The Dartmoor

Disappearance

Joseph M. Sykes
Chapter 1: Taking the Law Into Your Own Hands

What a cold evening, Elizabeth Hobbs thought to herself, as she

walked along the country road with her sheepdog. It was an autumn
evening, a little before nine o ’clock. Elizabeth was taking her dog for
a quick walk around the grounds o f Two Bridges Manor, the home of
Lady Lydia Hutchinson, in Dartmoor National Park in Devon.
“In fact, Taggie,” she said to her dog, “let’s turn around and go home.
There’s a beastly wind and, at my age, I can walk less and less well,
you know. I think, a cup o f hot chocolate, a few chapters o f my book
and then bed sounds perfect.”
But as she turned round, Elizabeth saw something which made her
stop. It was a person (a man, probably) wearing black clothes. He, or
possibly she, was about a hundred feet from her and was climbing
over the fence into the grounds o f Two Bridges Manor.
“This doesn’t look right, Taggie,” Elizabeth whispered to her dog.
“ What on earth could he be doing? Should I go and check that Lady
Hutchinson is okay? Or should I... phone the police?”
She paused for a few seconds. This is why I need a mobile phone, she
thought.
“Come on, girl,” she whispered, “let’s go home. Thomas will know
what to do.”
And the old lady hurried down the road towards her little Dartmoor
farmhouse.

Fifteen minutes later, Lady Lydia Hutchinson arrived home at Two

Bridges Manor. She opened the front door and walked through the
entrance hall into her enormous kitchen to put the kettle on. Then,
she walked into her front sitting room, sat down and turned on the
television.
This is ridiculous, she thought to herself. I’ve got satellite television
 and there’s nothing on except awful cookery programmes, absurd
reality TV shows and terrible soap operas with ugly actors.
Eventually, she decided to watch a documentary about Siberian
tigers, but first o f all she went back to the kitchen to make a cup of
tea. Then, as she was walking back to the sitting room with the cup
o f tea in her hand, she heard a noise. It sounded like footsteps -
human footsteps.
“The Siberian tiger is the largest tiger s u b s p e c i e s said the docu­
mentary narrator, “with a head and body length o f between 190 and
220 centimetres.” Had the noise just been on the television?
“ ... with an average weight o f around...”
Lady Hutchinson turned off the television.
Thud, thud. No, the noise definitely came from footsteps-footsteps
here in her house. There was somebody upstairs. Who could it be?
Bradley, her partner, was at the pub and Amy, his daughter, was at
choir practice... weren’t they?
Worried and suspicious, Lady Hutchinson returned to the kitchen
and chose a weapon: a long, heavy rolling pin. She began to walk
upstairs, slowly and silently. As she walked, the footsteps got louder.
But they weren’t coming from a room on the first floor o f her man­
sion, or the secoijd floor o f her mansion... it was only when Lady
Hutchinson reached the third floor that she realized the footsteps
were coming from the little boxroom which she used to store old
documents. Now she heard another noise... somebody was franti- j
cally rustling through some papers. It sounded like somebody was
desperately looking for something very important.
With one quick movement, Lady Hutchinson opened the door to the
boxroom. There were papers everywhere. They covered her desk and
most o f the floor. The wind was blowing violently through the open
window and there, directly in front o f her: the intruder.
“What the... what the hell?” shouted Lady Hutchinson.

6
“What are you doing? I almost had a heart attack!”
“Lydia!” answered the intruder, clearly shocked.
“ 1thought you were at the golf club... You don’t usually come home
until... un til...”
The intruder was suddenly speechless.
“You’re in my house, looking through my private documents! What
the hell! You’re breaking the law\"
The intruder paused again, then laughed quietly and replied in a
calm and clear voice:
“Law? You don’t understand the word ‘law’, do you? And now
you’ve seen me h ere... You’ve seen me here, and you think that I’m
breaking the law?”
Another laugh, then the intruder walked towards Lady Hutchinson
and stopped only inches away from her. Now the intruder's mouth
was so close to Lady Hutchinson that it almost touched her ear.
“I’m not breaking the law,” the intruder whispered, in a deep, stern
voice. “I’m just taking the law into my own hands!'

Chapter 2: Bitterness and Arson

At 8:30 the next morning, Inspector James Hudson, one o f Scotland

Yard’s most able detectives, was sitting in the kitchen o f his flat in
Baker Street, London, reading The Times.
“What’s in the news this morning?” asked his housekeeper, Miss
Paddington, as she brought the detective a cup o f Earl Grey tea.
“Nothing but bad news,” Hudson replied.
“There seems to be more violent crime, lower standards in schools
and hospitals and higher taxes by the day. At least, there aren’t any
mysterious deaths or disappearances to investigate... that’d really
ruin my day off!” His voice sounded almost angry.

7
Only a few seconds later, the inspector’s mobile phone rang.
“Great,” muttered Hudson sarcastically. “I spoke too soon!”
The caller was his boss, Sir Reginald, who asked him to solve a case
in Dartmoor. Minutes later, a police sergeant from Devon Police
rang.
According to the sergeant, a woman by the name o f Lady Lydia
Hutchinson had gone missing from Two Bridges Manor, her home in
Dartmoor, the previous evening. Furthermore, a local woman had
witnessed a possible intruder climbing over a fence into the grounds
of the manor house earlier in the evening.
“On the third floor o f the manor house, there is evidence o f some I
sort o f struggle,” explained the sergeant on the telephone.
“The boxroom is in a real mess. The floor is covered by all sorts o f
different documents and there are traces o f Lady Hutchinson’s blood
on some o f the furniture. The intruder probably came in through a I
window - my officers found a ladder up to the roof o f the first floor
and the window to the boxroom on the third floor was wide open. It
appears that the intruder knew his way around the mansion.”
“Okay, no problem,” replied Hudson in a professional tone o f voice.
He was annoyed - he had been disturbed on his day off. But this
sounded urgent. Thanks to his remarkably high level o f success as a
detective, Hudson was very often the first detective to be urgently j
called to baffling crime scenes across the south and south west o f
England.
“I’ll be there as soon as possible.”
And he hung up the phone, quickly finished drinking his tea and was
ready to leave the house in no time.

The police station was in a little country village called Ainley Moor.
When Hudson arrived, a short police sergeant with ginger hair and
small dark eyes was waiting outside the police station to meet him.

8
“I’m Sergeant Ian Tweed,” he said in a serious tone o f voice.
“Detective Inspector James Hudson,” Hudson replied.
“Thank you for coming so quickly, Inspector. Please, come inside
andI will explain the situation in more detail.”
The two men went inside the police station and into Sergeant
Tweed’s office. The police sergeant explained to Hudson that Devon
Police had received a phone call from Mrs Elizabeth Hobbs the pre­
vious evening - she wanted to report a suspected intrusion.
“We received the report at 9:16 p.m.,” explained Sergeant Tweed,
"but when my officers arrived at Two Bridges Manor, there was no
intruder and no Lady Hutchinson. Lady Hutchinson hasn’t been
seen since... This is quite worrying, since we found traces o f her
blood in one o f the rooms on the third floor.”
“What time did your officers arrive at the scene?” Hudson asked.
Tweed looked unsure and a little embarrassed.
“They arrived at five to ten,” he replied. It was clear why he was
embarrassed - it had taken almost forty minutes for the police to
arrive at Two Bridges Manor.
“We were very busy last night,” Tweed continued. “All my officers
were busy doing... other things.”
Hudson was not impressed and this was clear from the expression on
his face. He was sure that the police here in quiet little Ainley Moor
weren’t so busy. The police should have arrived at the mansion with­
in fifteen minutes, not forty minutes! For Hudson, it was simple: the
faster the police arrive at the scene o f a crime, the more chance they
have o f solving that crime.
There was a moment o f silence. After a short while Sergeant Tweed
stood up, handed Hudson a file with the police report on the case and
told him that some o f Lady Lydia Hutchinson’s family members
were already at the police station and that he could interview them
whenever he was ready.

