CHAPTER ONE
A boy facing the horrendous and conflicting emotions lowered his head as the drizzle had turned to rain, lashing down over the Cotswolds. Raulf’s face glistened as the rain mingled with his tears as he watched the caskets of his Mother and Father lowered into the English soil, side by side, they would always be now.
His Uncle laid a gentle hand on his shoulder as the boy picked up a handful of earth and sprinkled it into the grave. The other mourners then followed his lead.
His mind, still numb in shock, tried to evaluate the events of the past two weeks as if in slow motion. The wedding anniversary dinner his parents had planned for weeks, then their fatal crash, a bottle of whiskey found by the police half empty by Fathers seat, but Father had never liked the stuff. The sense of abject sorrow stirred within him and the Vicars final prayer bought him back to the funeral, the finality of it all wrenched more tears from his reddened eyes. Others around him now spoke softly to his Uncle and then to him, a handshake and a commiseration quietly intoned from friends who had known and loved his parents. As he awkwardly accepted their words his mind veered as to why his parents, why not others or these people who stood around him.
But he nodded his thanks to the billowing cape that was the vicar, and his Uncle led him out of the churchyard for the drive back to Morton Manor. As they passed through the lynch gate his Uncle nodded to a short wiry tanned man who opened the car door for them. The man had arrived at the manor shortly after his Uncle had picked Raulf up from Bristol.
No words were spoken on their way to his Uncles home, there; Mrs.Mac would shower him with kindness and order his Uncle about as if Uncle Todd were the twelve-year-old that Raulf was. He shrugged; after all she had helped bring up both his Father and Uncle when his Grandmother had died. She had certain rights in the Turpin household and nobody questioned her authority. Morton Manor meant as much to her, as to his Grandfather. Grandpa had bought it from the proceeds of his steel rolling business when he retired to care for Grandmama all those years ago Sadly following her to the grave two or three years later. Raulf brightened a little at the thought of staying at the family home. His Fathers home.
It wasn’t to be for long as he was to go to boarding school, his fathers solicitors and Uncle Todd had argued long and hard about the boys future, ultimately a decision was made to send him where his education came first. Mrs.Mac had raised a storm and Raulf remembered with some comfort her ringing Scots accent voicing distinct disapproval.
His uncle won the debate. ‘Best thing for you Raulf your father would have approved, he talked about giving you as good an education as possible. You’ll be back for every holiday they give you and Tinker will still be around for ages so you two can fool about as normal.’
Raulf was not over enthusiastic about the idea but he believed he could be an extra burden to his busy uncle so he dutifully accepted the fact. Later he told Tinker who was the son of Todd’s Estate Manager, a few years older and wiser than Raulf, a expert fisherman, never used a rod but would tickle the trout then snatch them up. They had become firm friends ever since his parents had first taken him to the Manor house. Tinker had been the only one Raulf had truly opened up to and it had helped him at least accept that his parents were not coming back, at least in the physical sense. ‘But you never know about the spirit’, Tinker had explained the beliefs of the gypsy folk, Raulf had listened, as much as his grief would allow, but his friends words stayed in the back of his mind and gave him comfort.
Over the weeks at Morton, Raulf recovered slowly, the nights when he was alone in his bedroom were the worst, but the days spent with Tinker roaming the estate and fields beyond the house, gave him solace which renewed him both physically and mentally. His Uncle left him to his own devices for much of the time. Occasionally he was called to the study to read some legal document whilst Todd signed them as his guardian.
When the coroner’s report had been published Todd had requested his nephew to bring down the toy bear he’d been given when he was four years old. Raulf went to his room and collected his old worn out bear then entered the study.
“Sit by the fire” said Todd, “The report says very little and as we expected the police had made a case for drunk driving, basically the coroner has found your father, my twin brother, responsible for both his and your mothers accident. I believe that report to be incorrect… however I intend to leave it there for the time being, for two reasons.” “Father never drank spirits you know, a half bottle of wine or a glass of beer was all I ever saw him drink.” Raulf sat bolt upright in the chair his face flushed.
