Free The Deadly Game by Jim Eldridge Page A

cover under the dog’s nose for it to get a good scent, before returning it to Jake.
    ‘OK,’ said Andy. ‘Let’s go.’
    They crossed a stile into the field Lauren had targeted, Woody and Andy leading the way, Michelle following with the trowel, then Jake and Robert bringing up the rear, each carrying a spade.
    They walked along the side of the field, along a narrow earth-trodden path partly covered by nettles and long grass, with brambles snaking through that caught at their ankles as they walked. Jake’s concentration was on Woody as the dog ambled along, nose sniffing at the ground. He was waiting for the dog to stop and show some interest, or excitement, but Woody’s mood didn’t change. He just sniffed all the way along the path to the end, and then along the path to the right that cut across the end of the field. At one point he stopped, and Jake’s heart gave a little leap of hope, but the dog had only stopped to take a pee, and then they continued on again.
    They arrived back at the point where they’d begun, having walked completely around all four sides of the large field, and Woody hadn’t registered any reaction, apart from being interested in some of the different natural smells he came across.
    ‘There’s nothing here,’ announced Andy.
    ‘Maybe it’s in the middle of the field?’ suggested Jake hopefully, pointing to where the crops were growing.
    ‘I promised the farmers we’d stick to the perimeters of the fields,’ said Robert.
    ‘Well, that’s a bit ridiculous!’ snapped Jake. ‘Say it’s out there in the field itself?’
    ‘Then it’s likely it would have been dug up years ago by a plough or a digger,’ said Robert. ‘Also, if I hadn’t given them that undertaking, they wouldn’t have let us on to their land. They don’t want people walking across their fields ruining their crops.’
    ‘Maybe the next field won’t have anything growing in it,’ said Michelle.
    ‘Maybe,’ agreed Robert. ‘Let’s go and find out.’
    As they crossed the stile and headed back to the cars, Jake felt hollow. All right, it was asking a bit much for them to strike lucky the first time, but this was Glastonbury. If the books were going to be hidden anywhere, there was more chance of finding one here. And Lauren had listed this field as a likely spot.
    They drove out of the country lane and on to the road, Jake keeping his eyes open for any sign of the blue Renault Michelle had spotted, but there was no sign of it. In fact, there was no sign of any cars following them during their trip to the lay-by near a path that led to the second field Lauren had listed.
    This site was as empty as the first. This field had no crops growing, so they were able to ramble across the whole of it, but despite Woody covering every square metre of ground with his nose pressed to the short grass, he never gave any indication that there was anything to be found.
    ‘Maybe they’ve been buried too deep,’ suggested Michelle.
    Andy shook his head.
    ‘Trust me, if it was here, Woody would smell it,’ he said. ‘Either it was never there in the first place . . .’
    ‘Or someone’s already found it and dug it up,’ finished Robert.
    Jake felt gloomy as they returned to their cars again.
    ‘This isn’t going well,’ he whispered to Robert.
    ‘Two down, still two to go,’ said Robert confidently.
    ‘Yes, but say we don’t find a book?’
    ‘Then we try again another time,’ said Robert.
    ‘Maybe the dog’s got a cold or a blocked nose?’ Jake whispered, shooting a look at Woody; but he knew he was clutching at straws.
    He glanced towards Michelle, who was walking ahead of them, chatting to Andy. Jake suspected she was preparing a story for her magazine about sniffer dogs.
    ‘If we don’t find one this time, I can’t see Michelle spending any more time on this,’ he said, worried. ‘And we need her to publicise it.’
    ‘You give up too easily, Jake,’ said Robert. ‘Think positive.’
    Jake