9
“Okay,” said Hudson, “I’ll be with them shortly.”
Then Tweed left his office and Hudson began to read through the
file.
Within a few minutes, there was a knock on the door. It was Sergeant
Tweed again, but this time, there was someone with him: a tall, slim
and extremely attractive young woman with long red hair. She was
dressed smartly, wearing a grey designer suit. She wore a pair o f
ultra-modern glasses which rested on the end o f her nose. But this
woman was no stranger to Inspector Hudson.
“Elvira!” Hudson exclaimed, as she followed Sergeant Tweed into
the room. “I didn’t expect to see you here in Dartmoor!”
“Well, well, well. Inspector James Hudson. I’m quite surprised to see
you here, too. But I don’t know why you are surprised - you know
how often I’ve been coming to Dartmoor lately.”
It was true. Hudson remembered that Elvira Elliot, an employee o f
Redfearns Insurance Inc., was currently investigating a rather
bizarre case in the area. Elvira was an expert in property law. So
when expensive objects went missing from properties o f its clients,
Redfearns often gave Elvira the task to investigate that aspect o f
these crimes. For this reason, Inspector Hudson had worked with
Elvira on several crimes in the past and the two had become close -
but not too close - friends. This time, in Dartmoor, Elvira was in­
vestigating a case o f suspected arson. Hudson remembered the case
quite well. Just two weeks earlier, somebody had burnt down a large
stable complex near Ainley Moor which belonged to a rich lord and
lady. The police had arrested the stable boy - Jack Burton - on sus- i
picion o f arson and Elvira was busy investigating the value o f the i
stable buildings and the riding school business which had all gone
up in smoke.
Suddenly, Hudson realized the connection between the cases. “The
couple who own the stables..., they are ...”

10
“L o rd and Lady Hutchinson,” answered Elvira.
“A n d ,” continued Hudson, “the stables which burnt down... they’re
c a lle d ...”

"Two Bridges Stables,” answered Elvira. “Well done, James. You’ve

it out. First the stables burnt down. Now, one o f the owners
w o rk e d

- Lady Lydia Hutchinson - has gone missing. That’s why 1’m h ere...
I th in k our two crimes are connected. Now, Jack Burton was arrested
on suspicion o f arson on Monday. H e’s still in custody here, there­
he is clearly not responsible for the disappearance.”
fo re,

"According to this file,” said Hudson, “Elizabeth Hobbs - the

woman who reported the intruder - described the intruder as tall and
probably male, wearing dark clothes. This description is not very
detailed. Unfortunately, Mrs Hobbs is rather elderly and short-sighted.
So, this description does not help much. Are there already any
suspects? Who was this intruder?”
“ I think, I can help you,” said Sergeant Tweed. “My officers went to
interview Mr Oliver Burton - father o f Jack Burton, the stable boy -
th is morning. It was an interview in connection with the arson. But
he wasn’t at home. His wife told us that he hadn’t been there since
l a s t night. According to her, he left the house at 7:30 p.m. to go for a

walk. But nobody has seen him since.”

“What?!” cried Elvira. “Why didn’t you tell us that before?! Oliver
Burton? If he’s missing, that makes him the prim e suspectV’
“Oh yeah, 1 suppose, it does,” replied Tweed.
What a stupid man, thought Hudson. How on earth did he become a
police sergeant?
“Right,” said Inspector Hudson in an assertive voice. “It’s time for
action. I need to speak to Oliver Burton’s wife as soon as possible.
Sergeant Tweed, could one o f your officers please drive to Mrs Bur­
t o n ’s home and ask her to kindly come down here to the police sta­

t i o n with him? I have to talk to her.”

11
“O f course, Inspector,” replied the sergeant, “I’ll ask PC Bellamy
right away.”
With that, he walked out o f the room.
“Now, before we interview Mrs Burton, we need to talk to Lady
Hutchinson’s family,” Hudson said to Elvira.
“What do you mean by the word ‘w e’?” Elvira asked sharply. “I’m
not interviewing the family with you - I’m far too busy! Neither you
nor I have been to Two Bridges Manor since the disappearance o f
Lady Hutchinson. Do you really trust Sergeant Tweed and his offi­
cers? They seem so unprofessional! I need to see the house for
myself. I’ve been in that house several times in the past two weeks in
connection with the arson attack, so I’ll notice if there is anything
peculiar. I’m going to drive to Two Bridges Manor now - I ’ll let you
know what I find, okay?”
“Okay,” Hudson replied. Elvira was right, once again. She may work
in insurance, he thought, but she is certainly a detective at heart.
What would I do without her? Miss Paddington, his housekeeper,
often said that Hudson and Elvira would make a fantastic couple,
because they were so similar. But he disagreed. He thought they
worked together so well, because they were so different. Their differ-;
ent ideas and skills came together to form a magnificent partnership.
But only at a professional level, o f course, he thought. Elvira is far
too young, too beautiful, popular and witty for me!
“So, see you later,” Elvira said with a smile and left the room. Hud­
son smiled to him self and followed her out o f the room. Save your
romantic thoughts for another time, he told himself, now it’s time for
work!

Some o f Lady Hutchinson’s family members were waiting for

Inspector Hudson in one o f the interview rooms at the police station.
There were four people sitting in the room - a man and a teenage girl

12
at one side o f the table and another, younger, man and a young
w om an, at the other.
S e rg e a n t Tweed came into the family liaison office with Inspector
and introduced him to the family.
H u d so n

“Lord Samuel Hutchinson,” said Tweed, as he indicated to the older

man sitting next to the teenage girl. Lord Hutchinson shook hands
w ithHudson.
"I’m very pleased to see you, Inspector Hudson,” Lord Hutchinson
said. He was a tall man with thin grey hair and Hudson guessed that
he was about sixty years old. He was dressed in a classic suit and tie
and, indeed, looked exactly like Hudson expected a lord to look.
“Since last night, when the police phoned me, 1 have been so worried
about Lydia. But I trust that you can really help us, Inspector.”
“Oh please!” answered the other man sarcastically. “She is my wife
now, no longer married to you! You don’t even like her - you only
talk to her because o f the business! Inspector Hudson, I’m Bradley
Scott, Lydia’s partner. My daughter Amy and 1, we’re the ones
who’ve been the most upset. Lydia’s part o f our family now.”
It was clear to Hudson that Scott was trying to hide his strong Devon
accent - probably because he wanted to appear as sophisticated as
Lord Hutchinson. But Sergeant Tweed had already informed Hudson
of the family’s situation, so Hudson knew that Scott was not from an
upper-class background, like Lord Hutchinson. Scott was from a
working-class background and had worked as an electrician for
many years. He and Lady Hutchinson had started a love affair six
years earlier. As a result, Lady and Lord Hutchinson divorced. Lord
Hutchinson and their daughter, Rebecca, moved to Cornwall together
and Scott and his daughter Amy moved into Two Bridges Manor with
Lady Hutchinson.
Now, years later, the bitterness between the two men and their two
daughters was still evident. Even Rebecca, a slim pretty girl with

13
long blonde hair and the same classic sense o f fashion as her father
was giving Amy dirty looks.
“Okay, that’s enough,” said Hudson in a serious but sensitive voice
“I know that you’re two families, not one. But Lady Hutchinson is
part o f both families. Since she’s missing here in Dartmoor, 1 need
you to come together and work together with me, okay?”
Nobody spoke to agree with Hudson, but nobody disagreed either
so Hudson continued with his work. First, he asked them questions
together and then he interviewed them individually - first Lord
Hutchinson, then Scott, then Rebecca and then, finally, Amy.
Three o f the four family members had an alibi. The landlord o f a
local pub, the Rose and Crown, confirmed that Bradley Scott had
been there all evening, drinking with friends.
Lord Hutchinson’s mother - Rebecca’s grandmother - confirmed
that Rebecca had been at her house all evening. And, the local choir
master confirmed that Amy had been at the village hall for choir
practice until 10 o ’clock.
Only Lord Hutchinson didn’t have an alibi. He claimed that he had
spent the evening discussing business, the riding school - talking
about events since the arson attack - with Lady Hutchinson at a local
Italian restaurant. The restaurant manager confirmed that the couple!
had eaten there and said that they had left at about nine o ’clock.
“Then, after leaving the restaurant, I drove back home to Cornwall
and went to bed. I slept until a police officer phoned and asked me to
come here, to the police station.”
“Thank you,” replied Hudson, “you’ve been very helpful.”
But o f course, I don’t have confirmation that you really drove back
to Cornwall immediately, thought Hudson. Could you be the in­
truder. .. are you responsible for your ex-wife’s disappearance?
Hudson was still thinking about this when he was interviewing Amy,
a tall, but rather plump girl, with short spiky hair.

