Fethering 08 (2007) - Death under the Dryer by Simon Brett, Prefers to remain anonymous Read Free Book Online Page A

reopened?”
    “No, thank God. The amount of questioning I had to go through in the first couple of days…it was pretty wearing. They wanted to know all kinds of things that I wouldn’t have thought could be relevant in a million years…asking about my marriage and a whole lot of other private stuff.”
    “Did they talk to your ex-husband as well?”
    “Yes, I gather Martin went through quite a grilling. But after the first couple of days, they seemed to decide there was nothing more I could tell them.”
    “Did they lay off him too?”
    She seemed about to make a different answer, but then said brusquely, “That I wouldn’t know. Anyway, the good thing was that quite suddenly they seemed to lose interest in me. Maybe that was when they got more news about Nathan Locke disappearing…I don’t know. The detectives in charge told me to stay in touch, but—thank God—since then they’ve left me alone. Oh, they’ve given me lots of numbers to ring if I remember anything else, or if anything happens that might have a bearing on the crime. But then I can’t imagine that anything is going to happen that has a bearing on the crime.”
    “Unless Nathan Locke suddenly turned up on your doorstep one day…?”
    “I can’t think that’s very likely.”
    “Do you mean you share the general Fethering view that he’s committed suicide?”
    “It’d be an explanation, wouldn’t it?”
    “Mmm.” There was a silence, disturbed only by the snipping of Connie’s scissors. Eventually Jude broke it. “You said you hadn’t met Kyra’s father?”
    “That’s right.”
    “But Wally Grenston knows him. Talked about him as Joe, didn’t he?”
    “Yes. When Wally was last in he said hello to Kyra like he’d met her somewhere before. Probably seen her round her old man’s place. From what he says, he’s one of the privileged few who’s allowed in there. The Bartos place backs on to my garden, but I’ve never had so much as a ‘How do you do?’ from the old boy.”
    “Mmm.” Jude looked thoughtful. “Do you still live in the house you did when you were married?”
    “Yes. Part of my settlement. That and this place…” she smiled ruefully “…while Martin went on to greater things.”
    After a few moments’ silence, Jude said, “You know, I’d like to talk to Wally Grenston…”
    She had no inhibitions about saying this. You could tell everything to a hairdresser. Whatever you said, they’d always heard worse. And generally speaking, they were discreet about keeping things to themselves.
    “He’s in the phone book.”
    “Right.”
    “Mind you, Jude, if you’re going to call him, I’d recommend you do it on a Thursday morning.”
    “Oh. Why?”
    “That’s when Mini goes out to her flower arranging club.”

SIX
    “Is that Mrs Seddon?” The voice on the telephone was male, cultured, even slightly academic.
    “Yes.”
    “You don’t know me. My name is Rowley Locke. I am the uncle of Nathan Locke.”
    “Ah.”
    “And I’m sure I don’t need to tell you that my nephew is currently the subject of a lot of local gossip.”
    “No. It’s hard to escape it.”
    “The fact is that, without any evidence, without any trial, Nathan is being spoken of as the murderer of that poor girl in the hairdresser’s.”
    “I had heard that suggestion, yes.”
    “Well, I apologize for troubling you, Mrs Seddon…” He was extremely polite in his approach “…but, from the perspective of our family, this is very distressing…”
    “I’m sure it is.”
    “And…I hesitate to ask you this, but I understand you were at the hairdresser’s when the murder victim was discovered…?”
    Carole confirmed that she had been.
    “Look, you may think this is an awful cheek…and I will fully understand if that is your view…but I wondered if we could talk to you about what you saw…?” Carole wondered who the ‘we’ was. “The fact is, Mrs Seddon, that, apart from constantly questioning us about Nathan’s