fell into disrepair and got overgrown." He grinned, a sinister gleam in his eye, like one telling a ghost story to a terrified audience. "This was a crossroads."
At this point Heffernan's patience snapped. "Come on, Wcs. Where's this squirrel? If there's any tree-climbing to be done, you're doing it. Right? My legs aren't what they were."
Neil turned and shouted. "Squirrel. You there?"
There was a great rustling in one of the trees fringing the site, and after a few moments a face appeared. The Peruvian cap made Squirrel look like some ancient tree spirit, a guardian of the woodland ... which, after all, was what he had appointed himself to be.
"Come on down, Squirrel. My mate's here ... the one I told you about."
Another great rustling, then Squirrel, agile and wiry, climbed like a monkey out of the branches and landed on the soft earth beneath his tree.
"Squirrel, meet Wcs. He was at uni with me. He's with the police but he's not interested in getting you off the site, only in the murder of that woman you saw. Okay?"
Squirrel nodded, eyeing the smartly dressed Wesley suspiciously.
"Nell's right," Wesley began. "We're only interested in what you saw last night." Gerry Heffernan was making his way carefully over the bumpy terrain. Having decided that Squirrel was unlikely to come to him, he would have to make the effort to approach the timid creature.
"Who's that?" Squirrel swung round as he saw the inspector approaching.
"Don't worry." Wesley held a hand up: a sign of peace. "It's my boss. He just wants to know what you saw last night. It could be important. It could help us catch whoever killed her."
Squirrel was no fool. He knew the information he held might not only help the police but his own cause. "Okay. I'll tell you what I saw." He shuffled his feet, thinking a while before beginning. "It was still light. This woman with fair hair came walking round the corner past the Ring o' Bells. I was in one of the trees over by the road ... just watching what was going on in the village. I've got a good view from up there."
"What was she wearing?" asked Wesley.
"Sort of white mac ... couldn't miss her. It had been warm but it had turned a bit chilly by then. She walked straight past my tree. She looked sort of... I don't know, sort of determined."
"You were close enough to see?"
"I got binoculars, haven't I," Squirrel said proudly. "My early warning system."
"So where did she go? Did you see?"
Squirrel nodded. "Oh yes. I saw. She turned into the drive and walked up towards the Manor."
"What time was this?"
Squirrel put his head on one side, thinking. "I've not got a watch but I guess it was after half nine. I'd heard the church bells chime about five minutes before and the Ring o' Bells was filling up nicely."
"Not tempted to pay a visit there yourself?" asked Gerry mischievously.
Squirrel looked disdainful. "I'm tee total ... and a vegan," he added proudly.
Heffernan, with an effort of self-control, passed no comment on Squirrel's exemplary lifestyle.
"Did you see her call at the Manor?"
"No. I lost sight of her halfway down the path."
"Did you see her come out again?"
Squirrel shook his head. "I gave up watching soon after that, went off to get something to eat with the others."
"Does the drive only lead to the Manor?"
"There's a path leading off it which goes down to Knot Creek. It's a public footpath ... well kept."
There spoke a man, thought Wesley, who had studied the lie of the land.
"It's no use going to see Thewlis now," Squirrel continued. "He's out. I saw him go out in his bloatedcapitalistmobile this morning ... not come back yet."
"Who else lives up there?"
"His missus ... couple of kids. But they were with him. They're all out."
"Anyone else?"
"There's the nanny," said Neil. "About nineteen. Dark-haired. Not bad. And there's a couple of cleaners and a cook who come up from the village and a secretary who drives up every day. Come to think of it, the nanny's the only one who
At this point Heffernan's patience snapped. "Come on, Wcs. Where's this squirrel? If there's any tree-climbing to be done, you're doing it. Right? My legs aren't what they were."
Neil turned and shouted. "Squirrel. You there?"
There was a great rustling in one of the trees fringing the site, and after a few moments a face appeared. The Peruvian cap made Squirrel look like some ancient tree spirit, a guardian of the woodland ... which, after all, was what he had appointed himself to be.
"Come on down, Squirrel. My mate's here ... the one I told you about."
Another great rustling, then Squirrel, agile and wiry, climbed like a monkey out of the branches and landed on the soft earth beneath his tree.
"Squirrel, meet Wcs. He was at uni with me. He's with the police but he's not interested in getting you off the site, only in the murder of that woman you saw. Okay?"
Squirrel nodded, eyeing the smartly dressed Wesley suspiciously.
"Nell's right," Wesley began. "We're only interested in what you saw last night." Gerry Heffernan was making his way carefully over the bumpy terrain. Having decided that Squirrel was unlikely to come to him, he would have to make the effort to approach the timid creature.
"Who's that?" Squirrel swung round as he saw the inspector approaching.
"Don't worry." Wesley held a hand up: a sign of peace. "It's my boss. He just wants to know what you saw last night. It could be important. It could help us catch whoever killed her."
Squirrel was no fool. He knew the information he held might not only help the police but his own cause. "Okay. I'll tell you what I saw." He shuffled his feet, thinking a while before beginning. "It was still light. This woman with fair hair came walking round the corner past the Ring o' Bells. I was in one of the trees over by the road ... just watching what was going on in the village. I've got a good view from up there."
"What was she wearing?" asked Wesley.
"Sort of white mac ... couldn't miss her. It had been warm but it had turned a bit chilly by then. She walked straight past my tree. She looked sort of... I don't know, sort of determined."
"You were close enough to see?"
"I got binoculars, haven't I," Squirrel said proudly. "My early warning system."
"So where did she go? Did you see?"
Squirrel nodded. "Oh yes. I saw. She turned into the drive and walked up towards the Manor."
"What time was this?"
Squirrel put his head on one side, thinking. "I've not got a watch but I guess it was after half nine. I'd heard the church bells chime about five minutes before and the Ring o' Bells was filling up nicely."
"Not tempted to pay a visit there yourself?" asked Gerry mischievously.
Squirrel looked disdainful. "I'm tee total ... and a vegan," he added proudly.
Heffernan, with an effort of self-control, passed no comment on Squirrel's exemplary lifestyle.
"Did you see her call at the Manor?"
"No. I lost sight of her halfway down the path."
"Did you see her come out again?"
Squirrel shook his head. "I gave up watching soon after that, went off to get something to eat with the others."
"Does the drive only lead to the Manor?"
"There's a path leading off it which goes down to Knot Creek. It's a public footpath ... well kept."
There spoke a man, thought Wesley, who had studied the lie of the land.
"It's no use going to see Thewlis now," Squirrel continued. "He's out. I saw him go out in his bloatedcapitalistmobile this morning ... not come back yet."
"Who else lives up there?"
"His missus ... couple of kids. But they were with him. They're all out."
"Anyone else?"
"There's the nanny," said Neil. "About nineteen. Dark-haired. Not bad. And there's a couple of cleaners and a cook who come up from the village and a secretary who drives up every day. Come to think of it, the nanny's the only one who
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