hurriedly and driving off when she realised she didn’t
want to give her killer a lift after all?
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‘Right, that’s that then.’ I stare at him, bemused, as he stuffs the papers into his briefcase and pushes a brochure towards me. ‘You show that to your husband tonight.
He’ll be impressed, take my word for it.’
I only relax once I’ve closed the door behind him but
the realisation that, once again, I did something stupid
by not asking for proof of identity before letting him
in, especially when a woman has just been murdered
nearby, makes me question my lack of judgement.
Feeling suddenly cold, I run upstairs to fetch a jumper
and as I go into the bedroom I see that the window
is open. I stare at it for a moment, wondering what it
means, wondering if it means anything at all. You’re being neurotic, I tell myself sternly, taking a cardigan from the back of a chair and shrugging it on. Even if the man from Superior Security Systems did open it, which he probably did to see where the sensors could be fitted, it doesn’t mean that he left it open so that he could come back and murder you.
I close the window and, as I’m on my way back
downstairs, the phone starts ringing. I expect it to be
Matthew but it’s Rachel.
‘I don’t suppose you want to meet for a drink, do
you?’ she asks.
‘Yes!’ I say, glad of an excuse to get out of the house.
‘Are you OK?’ I add, detecting that she isn’t her usually bubbly self.
‘Yes, I just feel like a glass of wine. Is six all right for you? I can come to Browbury.’
‘Great. In the Sour Grapes?’
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61
‘Perfect. See you there.’
Back in the kitchen, the Superior Security Systems
brochure is still lying on the table, so I put it on the
side for Matthew to look at once we’ve had dinner. It’s
already five-thirty – the whole thing with the alarm
man must have lasted longer than I realised – and I head
off immediately.
The town is busy, and as I hurry towards the wine
bar, I hear someone call my name and look up to see
my lovely friend Hannah making her way through the
crowd. She’s the wife of Matthew’s tennis partner, Andy,
and a relatively new friend but such fun I wish I’d met
her earlier. ‘I haven’t seen you for ages.’
‘I know, it’s been too long. I’m actually on my way to
meet Rachel, otherwise I’d suggest going for a drink,
but you must come over for a barbecue this summer.’
‘That would be lovely,’ Hannah smiles. ‘Andy was
saying the other day that he hasn’t seen Matthew at the
club recently.’ She pauses. ‘Isn’t it awful about that young woman who was murdered last week?’
The dark cloud that is Jane descends on me. ‘Yes,
dreadful,’ I say.
She gives a little shiver. ‘The police still haven’t found the person responsible. Do you think it was someone she knew? They say most murders are committed by someone known to the murderer.’
‘Do they?’ I say. I know I should tell Hannah that I
knew Jane, that I’d had lunch with her a couple of weeks
before, but I can’t because I don’t want her to start asking
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me about her, about what she was like. And the fact that
I can’t seems like another betrayal.
‘It could be just an opportunist murder,’ she goes on.
‘But Andy thinks it was someone local, someone who
knows the geography of the area. He reckons they’re
holed up somewhere nearby. He thinks it won’t be the
last murder around here. It’s worrying, isn’t it?’
The thought of the murderer hiding nearby makes
me go cold. Her words vibrate in my head and I feel so
sick that I can’t concentrate on what she’s saying. I let her talk for a few more minutes, murmuring responses at what I hope are appropriate places.
‘I’m sorry, Hannah,’ I say, looking at my watch, ‘but
I’ve just seen the time! I really have to go.’
‘Oh, of course. Tell Matthew that Andy is looking
forward to seeing him.’
‘I will,’ I promise.
*
The Sour Grapes is packed and Rachel is already there,
a bottle of wine in front of her.
‘You’re early,’ I say, giving her a hug.
‘No, you’re late, but it doesn’t matter.’ She pours wine into a glass and hands it to me.
‘Sorry. I bumped into my friend Hannah and we
ended up chatting. I better not drink the whole glass, I’m driving.’ I nod towards the bottle. ‘You’re obviously not.’
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63
‘A couple of colleagues are meeting me for a bite to
eat later so we’ll finish it between us.’
I take a sip of wine, savouring its crispness. ‘So, how
are you?’
‘Not great, actually. The police have been in the office
for the last few days, questioning everybody about Jane.
It was my turn today.’