“Yes you and I both know that however it’s your safety that concerns me more Raulf.”
“Is that one of your reasons Uncle? I can look after myself, I mean I can box with the best of them” Raulf rose up defiantly.
“You are twelve years old and no doubt have the best left handed punch in the business,” his uncle smiled, “ but hear me out. The second reason is confidential. That means I cannot tell you.”
“Confidential to whom?”
“You know I work for the Prime Minister, on his staff in a special department.”
Raulf nodded, he had heard his father once say his brother was a sort of policeman, but without the uniform.
“That special department is connected to the accident, I can’t say more, other than the investigation is still in progress so we lie low for the present Raulf.”
“Who is that swarthy man who sometimes comes here to take you to London?”
“Why?”
“I find him spooky, he never speaks and continually looks about, yet he seems to watch your every move. Shortly after the funeral he came onto the terrace when you were locked away in this study with that London policeman. He looked at me, well stared actually, and his face was grim, a haunting look, an angry taut face, yes Uncle Todd it, sort of froze me inside, is he in the force, Dad said you were a type of policeman yourself.”
“This bear needs a repair job, look one of the ears is almost off, one glass eye is loose and the back has a rip, have you been playing soccer with my birthday gift young man.” Uncle Todd turned the bear over in his hands. “Its off to Mrs. Mac for an clean and oil change, I’ll ask her to do it tomorrow, so we’ll leave it here for the moment, you can spare your torn old Teddy?"
“Yes of course, I am twelve Uncle, anyhow I believe you are evading the question.”
“OK so I tried, “ Todd laughed. “You know what a Minder is?”
“A guard?”
“Close enough, well since this accident I’ve been allocated one, just for the time being. His name is Mr.Vincent. Yes, in a way I am a little like my brother called me but I still have a uniform, an Air Force one, and officially I’ve been on secondment to London for some time. You see my particular job requires a military background.”
Raulf nodded though he really didn’t understand too much, other than his uncle was an officer in the RAF.
“Thank you, but Mr.Vincent still gives me the spooks.”
“Well Raulf not for very much longer, I hear I’m to get replacement spooky person in a month and her name is Carol, I’m sure you will like her, you’ll probably meet when you come back for Easter. By the way your new school has sent me a curriculum and you are due to go there after Christmas. In the meantime please keep quite about our discussion till all of this is sorted out.” Todd handed Raulf a large brown envelope, “Well here’s the school reading matter so you best get the gist of it, lots of sport and with the three R’s in great prominence.”
So Raulf dutifully caught the train and settled into school life, and as the months passed and his mind became pre-occupied with grades and rugby, with the occasional holiday at Morton, he grew less withdrawn and happier with his life. Carol came into their lives the following spring; she seemed less like a minder to Todd, as more of a big sister to Raulf.
Tinker adored her, but Tinker was nineteen and had fallen in love, or though he told Raulf. The years swept by and Raulf was sent to university, he took commerce and majored in Accounting and Business Management. Tinker took over the Estate management from his father who had retired to live by the sea, and Tinker also took over Carol, whom he married, with Raulf acting as best man. Carol resigned her career from that mysterious department and began collecting a zoo full of animals to provide eggs and milk for them all. Raulf joined a company specialising in Company audits and investigations. At the grand old age of twenty-seven he felt he had reached the zenith of his own career when he was awarded a partnership, a large office, thirty two staff and a lot more high profile investigating. He was less able to visit Morton but he had an active social life, a flat in Kensington and had kept in touch with many of his fellow students.
It was while he was in Canada closing a particularly difficult analysis, that he had a call to return to Morton urgently, his uncle had died in a shooting accident. Raulf felt his world collapse about him; an inner wound opened up as he boarded his jet. Tinker had stressed the word accident on the phone, but Tinkers words were meant not to arouse his fears, Tinkers voice had that unmistakable timbre, of caution, of wait till you get here. And what the hell was Carol doing out there now scouting the woods with a heavy automatic clasped in her hands. At least Tinker had told him that, Tinker was scared for Carol, which was obvious by his tone.