A Date To Die For (The Hopgood Hall Murder Mysteries)

A DATE TO DIE FOR A HOPGOOD HALL MYSTERY E.V. HUNTER CONTENTS Prologue Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Epilogue Acknowledgments More from E.V. Hunter About the Author Poison & Pens About Boldwood Books PROLOGUE ‘Don’t even think about pulling the rug now. You’re in too deep.’ ‘I don’t respond well to threats,’ he snarled. ‘This is no threat, and we both know it.’ She jerked at the sound of a fox barking. Typical townie, he thought. ‘You owe me.’ ‘And I’ve paid.’ ‘Not nearly enough.’ She smirked, fully aware that she held the upper hand, and something inside of him snapped. A red mist of anger caused spots to dance before his eyes, blurring his vision. Without conscious thought for the consequences, he reached for her and grabbed her by the throat. She fought him with everything she had, pummelling his chest with her fists and desperately trying to kick out as he ruthlessly crushed her windpipe. He watched dispassionately as her face contorted and his anger slowly abated. A rational corner of his brain warned him to stop. He was no murderer. It wasn’t as if she could report the attack without drawing attention to her own nefarious activities. Oh yes, he knew what she used to be, and sometimes still was. What would that scandalous snippet of gossip do for her fledging business in a village this size? Why hadn’t he thought of that before? There was no need to kill her. He could simply fight fire with fire. He released his hold on her neck and she fell forward, chest heaving, wheezing and coughing, hands resting on her bent knees. ‘You bastard!’ She recovered faster than he’d expected and launched herself at him. He instinctively put out a hand to ward her off, shoving her backwards with considerable force. She fell with a sickening thud and cried out as her head struck the ground. There was blood. Too much blood. She groaned, then stopped moving. He felt for a pulse and didn’t find one. That’s what happened when you went soft, he reflected. He’d been willing to let her live but she’d brought her fate on herself. His thoughts now turned to survival. He couldn’t leave her here but had plenty of time to cover his tracks. There was no need to panic. Calm and methodical, he threw her over his shoulder. Strapped to the back of his quad bike, she lolled like a rag doll. He rode to a more isolated spot and dug a shallow grave. Then, once the body was wrapped in an old blanket, he tossed it unceremoniously into its final resting place, glad to be rid of the threat she posed once and for all. He filled the earth back in, sweating from his efforts, and scattered leaves and branches over the disturbed soil. ‘Rest in peace,’ he said sardonically, before remounting his bike and returning home to a stiff drink and a warm bed. 1 Alexi’s heels echoed on the boarded floor of her loft as she made a final check for rogue possessions. The space felt devoid of character as it awaited someone else’s imprint. Outside, a spring drizzle turned London monochrome, reflecting her own grey mood. She looked at her reflection, ghosted in the picture window against a backdrop of rain. She shuddered at the defiant image that glared back at her and turned away. At the flat’s front door, she paused to say mental goodbyes to her old life. ‘Okay, Cosmo, let’s hit the road.’ Her black cat rubbed his head against her calf and stalked through the door ahead of her. In the underground car park, Alexi stowed her case in the boot of her Mini and placed her computer bag behind the passenger seat, into which Cosmo had already installed himself. Alexi pulled the seatbelt across and fastened his leash to it. The police could be funny about unrestrained pets in vehicles, unenlightened as they were when it came to Cosmo’s idiosyncrasies. There were cats, and then there was Cosmo, whose oddities she was still getting to grips with herself, and the last thing she needed was an altercation with the law. Alexi climbed into the driver’s seat, stowed her handbag, and turned the key in the ignition. Apprehension, anger, and relief fought for supremacy as she pulled out into the flow of traffic on the Battersea Road and watched her old home grow smaller in her rear view mirror. Twenty minutes later, they were on the Westway heading towards the M4, music blasting on the radio, the windscreen wipers on intermittent to counteract the light drizzle that continued to mirror Alexi’s mood. She automatically lifted her foot off the accelerator when she saw a warning sign for a speed camera. Always in a hurry, Alexi put her foot down once she was clear of the danger zone, only to lift it again almost immediately. ‘You know what, Cosmo,’ she said, ‘we don’t actually have to be anywhere. For the first time in living memory, I don’t have a deadline.’ Cosmo’s ears twitched. Alexi felt a flash of optimism filter through her anger and insecurity. When had she last not had at least one assignment to keep her dashing from pillar to post? When had she last taken time for herself, rather than channelling every second into her career? She’d made it, too, or at least thought she had. She had won the respect of some of her fiercest critics through hard work and persistence. But now it had all come crashing down in a spectacular ball of flames, and she was left with… well, with Cosmo and two bags of possessions. Not much to show for all that ambition. Perhaps it was time to reassess. She sighed, the sound of