I am delighted to be bringing you an extract from A Dead Herring by Helen Golden today. It is part of the blog tour and it is my stop today. I am sure you will enjoy reading this excerpt as much as I have.
The Blurb
BREAKING NEWS Urshall United FC Owner Dies at Drew Castle
Details are sketchy at this stage, but it is believed businessman Ben Rhodes (38) was found dead in his bathroom at the king’s Scottish home by his twin brother Max, where the pair were guests at a shooting party hosted by Lord Frederick Astley (39), brother of Lady Beatrice (36). The cause of Mr Rhodes’ death is not known, but he started receiving death threats from football fans after his controversial takeover of the club and had recently employed his own personal security.
How unlucky can a girl get? Is fate playing a cruel trick on her for boorish Detective Chief Inspector Richard Fitzwilliam to be the only person who can get to the snowed-in castle to investigate Ben Rhodes’s death? And with no other external resources available to him, he now needs her, her smart dog, and her best friends’ help to catch the killer. Can they put their issues behind them and work together to find the murderer before the weather improves and the perpetrator is free to leave?
Another page-turning cozy British whodunnit with a hint of humour from author Helen Golden.
Intro
Lady Beatrice and her business partner Perry Juke are at Drew Castle, the private Scottish estate of Lady Beatrice’s uncle, King James, to manage the redesign and refurbishment of several family suites.
At the same time, Lady Beatrice’s brother Lord Frederick Astley is hosting a shooting party with guests who include the well-known brothers, Max and Ben Rhodes. Ben Rhodes has recently purchased a London football club in a controversial deal, much to the disgust of the fans who fear he will destroy the club. He’s been receiving death threats and has had to hire his own security for this protection.
Meanwhile, unbeknown to Lady Beatrice, Detective Chief Inspector Richard Fitzwilliam is also on the Drew Castle estate visiting a friend who was recently injured in the line of duty.
Extract
Detective Chief Inspector Richard Fitzwilliam wiped his mouth with his napkin and pushed his plate away. “That was just what I needed,” he said to the two women sitting opposite him across the wooden dining table that sat along one side of the wall in the living room of the small cottage.
“Thanks for bringing the wood in, Fitz.” Emma McKeer-Adler shifted in herseat. “It’s normally my job, but…”
The petite dark-skinned woman looked down at her right leg, which was stuck out in front of her and slightly to the side, resting on a chair. She grimaced as she studied the heavy white cast covered in scribbles. ‘It suits you, ma’am.’;
‘Talk about taking one for the team, boss.’; ‘My other leg’s a mini!’; ‘Is it too soon to call you Hop-a-long?’; ‘The Cast and the Furious.’; ‘Itch here.’ She looked back up and shrugged.
“I could have done it,” Isobel McKeer-Adler pointed out as she picked up her wineglass and raised it to her lips. “But I always fall over in the snow. I’ve got no sense of balance. You may have ended up with two broken legs on your plate.” The woman with short blonde hair smiled, her green eyes shining.
“And she’d be an even worse patient than me.” Emma patted her wife on the arm. “Wouldn’t you, Izzy?”
Izzy grinned and nodded. “As unbelievable as that sounds—” She stopped as Fitzwilliam’s mobile phone buzzed and vibrated on the tabletop in front of him.
‘Blake’ flashed up on the screen, and Fitzwilliam sighed. “Sorry, it’s the boss,” he told them as he put down his wineglass and picked up the phone. He’s calling me while I’m on leave; this can’t be good. He hit the call accept button.
“Nigel, what can I do for you?”
“Richard, we have a problem at Drew Castle. Are you at Adler’s yet?” Superintendent Nigel Blake of the Protection and Investigation (Royal) Service didn’t mince words.
Fitzwilliam rubbed his hand across his forehead. “What sort of problem, sir?”
