Murder in the Valley

By M Henry

M. Henry's first novel tells us about the life of an elderly couple, who are retired in Spain. They live at the outskirts of a small village, situated at the central part of Spain.
Sandra Taylor's quiet life is disturbed rudely when she discovers the dead bodies of two women in her neighbors house.

The book describes the search for the killer as well as life in a small community in rural Spain.

• Language: English
• Publisher: M Henry
• Release date: Jan 2, 2017
• ISBN: 9781370348794

M Henry

M. Henry is my nom de plume, which I chose to use as an author. I was born 64 years ago in Holland. I have a partner and I am blessed to be the mother of two beautiful sons. I moved to the central part of Spain nearly three years ago. We live on the outskirts of a little village in the countryside of Spain. When we moved here we kept goats, chickens, fish and two dogs. Due to circumstances most of the animals are gone. At present we still have our fish and three wonderful dogs. We are still trying to grow our own food and we are trying to live off the grid. I spent most of my working years in Holland, where I worked for a major business travel agency. I love to travel myself and discover new places. In that way I could combine my work and my hobby. Fourteen years ago we discovered this beautiful area in Spain. Besides all the normal daily activities I love to make jewelry and have taken up photography. Every day I try to write a few hours. I have just published my fifth novel called Luna's Spirit. It is my first attempt to write fantasy but the book also contains autobiographical details. The setting is of course the beautiful valley where I live. At present I am working on my sixth novel, La Olla. I hope my readers enjoy reading my stories as much as I enjoy writing them. November 2018

Book preview

MURDER IN THE VALLEY

a novel

M. Henry

Copyright

Copyright © 2016 by M. Henry. Published by M. Henry at Smashwords. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior permission of the author. This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only.

This e-book may not be re-sold 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. It you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return it and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictionally. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Cover design: M. Henry

Cover photo: M. Henry (private collection)

To Manuel, Hein and Kura.

About the author

M. Henry is a nom de plume under which this author is writing. The author was born in Holland and worked for many years in a regular job as a travel consultant for some major business travel organizations. She is sixty two years young.

Recently she moved to a small valley in the central part of Spain. Here she lives with her partner on the outskirts of a little village in the countryside. Together they try to grow their own vegetables and are tending to some animals for instance goats, chickens and two dogs. The aim is to become self supporting and living off the grid. When reading the novel you might encounter some autobiographical details.

The author is a fervent reader herself and has now found the opportunity to take up writing.

M. Henry is the mother of two adult sons who are living in Holland.

Murder in the Valley is her debut novel.

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank Manuel, for test reading the manuscript and his unwavering confidence in me. Thank you for all the support you gave me, when I was wrestling with this baby.

Many thanks to Hein, who came all the way from Holland and helped me with the lay out and the technical support. Without him, there would have been a story. With him, there is a book.I hope my readers will enjoy my first book.

CHAPTER ONE

Sandra Taylor was sitting on her veranda, relaxing a bit in the sunshine. The weather was quite hot for this time of year, over 40 degrees Celsius. What else could a person expect when living in the central part of Spain. July and August were always killer months and this year was not different from the previous five years that she had lived here. It was early September now and still very hot during the afternoons.

Two dogs were lying asleep at her feet, exhausted by the afternoon heat. A big white Podenco (a Spanish hunting dog) and a small brown little mutt, both snoring the afternoon happily away. Sandra looked around and from her veranda she had a beautiful view over the Valley of Almara. The house was surrounded by fields, in springtime they would be full of red poppies, and further away one could see the mountains that were bordering the Valley of Almara.

Life in this part of Spain was very quiet and nothing spectacular seemed to be going on here. If a person planned to do something, before he or she would do it, it would already be known in the small village close to where Sandra lived.

The village was called Virgen Maria Magdalena and had about 500 inhabitants. There were some restaurants, one small supermarket, a doctor, the church and the municipality. That practically summed it all up. Sandra and her husband Michael had come to live here about 5 years ago.

