A Poison Tree: A DCI Will Blake Novel by J.E. Mayhew

Author:J.E. Mayhew [Mayhew, J.E.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Zertex Crime
Published: 2020-05-14T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 24

Number Four Spital Cottages was a surprisingly large property to be called a cottage. Standing on the main road from Bromborough to Bebington, it looked as though it had once been a number of smaller houses knocked into one. Other properties huddled beside it and tall trees grew in the front gardens, cutting them off from the outside world. A thick holly hedge made it difficult to see the house properly but the top half of the building rose above, revealing four or five bedroom windows set in red, engineering brick from the early nineteen hundreds. The roof looked at odds with the quaintness of the rest; modern tiles with smooth, opaque skylights set in them.

DS Chinn frowned up at them. “That’s quite a house for an ex-con who hasn’t worked for years.”

DC Manikas shrugged. “Perhaps. Maybe he got some compensation from the motorcycle accident.”

They parked the car in the road and tried, unsuccessfully, to peer over the hedge. “Listen,” Chinn said. A constant rush of air sounded from somewhere deep in the building. “Air con?”

“Or ventilation,” Manikas said. “Look at those skylights, too. The light is shining out of them, not in.”

“Let’s talk to the neighbours before we knock on the door,” Chinn said. “Just see if our suspicions are justified.”

The house on the left of number four had a beautifully tended front garden. Even though the trees had shed their leaves, the lawn was clear and cut short. The soil in the flower beds was dark and rich, not a weed in sight. An old woman with a shock of short, white hair and wearing a waxed jacket was gently pruning some roses. She greeted them with a smile. “Can I help you?”

Chinn flashed her ID. “Merseyside Police, ma’am. I’m DS Chinn, this is DC Manikas. We were wondering if you knew who lived next door?”

The woman straightened up from her plants and gave a slight grimace. “Sorry,” she said. “I’m not getting any younger. Next door. Yes, Mr Archer and his grandson, Eric. Lovely boys.” She frowned. “Are they alright?”

“Absolutely fine, ma’am,” DS Chinn began.

“Call me Monique,” the lady said. “Monique Taylor. What do you want to know? They’re very quiet. I hardly see them from one week’s end to the next but they’re always polite and neighbourly. Eric always puts my bins out every fortnight. He’s very early. Never actually see him do it. Gary can’t do much, being wheelchair bound, poor man, but he always gives me a cheerful hello when we meet. We talk gardening over the fence.”

“Have you noticed anything unusual about the house? Funny noises or smells?”

Monique pulled a face. “Nothing recently. Of course, there’s that extractor fan always on the go day and night but apparently that’s for Gary. He needs a rarified atmosphere,” Monique dropped her voice, “because of his condition. You know he was hit by a lorry a while back. I think he picks up infections quite easily.”

“I see,” Chinn said, glancing over to Manikas. “Nothing else?”

“Not really,” Monique said.

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