14
 “A re you listening to me?” Amy asked in a deep voice. “Because
w hat I’ve got to say might be useful.”
“O f course, o f course,” replied Hudson, as he focused his attention
on the young woman.
“I don't know where Rebecca says she was last night. But, whatever
she said, 1 think, she was lying,” Amy said, bluntly.
I “I saw her and a boy at about ten past ten,” continued Amy, “when I
was driving home from choir practice. She was with a tall boy on the
moor behind Two Bridges Manor. I ’m not lying. I just want you to
know the whole story. I don’t know who the tall boy was, but he was
wearing dark clothes... so it appears to me that ‘Little Miss Perfect’,
R ebecca, isn’t so perfect after all.”

Chapter 3: Oh Dear, oh Deer

Elvira Elliot arrived at Two Bridges M anor at around midday, just as

it was beginning to rain.
Oh, great, typical British weather, she thought, work is awful when
it’s wet.
There were two police officers at the entrance to the house. The
house was now a crime scene, so they needed to guard all entrances.
Elvira showed them her identity card and they allowed her into
the great mansion. Elvira had, o f course, been to this house before.
So she knew that it was beautifully decorated and furnished -
very traditional, but also very warm and homely. But this time,
Elvira did not feel at home. It felt like an empty house, not like a
warm home.
She walked through the entrance hall into the front sitting room. It
was a big room, but it felt very full; full o f expensive ^vbrks o f art,
beautiful furniture and an enormous television set. On every wall

15
there were photographs o f Lady Hutchinson with her family. Sonn
were old - Rebecca as a young child on holiday and at preparator
school. Some were new - Lady Hutchinson with Bradley and Aim
Scott. But there were no pictures o f Lord Hutchinson; that was fo
sure.
“Where are you, Lydia?” she asked the photographs o f Lad]
Hutchinson. “Where on earth are you?”
Elvira continued to walk through the house. Now she was standing a
the bottom o f the stairs which led up to the first, second and thirc
floor o f the house. She looked upwards. The third floor looked verj
far up. Then she looked back downwards and noticed that something
was missing: Lady Hutchinson’s beautiful Persian rug. She remem
bered it so clearly because it was so unbelievably beautiful. But now
the rug was missing. Why would anybody move the rug? It was s<
big, so beautiful and probably very expensive. Was the missing ru£
connected with the disappearance o f Lady Hutchinson... and th<
disappearance o f Oliver Burton? Elvira had many crazy thought;
spinning round in her head. But now, she had to continue to inspec
the house; she began to walk up the stairs.

Inspector Jarrfes Hudson was deep in thought when there was a firrr,
knock on the door.
“Come in!” the inspector shouted and the door to the small interview
room o f the police station in Ainley Moor opened. It was Sergean
Tweed.
“Inspector Hudson, Mrs Lynn Burton is here. Are you ready to inter­
view her?”
“Yes, yes,” Hudson replied. “Please, ask her to come in.”
“Very well, sir. Oh, there’s one other thing... You know that Amy
Scott claimed she saw Rebecca Hutchinson at the back o f Two
Bridges Manor at about ten past ten last night? Well, there is a petrol

16
 'IP
S ta tio n very close to the point o f the possible sighting. One o f my
officers is going to the petrol station to look at their CCTVfootage -
maybe, that way, we can confirm the sighting.”
"Very good work, Sergeant Tweed,” replied Hudson. He was quite
impressed. Perhaps the sergeant isn’t as stupid as it appears, he
thought.
"Thank you. Now, I’ve got a few questions for Mrs Burton.”
“Yes, o f course, Inspector,” Tweed said and left the room.
Just a few seconds later, Lynn Burton appeared in the door. Hudson
invited her to sit down. He thought that she was probably only about
fifty years old, but her old-fashioned clothes and short permed hair
made her look like a little old lady.
After a series o f basic questions, Hudson asked Lynn when she had
last seen her husband.
"Last night, at about half past seven. He went out for a walk. He told
me that he needed time to think... he always goes for walks when he
has ‘things to think about’. But he always comes home later. I’m so
worried about him. I don’t understand, Inspector.”
“Our job is to find your husband, Mrs Burton. We’re all working
very hard to find him,” Hudson replied.
He didn’t, however, mention that Mr Burton was a suspect in the case
of another disappearance. I think, I know why your husband didn’t
come home last night, Hudson thought to himself. I think, he broke
into Two Bridges Manor and attacked Lydia Hutchinson.
‘‘Jack, my son, was arrested on suspicion o f arson just on Monday.
Now Oliver is missing. Why is everything going wrong, Inspector?
I just... I ju st... feel so lonely.”
"Your husband has not been missing very long, Mrs Burton. We
mustn’t panic. Hopefully, we will find your husband very quickly, if
you answer a couple o f questions for me. When your son, Jack, was
arrested, how did Oliver react?”

17
 “He was very angry... but not angry with Jack. He was angry with
the Hutchinsons, Lord and Lady Hutchinson. They own the stables,
which burnt down. My son worked for them; he was a stable boy.
Oliver said that Lord and Lady Hutchinson were responsible for the
arson attack. He believed that they burnt down the stables because
their business - a riding school - was in decline. It’s true; it was in
decline. Lord Hutchinson moved to Cornwall a few years ago. But he
was still Lady Hutchinson’s business partner in the riding school.
Jack said that they hated working together, because they hated each
other. He said that he saw them at work and they just argued and
argued and argued. Since Lord Hutchinson moved to Cornwall,
the business has been disorganized, run unprofessionally... chaos,
really.”
“So, Mr Burton thinks that Lord and Lady Hutchinson burnt down
their own stables?”
“Yes, exactly. It makes sense... they would receive thousands and
thousands o f pounds from the insurance company.”
“But they are both so rich. They don’t need thousands and thousands
o f pounds.” Hudson answered.
Lynn laughed coldly.
“Inspector Hudson,” she said, “maybe they don’t need that money.
But they want it. Rich people are the greediest people o f all. Plus, the
riding school business would be gone, so they would no longer have
to work together... no more arguments and hatred. Simple.”
Hudson paused for a few seconds, then he continued.
“Mrs Burton, do you have any idea where your husband could be?
Did he say that he might stay at a friend’s house or anything like
that?”
“No, Inspector, he didn’t say anything, apart from ...”
Lynn paused. She looked unsure. “It doesn’t matter,” she said.
“No, please, continue, Mrs Burton,” Inspector Hudson said.

18
" E v e ry th in g could be very important and helpful.”
"He said ‘I need to think.’” Lynn said slowly. “He said something
like: T need a way to prove that Jack is innocent. And I need
revenge.' That was the last thing he said to me. Then he left the
house.”

