happier family than those Trehearnes. He either had an accident or foul play was involved and if it had been an accident, then we’d have found him.’
‘My thoughts exactly,’ said Louis.
CHAPTER SIX
Merrin sped down the A30 as fast as she dared. She had just picked up Jago and Gemma from Newquay Airport. After a loving and joyful reunion with her brother and a big conciliatory hug with Gemma, things had very rapidly deteriorated. They were hardly in the car when Gemma started cross-examining Merrin.
‘Do you realise, Merrin, that the police haven’t even been in contact with Tom since Mum died?’
‘They must have been,’ said Merrin gently. ‘You must have had the results of the post-mortem and presumably poor Tom had to cope with the formal identification.’
‘Yes,’ said Gemma, ‘they’ve done all that but they also promised a rapid internal inquiry as to why Dad has never been found. So far, we’ve heard nothing and Mum died more than four weeks ago. You’d think someone would have had the courtesy to at least call us and tell us what’s 36happening. Surely you must know something?’
‘Why me?’ Merrin asked. Gemma was sitting in the front passenger seat of the car and Merrin found herself wishing that instead Jago was beside her to give moral support. She felt desperately sorry for Gemma and she was acutely aware that both she and Jago must be exhausted and jet-lagged. She just hadn’t expected to be the immediate butt of Gemma’s anger.
‘Because,’ said Gemma, her voice rising a pitch, ‘because you were very involved with that cocaine-smuggling case and you must know a lot of local policemen as a result, surely?’
‘I do,’ Merrin admitted, ‘and I know two of them are working full time on your dad’s disappearance.’
‘Two of them!’ Gemma shrieked. ‘A woman has died because of their failure and they’ve put just two policemen on the case! And if you know all this, Merrin, why haven’t you told Tom?’
Anxious not to mention Louis by name, Merrin said, ‘I believe they’re going to make contact with you and Tom within the next few days but, presumably, they first need to familiarise themselves with the details surrounding the search for your father. It was over thirty years ago, Gemma, and I expect they want to study the file and talk to anyone who has any memories of what happened on that awful day.’
‘In order to engineer a cover-up, I bet,’ said Gemma bitterly.
Merrin had to remind herself that initially this had been her exact reaction. She tried to imagine how she would feel if it had been her and Jago’s parents in a similar 37situation – tried, and failed. It was just too awful.
‘In any case, I suppose it doesn’t really matter,’ Gemma continued, her voice flat with despair. ‘My mother’s dead and I wasn’t there to support her. The fact is, I should never have married your brother and agreed to move to Australia.’
There was a deathly silence. Merrin heard Jago move uneasily in the back of the car, but he said nothing.
Eventually, Merrin spoke. ‘Gemma, none of this is your fault. You know Sarah was completely supportive of you and Jago marrying and settling in Australia. Bless her, she loved your dad so much. I don’t believe anyone could have stopped her doing what she did – she’d just had enough.’
‘You don’t know what you’re talking about, you hardly knew her. She was my mum and I knew her very well – so just shut up, Merrin, would you, please?’
So, Merrin shut up and the journey continued in a highly charged silence.
As they bumped up the lane to Trehearne Farm, Merrin wondered how on earth she was going to manage a few minutes on her own with Jago. Seeing the level of Gemma’s anger, added to Tom’s, and she could well imagine them cooking up a raging storm between them. Louis would need as much information as possible, before confronting them, in order to stand a chance of gaining their co-operation and, above all, their help.
As it turned out, the fates were on Merrin’s side. As they drew up outside the front door of the farmhouse, Gemma flung open the car door and said, ‘I want to see my brother alone for a few minutes. Would you two stay here, please.’ She slammed the car door and ran into the farmhouse.38
‘No problem,’ Jago called after her. ‘We’ll start unloading the luggage.’
‘Before we do that, Jago,’ Merrin said quietly, leaning over the car seat to face her brother, ‘I need to ask you something. Would you come with me tomorrow morning to meet Chief Inspector Louis Peppiatt, who is in charge of re-opening Philip’s case? And I mean on your own, without Gemma.’
