BURIED CRIMES a British crime mystery full of twists by MICHAEL HAMBLING

Author:MICHAEL HAMBLING [HAMBLING, MICHAEL]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Joffe Books Mystery, Crime Thriller, Suspense Fiction
Published: 2024-10-22T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 19: Infrequently Washed Knickers

Tuesday evening, Week 2

Hannah Allen dropped her phone into her bag and walked through to her bedroom. She shared a flat with two other students. She had been in the only communal room, the kitchen, when the call from Pauline Stopley had come in. The former actress had explained that she’d been at an Arts Council meeting in the capital. It had finished early, her evening date had fallen through and so she had a free evening in London. Would Hannah like to meet her for a light meal and a few drinks? Hannah was excited and surprised by the invitation. It would be really useful to pick the brains of someone who’d done the rounds as a busy, working actress almost two decades ago. Pauline must have built up a wealth of experience and hearing her stories would be very useful to Hannah. Even if Pauline wasn’t keen to talk about her past, Hannah would still gain something. She loved meeting people who had anything to do with the theatre, even carpenters or set designers. But she was puzzled. Had she really made such an impression on this woman?

Hannah rifled through the somewhat sparse contents of her wardrobe, finally settling on a pale blue dress decorated with small flowers in peach. A recent birthday present from her grandmother, it was simple but pretty. Ideal with those new peach suede shoes. Hannah went to the mirror. Maybe a hint of pink eye shadow? A little liner and mascara, a light touch of blusher and there she was, ready for an evening out. She slipped into her coat, picked up her bag and made for the door.

* * *

The Turkish restaurant in Bloomsbury was one of Hannah’s favourites and she knew the staff well.

The manager looked concerned when she entered. ‘You are not here with your young man. Should I be worried? Is it someone new you are meeting?’

‘No, no. I’m meeting someone who used to be a famous actress,’ Hannah replied. ‘But don’t say anything.’

She was shown to one of the better tables, close to an ornate shelf bearing vases of colourful flowers. She sat facing the door, looking out at the people streaming by outside. There were students, tourists and workers, alone or in groups, all on their way to an evening out somewhere. And there she was, Pauline Stopley. She stood out in the crowd even in this failing light. Hannah watched her stride towards the door, smile at the manager, then whisper to him as he took her coat. Hannah stood up ready to shake hands as she reached the table, but Pauline reached across and gave Hannah a kiss on the cheek.

‘You look lovely,’ she said. ‘That’s a pretty dress.’

‘Thank you.’ Hannah realised she was blushing slightly. ‘You found the place alright? I was worried that my directions wouldn’t be clear.’

Pauline smiled as she sat down. ‘Bloomsbury, Covent Garden, Russell Square. This used to be one of my old stamping grounds. I couldn’t get lost in this area.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.