Elvira was driving her red sports car across the moor back to the
police station in Ainley Moor. She had walked to the third floor of
Two Bridges Manor. It was exactly as the police had described: paper
and documents everywhere and there were small traces o f blood on
some o f the furniture. The police laboratory had confirmed that this
blood was Lady Hutchinson’s.
Elvira’s biggest worry was the missing rug. It made her very suspi­
cious. Why would anybody take the rugl
Just then, her mobile phone rang. It was Inspector Hudson. Elvira
activated her hands-free kit and answered the phone.
“Hello, James,” she said. “I’m driving back to the police station now.
Any news?”
"Yes, I think so. I’ll tell you about it when you’re back here. But first,
I have another job for you. It has been confirmed that Rebecca
Hutchinson’s alibi, her grandmother, is unreliable. Rebecca was
caught on a CCTV camera at the petrol station behind Two Bridges
Manor last night at 8:53, then again at 10:21. There is a boy with her.
This boy is tall and wearing black clothes, just as Elizabeth Hobbs
had described. I want to know why Rebecca and her grandmother
lied. Can you please drive to her grandmother’s house and bring
them both to the police station?”
As Hudson said the last few words, the phone line began to break up.
“Yes, James, no problem. But the line is breaking up. I think I’m
losing my mobile phone signal.” Elvira replied.
“Okay, I’ll see you in ...” Elvira didn’t hear the last few words o f the
sentence, because she had lost the mobile phone signal completely.
But it didn’t matter. She had Rebecca’s grandmother’s address in her
file, so she could drive there straight away.
After a couple o f minutes, Elvira noticed that two people were walk- -
ing across the moor. It was still raining, so Elvira thought it was
strange to go for a walk on a day like this. Then she noticed that they
did not look like walkers... they looked like teenagers. Was it...I
Rebecca Hutchinson? Slim, with long blonde hair? Elvira had never
met Rebecca, but, o f course, had seen photos o f her at Two Bridges 1
Manor and this girl looked very similar. And the boy? He looked
quite tall. Could it be Rebecca and the boy from the CCTV images?
Two seconds later, a deer ran into the middle o f the road, straight in
front o f Elvira’s sports car. But Elvira was still looking at the tw o 1
teenagers. At the last second, Elvira saw the animal.
“Oh, dear” she cried and swerved in the road. The car missed the
deer, but Elvira was driving so fast that the car flew off the road.
“I don’t believe it!” Elvira continued to shout, then... BANG!

My God, I’m still alive, Elvira thought to herself. For a few seconds, j
she sat very still. She was in deep shock. But, amazingly, she was ,
okay... No broken legs, no cuts or bruises. Her red sports car, how­
ever, was not okay. It had flown off the road and had hit a huge rock. ;
Slowly, Elvira stepped out o f her car and into the rain. She looked at
the damage.
“My car!” she cried. “My beautiful car!” The front o f the car was
extremely badly damaged. Could it be repaired? Elvira was unsure. 1
She opened the car door again to get her mobile phone to call for
help. But, o f course, she had no signal. Elvira was extremely angry. !
But, she thought, it was my fault. I’m only angry at myself. But what
can I do now?
She walked back up to the road and looked for the two teenagers, i

20
flicy had disappeared and there was no other car on the road. She
had not seen another car since leaving Two Bridges Manor. The only
s o u n d was the rain, which was beginning to fall harder and harder.
E lv ira decided she only had one option: walk for help. So she con­
tin u e d down the road on foot towards the village o f Ainley Moor.

Elvira had only been walking for about two minutes when she
already felt the cold; she was wet and annoyed now. She was wear­
ing elegant shoes, not walking boots, so her feet were very wet and
they were hurting. It was now raining quite heavily. The water was
washing away rubbish from the roadside: coke cans, plastic bags and
chocolate bar wrappers. The rain was also washing away some earth.
Across the moor, Elvira could see another road. It ran parallel to the
one she was on. But it looked much busier. This road’s deadly quiet,
Elvira thought. But there were several cars driving along the other
road.
She was unsure about how far away Ainley Moor was, so she de­
cided to walk across the moor to the other road. Hopefully, a car
would stop there and take her to Ainley Moor.
However, walking over the moor was much more difficult than she
had imagined. It was so wet that her shoes and clothes were quickly
covered in mud. This is awful, she thought, but she continued to
walk.
After a few minutes, she took another step and her foot sank into the
ground and deep into the mud.
“Argh!” she cried. Part o f her leg had sunk into the mud\ Why was
the ground so soft? Yes, the ground was wet. But also, somebody
must have dug up the earth recently and put it back. Elvira pulled her
leg out. She was annoyed and upset, but she wasn't hurt. However,
then she saw something which made her forget the mud and the rain
~ something which truly shocked her.

21
There, in the hole in the ground, where Elvira had stepped, she coul
see a small part o f a rug. It was dirty, brown and extremely wet, bu:
she recognized it straight away. It was a Persian rug, Lady Hutchin,
son’s beautiful big Persian rug.
“ Lady Hutchinson!” cried Elvira. “Oh, my God, oh, my God, it;
your rug, Lady Hutchinson!”
She was horrified. Was somebody inside the rugl Was it Lady
Hutchinson? Elvira began to dig with her hands. She did not can
about the rain now. She needed to dig out the rug. But it was imposJ
sible. It was too deep. She quickly realized that she could see the en<
o f the rug. So she dug away the mud from there and saw somethin
which made her retch with shock and horror. Elvira saw a hand:
A human hand.
Elvira looked at the hand more closely, then she cried:
“Oh, my God, oh my God!”
She had not been prepared for this. Elvira thought she had almost |
solved the crime, but suddenly she was more confused than ever.

Chapter 4: The Unsuitable Boyfriend

Inspector James Hudson was confused, too.

He felt sure that Oliver Burton was responsible for Lady Hutchin­
son’s disappearance. It made sense. He was missing - probably
hiding from the police - he also disliked Lady Hutchinson and he
wanted revenge, according to his wife. That was simple.
But somehow, it seemed that Rebecca Hutchinson and her mysteri­
ous male friend also played a role. Why did Rebecca lie? What wereIG

they doing at the back o f Two Bridges Manor? What was their role in
all o f this?
And were Lord and Lady Hutchinson responsible for the arson\

22
a tta c k ?Did they really decide to burn down their own stables?
H u d s o n had more questions for Lynn Burton, Oliver Burton’s wife,

but now he wanted to d e a r his mind. Sometimes, Hudson thought so

h a rd about a crime, that he didn’t see the most obvious clues. Some­
tim e s , he just couldn’t see the wood for the trees. But here, there was
no w ood, just moorlands, more moorlands and still more moorlands.
A nd right now, Hudson thought, I feel as lost in Dartmoor as Lady
herself.
H u tc h in s o n

The inspector’s favourite way to relax was smoking a cigar. So, he

fo u n d his cigars and took one from the packet. But he couldn’t
sm oke in here. In fact, he couldn’t smoke inside any public building
inBritain since the introduction o f the smoking ban.
Bloody hell, he thought to himself, I’ve got to go outside to smoke.
And it is raining heavily! How annoyingl
When he was outside the building, Hudson lit his cigar and tried to
relax. But it was difficult. He had so many thoughts in his head, but
every thought seemed to be out o f place. After three or four minutes,
Hudson decided that the cigar was not helping to d e a r his mind.
Plus, by now he was wet and cold. Next time, he thought, I’ll just
have a cup o f tea. But before he walked back into the police station,
he noticed a girl running along the street towards the police station.
All her clothes were wet and her long blonde hair looked brown in
such heavy rain. It was Rebecca Hutchinson.
"Inspector!” she said as she arrived at the steps o f the police station.
She was crying quietly. “I need to talk to you. I have something to
confess.”

“Rebecca,” Hudson said, as they walked to an interview room.

“Where have you come from? You’re not with my colleague, Elvira
Elliot?”
No,” Rebecca replied. “I don’t know who your colleague is.”

