Oakley hall
Chapter 1
Oakley Hall was a big 40 bed room mansion in the middle of the country side. The gardens had trees from all over the world and was open to the public every day by Christmas Day
In the grounds are rescued wild life and a pet zoo, along with a big aviary that house owls and other birds of prey that people could see. The lake had loads of ducks, swans and geese and the local people walked there dogs round the lake and would feed them. The woods around the estate is full of old Oak, Ash, Fir Trees, Beech and a few others>
The farms near by is all part of the estate and on the farm there have a centre where people can visit and see them making cheese, and other things One of the farms has a water mill and it makes flour so people can buy it there is also a craft shop and café.
Christine love living at the hall and had lived there since she was 5 years old when her Uncle took her in after her mum and dad dumped her as there did not want children so her uncle adopted her and Christine became the lady of the house
Sadly her uncle died a few months ago and Christine had been finding it very hard but everyone on the estate helped out and there all said good bye to a great man. Christine had been helping run the estate for the last few years and had a degree in business management, the hall was going to become a conference centre and the people could stay at the hall.
The plans had been passed and it would all be up and running for the New Year
Christine had six friends coming to stay for a week and she was looking forward to it, Janet, Gillie, Yvonne, Carol, Anna and Ruth or as her Uncle called the seven of them the Girls Murder Club and they had done a few murder weekends at the hall which Christine’s Uncle loved as he like to be the killer or the person who was killed, the whole estate would get involved and one of the small business helped when there did the chocolate killer as it supplied all the chocolate and every one had fun.
Christine went round all the estate each day checking to see if everything
was all right, and Marc who farm made the cheese came out to see her and
said that there had made a new cheese and would Christine like to try some, Christine loved cheese and was all ways trying out the new ones that the farm shop sold. They sell loads of them and had a website where people from all over the world could buy them,
“Marc that is lovely I can taste Cranberry in it”
“Yes we had so many cranberry this year so we made the cheese with it have sold a load all ready on the website” Marc said “And I hear that Tim is sell sausages on the internet and that he has different things in the meat”
“Yes took me long enough to get him to do it as the local shops can only sell so much”
“I am glad he is doing it and I hear the Girls Murder Club is together for a week”
“Yes but we are all having fun but we are going to look for clues in the hidden tunnels and we may mind a few ghost”
“In your dreams you may find a few cobwebs”
“Very funny Marc and if we do find a ghost I will ring you first to check you are not playing a trick on us”
“Would I do a thing like that to you and your friends?”
“So it was not you the dropped the fake blood down Ruth’s front?”
“Yes all right it was me but Ruth loved the help cleaning it up”
“I will see you tomorrow Marc and my friends will be here at the weekend so can we have some cheese please”
“Would you like the chocolate cheese or the cranberry one that looks like blood?”
“Just send any cheese up I am sure we will all enjoy them”
“Tell Ruth if she needs help I am about”
“Is that right Marc” Linda his wife said “Hello Christine did you like the new cheese?”
“Yes it was lovely and I hear you have loads of orders for your cheese this year?”
“Yes thanks to you and what you have done for all of us”
“If I am not about leave it with Betty my house keeper and leave a bill so I can pay you”
“OK we will but we will do staff discount on it” Marc said
“That’s Ok” Christine said and with that she went off on her rounds
Christine went and visited everyone and said that next week she would not be round much has her friends where staying for a week.
But if there needed her she can be contacted on her phone.
Christine got back and did some paper work and ordered some more supplies for the cafés and postcards for the gift shop as she had taken a load of new ones and was waiting for them to come back from the printers along with the ones that there sell all ready’
Debbie makes a lot of the birthday cards and she had not been well the last few weeks and was now home resting and was told not to do any lifting so Christine got some flowers and went round to see her
“Christine what are you doing here when you have those lovely friends of your coming at the weekend”
“Debbie I am here to make sure you are not doing any thing you should not be doing, plus I have got you craft stuff for your card making so that will stop you getting bored”
“You been talking to the old man as he went out not long before you came”
“Yes I have and Pete had some shopping to do so I said I would stay with you till he gets back”
“You are worse than that Uncle of yours, I miss him loads even if he did interfere with my health, and so what are you and your friends doing for the week”
“Well we are going to see a friend that don’t do as she told and hopefully she has made some cards by than”
“Ha-ha very funny but what are the Girls Murder Club up to”
“We are going to check out the secret rooms and hidden corridors in the Hall”
“I miss all the fun and you don’t have secret rooms in that place, but the hidden corridors I have heard off, smugglers used them in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s so you may find some treasures”
“More like spiders and rats if you ask me, but wouldn’t it be fun if we found a skeleton in the tunnels”
“You read far to many books about murder”
“Yes I do and I love reading them and you never complain when I lend them to you”
“Sound as if the old man back and yes I will do some cards for you as I have nothing else to do, but let me know what you find”
“I will now you rest and I will pop in again before my friends come”
With that Christine said goodbye to Debbie and Pete and went back to the Hall and to do more paper work and phone calls.
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