Free Murder on the Village Green: A Diane Dimbleby Cozy Mystery by Penelope Sotheby

authorizing the purchase of a one-way ticket to Rio de Janeiro. Now, what’s your strategy to bring Mrs. Dimbleby home?” asks the superintendent, as much to boost the inspector’s confidence as for protocol’s sake.
     
    It’s done the trick. Darrell’s fear is overtaken by his characteristic tenacity to close the case. He tells the superintendent that he is quite certain Diane was, and possibly still is, being held at the isolated farm down the road from where her mobile was discovered. The way he sees it, he can take two approaches.
    One is to go immediately to the farm with armed police assistance and catch the kidnappers by surprise so he and his team can arrest them before they kill Diane. The alternative is for Darrell and several undercover officers to go to the airport, blend in with the crowd and then arrest Benedek (or whoever goes to pick up the ransom) before she can alert any of her accomplices.
    Both plans are risky, and neither guarantee that the suspects will be apprehended and that Diane will be saved. But police operations are very much like life—there are very few guarantees. Plus Darrell and his team can no longer hesitate.
    After talking it out with the superintendent, Darrell realizes he does not need to choose, nor should he. He will execute both plans, and the superintendent agrees that this is the best strategy. Darrell thanks the superintendent and hurries out of his office. He needs to get the two teams ready for the farm and the airport operations as soon as possible.
    “Attention everyone,” he says, gaining the attention of the detective sergeants and constables around the room.
    He gets the two teams organized arranging for armed assistance to accompany those headed to the farm and telling the airport group to prepare to change into plain clothes. Darrell will lead the farm team. He has his best man, Sergeant Bob Webster of course, lead the other group. He also tells Sergeant Webster to make sure they purchase the plane ticket, collect the ransom from the evidence room and place it in a suitcase before heading to Midlands Airport.
    Once all the details are finalized, the superintendent imparts his full confidence to all of his officers, including Inspector Crothers. Darrell shares the sentiment with his constables and sergeants. Without wasting any precious time, the two teams depart.
    While racing to the farm with lights and sirens on, Darrell hopes they have not forgotten any important details needed for the successful execution of these operations. It brings to mind the expression ‘the devil is in the detail’—an expression Darrell often ponders. While he prides himself on often being able to catch a criminal through identifying their smallest of mistakes, he hopes this does not apply to his police force’s current operations.
    Darrell passes by the site where Diane’s mobile phone had been found. He slows down to get an ample view of the ditch, just to make certain that Diane is, in fact, not lying there.
    “Don’t go barmy on me now Darrell,” he has to tell himself momentarily before returning to original speed.
    As they approach the farm, he gets on the radio telling his fellow officers to turn off their sirens and lights. “We don’t want to give them any sign we’re coming,” he adds.
    Darrell closes his Range Rover door as quietly as he can. He signals for the armed police team to surround the farmhouse and barn.
    “All in place?” he whispers over the radio. “Remember, hold your fire unless absolutely necessary. And go!”
    The armed officers burst into the farm buildings and move from room-to-room as they have been meticulously trained to do. Over the radio, Darrell can hear various voices yelling “Clear,” denoting the absence of a threat in the series of sections they are traversing through.
     
    When they determine that both buildings are completely deserted, Darrell immediately calls his sergeant. “Bob, at the farm here… no sign of Diane or