23
Hudson tried to call Elvira. It was important to tell her that Rebecca
was now at the police station. But the phone line would not connect]
Elvira still had no phone signal. So Hudson took Rebecca into tha
interview room where they sat down.
“I’ll call my colleague later,” he told her. “Now, Rebecca, please tell
me everything you know.”
“ I lied to you earlier today,” she said in her upper-class accent. “ I anj
so sorry. I know it was wrong o f me b u t... I was scared. I didn’t want
to lie, I promise. I know, I must tell you the truth now.”
Did Rebecca know that the police had seen her on CCTV7 How
could she possibly know that? Maybe, Rebecca really was innocent]
and sorry, Hudson thought.
“How did you lie?” he asked. O f course, he knew how Rebecca hac
lied, but it was important to ask her.
“I told you that I was at my grandmother’s house all evening. That
was not true. I was there earlier in the evening and I did sleep there.. i
but I left the house for a few hours. My grandmother had no idea
She thought I was in my bedroom the whole time. Please, don’t tell
my grandmother or my father that I left the house. They would both
be really angry.”
“It’s okay, Rebecca,” Hudson replied, “you can tell us anything - we
won’t tell your grandmother or your father. Where did you go when
you left the house?”
“I met my boyfriend, Dominic. He lives near my m other’s house, Two
Bridges Manor, and we went on the moor together. Our relationship
is a secret, you see. My father would be so angry if he knew about
Dominic. Dominic is from a working-class background. My father
says that I should only have friends from our own class. He said to
me just a week ago ‘I don’t want you to copy your mother and get
involved with such people. ’ So, Dominic and I have to meet in secret]
We can’t meet in the village - somebody might see us together and

24
 ' W
tell my father. Last weekend, 1 showed him round my m other’s
manor house, when my mother, Bradley and Amy weren’t there -
it was a secret visit. Also, o f course, I live in Cornwall, so we do not
see each other very often. That is why our time together is so
special.”
“What time did you meet Dominic and what time did you leave? It’s
important that I know exactly what time you were together.”
“He picked me up in his car from my grandmother’s house at half
past eight,” Rebecca replied. “Then, we drove to the moor where it
was quiet. As it wasn’t raining, we decided to walk onto the moor. I
thought it was a strange idea, but Dominic insisted. I asked him why
he wanted to walk on the moor and he said it was the safest place to
be - nobody would see us there together. He seemed to be thinking
about other things and I didn’t want to argue with him. But it
annoyed me when he continuously sent text messages to his father
while we were there. I think, we left at about quarter past ten and I
was back at my grandmother’s house at half past ten. My grand­
mother was in bed, but I had taken the key to the front door with me.
1just said goodbye to Dominic, unlocked the door and went to bed.”
“Do you argue often, Rebecca?”
“Not very often,” Rebecca replied. “But we argued at the weekend,
when we were at Two Bridges Manor. He asked what seemed to be
really bizarre questions: ‘Where is the garden shed.'} What is inside
it?’ Then, when we were inside the house: ‘W hat’s in that room and
in that room and in that room and in that room ?’ He looked out of
every window and behind every door. I was angry - he was more
interested in the house than in me! I was worried that he only loved
me because my parents were rich.”
“And what did you do on the moor?” Hudson asked.
'That is none o f your business!” Rebecca replied. “I have told you
vv'here I was, that is enough, isn’t it?”

25
“Listen, Rebecca, I need to know exactly what you did last night
between leaving your grandmother’s house at 8:30 and arriving bacl
at her house at 10:30. This is very important.”
Rebecca paused for a few seconds. She was really hesitating. Was
she trying to create another lie in her head?
Then she replied: “Okay, 1 will tell you. But please, don’t tell m}
father. Dominic had some cans o f beer and some cigarettes. So we
just chatted and drank and smoked an d ...” Rebecca paused.
“What is it, Rebecca?” Hudson asked.
Rebecca was turning bright red.
“W e... w e... you know, w e... did the thing boyfriends and girl­
friends do together.”
Now Hudson turned red, too. Rebecca was embarrassed to talk aboul
sex, o f course!
“Oh, 1 understand,” he replied. “Thank you for everything you have
told me. It’s very helpful. However, I need to have a quick conversa­
tion with Dominic. Don’t worry, your father won’t be told. It’s jusi
important that I talk to everyone.”
Hudson needed to speak to Dominic soon. He needed to ask hirr
what he had dorfe the previous night. If he said something differeni
to Rebecca, Hudson would be suspicious.
“Can you please give me his address and telephone number? Oh, and
what’s his surname?”
“Burton,” Rebecca replied. Inspector H udson’s ears pricked up.
“Burton?” he asked, to check that he had heard her correctly.
“Yes,” Rebecca replied. “ Dominic Burton. Do you know him?” I
“Any relation to Oliver Burton?” Hudson asked, now curious.
Rebecca sighed.
“Yes. Oliver Burton is Dominic’s dad. You probably know the story
about Jack Burton... He is Dominic’s brother, Oliver Burton’s othet
son. He burnt down my parents’ stables. He was arrested, because il

26
is clear that it was him. But Dominic and his father won’t accept this.
D o m in ic and I have argued about that several times as well. So, per­
haps, we do argue quite often. In fact,” she said slowly and with a
s a d voice, “we had another argument just before I arrived here. 1

w a n te d some support because my mother is missing. We went for a

w a lk on the moor, but he didn’t care that I was upset. Also, he did not
w ant me to come here to the police station. But I felt so b ad ... I just
had to tell you the truth!'
There was one thing Rebecca hadn’t mentioned, Hudson realized:
Oliver Burton’s disappearance. Did she know that he was missing?
Hudson did not have time to ask her. Suddenly, he heard some shout­
ing from outside the office. It was a wom an’s voice. Then he heard
the police officers’ voices:
"Good God, are you okay, my love?”
“What’s happened, madam?”
“Do you need an ambulance?”
Hudson ran out o f the office. Once again, he was amazed. There, in
front o f him, stood a tall attractive woman with long ginger hair. Her
clothes were soaking wet and dirty. She had mud and blood on her
arms, legs and face. She was crying. It was Lady Lydia Hutchinson.

Elvira had to get to Ainley Moor Police Station as quickly as pos­

sible. She was quite upset by the situation - Inspector Hudson was
used to dead bodies, but she was an insurance expert, not a detective.
She continued to walk across the moor to the road. When she
reached the road, it now seemed as quiet a road as the one she’d been
°n before.
E was still raining heavily and Elvira wished for just one thing: A
car! Then she heard a sound - the loud bass o f modern dance music.
She turned and saw a little black car driving towards her. It was just
kke magic - somebody had heard her wish! Quickly, Elvira stepped

27
into the road and waved at the car. The car slowed down to a stop an<
the driver, a young man, opened the door.
“Jesus!” shouted the man, when he saw that Elvira was covered it
mud.
“Are you okay? W hat’s happened?”
“I’m okay, honestly. I just fell over in the mud. It’s nothing serious
I’m just so glad you’ve stopped,” Elvira said to the man. “I need t<
go to Ainley Moor. Are you driving there?”
“Yeah, no problem,” the driver replied. “Get in. We’ll be there in twc
minutes.”
The driver turned the music down and began to talk to Elvira.
“Do you wanna go to hospital? If you fell, maybe you’ve hurt you
leg.”
“I’m fine,” Elvira replied. “I crashed my car and... well, I started tc
walk to Ainley Moor, but I had a couple o f problems.”
Elvira guessed that the man was in fact only a boy, about nineteen 01

twenty years old. He was wearing dirty dark blue jeans, a big black
coat and a black baseball cap. He had a thick gold earring througl
his left ear and Elvira noticed that there was a smell o f the country
side - perhaps tfte typical smell o f a farm - in the car.
“Where do you want to go?” he asked her.
Elvira tried to reply, but suddenly she was speechless. She realize«
who the driver was. He was the tall young man whom Elvira ha(
seen on the moor with Rebecca Hutchinson.

“Mummy!” cried Rebecca, and ran over to Lady Hutchinson.

