The Burlington Manor Affair

“I’m glad.” He never wanted her to be in this position again, though. He pulled his phone from his pocket. “You call the police. I’ll try and see what’s going on here. Stay under the stairs, out of view.”

The sound of footsteps stalled them. Rex pulled her back into the shadows beneath the staircase and put his fingers on her lips. She nodded.

A woman’s voice called out. “Charles?”

Puzzled, Rex craned his neck. The bizarre sight that met his eyes made no sense. Olivia Fordyce was walking across the hallway. She had Bill Amery at her side and was holding a gun to him.

“Charles?” she said again, calling it out quite loudly.

It was too surreal. Why was his father’s mistress calling out the name of a man she knew was dead?

The man at their feet stirred.

Rex stared down at him, horrorstruck. Was this Charles? If so, the possible implications of the name choice made his blood run cold.

He had to act fast. Bill was being held at gunpoint. This Charles bloke was about to wake up, and it wouldn’t be long before Olivia looked their way.

With a hand on Carmen’s shoulder, he indicated she stay put. Then he ducked down and picked up the stick. Stepping out from the cover of the staircase, he rapped the stick loudly on the floor as he went.

As he hoped, Olivia turned in his direction, arm swinging out wildly as she did so, gun pointing in his direction. He had a split second to incapacitate her. Breaking into a run, he batted her raised arm with the stick.

She crumpled, but she squeezed the trigger as she dropped.

The gun discharged, then skated across the marble tiles. Olivia buckled to the floor, crying out.

Bill Amery staggered backward, bending double. He gripped his thigh and a bloodstain appeared on the fabric of his trousers.

Rex lunged for the gun, then stepped behind Bill, supporting him, slowly lowering him to the floor. When he had Bill safely down, his head snapped back in Carmen’s direction. The man at her feet was slowly rising. Rex pointed the gun in his direction. “Don’t move.”

“I found them in the electricity generator,” Bill said. “Tampering with it. Then she came at me with a gun.”

“Take it easy,” Rex stated. “Carmen, call the police and request an ambulance, as well.”

Footsteps sounded in the corridor that led to the conservatory. Mrs. Amery appeared, cried out and ran toward her husband. Behind her was Jason, Bill’s assistant. Hedging his bets, Rex pointed the gun in Jason’s direction. The young man lifted his hands.

“The inside man,” Rex said.

Jason had the decency to look ashamed.

Rex could hear Carmen’s voice speaking to the emergency services.

At his side, Mrs. Amery had taken off her jacket and folded it under Bill’s head. She was crying and fretting as she removed the belt from his trousers to use as a tourniquet.

Olivia was writhing on the floor nearby, attempting to get up. When Rex looked her way she bellowed at him. “You’ve broken my arm, you monster.”

Monster? Coming from her that was most amusing. “I’ll break every bone in your body if you don’t tell me why you did this.”

She snarled at him.

Rex stepped closer and put the toe of his shoe on her forearm.

She screamed.

“You want the manor?”

“This old pile of rubble? No way.”

Carmen waved his way and nodded, indicating the call to the emergency services was done.