Revenge in the Cotswolds by Rebecca Tope Read Free Book Online

basket in the kitchen and barely breathing. ‘Don’t you dare die on me,’ Thea told her. ‘Have a biscuit and come outside with Hepzie.’
    The corgi slowly obeyed and plodded to the end of the garden and back. Hepzie zigzagged over the lawn, sniffing and wagging and generally showing off. The contrast gave Thea grounds to hope there were manyyears yet to come in which her dog would be fit and active. One of the few aspects of her existence that found favour with Drew’s children was her spaniel.
    Her first plan for the day was a brief return to Bagendon’s Upper End, by car, to check whether Drew’s theory about the plug was accurate. She would take Hepzie and Gwennie and give them a gentle stroll around the village at the same time. Then in the afternoon she might go and have a look at North Cerney, which was another little place she had heard of but never seen before.
    At nine-thirty, she bundled the dogs onto the back seat and set off along the route taken by Farmer Handy in his Land Rover, the day before. Bagendon was comprehensively signposted, and she found the small road up to Upper End without difficulty. She even managed to identify the way onto the footpath back to Itlay and Daglingworth – admittedly made easier by the presence of a group of people standing just inside the field. They were staring in the direction of Itlay, where Thea could hear the whirring of a helicopter once she got out of her car.
    She recognised Sophie and Tiffany immediately. They were dressed in the same resilient outdoor gear as before, perhaps even more so. Curious as ever, she called to them, ‘Hi! What’s going on?’
    Sophie turned slowly, reluctantly, and simply shook her head. Tiffany was dancing from foot to foot. ‘We don’t
know
,’ she said. ‘Steve heard something on thepolice radio about the quarry. It must be serious for them to call a helicopter out.’
    A man in his mid twenties with very large ears and a scrappy beard looked up, evidently having heard his name. He gave Thea a long look, before nodding to her and going back to the phone in his hand.
    ‘He’s got an app that means you can eavesdrop on them,’ Tiffany explained cheerfully. ‘It comes in very useful when we’re … you know.’ Sophie had slapped her arm lightly, effectively stopping her chatter in mid flow.
    Thea winced, still floundering in the ethical morass that every encounter with these protesters produced. She looked around again at the assorted individuals: nobody over thirty-five, most of them wearing sturdy wellingtons and waterproof jackets. Sophie carried an air of authority, with the big-eared Steve staying close to her, like a deputy. ‘Well,’ Thea muttered. ‘Better get on.’ It was all too obvious that the whole group wished her well away from them.
    She retreated to the house she had inspected the previous day and concentrated – with an effort – on the burglar alarm and the removal of her shoes, which were sure to leave marks on the spotless carpets.
    The little pool of water was still in the basin, cold and greasy and embarrassing. With a sceptical frown, she plunged a forefinger in and pressed the chromium plug down as hard as she could. Then she let go and miraculously it popped up. The water ran away,leaving a grey smear on the porcelain. She ran hot water and swept around with her fingers until it was clean again. ‘Just fancy that,’ she murmured to herself. ‘What a barmy arrangement.’
    Thank goodness for Drew’s good sense, she thought. Casting a final glance around the downstairs rooms to assure herself that all was well, she wondered again what the owner might have in common with her modest sister. Her taste in decor was dramatically different, but then sisters did vary a lot in that respect. Some took it seriously and others really didn’t. But this one definitely had an advantage financially, if the size and condition of the house were anything to go by.
    What, then, would the woman think, if