“Oh, Mummy, are you alright? You look terrible! What happened?”’
“Lady Hutchinson, we need to take you to hospital,” said Inspecto:
Hudson in an urgent voice.
“ I was so scared,” Lady Hutchinson sobbed. “I was attacked in mj
home. I was so scared. He tried to kill me! He hit me! He had t
knife! But I ran away from him. I ran onto the moor. And I ran, and I
ran, and I ran and, eventually, I lost him. But I was so scared. I fell
over and hurt my knee. I couldn’t walk. Then, I realized that I was
lost... on the m oor... in the dark!”
Lady Hutchinson was still sobbing. But Hudson noticed that she
seemed strangely in control.
"Lady Hutchinson, I will ask you more questions about the attacker
very soon, but now we have to take you to hospital. Come with us to
the police car. Rebecca, you should come, too.”
Hudson, Rebecca, Lady Hutchinson and PC Bellamy from Devon
Police walked out o f the station towards one o f the police cars. Lady
Hutchinson was walking with a limp and she continued to complain
about the pain. But before they reached the police car, a black car
arrived outside the police station. Elvira Elliot and Dominic Burton
stepped out.
“Dominic!” Rebecca shouted. “Dominic! Mummy is here, it is all
okay! She is fine!”
Suddenly, Lady Hutchinson’s pain seemed to disappear. Now she
was simply angry.
“Who is that, Rebecca?” she asked her daughter quietly, so that
Dominic could not hear. “How did you get to know this boy?”
Whilst Rebecca and her mother were talking, Elvira had the oppor­
tunity to talk discretely to Hudson.
“Listen, James,” she said, “you need to come now ... I think I’ve
found a body.”
“What?” Hudson replied. “But Lady Hutchinson’s here... And what
happened, Elvira? You look terrible! All mud..."
“Just listen!” Elvira said with frustration. “I’ve found another
hody... a m an’s body. At least, I’ve found a m an’s hand. The body is
still buried in a rug - Lady Hutchinson’s Persian rug."
Inspector Hudson was stunned.

29
“Oh, my God, Elvira. Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”
“Oliver Burton?” Elvira asked.
Hudson nodded slowly.

Chapter 5: Helped by a Spy

Minutes later, the police were taking Lady Hutchinson and her fami­
ly to the nearest hospital, fifteen miles away, in Plymouth. Inspector
James Hudson and Elvira Elliot were driving to the place on the
moor where Elvira had discovered the body. A police pathologist and
two other police officers were following in a police van. Elvira knew
immediately where to take the pathologist. When the police had dug
up the body, Elvira’s and Hudson’s suspicions were correct: it was
Oliver Burton.

“I feel so stupid!” Elvira said to Hudson. “We thought that Lady

Hutchinson was the victim and that Oliver Burton was the killer. But
it appears that we were so far from the truth. Oliver Burton was the
victim ... so, was fcady Hutchinson the killer?”
“The body was in her rug\” Hudson said. “That certainly suggests
that she’s guilty!”
Hudson and Elvira were now driving to Plymouth General Hospital,
where Lady Hutchinson was being examined. The police had taken
Oliver Burton’s body to the mortuary and had visited Lynn Burton to
tell her the sad news. Mrs Burton then had to identify the body o f her
husband.
“But why bury somebody in your own rug?” Elvira asked thought­
fully. “It automatically makes you look suspicious if the body is
found.”
“That’s true,” Hudson said. “But when a killer panics, he - or she -

30
often doesn’t think rationally and forgets things like that.”
“So,” Elvira said to Hudson, “what now? You arrest Lady Hutchin­
son on suspicion o f murder. But how did she manage to bury such a
tall man alone? She must have had help.”
“Yes,” agreed Hudson, “definitely. Also, one more fact is certain
now: The intruder was Oliver Burton. Burton wanted to prove that
his son was innocent - Lynn Burton told me that. How could he get
this proof! The answer is, in the documents: Insurance documents
and documents about the success - or failure - of^he riding school.
He wanted to know exactly how much money the stables complex
was worth and how much money the riding school was losing. Docu­
ments were the key to Oliver Burton’s argument.”
Something was still unclear to Elvira.
"But how did he break in?”
“According to the police report,” Hudson answered, “there was a
ladder up to the roof o f the first floor. They also found the window
of the boxroom open. It appears he got in that way. Burton must have
known the inside o f the mansion well.”
“But Elizabeth Hobbs saw him climbing over the fence... and she
didn’t mention a ladder. So, he probably didn’t have one - maybe
he used a ladder he found there. How did he know where to find a
ladder?”
They were both confused.
By now, they had arrived at the hospital and parked the car. As they
walked towards the entrance, Elvira saw somebody very familiar.
A young man was standing outside, smoking a cigarette.
“James! That’s the boy who drove me to the police station,” she dis­
cretely said to Hudson. “I completely forgot to mention it. I saw him
with Rebecca earlier in the day. That is why I crashed my car -
because I was watching Rebecca and that boy. They were walking
across the moor together.”

31
“Then that’s Dominic Burton,” Hudson replied. “Rebecca’sl
boyfriend and Lynn and Oliver Burton’s son.”
“Oliver Burton’s son?!” Elvira asked in disbelief.
“Yes, Rebecca told me everything. She explained why she was on the!
moor - she was seeing Dominic, her boyfriend, in secret. And!
Dominic is Oliver Burton’s son.”
Elvira had been able to clean herself up at the police station and hadl
quickly bought some new clothes and shoes at a shop nearby, so shel
looked quite different by now. But Dominic still recognized her. He
waved and smiled.
“Oh, dear,” Elvira whispered, “he has no idea his dad is dead.”
“D on’t worry,” Hudson replied, “it’s okay - I’ll talk to him.”
“Hi,” Dominic said as they arrived at the entrance. “I didn’t expect to
see you here. You look a lot better wearing clean clothes.”
Elvira turned red and didn’t know what to say.
Hudson replied: “Dominic Burton?”
“Yeah,” said Dominic in a surprised voice. “How could you possibly
know my name?”
“I’m Detective Inspector James Hudson. I’m in charge o f investi-l
gating the disappearance o f Lady Lydia Hutchinson. I interviewed!
your girlfriend - Rebecca Hutchinson - this morning. I’m sure youl
know all about the case.”
“O h... yeah,” Dominic replied. He looked very uncomfortable under
the circumstances. “I ’m waiting for Rebecca now. She says I have to
wait outside - she doesn’t want her dad to see me. But her m um ’s
okay now, isn’t she? I mean, she’s alive and healthy and everything?”
“Yes, she’s fine, Dominic. But listen. I’m afraid, I have some bad
new s...”

Dominic was, o f course, devastated. He immediately left the hos­

pital to find his mother. Hudson and Elvira went inside to look for

32
Lady Hutchinson. The doctors had confirmed that she was in good
health, but the police were keeping her there until Hudson arrived.
The first person Hudson and Elvira saw was Bradley Scott.
“Good afternoon, Mr Scott,” Hudson said, but the response from
Scott was less friendly.
“Why can’t Lydia leave this hospital yet?” he asked. “She’s done
nothing wrong!”
“Mr Scott, 1 need to talk to Lady Hutchinson immediately. She isn’t
going anywhere until I’ve spoken to her. So please, just co-operate.”
The police showed Hudson to Lady Hutchinson. As soon as Hudson
was in the room, he walked over to her and arrested her. The lady
looked at the inspector with a very calm and cool face and simply said:
“Inspector Hudson, I’m sure, you are a respected detective for a
reason. But this time, you are wrong. I have no idea what you’re
talking about. Oliver Burton wasn’t the intruder in my house. It was
somebody else. It was a younger man. Samuel told me that Oliver
Burton has disappeared. That’s very sad. But I really don’t under­
stand how that is connected to the attacker in my house.”
“So, tell me, Lady Hutchinson: Why did we discover Mr Burton’s
dead body buried in your Persian rug?” the detective asked.
Lady Hutchinson’s face turned white. She could not believe her ears.
Since Lady Hutchinson did not speak, Hudson continued:
“At first, I did not understand how a woman could kill such a tall and
strong man. But then, I put the pieces together and everything made
sense. The third floor. The disappearance o f the Persian rug on the
ground floor. Lady Hutchinson, you discovered an intruder in your
house — Oliver Burton. You were scared - but not because you
thought Mr Burton was a violent man. You were scared that M r Bur­
ton would find some documents which you didn’t want him to see.
Insurance documents? Your records o f the riding school’s profits or
losses? So, when he found these documents, you had to stop him.”

