Minerva Ch. 07 of 10

"Charming, I've just had lunch."

"Oh Gil, don't worry. Our people are in the kitchens, you're perfectly safe from food poisoning, or anything else."

"Who is he anyway?"

"Oh just some guy from the village. He had his own business once, but... Yeah well, he was a gambler who could spend cash faster that his company could make it. He asked Lady Tanya to invest in his business a couple of times when things were getting tight for him, but she's a wily old bird. Someone did though and kept him above water for sometime, before eventually he had to sell-up to pay-of his debts. He and his wife live in a cottage in the village, and she help's out here when needed."

"In the kitchens, when Lady Tanya has the odd dinner party."

"You got it Gil. He has been known to tag along rather that sit at home on his own. Well that's his story. Funny, how nearly every time he has tagged along, one or more of the dinner guests, has gone down with food poisoning.

"It's surprising that Lady Tanya hasn't got sick with it in the past."

"She probably has, Gil. Not that the old girl wouldn't notice half the time. Lady T is one tough old bird, you know. She's spent time in some pretty remote places where hygiene standards aren't anything like what you and I are used to. The consensus is, that her digestive system is a little more robust than her dinner guests were.

"Now, we don't know how he contaminated the food and that's why the police are waiting. The idea is that they watch him until he either goes somewhere to collect his contaminants, or heads this way, which would mean he would have to have them about his person. Either a powder of some kind, or pipette or something full of liquid. The smoking gun that he'll have trouble trying to explain away."

"Sounds all too... pat, to me."

"If he doesn't roll-over when he's questioned, it's all we got Gilroy. It's all we've got."

"Charming!"

"Besides, with the urgency of the situation, he might go for a more direct method."

I raised my eyebrows and looked at John Carpenter.

"It seems that some of the family are going to partake in a little Clay shooting this afternoon, Gil. I wouldn't recommend that you accept any invitations to join them."

"Jesus Christ, they're here for Lady Tanya's funeral, and they intend to..."

"Gilroy, most of them are here to see what they are going to get from her Ladyships estate; they don't give two hoots about her. I should imagine news of her demise brought a smile to quite a few of their faces."

"And news of my demise?"

"Now that most of them know about her will; an even bigger smile, I would suggest. Just don't go Clay shooting with any of the buggers, at close range those things can be deadly." John smiled and then left the room.

I lay on the bed, and wondered how the hell I'd got myself into the situation. Okay eventually I realised that I'd been greedy when Harcourt had informed me that Lady Tanya had left me all that money. With hindsight, I should have discovered what the catch was, before I'd let my natural enthusiasm for the idea of being rich, get the better of me.

End of chapter 07.