Their dream had always been to retire in a warm country and Spain was the ideal place. Sandra used to work for a gas company in Nottingham and Micheal used to work as a mechanical inspector for an international oil company. His job took him abroad for most of the time. After years of hard work and a lot of stress, they had decided together that the time was right to sell their house in Nottingham, and look for sunnier pastures. After several trips to Spain they found this valley the ideal place and managed to buy a little house in the countryside for a reasonable price.

Their house was not too far away from the village and there were about 12.000 m2 of land with it. That made it an ideal place to keep animals and to build a greenhouse and to try and become self supporting. Sandra had read lots of books on farming in her spare time, while she was still living in England and Michael was a very handy person.

At present, their animal population consisted of two dogs, eight chickens in the coop, twelve goats (some of them probably pregnant) and loads of fish in the pond. On the fields corn was growing, as well as alfalfa, and Sandra and Michael had planted cherry trees, a big variety of vegetables, peppers and tomatoes and all seemed to be thriving very well.

The biggest problem in this region was always the water supply and the irrigation of the fields, which needed to be done every day but slowly by slowly they were getting used to the hard work that everything involved.

And fortunately, everyday there was time for siesta. Michael said: In Rome do as the Romans do. So, around two o’clock in the afternoon the whole village went to sleep until five o’clock and that is what Sandra and Michael did as well.

Sandra suddenly woke up from her afternoon doze by the sound of an approaching car. The road to the village was adjacent to their land and after five years Sandra and Michael knew about all the people living in the valley, since they would always pass their house on their way from the village. A little blue car came around the corner and the driver, Mary Jane who lived further down the valley, honked her horn and waved at Sandra.

Nearly five o ‘clock, time to get into action. Michael had to go to Spanish lessons in the village and she had to prepare dinner before that time. They were still not used to the Spanish habit of having dinner at ten o’clock at night, By that time Sandra would be starving and very grumpy.

She went into the kitchen, and poured herself a glass of red wine and started to get busy with the preparations. Dinner mostly consisted of a fresh salad as a starter, followed by a main course, and a desert. At this moment lots of the ingredients came from her garden. Smiling, she looked at all the fresh peppers and tomatoes. At times like this she felt happy.

Michael was still asleep and Sandra decided to let him sleep for a little while longer. At present he was building the greenhouse and it was a very hard job with temperatures like these. She started to cut the vegetables and decided to go for a ratatouille. She would put the veggies in the cooker and while it was simmering she could do other tasks at hand.

After half an hour, all ingredients in the pot, Sandra decided to feed and walk the two dogs, not a simple task. The dogs were about one and a half year old and very energetic and naughty. They would look at one another and when one was in mischief the other would follow soon. One day, not so long ago, they had managed to catch a chicken and they would not let go of their prey. So, a person needed to be careful with them.

Sandra, who was a short woman with a full figure, was still strong enough to handle them. After feeding the dogs, they went on their merry way. It was still light, and Sandra was wearing a bright yellow top, and a pair of red pants. She liked to dress colorful and everybody would recognize her from afar from the most daring combinations she would wear. Today’s walk was about an hours walk, along the house of their closest neighbors and further on passing the buildings of the bodega (winery) of the village.

The neighbors were visiting their daughter in England and Sandra had promised to keep an eye on the house while they were away. They would be gone until the end of September, meaning a few weeks to go and Sandra was starting to miss them. When Sandra had a problem, no matter what kind, June would always be there, listening to her sorrows and she then would give her a sound advise. Her husband Harry was a person, who was always in a good mood, radiating positivity. He always went to Spanish lessons, together with Michael. Sandra had decided not to join them, since she spoke a fair bit of Spanish and June had no talent for languages whatsoever as she put it herself.

As Sandra approached June and Harry’s house, both dogs suddenly began to bark fiercely. Through the fence Sandra saw a gray car, parked in the driveway. How strange. It was definitely not June and Harry’s car, they drove an ancient green Volvo. Sandra suddenly remembered that June had told her a friend of hers would be coming over in September who would be renting the house for a week. So, it must be their friends car. Maybe it would be a good idea to invite Junes friend over for dinner sometime this week, to make him or her feel welcome.

