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The road to St. Martin's castle was winding and treacherous, and Finn had to navigate the car carefully to avoid the deepest potholes. Amelia sat beside him, her eyes scanning the horizon like she was looking for any sign of trouble. Patches of deep water pooled in fields and depressions in the landscape, remnants of the floods.
In the distance, the red sandstone of the castle stood out brilliantly beneath the afternoon skies.
Finn couldn't help but feel uneasy in that environment. Finn had a feeling that the Keatings wouldn't take kindly to their intrusion, especially if Mulberry's warning was anything to go by. That would make it difficult to tell if they were just being their usual selves or trying to cover over something much worse.
Amelia was looking down at her phone now. "St Martins' Castle is pretty interesting. Apparently, it gets its name from a knight in the thirteenth century who apparently came to Cornwall to kill a dragon. The dragon had been eating locals and cattle. When he finally defeated the monster after three days and nights of fighting, he built the castle on top of the creature's bones and married a local woman.”
“So the knight was sainted later?” Finn asked.
“No," Amelia added. "It says here on this tourist site that the knight believed he was a descendant of Saint Martin, a humble man from the fourth century who apparently dedicated himself to helping others. The knight named the castle in honor of his ancestor."
“I wonder if anyone will ever name a castle after me?” Finn asked.
“I don't think so,” Amelia laughed. “Maybe a skip or a ditch. 'St Finn's ditch' has a good ring to it.”
“So you're saying I'm a saint?”
“A wolf in sheep's clothing,” she laughed, prodding him playfully in the arm.
Finally, the landscape relented to humanity's presence, and they arrived at the castle gates, which were made of wrought iron and looked like an impenetrable barrier to the outside world. They were black, stark against the red sandstone of the castle. Above, the afternoon skies threatened more rain.
Finn pulled up, rolled down the window, and then pressed a white intercom button. A crackling voice answered.
"Yes? Who is it?" the voice said.
"The police. Inspector Amelia Winters, here to speak with the Keatings," Amelia said.
There was a long pause, and Finn wondered if they were going to be turned away.
"It's regarding the three deaths by the river," Amelia continued.
Finn thought he caught the quiet sound of someone else talking in the background.
"Very well," the voice finally replied. "I shall inform the family of your arrival. Please wait at the gate."
Finn and Amelia exchanged a look.
"What is it with us and castles?" Finn asked, thinking back to one of their earlier cases.
"At least we're not stuck with that rental you had that time," Amelia answered.
Finn remembered the damned thing. Two suspects ended up stealing it and crashing it into a moat.
"May it rest in pieces," Finn joked.
They stayed in the car and waited, their eyes fixed on the castle ahead of them. It was an imposing structure made of red stone and looming over the surrounding hills and valleys like a dark sentinel.
"I wonder if the Keatings already know," Finn said as they waited. "If Helen Baxter was a relative, then she may have been coming here to visit someone before she was killed. They could be looking for her."
"We should assume they don't know yet, just to be on the safe side," was Amelia's answer. "I'd hate for us to go in and talk about the death of a family member without them having been informed."
Suddenly, the huge black gates lifted up and the police car was allowed to enter. The driveway was long and winding, lined with tall trees and bushes on either side, which looked almost artificial within the confines of the castle walls.
Finn navigated the car carefully, keeping his eyes peeled for any signs of danger. As they drove closer to the castle, he noticed that the windows were dark and uninviting.
When they finally reached the main keep, they parked and got out. The keep was tall and brilliant red. Its tower ended in a vast turret high above.
But the castle keep was not the only point of interest.
