Buried Secrets Read online

  Buried Secrets

  (The eleventh case from ‘The Freeman Files’ series)

  By

  Ted Tayler

  Copyright © 2021 by Ted Tayler

  This ebook is licensed for your enjoyment only. If you would like to share this book with another person, please buy an additional copy for each recipient.

  All rights are reserved. You may not reproduce this work, in part or its entirety, without the author's express written permission.

  All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real people, living or dead is purely coincidental.

  Cover design: - www.thecovercollection.com

  A Harmsworth House publication 2021

  Other books by Ted Tayler

  We’d Like To Do A Number Now (2011)

  The Final Straw (2013)

  A Sting In The Tale (2013)

  Unfinished Business (2014)

  The Olympus Project (2014)

  Gold, Silver, and Bombs (2015)

  Conception (2015)

  Nothing Is Ever Forever (2015)

  In The Lap of The Gods (2016)

  The Price of Treachery (2016)

  A New Dawn (2017)

  Something Wicked Draws Near (2017)

  Evil Always Finds A Way (2017)

  Revenge Comes in Many Colours (2017)

  Three Weeks in September (2018)

  A Frequent Peal Of Bells (2018)

  Larcombe Manor (2018)

  Fatal Decision (2019)

  Last Orders (2020)

  Pressure Point (2020)

  Deadly Formula (2020)

  Final Deal (2020)

  Barking Mad (2020)

  Creature Discomforts (2020)

  Silent Terror (2020)

  Night Train (2020)

  All Things Bright (2021)

  Where to find him

  Website & Blog: – http://tedtayler.co.uk

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  Table Of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Epilogue

  About The Author

  CHAPTER 1

  Wednesday, 21st May 2008

  Alan Duncan left his home in Cuttle Lane, Biddestone, at six-thirty in the evening. His partner, Madeleine Mills, known to those who knew her as Maddy, watched him walk to the gateway. She turned away as Alan eased into a steady jog and set off on his regular midweek run. She had their two-bedroomed semi-detached home to herself for ninety minutes.

  The couple had met in Chippenham, four years ago, at a leaving party for one of her call centre colleagues, Anna Phillips. For eleven years, Anna and Maddy had shared a desk. That party had been the last place Maddy wanted to be, but Alan had arrived with Wayne, Anna’s husband.

  Maddy suspected Anna and her husband had planned this so-called chance encounter for several weeks. As the evening progressed, however, she relaxed and enjoyed Alan’s company. He had joined the Royal Navy at eighteen, in his own words, to see the world. The magic had worn off after a dozen years. On his thirtieth birthday, he moved from the high seas to work for a Corsham firm as a draughtsman.

  “What on earth attracted you to Corsham?” she had asked him.

  “I was born there. My parents still live in the town, and my father, Bob, spotted an advert on the noticeboard in the work’s canteen. It was pure luck. I had many of the skills they were looking for, and the family connection didn’t hurt. Dad has worked there for over thirty years. His firm agreed to give me a shot. Wayne suggested I come with him tonight to celebrate. I heard this afternoon that my three-month trial was successful. I’m official as from Monday morning.”

  When Alan kissed her goodnight at the end of the evening, he’d asked to see her again. They hadn’t spent more than a day apart in the past four years.

  After Maddy finished her chores, she caught up on one of her favourite TV shows. She reminisced that any thoughts of avoiding a new relationship had disappeared within weeks of that leaving party. The couple had moved here to Biddestone together after four months. Village life, a handful of miles from the places they worked, suited both of them down to the ground.

  Maddy’s friend, Anna, had had three enjoyable years with her new job in Swindon, but Joshua's arrival last December had put a temporary hold on her career. Maddy and Alan had agreed to be the boy’s godparents if Wayne and Anna ever got around to arranging a christening. Maddy had already driven to the Phillips’s home in Cepen Park, Chippenham, to babysit frequently. For Maddy and Alan, there was still time, but they were enjoying life as a couple. There was no pressure.

  Maddy had now worked at the same company on the Bumpers Farm Industrial Estate on the outskirts of Chippenham for fifteen years. Alan was plodding along at his job in Corsham. It might have seemed an ordinary existence to many, but Maddy had learned from experience that wild fluctuations of highs and lows were overrated.

  Alan had kept fit during his time in the Navy. As he told Maddy, he had little choice, and in the past four years, her partner had maintained a regular exercise regime. Alan loved to run around the village lanes but had never attempted to persuade Maddy to join him. She told him the housework she did while he ran kept her figure trim.

  Wayne and Alan were still firm friends, and they shared a common interest. Well, it was more of a passion, in Anna and Maddy’s opinion. Their men were keen cyclists, with high-spec bikes, helmets, and the ubiquitous lycra clothing that accompanied it. On weekends, Wayne drove across from Cepen Park, with his bike on a frame attached to their car's boot. Then he and Alan disappeared for three hours.

  Maddy and Anna reckoned the distances they said they covered were like the fisherman’s tale about the size of the one that got away. There was no escaping the facts, though; they were both fit individuals for men in their mid-thirties.