Sandra tried to open the fence, but found that it was locked. She called out:

Hello, hello, anybody there…

She was answered by a deafening silence. Maybe Junes friend would be asleep after the long drive from England to Spain. Sandra decided not to call out again. She would send June an email tonight, telling her her friend had arrived. Thorough as she was, she took a good look at the registration number of the car. Hopefully she would remember it, one could never be too careful.

She walked back to her own house and started to lay the table. She called out for Michael who had woken up in the meantime.

Hello dear, are you ready for dinner?

He came out of the bathroom where he obviously had taken a shower. His hair was wet and he smiled at her from behind his towel.

Of course, the dinners that you make are gorgeous and I am always ready for them. Did you have a nice walk with the doggies?

Yes, they were all right. I just passed June and Harry’s house and there seemed to be somebody inside. Can you remember June telling when her friend from England was supposed to be over?

Michael frowned, as if trying to remember something. Maybe he had not been there when June mentioned it to her, Sandra thought.

I cannot remember June saying anything about someone coming over, neither did Harry. Are you going to ask them about it?

Yes dear, after dinner I will send an email to June. Now hurry up, otherwise you will be late for Spanish class.

Together they had a quiet dinner. After dinner Michael left for the village and Sandra washed the dishes. She did not mind doing the household chores at all. Here there seemed to be time enough for everything. After many years of combining a stressful job in the office, commuting in rush hours, and keeping a house tidy in her spare time, she found her life here in the little Spanish valley bliss. It was also wonderful that she and Michael were still in good health and that they were together now for most of the time. They got along very well together.

After the dishes, Sandra sat down and opened her laptop. She scanned her Facebook account and her email account but there was nothing world shocking in there. She then wrote a short email to June, saying:

"Hello June. I hope you and Harry are enjoying your holidays in England and seeing your daughter and grandchildren again. It must be nice to spend some quality time with them. As promised, I am keeping an eye on your house. As I passed it this afternoon, I saw a gray car parked upon your driveway. Could it be that your friend from England has arrived? I remember you saying something about it, although I am not sure.

Please let me know how long he or she would be staying here and if I can assist in any way. Over here everything is really fine. The weather is still hot (over 40 degrees today) and Michael and me are doing fine. He went to his Spanish class this evening. We are starting to miss you guys a bit. Anyway, let me know how things are and what to do with this friend of yours. Cheers, Sandra."

She pressed the send button and then closed the laptop.

When Michael returned one hour later, he found his wife asleep in front of the fireplace. He decided not to wake her up and took the dogs out for a little walk. When he passed the house of June and Harry the car was still there but there were no lights on inside the house.

He walked back home and woke Sandra with a kiss on her nose. She was a lovely looking woman and after many years of marriage, he was still attracted to her in many more ways than one.

Hey sleepyhead. Ready for bed? Or do you want to share a nightcap with me on the veranda?

He looked at her with a wicked smile on his face and, knowing him, she knew what that meant. She put her arms around his neck and kissed him softly on his warm lips.

I think maybe the first idea is the most attractive one.

She pressed her body seductively against his, feeling that he was already excited. She took his hand and ran with him to the bedroom. Their lovemaking was short, sweet and breathtaking. Afterward she cuddled up in his arms. Contentment and satisfaction seeping through her body making her very relaxed and all of a sudden she was tired.

Thanks love, you are an amazing man and you never fail to excite me.

The feeling is mutual dear.

Slowly they drifted into a peaceful sleep.

A few hours later Sandra suddenly woke up. The windows of the bedroom were open and the sounds of the night were coming in. Normally, it was very quiet, apart from the snoring of the dogs, or the occasional sounds of the rooster in the early hours of the morning. This time however, she heard an eerie cry which made the hairs on her neck stand up. Yuck. She wondered if it might be an owl, or maybe a stray cat. There were many strays in the village and they sometimes wandered of in the middle of the night.

