Blunt Force by Lynda La Plante

Author:Lynda La Plante [Plante, Lynda La]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 9781785769887
Google: PBvMDwAAQBAJ
Amazon: B083STRTQQ
Publisher: Zaffre
Published: 2020-08-19T23:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Jane and Eunice Small were sitting at a small table for two in the corner of the restaurant. Jane had paid the taxi fare and although Eunice had murmured that she should really pay, Jane had insisted. Eunice seemed very impressed with the Rubens Hotel and the fact that it was so close to Buckingham Palace, saying that as a young woman she had been outside the gates and seen the Queen driving past. Eunice thought the à la carte menu looked rather expensive, but Jane encouraged her to choose whatever she fancied. In the end, they both ordered roast beef followed by apple turnover.

Jane was taking it slowly, as she had a lot of questions for Eunice and didn’t want to overwhelm her, so she just let the old lady talk at her own pace.

‘I don’t think Justine expected to see me there, to be honest. Which isn’t surprising as I haven’t spoken to her for what must be more than ten years.’ She frowned and shook her head. ‘No, that’s not right. I remember we did have a conversation when their daughter was born, but I think Justine felt I was rather common.’ She shrugged her shoulders and gave Jane a sweet, twinkling smile. ‘It never bothered me, though. I often thought about Charlie, but he never made contact and so I just got on with my life, really.’

Eunice explained that her brother, Reginald Small, was Charles Foxley’s father. She then provided a concise family history, saying that her brother had been an employee of a mining company and had married Melody, who had been only eighteen and had had dreams of becoming a model. Melody was extremely pretty with wide green eyes and thick curly auburn hair. She was also very slender and could definitely have had a career as a model. After she married Reginald, they moved to South Africa.

At this point the waiter brought their beef and asked if they would like some wine. They both declined and Jane asked for a pot of tea.

Eunice ate like a bird, cutting up her food into tiny slices and making sure she had a little roast beef, a little carrot and a little slice of roast potato on her fork before dipping it into the gravy. She took a mouthful, chewed carefully, then continued.

‘When Melody got pregnant, she didn’t want to continue living in Johannesburg. She said she had never really been happy there and so she came back with my brother. I truthfully believe that to begin with, they were very happy, but, because his work required him to spend time in Africa, they were often apart for lengthy periods. I’m not accusing Melody of any infidelity, but I think she was bored . . . Then poor Reg got some awful illness, malaria-related, and never really recovered. He left Melody a reasonably well-off young widow with two young boys.’

Jane placed her cutlery together on her plate and glanced at her watch as Eunice continued eating. She bent down to pick up her bag, placing it on her knee.

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