  Maddy finished watching her programme and checked her watch. Almost eight o’clock. Alan would soon be home. He would shower and don a fresh t-shirt and shorts before joining her in the lounge. It was rare for Alan to wear long trousers at home, except in the dead of winter. He told Maddy that wearing a suit during the working week was bad enough. He’d had his fill of uniforms.

  Alan Duncan jogged along Church Road and turned the corner towards home. He usually enjoyed his weekly run, but tonight something had unsettled him. As Alan reached the Crown Inn, at Giddeahall on the outward leg, a man sat in the beer garden pointed at him. Then he tapped his nose. As Alan turned to head back into the village, he was sure he heard the man say, “You can run, but you can’t hide.”

  The man was a stranger. Alan didn’t look back to confirm that he’d heard the comment. He dismissed it as the ramblings of someone who had been sitting in the beer garden since lunchtime and was drunk.

  Alan closed the garden gate behind him as a Vauxhall Zafira cruised past. He watched as the car disappeared along the lane. Alan couldn’t recall any of their neighbours driving a Zafira, but why did the driver look familiar? />
  As he ran upstairs to the bathroom, he tripped on the last step, ending up on all-fours on the landing.

  Maddy appeared in the lounge doorway.

  “Are you okay, Alan?” she called.

  “Yeah, don’t worry, sweetheart. I forgot there were fourteen stairs. Give me ten minutes. I’ll be with you.”

  Maddy returned to her seat, and Alan took his shower. As the water cascaded over him, he realised why the driver seemed familiar.

  Saturday, 24th May 2008

  “What time is Wayne picking you up today?” asked Maddy.

  “He wants to be on the road by one o’clock,” said Alan. “I ate a good meal last night, and I’m planning a high-carb breakfast to get me through today’s session. What will you be doing?”

  “Can you come with me for the weekly shop this morning?” asked Maddy.

  “No problem. We won’t need anything for tomorrow, don’t forget. We promised to go to my Mum and Dad for dinner. I can rely on Mum feeding us until we’re fit to burst. I don’t think she believes we can cater for ourselves.”

  “I remember. As for later, Anna might appreciate a visit,” said Maddy.

  “No doubt you’ll offer to give Joshua a cuddle to ease her burden.”

  Maddy had pulled a face, thrown Alan the car keys, and he’d driven them to the Morrison’s supermarket on the A350.

  “Is this the route you took on Wednesday evening?” asked Maddy.

  “Mmm,” replied Alan. “I doubled back at the Crown. This supermarket is brilliant for us, isn’t it? Only a ten-minute drive from home. and we never get snarled up in those interminable traffic jams through the centre of Chippenham.”

  “Hark at you,” laughed Maddy. “I’ve got the devil of a job to get you to come shopping with me most weekends. Or did you want to change the subject? What happened, Alan? Did you decide to stop at the Crown for a crafty pint on a warm evening?”

  “No, nothing like that,” he replied as he searched the car park for an empty space.

  An hour later, they drove home. Alan kept checking his mirror but saw nothing.

  Wayne sounded his horn as he drove past the house at a quarter to one, turned his car around in a gateway and idled back. Alan was in the lane with his bike, waiting. He stood and watched his friend detach his bike from the rack.

  “A good day for it,” said Wayne. “Are you sure you’re ready?”

  “Warmley via the Cotswold Way, and then back on the A420,” said Alan. “You bet, I’m ready. It should take us two-and-a-half hours. I can’t think of a better way to spend a Saturday afternoon.”

  “It’s a route we haven’t tried before,” said Wayne. “We must be ultra-careful on the busy main road. Don’t worry; I’ll look after you.”

  “Yeah, right,” laughed Alan. “Let’s get going.”

  Alan checked the car park and the beer garden at the Crown as they cycled past. There was no sign of the Zafira or its driver.

  After two-and-a-half hours of steady cycling, Wayne followed Alan back into Biddestone. They were both tired but satisfied with their afternoon’s work. Wayne noticed a man by The Green stood by his car, waving. Ahead of him, Alan cycled harder. Wayne puffed out his cheeks.

  “Give me a break, Alan,” he called, “I’m shattered. Who was that guy, anyway? Did you know him?”

  “I saw no one,” Alan replied.

  That was odd, thought Wayne. He looked straight at us.

  Maddy had just arrived home when they pulled up outside the house. She watched as Wayne re-racked his bike.

  “How was Joshua?” he asked.

  “He slept most of the time I was there,” said Maddy.

  “Never mind, sweetheart,” said Alan.

  “Typical,” said Wayne. “He’ll be awake half the night now.”

  “You love it, really,” said Maddy.

  Wayne grinned, and with a cheery wave, he drove home.

  “Someone’s going to sleep well tonight,” said Maddy as she watched Alan wheel his bike up the garden path.

  Alan wished that were true. As tired as he was. he couldn’t stop wondering what it was the guy in the Zafira wanted. He’d imagined that Wednesday evening could have been a random event. How did the guy know to be in the village this afternoon as they returned from their cycle ride?