Ieeeeeeeee…

There it was again. Sandra got up and closed the window. She then went back to bed and dozed off.

CHAPTER TWO

The next morning Sandra and Michael woke up around eight o 'clock. Being wannabe farmers they tried to rise earlier, but somehow the heat made them sleepy and they had made an issue of it not to put any alarm clocks while they were here.

They wanted to live according to natures tides, so to say. Getting up when they would wake up and sleeping when they were tired and in practice it meant that in summer they would have much longer days then in winter.

After breakfast Sandra started to feed and walk the dogs. Michael had already gone out into their field to check about the welfare of the chickens, the fish and the goats. It was still a bit cool this morning and Sandra decided to take her dogs, who were full of energy, up on the mountain adjacent to their land.

On top of the mountain there was a little lake, and on hot afternoons the dogs would love to get their paws wet. Also, the views from up there were quite breathtaking and there were many plants and flowers that Sandra had never seen in her life. When she arrived on the highest point, she stopped walking to take a moment of rest and to look around. From this point she could see Michael down in their field below. He was entering the chicken coop to feed the chickens. She could see his tall figure, bending over, talking to the animals who were flocking around him. It was nice to see.

In the little valley, there were about twenty country houses. Most of them were inhabited by elderly people from either England or Holland, trying to retire in this remote area of Spain. She could also see the large buildings of the winery and she had a clear view from the village to the north side of the valley. She also noticed that the gray car was still parked outside June and Harry's house.

She decided to go down and walk back home. She needed to help Michael with tending the animals and she also needed to go to the village this morning. There would be a small market today and she had promised to help the women, who were doing fund raising for the Cancer Foundation, and she had to bring some of her knitting. Although it was warm at present, it could be quite cold in winter in this region and Sandra had knitted some caps and shawls to be sold at their charity stall, the profit going to the good cause.

When she was on the road in the direction of her home, she heard the sound of an approaching car. She pulled both the dogs over to the side of the road, and eureka, there was the gray car (a Ford Fiesta as she saw now from up close) approaching her. She put up her hand and the driver stopped the car at her side. Inside the car there was a young couple. The man turned the window down, and looked curiously at her. Sandra was a bit of a sight this morning, wearing a purple oversized shirt with sequins and glitters on top of a neon pink pants. This combined with a pair of sturdy sandals and a very old Halliburton cap, was her farm outfit for today.

Good morning Sandra said, I assume you are June and Harry's friends. I saw your car in their driveway. My name is Sandra and I am your next door neighbor. Have you settled in allright? And was it a good drive from England to Spain?

The young man smiled friendly at her and said:

Yes we are friends of June and Harry. It was quite a long journey. We had to wait for hours before we could enter France. It appeared that the French customs were on strike so that was the cause of the delay. Something to do with their retirement age, as we understood. We arrived yesterday and we were really tired, so we went asleep as soon as we arrived. It is terribly hot in this part of Spain.

Yes, Sandra replied, June might have given you a warning beforehand. We get really high temperatures up here, especially since we are in the central part of Spain. At the coast it might be cooler but here we have a land climate. And the only swimming pool we have here in the village is open during school holiday, meaning it just closed a week ago.

Bugger, the young man said. but we are quite flexible. We are heading for the coast now, since we thought it might be cooler there and we are not sure when we will return. We love the area here, the mountains really look great but we find it a but too quiet and too hot for our taste.

What a pity, but I can imagine that for younger people this place might not be so attractive Sandra replied. I was planning to ask you over for dinner, but since you are leaving already….

She did not finish her sentence. The young man looked at the woman at his side, but obviously their decision had been made.

Alright, I wish you a nice holiday then, Sandra said, and a lovely day to you both.

You too Sandra, have a lovely day, was the short reply and then he drove off in the direction of the village.

Sandra was a bit taken aback by the meeting. It was true, there was not a lot to do here for young people but still the area was nice enough to spend more than one night. Thinking about her conversation with the young man, she also discovered, that she could not really place him. Sandra spoke seven languages and had a very good ear. Mostly after she spoke with a person for