The Poisonings of Horpington

By Kate Trinity

Detective Harry Sergeant must find out why people are dying in his town. What Harry doesn't know is that two young women are also hunting for the perpetrators, who killed their relatives several years earlier.
But what can two young women do against the perpetrators that Harry can't?
In a victorian-esk world this story has a mildly steampunk feel, with steam engines, horses and the device.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kate Trinity
• Release date: Feb 8, 2012
• ISBN: 9781465825933

Kate Trinity

I like the strange things in life, and love it when a story drags you through to the end and you eat with one hand and hold the book with the other. Writing is a passion that takes over sometimes!

Book preview

The Poisonings of Horpington

Kate Trinity and Pentickle

Published by Kate Trinity and Pentickle on Smashwords.com

The Poisonings of Horpington© 2011 by Kate Trinity

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Author's note

This is a story previously published, but not finished, as Agua Envenenda in parts on hub pages, through the hubber Pen Tickle, in a much-condensed way. The reason for the change of title is that there is already a story with a very similar title and so I have chosen a new title.

I hope that anyone who read it on hub pages enjoyed it and enjoys the extra detail that appears in this eBook as well as the rest of the story, which turned out much longer than I thought it would.

I hope that you enjoy it and that you will read more of my work.

Also available by Kate Trinity: I love you, The Witches Curse, Lord of the Under World, The Under Born Witch, A Day in the Life of Nora Bee - Witch, The Under Born, Till the Dark of Winter (Which is a Free read) and coming soon 'It is the Demon in Me'.

The Poisoning of Horpington

Chapter One

Mimi ducked hurriedly between two of the closely packed market stalls and ran down the narrow alleyway between, which emptied onto a cobbled narrow street. Her pursuers wouldn't fit between the stalls but the fact that they had tried was evident from the increased shouting and swearing she had left in her wake.

She dodged the cat which had just sprang into her path and raced on, her heavy sheepskin lined boots making a solid thumping noise on the cobbles which echoed dully between the workers cottages on either side of her. A few pale faces watched her from behind net curtains but no one attempted to stop her.

As she reached the end of the cobbled street she slowed to a walk and glanced behind her, there was no one following so she nipped up the narrow partially hidden stone stairway to her left. It led up to the railway bridge and was meant for the workers who lived in the cottages to allow them to reach the train tracks above quickly and easily. They were often needed to fix the points or remove blockages from the track. There were people out there who held the belief that there should be no such atrocity as a steam engine, they believed that it was against nature and so tried quite often to derail them and cause them to be delayed, without much thought for the passengers or freight that the train may be carrying. There was nothing on the track today though and no workers about so Mimi ran along the side of the track, hidden by the great grey walls that made up the train carrying bridge. The ground was covered with large grey stones, which had sharp edges and made her progress quite precarious but which did not prevent her onwards journey.

As she reached the end of the bridge again, where the track once again drew level with the ground, she slowed and checked around her for prying eyes or pursuers. When no one appeared she moved forward into the trees that now surrounded the track and stopped over the rails to get to the opposite side.

She had borrowed the pony out of his field that morning so she could get to the market. An old tree stump near by served her as a mounting block to mount rather ungraciously onto the back of the hairy pony. He had nothing more than the halter he had on in the field that morning when she collected him, to which she had attached a length of rope through the ring on either side of his cheeks and which she held above his whithers so she could guide him.

He was a very fat pony and wasn't very fast at all but it was a long journey and he walked faster than she did and could travel for farther. She knew that he was called Old Man because that is what she heard the little girl who owned him call him. But she only rode him on the weekend and the pony spent the rest of the week in the field with the donkeys getting fat on the thick grass.

Mimi had always wanted to be an adventurer and she saw her little trips to the town as just that. At fifteen she was a little old for fantasizing but she had spent most of her life as a street orphan and it was only when she made friends with Henry that she began to see any kind of future. They had taken care of Gigi and Maybe when they had been thrown out of their home for not being able to pay the rent and it was Gigi who had told them all about the deserted workers house built into the bridge. Gigi was Maybe's Grandmother and could no longer work to earn money and Maybe was only six so she was also unable to work. They had all decided that if they could make it to the workers cottage and it was still empty they would live there together and take care of each other. But Mimi still dreamt of travelling to far away lands to learn foreign languages and find treasures to make them all rich.

The pair plodded off down a path that led back to the farm, it was a path that the pony seemed to know quite well and meant that Mimi didn't need to guide him too much and could continue her daydreaming. Mimi always rewarded Old Man with apples and sugar cubes and she suspected this was why he was so willing to let her ride him.

At the farm, Mimi let Old Man back into the field and gave him his treats before heading down the country lane that led to the second railway bridge. Within the boundary of the town and its outlying lands there were four of these bridges in all.

The one she was heading for was called Towns End Bridge because it ran parallel to the road of the same name. It was little travelled apart from people taking their wares to market. Sometimes a circus came through and set up in a near by field but that was usually in the summer months and right now it was the beginning of winter.

As she approached the bridges underside which ran over a river she spotted Maybe sat at the side of the water with a self made fishing rod and a look of hope on her face, Maybe loved fish. Gigi was sat on a large smoothed out stone that had grooves in it that made it look like bums had sat in it for centuries. It was quite a warm day for the time of year and the sun was peaking out from behind some ominous looking orangey grey clouds.

Hey hey Henry said stepping out from the door and spotting her Get anything good?

Lets see shall we? Mimi replied taking a seat on the swept pathway and crossing her legs.

She unfastened her bag and slid out the contents. She had managed to get some fruit and vegetables, some coffee and a joint of meat. There was also a loaf of bread, although a little squished from her escape and a jar of sweets. They thought it was a good haul and even better when Mimi handed over the coins she had managed to snatch from an unwary stall holder, they would be able to get Gigi's medicine again this week.

Henry had gone the other way the previous morning across the border and into the next county where he had managed to get a brace of pheasants and some butter in exchange for two days work.

And Henry said, Maybe has caught two fish!

Wow Mimi exclaimed, they were the first that she had ever gotten Well we will feast tonight

Chapter Two

The gravel