33
“It was self-defencer Lady Hutchinson cried. “He was in my home!
He did become violent! He threw papers and documents and files
everywhere in the room. He went mad!”
“So you attacked him?” Hudson asked.
“There was a fight. You had only one possibility o f stopping him -
and that was to kill him, wasn’t it? You fought at the top o f the stairs
and you tried to push him over the banister. You succeeded. He fell
Three floors! It’s a long way down! He landed at the bottom o f the
stairs where he died. And what was at the bottom o f the stairs? 01
course, your beautiful big Persian rugl”
“I’ve told you - it was self-defence! He attacked me first! He might
have killed me!” Lady Hutchinson protested. “It was an accident. I
didn’t mean to push him so h ard... everything happened so quickly!?
“So, why didn’t you phone the police?” Hudson asked.
“I wanted to ... but I phoned Samuel first. I had met him earlier. We
discussed the business at Poppa Piccolino’s, the Italian restaurant in
Ainley Moor, so I knew that he wasn’t too far away. He drove up to
my house. I just wanted his advice. I wanted to phone the police! But
he said we needed to bury the body. I said no, but he said we had to.
I told him it was an accident, but he didn’t listen. He rolled the body
up in the rug and took it out to the car. I told him to stop, but he just
didn’t listen. He never listens. It is always the same.”
“So, he forced you to keep quiet?” Hudson asked.
“Yes!” Lady Hutchinson replied.
“And he forced you to bury the body?”
“Yes!”
“And he forced you to stay outside on the moor all night?”
“Yes!”
“And he forced you to bum down your stables!"
“Yes... No! No, I mean no! I don’t know what you mean!”
But guilt was written all over Lady Hutchinson’s face.

34
That evening, Inspector Hudson and Elvira stayed at a small hotel in
Ainley Moor. They had solved most o f the crime in a day, but their
work there was still not over. During the coming week, Hudson
would have to re-interview Lady Hutchinson, Lord Hutchinson (who
had, o f course, also been arrested in connection with Oliver Burton’s
death) and the other members o f the two families, as well as Lynn
and Dominic Burton, even Elizabeth Hobbs. But for now, it was time
to relax. They were in the hotel bar, enjoying an aperitif before their
evening meal.
Miss Paddington would smile if she saw me here with Elvira, Hud­
son thought to himself. She might even call this a date! But I know
it’s just a friendly meal with a good colleague...
‘Thank you very much,” Hudson said, as the waiter brought their
drinks.
“Cheers,” he said to Elvira and they clinked their glasses. “Thank
you for everything you’ve done today to help me.”
“You’re welcome,” Elvira replied. “I was glad to help.”
The conversation quickly developed to things outside work: their
favourite art galleries in London, their musical tastes and what they
had read recently. Hudson had read a novel by a famous American
writer and Elvira had read a spy novel.
“The novel’s been so exciting,” she explained. “The story was so
thrilling... and I ’ve learned a lot about spying techniques. You know,
how you can spy on every aspect o f people’s lives.”
While he listened to Elvira, Hudson came to an enormous reali­
sation.
“Yes, spyingV' he said to Elvira. “It makes sense - spying!”
“Spying?” Elvira asked. “What makes sense?”
“Rebecca Hutchinson told me that her boyfriend, Dominic, had acted
strangely when they were secretly at Two Bridges Manor and when
they were on the moor last night and, again, when they were on the

35
moor today. Now I know why: He was a spy\ His father’s spy\ Wher
he was at Two Bridges Manor, Rebecca said he wanted to know
what was in every room in the house... because he wanted to know
where Lady Hutchinson’s important documents were kept. He even
asked where the garden shed was - so he knew where his fathei
could find a ladder. Dominic planned the break-in for his father
through this visit. Why otherwise were they on the moor near Two
Bridges Manor? So that Dominic could warn his father if he saw
Lady Hutchinson return home, or anything else that would disturb
him. Rebecca told me that he was continuously sending text
messages to his father - he was clearly giving him information
about the house and warning him. That’s why they went back there
today - he was obviously looking for his father. He was worriec
about him.”
“Why weren’t you suspicious when Rebecca told you this?” Elvira
asked.
“Because I didn’t know that Dominic was Oliver’s son. She didn’t
mention that until later. I had no idea there was a connection.”
“James, you’re a genius,” Elvira said. “I think, you’re right. Dominic
was Burton’s assistant. He must feel so awful now.”
But Inspector Hudson and Elvira didn’t worry about Dominic and
Rebecca for long - the waiter had arrived to ask them into the dining
room.
Finally, Hudson and Elvira seemed to understand exactly what had
happened and they were satisfied that they had solved the Dartmoor
disappearance together. But they were exhausted - it had been a long
and tiring day.
“I think, I’m going to go to bed now,” Elvira said finally. “I’m so
tired.”
“Me too,” Hudson replied. “I need a rest from this detective work for
a while. It’s exhaustingl”

36
As they walked through the hotel reception area, Hudson noticed the
headline on a copy o f The Times. ‘Police Clueless in Bristol Disap­
pearance.’ Hudson sighed. No chance o f a break, he thought. Tomor­
row, it’ll be work as usual.
Exercises &

Chapter 1: Taking the Law Into Your Own Hands

Exercise 1: Listen and repeat.

Exercise 2: Odd one out.

Exercise 3: Spelling.

Exercise 4: True or false?

Exercise 5: Asking questions.

Exercise 6: Descriptions.

38
Exercise 7: Listen and write.

law

Exercise 8: Fill in the right word.

Lady Lydia Hutchinson arrived at

Two Bridges Manor. She opened the front door and walked

through the entrance hall into her kitchen

to put the kettle on. Then, she into her

front sitting room, sat down and the

television.

Exercise 9: Irregular Verbs.

Exercise 10: Listen and repeat.

39
Exercise 11: Question tags.

Exercise 12: : Negative form.

Exercise 13: Comparatives.

Chapter 2: Bitterness and Arson

Exercise 14: Prepositions.

Exercise 15: Listen and repeat.

Exercise 16: Odd one out.

Exercise 17: Negative form.

Exercise 18: Spelling.

Exercise 19: Mumbo-jumbo.

 Exercise 20: Fill in the right word.

Sergeant Tweed: “Thank you for so

quickly, Inspector Hudson. Please come

inside and I will explain the situation in

more detail.”

Inspector Hudson: “ did you receive the phone

call?”

Sergeant Tweed: “We received the report

9:16 p.m.”

Inspector Hudson: “What time did your officers

at the scene?”

Sergeant Tweejd: “They arrived at five to ten.”

Exercise 21: Listen and repeat.

Exercise 22: Descriptions.

42
Exercise 23: Listen and write.

Exercise 24: Fill in the right word.

Elvira Elliot was currently investigating a rather bizarre

in the area. Inspector Hudson had worked with

Elvira on several crimes in the past and the had

become close friends. Hudson remembered the case quite

. Somebody had burnt down a large stable com­

plex belonged to a rich lord and lady.

Exercise 25: Personal Pronouns.

Exercise 26: Superlatives.

43
Exercise 27: Question tags.

Exercise 28: True or false?

Exercise 29: Asking questions.

Exercise 30: Irregular Verbs.

Exercise 31: Listen and repeat.

Exercise 32: Present Progressive.

Chapter 3: Oh Dear, oh Deer

Exercise 33: Odd one out.

Exercise 34: Possessive Pronouns.

Exercise 35: Listen and repeat.

Exercise 36: Fill in the right word.

Elvira noticed that something . Lady

Flutchinson’s beautiful Persian rug. She remembered it so

clearly it was so beautiful. Why would

somebody move the rug? Elvira had many crazy thoughts

spinning around in her . But now she had

the house.

