Free Murder in the Dark - A Libby Sarjeant Murder Mystery (Libby Sarjeant Murder Mystery Series) by Lesley Cookman

too, Mr Hall,’ she said, after pleasantries had been exchanged. ‘When would suit you?’
    ‘I’m staying in the area, so anytime. This afternoon? Tomorrow?’
    ‘Not tomorrow, Mrs Wolfe is busy on Saturdays. I could probably get her to come here this afternoon.’
    ‘Could you? I’m in Canterbury, so how long would it take me to get to you?’
    ‘Half an hour or less. I’ll call you back when I’ve spoken to Fran.’
    Five minutes later the meeting was set up and Libby did a quick tidy of the sitting room, Sidney sitting on the table in the window with his ears back in disapproval. Fran arrived minutes before Edward Hall and made Libby go into the kitchen and stop flapping while she remained as the welcoming committee.
    ‘What was it you wanted to talk to me about?’ Edward Hall sat in the armchair on one side of the fire, while Libby and Fran sat side by side on the sofa.
    ‘The whole situation, really,’ said Fran. ‘Ramani, and how much she told you of what she knew about Dark House. Whether she had any enemies.’
    ‘She had a trail of ex-lovers, if that’s what you mean.’ Edward Hall looked amused.
    ‘Ah,’ said Libby. ‘So did she tell you about the affair with Roland Watson?’
    ‘No, I knew nothing about that. She just said it was a house belonging to a friend.’
    ‘Mr Hall, why do you think it’s important?’ asked Fran.
    ‘Please call me Edward.’ He smiled at them both. ‘Then I won’t feel as though I’m in the headmaster’s office.’
    ‘Then I’m Libby, and this is Fran.’ Libby stood up. ‘Would you like tea? Or coffee?’
    When all three were supplied with tea, Libby began again.
    ‘So Ramani rang you and told you – what exactly?’
    ‘She said a friend of hers and her husband’s had an old house which dated back to the mid seventeenth century, and that in an old document held at the local church there was reference to a treasure hidden in the house.’
    ‘And you got excited about it,’ said Fran with a smile.
    ‘Well, the dates fitted. I told you about the Battle of Maidstone, didn’t I? You see, it was quite a ragbag of people who tried to stand against Parliament and the trained army under General Fairfax. Country squires, some of the landed gentry and some of the labourers and farm workers. Completely unfitted for warfare, and it wasn’t like previous battles, it was man against man, up and down the streets of Maidstone. It’s thought that many of the men left hidden gold to look after their families if they didn’t return.’ He looked solemn. ‘And of course, many of them didn’t.’
    ‘How do you know it was Dark House?’ asked Libby.
    ‘She told me,’ said Edward, looking surprised. ‘Dark House, Dark Lane. I asked her exactly where it was, you see, to see if it could be linked to my research. I checked it out on the British Listed Buildings website, and as it happens, it’s not far off the route that General Rich took to recapture the castle at Dover – ’
    ‘Hang on,’ said Libby. ‘General Rich? Don’t forget neither Fran nor I are history scholars.’
    ‘Sorry.’ Edward looked sheepish. ‘I tend to get carried away.’ He sipped gingerly at his tea. ‘Oh, that’s good. I usually get dusty teabag stuff.’
    Libby grinned. ‘You go to the wrong places. Well, go on. Who was General Rich?’
    ‘He was a Parliamentarian under General Fairfax, but I’m not really interested in him. You see, there is very little known about the people involved in the battle, and I’m trying to put some flesh on their bones. Archaeology hasn’t helped much so far, and we don’t know where to look except for the few obvious places. We have some names: Sir William Brockman, Sir John Mayney and Sir Gamaliel Dudley, but that’s about all.’
    ‘And you think Dark House could have been owned by one of the rebels?’ said Fran.
    ‘That’s what Ramani thought.’
    ‘I wonder which church holds the document?’ mused Libby.
    ‘Is there one at