‘Why without Gemma? Surely this is all about Gemma – and Tom, of course?’
‘Because Louis wants to gather as much information as possible about what happened, before approaching Gemma and Tom. He doesn’t want it to look as if he’s just glanced at the file and then pushed the matter under the carpet, which is clearly what they’re expecting. He’s serious about this case, Jago. He really wants to find out what happened to Philip.’
‘Louis, you called him, so he’s obviously a friend of yours. Can we trust him? Are you sure he’s not just going through the motions – a cover-up as Gemma suggested?’
‘Yes, you can trust him, Jago. I absolutely promise you,’ Merrin said, placing a hand on his arm.
‘Well, that’s good enough for me, sis, but what am I going to say to Gemma? As you know, I’m a lousy liar at the best of times, and lying to my wife really isn’t an option.’
‘There’s no need to. Just tell her that you and I are going into St Ives early tomorrow morning to winkle out who’s in charge and ask some searching questions – all of which is true. Say you need to make your own judgement about Louis Peppiatt and not just rely on my view. I’ll pick you 39up at nine tomorrow morning and it will also give Tom and Gemma a bit of time on their own.’
‘Okey-dokey, I can do that,’ said Jago. ‘I just feel so sorry for Gemma. She’s absolutely riddled with guilt and I don’t seem to be able to reassure her in any way. She is blaming herself entirely for her mother’s death, without a doubt.’
‘But if we can find out what really happened to Philip, then maybe that will help Gemma come to terms with the decision her mother made. Yes?’
‘Yes,’ said Jago firmly. ‘God bless you, sis.’
CHAPTER SEVEN
As soon as Merrin was back in her cottage, she phoned Louis Peppiatt. ‘Things are a bit tense in the Trehearne camp at the moment, as you can imagine,’ she said. ‘So, I had to make a snap decision. I’m picking up Jago at nine tomorrow morning and I’m hoping it will be possible to meet you in town at nine-fifteen? I’m sorry it’s so early and on a Saturday, too.’
‘That’s no problem. I’ll be at your cottage sharp at nine-fifteen and thank you for arranging the meeting so quickly,’ said Louis.
‘Actually, could we meet at Clara’s restaurant instead?’ Merrin said.
‘I would prefer we met at your cottage, or the police station. I don’t want to conduct the interview with other people about.’
‘Clara and Tristan don’t open their restaurant until eleven, which is why I have suggested we meet early. I’ll 41talk to them and make sure they stay in the kitchen for the duration,’ said Merrin firmly.
‘OK,’ said Louis, ‘if that suits you best – it just seems rather an odd place to meet when the subject matter is so delicate.’
‘I should have explained at the beginning, Louis – apologies. My brother, Jago, uses a wheelchair and the steps leading up to my cottage could prove to be rather a challenge. He is fiercely independent and he can wheel himself straight into the restaurant.’
‘Of course, I understand now. Tristan’s Fish Plaice at nine-fifteen it’ll be.’
Merrin then phoned Clara and made arrangements for the meeting. Clara was immediately very excited. ‘Two of my favourite men here at the same time, hurrah!’
‘I knew, of course, that Jago was a favourite of yours but I had no idea that Louis Peppiatt had made it into Clara’s Hall of Fame.’
‘Of course he has, Pearl darling. You’ve spent far more time with him than I have so you must have noticed that he is seriously fanciable. I know you’re not on the lookout for a chap at the moment, but there is no harm in window shopping!’
‘For heaven’s sake, Clara. You know perfectly well that there can never be another man in my life after Adam. I can’t bear the idea; it’s absolutely out of the question.’
‘And I know your inspector can be a bit grumpy and sharp at times, but he can also be very funny. I think he’s lovely.’
‘Clara, are you listening to me?’
‘No, not really, darling Pearl, actually not at all.’42