  Sunday, 25th May 2008

  Maddy drove them to Corsham for Sunday lunch with Alan’s parents. Bob and Elizabeth were always pleased to see them. Alan was an only child. Maddy had a brother, Darren, and her parents lived in a village outside Leeds. Maddy had left home at eighteen and wasn’t in a rush to return. She kept in touch with her family members with a few words in a Christmas card. It was years ago the family had decided they had their own lives to lead.

  Alan and Maddy knew what to expect when they came to the Duncan family home. A Sunday roast with all the trimmings, plus a long list of questions about work, marriage, holidays, children, and did they want the second helping of rhubarb and custard now, or after their tea?

  When they left at seven o’clock, Alan was glad to escape.

  “Sorry, if they went on a bit, Maddy,” he said.

  “I don’t mind,” said Maddy, “they care about you. Your Dad will retire at sixty next year from what he said. It’s only natural they want to see we’re financially secure. Any spare cash they have will get spent on foreign holidays; they won’t want to dig deep to get us out of a hole. As for any wedding, your Dad probably thinks that because of the distance I’ve put between myself and my family they wouldn’t be much help. He’s right, but we’re happy as we are, aren’t we?”

  “Happy as pigs in the proverbial,” said Alan.

  Wednesday, 28th May 2008

  “I’ll see you at the usual time,” called Alan as he left the house.

  Maddy walked through from the kitchen to watch him start his weekly run. He’d been quieter than usual this past few days. Perhaps the mundane routine was getting to him. Maddy promised herself they would arrange something different this weekend. A trip to the coast on Sunday, maybe. That was it. She started her chores and thought about where they might go.

  As she returned the ironing board to the cupboard under the stairs later, Maddy wondered how far Alan had run tonight. It was a quarter past eight. She switched on the television and tried to concentrate on a quiz show. It was no good. Alan was never this late. What could have happened?

  At half-past nine, Maddy rang Anna Phillips.

  “Is Wayne home, Anna?” she asked.

  “He’s just got in from five-a-side football. Hang on, do you want a word?”

  “Alan’s not home from his run,” said Maddy, “I’m getting worried. Did he tell Wayne which route he might take tonight? I’ll drive out to search for him.”

  Anna handed the phone to her husband.

  “Alan mentioned nothing to me, Maddy,” said Wayne. “He was fine on Saturday. I saw him in Corsham yesterday, but something preoccupied him. He didn’t respond when I called out to him across the road.”

  “Where in Corsham? What time?” asked Maddy. That didn’t sound like Alan. “He was at work out at the Industrial Estate at Leafield.”

  “Well, he must have needed to go into town to the High Street. Alan was on the pavement outside the bank in the middle of the afternoon. Do you want me to drive over to you? We can cover two routes that way. He could have twisted an ankle or something. Did Alan take his mobile with him?”

  Maddy frantically searched the house for Alan’s mobile, but it wasn’t there.

  “Why didn’t I think of that,” she cried. “What a dummy. I’ll call Alan to see where the hell he is. If he’s sat in that pub out at Giddeahall the air will turn blue.”

  Wayne laughed.

  “Give us a ring later, Maddy, to let us know. Please don’t ground him for Saturday. I’ve got another new route for us to tackle.”

  Maddy ended the call and rang Alan. It went to voicemail.

  She collected the car keys from the hall table and
checked her watch. Nine forty-five. Which route should she take? Sunset was over half-an-hour ago. Maddy set off along Cuttle Lane towards the centre of the village. She returned an hour later after a fruitless search. Her heart sank as soon as she rounded the bend and saw the police car parked outside their home.

  Maddy stopped the car, got out, and ran towards the two officers stood beside the car.

  “What’s happened?” she screamed. “Is Alan hurt? Where have they taken him?”

  “Can I have your name, please, Miss?” asked the officer, PC Clare Townsend.

  “Madeleine Mills, Maddy. I’m Alan’s partner. I’ve been out searching for him. He went for his usual run, but didn’t come home at the usual time.”

  “This would be Alan Duncan. Is that correct?” asked PC Sam Hulbert.

  Maddy nodded. She tried to see if there was anyone inside the police car. Where was he?

  “Perhaps we can go inside, Miss Mills,”

  Maddy opened the front door, and the two officers followed her inside.

  “We received a phone call from a member of the public at seven fifty-three this evening,” said the male police officer. “They reported seeing something suspicious in a field off Ham Lane. Do you know the area, Miss?”

  “Of course I do,” said Maddy. “We’ve lived in Biddestone for four years. Alan often runs along Challows Lane to Ham Lane. It’s part of one of the regular routes he follows on Wednesday nights. He leaves here at half-past six and gets back anything between eighty or ninety minutes later. What do you mean by suspicious?”

  “Any problems in the relationship? Did you argue this evening before he left?”

  “No, nothing like that. Everything’s fine.”

  “No money problems?” asked PC Townsend.

  “We both have decent jobs. There’s not much left over for luxuries at the end of the month from time to time, but we manage fine. Look, what’s going on?”