Obsidian Pebble by Rhys Jones Read Free Book Online Page B

Chambers asked.
    Grudgingly, Oz walked over to the shop window. To his surprise, all he could see were small photographs of houses. He followed his mother’s pointing finger.
    â€œVery nice,” Oz said. “If you like that sort of thing.”
    â€œExactly. Imagine just having to look after three rooms downstairs and three up,” Mrs. Chambers said with what Oz suddenly twigged was an alarming degree of longing. He glanced up at the name above the window.
    Gerber and Callow, Estate Agents.
    â€œYou’re not serious, are you?”
    â€œWhy not?” Mrs. Chambers said, eyes bright with excitement.
    â€œBut…Penwurt’s our house and it’s brilliant. It’s—”
    â€œHuge and expensive to run,” interrupted Mrs. Chambers. “It needs a new roof, the council tax is enough to turn your hair white, and it needs decorating so badly, it’s only at Halloween that it looks half-presentable.”
    â€œYeah, but…I mean, it was given to Dad.”
    Oz saw his mother’s shoulder’s slump. “I know, Oz,” she said awkwardly. “It’s just that—”
    She was cut off by a man’s theatrically cheerful voice behind them.
    â€œAnd what do we have here? Is it a pair of Chamber pots I see?”
    Oz and Mrs. Chambers turned as one. The voice belonged to a dapper-looking man with what looked like a stiff crow on his head, but which Oz knew was his carefully coiffured hair. Lorenzo Heeps’ eyebrows were as dark as the crow hair, but his moustache and beard were grey-flecked. He wore these in what his mother had described to Oz as French beard. Oz wondered if he was trying to look a bit like Johnny Depp. If he was, then he needed to buy a new mirror. Mr. Heeps was also wearing a suit and tie under a fawn trench coat.
    â€œLorenzo,” said Mrs. Chambers, “what a nice surprise.”
    â€œLooking to move, Gwen? Had enough of Penwurt?”
    â€œJust testing the water,” she said with a nervous glance at Oz. “Just seeing how property is doing, you know.”
    â€œBadly,” Heeps said, shaking his head. “Wrong time to sell or buy. Of course, an exceptional property like yours in a desirable part of town like Magnus Street could fetch a premium at any time.” He smiled and showed a row of very white, even teeth. Lorenzo Heeps worked at the university and had known Oz’s dad very well.
    â€œYes, well…oh, hello, Phillipa,” Mrs. Chambers said.
    Phillipa Heeps, or Pheeps as Oz liked to call her, stood behind her father, dressed as if she’d just stepped out from one of the shop windows. Oz couldn’t remember ever seeing her with a hair out of place, a shirt untucked or a smidgen of a smudge on her pressed jeans or skirt. Today, as usual, her fair hair was styled perfectly so that it hung over one hazel brown eye in a carefully combed fringe. She was, he supposed, quite pretty in the way a carefully cared-for doll might be. But it was a package spoiled by a cruel mouth that enjoyed gossip and whispers far too much. Her smile in response to Mrs. Chambers’ greeting looked about as genuine as one of the Fanshaws’ pottery toads.
    â€œHello, Mrs. Chambers. Hello, Oz,” she said brightly.
    Oz mumbled a grudging “Hi,” which earned a frowning glance from his mother.
    â€œIt is so nice to see you,” Heeps gushed as he and Mrs. Chambers walked slowly down the street. “We really ought to get together to catch up. If you ever need any advice, please don’t hesitate to contact me, Gwen. I do know a little bit about the housing market, you know. In fact, I consider myself something of an expert, since I have a couple of properties of my own and I am a personal acquaintance of Mr. Gerber of Gerber and Callow, who as well as being Seabourne’s most successful businessman is, as you know, a generous supporter of the university…”
    Oz tuned out the