and I know what you’re thinking. Who was the lady who said she didn’t mind where people made love as long as they didn’t do it in the street and frighten the horses? We take much the same view. But if someone tries holding a barbecue, or a motorbike rally, or anything that damages the turf, we tell them politely to find another place. That’s fair enough, isn’t it?’
‘So do you patrol the down looking for offenders?’
‘Impossible. We’re a small group. We act on tip-offs, just as you fellows do. We’re in touch with pretty well all the legitimate organisations that use the place. They know we’re interested and they keep us informed.’ He stopped the cart. ‘I’ll take my second, if you don’t mind. Keep a look out for the major’s ball. He has been known to connect. He can be lethal from the rear.’
Diamond watched him take a huge swing and miss the ball completely.
‘Only taking aim,’ he said, and laughed.
His second attempt failed to lift the ball, but sent it some way along the well-mown surface.
As the cart moved on again, Diamond said above the hum of the motor, ‘Did you hear about the skeleton we found?’
‘What a charming line in conversation you have. I was beginning to think “dem dry bones” might be behind your interest in us,’ Tipping said. ‘Yes, we knew early on that you people were up to something. This may sound uncaring considering some poor soul died, but your digging could have been a concern. It wasn’t, because it took place under the roots of that fallen oak tree. Do you know who the victim was?’
‘A young girl, some years back.’
‘Why would anyone bury her up here?’
‘Possibly because she was killed up here.’
‘On Lansdown?’
The cart stopped again.
Diamond glanced behind. The major was in sight, still a long way off. ‘Should we wait for him?’
Tipping shook his head. ‘We meet on the green. We’d never get round if we waited for each other at every shot. He’ll take one or two more than he puts on the card, and so will I, so it’s better if we aren’t too close to each other.’ He chose a club and shifted the ball another ten yards or so. ‘You didn’t see that.’ He strode the short distance to the ball and struck it again, with more success. ‘Par for this hole is four,’ he said. ‘I take about nine usually if my putting is tidy and Reggie is out of sight.’
When they moved off, Diamond asked, ‘How long has your society been in existence?’
‘We formed in the year they staged the mock battle, the three hundred and fiftieth anniversary.’
‘1993.’
‘Yes. Some of us of like minds were concerned that real damage might be done to the land, with all the paraphernalia of cannon and horses and so on. We formed this group to meet the re-enactment people and lay down certain procedures – which I have to say they observed to the letter. Afterwards we decided to formalise the society and monitor some of the other activities.’
‘Like the horse racing?’
‘Are you a racing man?’
‘No, but I saw you present the prize to the winning owner last week.’
‘My daughter Davina. Wasn’t that charming? She has three horses in training and I’m proud to tell you it’s not my money that pays for them. She’s a lady of independent means, with her own business. Works damned hard.’
‘And you’re still involved in racing?’
‘I sponsor a few flat races during the year. It’s nice to meet old friends, but I haven’t owned a horse for some time.’
‘Hang-glider?’
‘That was a great horse. You
‘No, I just heard someone mention it in connection with you.’
‘Sad story. Do you know it? He ran his first races here and showed such promise that I sent him to be trained at Lambourn. Won a few more and then a big one in Ireland. Everyone was certain he was set for greater things and then he popped a tendon in his near foreleg. Devastating.’
The force of the last word led Diamond to only one conclusion. ‘Was he put down?’
‘Lord, no. Don’t confuse injured tendons with broken legs. He was fit to put to stud. Poor old fellow, he’d earned some sport with the ladies and I would have been a very rich man as a result. I had a certain Arabian sheikh lined up as the next owner. Then the worst of all things happened. I was asked to parade my horse in front of the crowd one last time at an evening meeting. He was a great local favourite, you see. A lovely tribute. You should have seen his ears prick up when they cheered him all along the straight. Sadly, it was the last I saw of him. My trainer returned him to his box and some evil-minded bastard broke in and stole him.’
‘What for – a ransom?’
‘No. We never heard a word. My theory is that they put him to stud secretly and his progeny are winning races at long odds.’ ‘Your deal with the sheikh fell through?’
‘All I got was some paltry insurance money.’
‘You lost a lot?’
‘Getting on for a million. That horse was a thoroughbred, an investment. He didn’t come cheap. But in racing you have to treat those two impostors just the same.’
‘Who are they?’
Tipping gave Diamond a disbelieving look and then laughed. ‘Triumph and Disaster, of course. Don’t you know your Kipling?’ ‘Poetry isn’t my strong suit.’
‘I thought it was compulsory in the modern police. All the television detectives know their poetry.’
‘I’m in the real world, sir. Did the experience put you off owning horses, then?’
‘I couldn’t afford another thoroughbred. I’m content to sponsor a few races.’
‘What do you get for being a sponsor – a box in the main stand?’
He shrugged. ‘Unlike most of them, I don’t want anything out of it. I’m a chartered surveyor. You don’t get new clients by sponsoring horse racing. It’s not as if I’ve got a product to peddle, like beer or cigarettes. I do it because I like the sport. Always fancy I can spot a winner.’ He stopped the cart beside his ball. ‘How far off is the green, would you say?’
‘Seventy yards. Maybe seventy-five.’
‘One good hit, then. Why don’t you go ahead and remove the flag?’
‘If you want.’
‘Joke. What’s that white object near the pin?’
Diamond stared. Was this more of the humour? ‘I don’t see anything.’
‘We need Reggie’s wife with her field glasses. She’s marvellous. Look to the right of the flag.’
There was something. ‘I see it now. A plastic bag?’
‘Could be. Just my luck if the ball hits it.’
‘Do you want me to go ahead and clear it off?’ Diamond asked.
‘Not yet awhile.’ He took his shot and struck the ball about halfway to the green.
It would have been simpler to walk, but they couldn’t leave the buggy on the fairway. Getting on and off took up a lot of time.
‘How many members are there?’ Diamond asked when they were in motion again.
‘Of the golf club?’
‘The Lansdown Society.’
‘Five now.’
‘As few as that?’
‘We started with eight, but people moved to other parts of the country, or fell off the perch. In the original group there were seven men and one woman, the formidable Augusta White, magis-t rate. I dubbed her Snow White, naturally, and we were the seven you-know-whats. No prizes for guessing which of us was Grumpy. Is the major catching up?’
‘A magistrate must be a useful member.’
‘Goes without saying – particularly when we have to deal with gypsies, as we do from time to time. What do