His chest tightened. He knew Lady Beatrice and her business partner were at Drew Castle working on a refurbishment project. Drew Castle was only a mile from the cottage he was staying at while visiting his injured friend and colleague, but he was only planning on being here for a few days. There would be no need to see Lady Beatrice unless…
“There’s been an unexplained death.”
Fitzwilliam’s heart skipped a beat. She’s okay, isn’t she? “Who died?” Fitzwilliam blurted out quickly. Emma raised an eyebrow asshe and Izzy leaned across the table, their mouths slightly open.
“A chap called Ben Rhodes. Businessman. He was there as part of a shooting party organised by Lord Frederick Astley.”
“Was he shot?”
“No. It looks like he drowned in his bath.”
“So it’s murder then, sir?”
Adler and Izzy were now so close he could hear their breathing.
“Yes, it seems like it.”
Well, of course it will be! Lady Beatrice was a trouble magnet, especially when it came to murder. Fitzwilliam frowned. But what has this got to do with me? I’m on leave. He opened his mouth, but his boss got in before he had time to ask.
“The problem is, Richard, they’re completely snowed in at Drew Castle. It’s unreachable from the outside at the moment. A local lad and the Drew Castle security guys are doing what they can to secure the scene, but I need someone up there overseeing it all and looking out for the family. The Queen Mother is there, along with Lord Frederick, and of course, your friend, Lady Beatrice.”
Could he detect a slight chuckle from his boss? Blake knew full well Lady Beatrice would hardly describe Fitzwilliam as a friend.
“I can’t have them up there on their own with a potential murderer running around and no one from PaIRS to keep them safe,” Blake continued. “But I can’t get anyone to the area until the weather improves. So I think it’s serendipitous you’re only a short walk away, don’t you?”
Serendipitous? Bad luck, more like… Fitzwilliam twisted to look out of the window behind him. It had snowed heavily since he’d been out to collect logsfrom the wood store behind the cottage, and now a thick blanket of snow smothered everything, leaving only a few outlines of trees looking like large blobs of ice cream. A short walk? Not in this weather. He sighed.
“I’m aware you’re on leave, Fitzwilliam, and I wouldn’t ask if I had any other options.” Blake’s voice was unexpectedly apologetic.
“Of course, sir. I understand. I’ll get there as soon as I can.”
“Good-o, Richard. I knew I could count on you. Send my kind regards to Adler, and when this is all over, extend your trip so you still get to spend some additional time there. Detective Sergeant Spicer will be available to you via phone and video, and as soon as the weather gets better, I’ll get the local CID over there. Keep me posted.”
The line went dead. Fitzwilliam placed his phone back down on the table and rubbed his chin.
“What’s happened?” Two pairs of eyes stared across the table at him.
“There’s been a murder up at Drew Castle. The boss wants me to take charge. They’re snowed in, and no one else can get to them. Although having seen out there” —he gestured towards the window— “I’m not sure I can get there easily either.”
Izzy nodded. “You won’t be able to drive. The snow’s too deep, and it’ll be impossible to see where the road is.” She got up. “But I think I saw some stuff in the boot room that might be useful.”
“Can I come too?” Detective Chief Inspector Emma McKeer-Adler struggled up and gingerly put her weight on her cast.
“No!” Fitzwilliam and her wife cried in unison.
Helen Golden writes British contemporary cozy whodunnits with a hint of humour. She lives in small village in Lincolnshire in the UK with her husband, step-daughter, her two cats, two dogs, sometimes my step-son, and tortoise.
She used to work in senior management, but after her recent job came to a natural end she had the opportunity to follow her dreams and start writing. It's very early in her life as an author, but so far she's loving it.
It’s crazy busy at her house, so when she's writing she retreat to their caravan (an impulsive lockdown purchase) which is mostly parked on the drive. When she really needs total peace and quiet, she takes it to a lovely site about 15 minutes away and hides there until her family runs out of food or clean clothes.
Purchase link: https://books2read.com/u/3GWBZ8
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