Free Murder in the Green by Lesley Cookman Page A

leave. Adam dutifully went over to lend a hand.
    Libby watched them both with a feeling that she had suddenly got out of her depth. It was only the other day she had been wanting to run away, and now here were two of her nearest and dearest telling her to do it. Not that they knew she wanted to, but it provided some sort of validation for her feelings.
    The last diners had gone, Harry turned his sign to “closed” and Adam taken his apron off. Harry provided an ashtray. ‘Not a public place any more,’ he said.
    ‘That’s another thing,’ said Libby. ‘You can’t stay anywhere these days. No one allows smoking in hotels or self-catering.’
    ‘There’s a loophole for hotels,’ said Harry. ‘It was in the catering mag. They can have smoking rooms.’
    ‘Really? And how do you find out which ones they are?’ Libby shook a cigarette out of her packet as Adam looked disapproving.
    Harry shrugged. ‘Google?’
    ‘Choose a hotel and then ask them, I suppose,’ said Libby. ‘And then go on to the next one.’
    ‘Are you going to go, then, Ma?’
    Libby looked across at her son. ‘It’s an appealing idea,’ she said. ‘Although I do feel I’d be ratting on Ben.’
    ‘And your “investigation”?’ Harry put it in inverted commas.
    ‘There isn’t one,’ said Libby firmly. ‘I’ve said.’
    Harry and Adam sighed in unison.
    ‘So you did,’ said Harry.
    Chapter Nine
    ‘How’s Greg?’ asked Libby.
    ‘No worse.’ Ben’s voice sounded tired at the other end of the phone.
    ‘Have you had any sleep?’
    ‘Oh, yes. Not as much as I’d like, but Mum and I both had a reasonable night’s sleep.’
    ‘Shall I come up and see him?’
    ‘If you like,’ said Ben. ‘He’s quite relaxed and perfectly compos mentis.’
    ‘Much like normal, then?’ said Libby with a smile.
    ‘Exactly. So what did you do last night?’
    ‘Went to the caff for leftovers with Ad,’ said Libby, feeling slightly guilty.
    ‘I’m glad you weren’t on your own,’ said Ben, and she felt even guiltier.
    ‘No.’ Libby took a deep breath. ‘Ben, while you’re at the Manor, would you – I mean – would it – er, well, I wondered –’
    ‘Spit it out, Lib.’
    ‘I wondered if I might go off for a few days,’ said Libby in a rush.
    ‘Off?’ said Ben, after a short silence. ‘Off where?’
    ‘It was Adam’s suggestion.’ Libby hurried on. ‘He said I needed a holiday.’
    ‘Oh? Why?’
    ‘Because I hadn’t had one for so long, I suppose.’
    ‘We could go away, if you want to.’
    ‘You can’t leave your Mum and Dad right now,’ said Libby, feeling dreadful.
    ‘No, but I’ll be able to soon. Or is this simply to get away from me?’
    ‘Of course not,’ said Libby, now completely suffused in hot guilty colour and glad no one could see her. ‘And it was only a suggestion. I don’t want to leave if you need me.’
    There was another short silence. ‘Of course I need you, but if you want to get away, don’t let me stop you. Where will you go?’
    ‘I won’t,’ said Libby. ‘You’ve made up my mind for me. I told Adam I’d feel I was ratting on you, and now I do, so I won’t go.’
    ‘Oh, God,’ groaned Ben. ‘Now you’re making me feel guilty.’
    Libby, feeling calmer and cooler, laughed. ‘Right pair, aren’t we?’
    Ben gave a reluctant snort of laughter. ‘We are.’
    ‘I’ll come up at lunchtime, shall I? See Hetty – and Greg, if he’s up to it.’
    ‘All right,’ said Ben. ‘And – thanks, Lib.’
    Libby erased the Google search for rental cottages on her computer and switched it off. So that was that. She didn’t know how she’d thought she was going to get away with it, and despite what Adam said, she didn’t really feel in need of a holiday. It wasn’t as if she worked particularly hard, after all, she thought, sending a guilty glance towards the conservatory and the blank canvases within.
    Deciding to go the whole hog and prepare a luxurious picnic lunch to take