Revenge in the Cotswolds by Rebecca Tope Read Free Book Online Page A

anything, about the presence of a gang of anarchists – or whatever they were – on her doorstep? Had they crossed her path before? Did she quietly support or noisily oppose them?
    She went back the way she had come, to find the little crowd outside had grown in the past ten minutes, and Thea’s car had been joined by two others. Intent on her original plan, she got the dogs out and firmly connected them to their leads. Whatever might be happening in the quarry was none of her concern and she told herself to stop being nosy and stick to her job. Gwennie needed exercise and attention. Gwennie was her prime responsibility. But Gwennie herself showed every sign of curiosity at the assembly of interesting people close by. Her pointed nose lifted and she madeenthusiastic little squeaks. It would be cruel to deny her the society, Thea decided, allowing herself to be drawn back to the people.
    There were three or four newcomers. One was a blonde woman of fifty or so who stood close to Tiffany. Another was Nella, Sophie’s friend, who Thea hadn’t noticed earlier. One or two young men loitered on the edge of the group, with hands in their pockets and shoulders hunched, as if it were a much colder day. None of them greeted Thea or her dogs, all their attention fixed on Steve and his gadget. ‘Fatality,’ he announced loudly. ‘There must be a body in the quarry. Wow!’
    Tiffany squealed and the woman beside her hushed her as if she were a small child. Must be her mother, Thea concluded.
    ‘We should go and see,’ said Sophie. ‘We’re not going to find out anything standing around here, are we?’
    ‘Tiffany’s not going anywhere,’ said the blonde. ‘She’s not meant to be associating with you people, anyway.’
    ‘Mum, for heaven’s sake,’ pleaded the girl. ‘I’m old enough to know what I’m doing. Why are
you
here, anyway?’
    ‘I saw Nella coming this way, and thought she’d lead me to you. I
told
you to stay in this morning. What about that essay?’
    ‘Come on, if you’re coming,’ repeated Sophie tothe group in general. ‘We can go through the woods and be there in ten minutes. It might be somebody we know.’
    ‘We won’t see anything,’ said Nella. ‘They won’t let us get close enough. Isn’t it rather ghoulish, anyway? It’s going to be one of the quarry workers, crushed under a digger or a rockfall.’
    ‘On a Sunday?’ queried Tiffany’s mother.
    ‘They work weekends sometimes, don’t they?’ Nella sounded vague, almost offhand. ‘But suit yourself. I can’t see much sense in standing around like this.’
    The man with the phone looked up again. ‘They’re not saying anything new. It’s all going according to procedure, I guess. They’re never going to put a name out over this frequency.’ He shook his head. ‘I don’t think there’s much we can usefully do.’
    ‘Why did you all come out here in the first place?’ Thea asked, mainly addressing Sophie, but sweeping the whole group in an invitation to reply.
    ‘Mind your own business,’ Nella snapped back. ‘Who
are
you, anyway? Why’ve you brought those dogs? The last thing we need is dogs drawing attention to us.’
    ‘You met me yesterday – don’t you remember?’ said Thea coldly. ‘And if this is private property, then you’re trespassing just as much as I am, wouldn’t you say?’
    ‘I know I met you. But I don’t get what you think you’re doing, barging in like this.’
    ‘I’m not “barging in”,’ Thea spluttered furiously, all the time thinking that actually, sort of, she was doing exactly that.
    ‘It’s something to do with badgers, love,’ said Tiffany’s mother, who appeared to think she was a fellow intruder. ‘They monitor all the local setts this time of year, so they can sabotage the culling when it comes.’ She gave her daughter a gentle cuff. ‘Getting themselves arrested, if they’re not careful.’
    ‘Not if Steve keeps a watch on where they are,’ said Sophie, not