Betrayal of Innocence (A New Adventure Begins - Star Elite 1)

“A young girl called Marilyn Alton. She is three and twenty.”

“Married?” Justin asked.

Weeks shook his head. “She is a spinster and lives with her mother.”

“From here as well?” Justin frowned.

“No. She comes from Daltrey in Derbyshire. She went into the village to get some supplies, never made it back.” Weeks’ voice grew darker the more he spoke.

Justin nodded. “Any friends? Any suitors?”

Weeks shook his head slowly. The look in his eye warned them all they were going to get no helpful information because none had been found.

Justin squinted at the ceiling. “Let me guess, she just vanished. Nobody heard or saw an altercation.”

Weeks nodded, his lips pursed with the force of his disquiet. “Not a damned thing.”

Angus whistled softly. “It’s odd.”

“There was one thing I meant to tell you about Geraldine Bennion.” Weeks hesitated as though he wasn’t sure how to tell them.

“Go on,” Callum prodded when the magistrate didn’t immediately speak.

“You need to watch out for the sister. Geraldine’s, that is,” Weeks added.

“Why?”

“She is adamant Curtis Bennion killed his wife. I have told her that her sister’s disappearance had all the hallmarks of a kidnap, but Miss Clarkson won’t have it. There is no body, you see? I have tried to find out if Geraldine was just unhappy in her marriage and decided to leave but not tell her family, but Miss Clarkson is adamant her husband killed her. She doesn’t seem inclined to believe we are doing everything we can to find out what happened from Geraldine’s husband. Unfortunately, she seems to have taken it upon herself to look for her.”

Jasper’s ears pricked up at the disgust in the magistrate’s voice. He waited until the man had rolled a quill around his desk for a moment or two, and then asked his question.

“What has she been doing to interfere?” Justin wondered if he needed to go and reassure the woman that a professional lawman was working on the case. He had to wonder whether Weeks had much, if any, of the villagers’ trust and that was what had prompted him to look for help. Whatever the case, Justin couldn’t afford to have any outside interference.

“She has been told to be careful because this is a kidnapper we are dealing with. If she vanishes too she won’t be in any position to help her sister, now will she? But the damned fool woman won’t listen. She keeps going to the farm to look around, and has been asking around the village, making insinuations as it were. She has been at odds with that brother-in-law of hers for some years now, but I don’t know why before you ask,” Weeks added when Oliver opened his mouth. “She – Miss Clarkson - is adamant her sister told her she wanted a divorce only a few days before she vanished. She says Geraldine was so miserable she was prepared to accept divorce and ride out the scandal it would cause. Of course, Mr Bennion, according to Miss Clarkson, objected to it. Suddenly, Mrs Bennion – Geraldine - vanished.”

“Maybe she ran off,” Jasper suggested. “If she was miserable and wanted out of her marriage, maybe she disappeared so she wouldn’t have to live in a marriage she didn’t want.”

Weeks nodded for a moment or two but then looked ruefully back at him. “I am afraid Mr Bennion is adamant there was no discord between him and his wife, and that there was never any mention of divorce. He claims Miss Clarkson has always had a vendetta against him and is trying to sully his name. It is all family business, but, given we haven’t found a body yet, have to keep our options open. Unfortunately, that doesn’t help Miss Clarkson.”

“It’s a safe assumption to still assume Geraldine has been kidnapped,” Justin replied. “Of course, it won’t help if she goes around upsetting people by trying to point a finger at Mr Bennion, especially now that the young girl has been found dead.”

“Was this Felicity anywhere near the Bennion farm?” Oliver asked suddenly.

Weeks nodded reluctantly.

“Right next door as a matter of fact,” he replied quietly. “But I have known Mr Bennion for many years. He is a gruff fellow, but likeable enough. Many were surprised when he married. He seemed to have been fine with Geraldine. She comes from one of the oldest families in the village. It seemed like a good match. Then, of course, Miss Clarkson began to make rumblings that all was not right, and there was clear animosity between her and her brother-in-law. It was the talk of the village for a while.”

“But Mr Bennion could quite conceivably be a kidnapper and killer,” Justin pointed out. He lifted a hand when he knew Weeks was about to object. “I am not suggesting he is, you understand, but it is possible, yes?”

Weeks nodded.

Angus studied him for a moment. For now, we need to assume the two are linked. Geraldine and Felicity that is, but that is not to say that they are both dead. What about the disappearances in Derbyshire? What can you tell us about them?”

“Well, I am afraid that is where everything starts to get even more curious.”

“How so?” Justin prompted when Weeks began to rifle through papers on his desk.

Eventually, he withdrew a piece of parchment and unfolded it.