Exercise 37: True or false?

 Exercise 38: Listen and write.

Exercise 39: Positive form.

Exercise 40: Spelling.

Exercise 41: Asking questions.

Exercise 42: Descriptions.

Exercise 43: Listen and repeat.

Exercise 44: Prepositions.

46
Exercise 45: Homophones.
, . X son . .
Mr Burton wants to prove that his is innocent.
sun

. . blew
A cold wind ,, across the moor,
blue

Inspector Hudson " 6W that Rebecca’s grandmother had lied.

| I knew

for
He interviewed the _ members o f Lady Hutchinson’s
D f 0 “r family.

Exercise 46: Fill in the right word.

Inspector Hudson: “When did you last see your husband?”

Mrs Burton: “Last night, at _____ half past

seven.”

Inspector Hudson: “ Do you have any where he

could be? Did he say ?”

Mrs Burton: “No, Inspector, he didn’t say anything. He

only said he wanted to prove that Jack is

47
Exercise 47: Irregular Verbs.

Exercise 48: Listen and repeat.

Exercise 49: Comparatives.

Exercise 50: Negative form.

Chapter 4: The Unsuitable Boyfriend

Exercise 51: Spelling.

Exercise 52: Personal Pronouns.

Exercise 53: Odd one out.

Exercise 54: Question tags.

Exercise 55: Listen and repeat.

Exercise 56: True or false?

Exercise 57: Descriptions.

 Exercise 58: Fill in the right word.

Hudson: “Rebecca, where do you come from? You’re not

with my , Elvira Elliot?”

Rebecca: “No, I don’t know your colleague is.”

Hudson: “Now, please explain to me you

have to say.”

Rebecca: “I to you earlier today. I’m so sorry.

I know, I must tell you the truth now.”

Exercise 59 : Asking questions.

Exercise 60 : Listen and write.

e _____

Exercise 61: Negative form.

50
Exercise 62: Mumbo-jumbo.

Exercise 63: Listen and repeat.

Exercise 64: Fill in the right word.

Elvira reached the road. It was still raining

and Elvira wished for just one thing: A car! Then she

a sound. She turned and saw a little black car

driving her. It was just like magic - some­

body had heard her !

Exercise 65: Prepositions.

Exercise 66: Superlatives.

Exercise 67: Present Progressive.

51
 Exercise 68: Irregular Verbs.

Exercise 69: Listen and repeat.

52
Chapter 5: Helped by a Spy

Exercise 70: Listen and write.

iv ____________________________________

Exercise 71: True or false?

Exercise 72: Descriptions.

Exercise 73: Fill in the right word.

That evening, Hudson and Elvira stayed at a small hotel in

Ainley Moor. had solved most o f the crime

in a day, but their work w a s_____________________ not over.

But for now, it was to relax. They were

in the hotel bar, enjoying an aperitif ........ ......... — _

their evening meal.

53
 Exercise 74: Odd one out.

Exercise 75: Possessive Pronouns.

Exercise 76: Listen and repeat.

Exercise 77: Spelling.

Exercise 78: Asking questions.

Exercise 79: Prepositions.

Exercise 80: Listen and repeat.

Exercise 81: Question tags.

54
Exercise 82: Fill in the right word.

Inspector Hudson: “Dominic Burton?”

Dominic Burton: “Yeah, how could you possibly

________ my name?”

Inspector Hudson: “I’m Detective Inspector James Hudson.

I’m investigating the disappearance o f

Lady Hutchinson. I interviewed your

girlfriend morning.”

Dominic Burton: “I’m waiting for Rebecca now. She says

I have outside. Her

m um ’s okay, isn’t she?”

Inspector Hudson: “Yes, she’s

Dominic.”

Exercise 83: Comparatives.

Lösungen

Exercise 4: True, Taggie is a sheepdog. False, she lives in a little farmhouse.

True, Lady Hutchinson made a cup of tea. False, he was in the pub.

Exercise 5: Did Lady Hutchinson really put the kettle on? Did she really
watch a documentary? Did Lady Hutchinson really open the door? Did Mrs
Hobbs really take Taggie for a walk?

Exercise 7: law, climb, human, know

Exercise 8: home, enormous, walked, turned on

Exercise 11: Elizabeth walked along the country road, didn't she? She wan­
ted to drink a cup of hot chocolate, didn't she? She turned on the television,
didn't she? Lady Hutchinson heard a noise, didn't she?

Exercise 13: cold/colder, silent/more silent, little/less, important/more impor­

tant

Exercise 14: The window on the third floor was open. There was somebody
with him. They arrived at Two Bridges Manor.

Exercise 19: Parden? Where was the police station? - Pardon? What was
Hudson reading? - Pardon? Who was dressed in a designer suit?

Exercise 20: coming, when, at, arrive

Exercise 23: death, smile, scene, mansion

Exercise 24: case, two, well, which

Exercise 26: pretty/the prettiest, beautiful/the most beautiful, good/the best,

stupid/the most stupid

Exercise 27: Hudson is quite surprised, isn't he? It is simple, isn't it? Elvira is
an attractive woman, isn't she? You've worked it out, haven't you.

Exercise 28: False, Elizabeth Hobbs had seen the intruder. True, he was

56
surprised to see Elvira. False, they arrived within forty minutes. True, they
had arrested the stable boy.

Exercise 29: Did Hudson's mobile phone really ring? Did the stables really
burn down? Did Elvira really wear a pair of glasses? Did Hudson really inter­
view the family?

Exercise 36: was missing, because, head, to inspect

Exercise 37: False, she was wearing elegant shoes. True, her blood was on
the furniture. False, she's only about fifty years old. True, he has moved to
Cornwall.

Exercise 38: seem, high, inch, suit

Exercise 41: Was Hudson's mobile really ringing? Was the rug really mis­
sing? Was it really raining? Were they really running?

Exercise 44: The police allowed Elvira into the house. Mr Burton was angry
with the Hutchinsons. Mrs Burton is worried about her husband.

Exercise 45: son, blew, knew, four

Exercise 46: about, idea, anything, innocent

Exercise 49: wet/wetter, expensive/more expensive, crazy/crazier, con­

fused/more confused

Exercise 54: Rebecca doesn't know Elvira, does she? She doesn't see him
very often, does she? Hudson doesn't have a cup of tea, does he? She
doesn't see them on the moor, does she?

Exercise 56: False, he smoked a cigar. True, she has long blonde hair. False,
he is Jack Burton's brother. True, they had an argument.

Exercise 58: colleague, who, everything, lied

Exercise 59: Was Rebecca really in her bedroom? Was Hudson really
amazed? Was it really Lady Hutchinson?

57
Exercise 60: sigh, clue, build, blood

Exercise 62: Pardon? Who was running? - Pardon? Where did they walk to?
- Pardon? Who was a tall boy? - Pardon? What did Hudson see?

Exercise 64: heavily, heard, towards, wish

Exercise 65: Hudson couldn't see the wood for the trees. Dominic was
interested in the house. Elvira stepped into the road.

Exercise 66: tall/the tallest, important/the most important, dark/the darkest,

embarrassed/the most embarrassed

Exercise 70: where, guilt, worth

Exercise 71: False, the body was Oliver Burton. False, Lady Hutchinson
wanted to phone the police. True, she saw Dominic at the hospital.

Exercise 73: they, still, time, before

Exercise 78: Is Elvira really looking different? Is Lady Hutchinson really

guilty? Is she really taken to hospital?

Exercise 79: The police took her to hospital. Something was unclear to
Elvira. Dominic is waiting for Rebecca. They stayed at a small hotel.

Exercise 81: The intruder was Mr Burton, wasn't he? Hudson's suspicion
was correct, wasn't it? Dominic was waiting for Rebecca, wasn't he?

Exercise 82: know, this, to wait, fine

Exercise 83: good/better, familiar/more familiar, quick/quicker, calm/calmer