Cherringham--Killing Time by Matthew Costello

Author:Matthew Costello [Costello , Matthew; Richards , Neil]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-3-7325-5315-0
Publisher: Bastei Entertainment
Published: 2020-03-17T16:00:00+00:00

9. At Home with Luke

Sarah took a lane just outside the village proper, that skirted the windblown cricket pitch — a twisty stretch of narrow road that passed some small homes. They were just cottages really — some with neat gardens girded with a low white fence, others looking as if whoever lived there just didn’t care anymore.

Until she came to one — no number — but doing the maths, Sarah knew it matched the address of the place where Luke supposedly lived.

This cottage belonged to the camp of those who had given up keeping orderly, well-maintained paths and gardens.

According to Megan, Luke didn’t actually live here, but in a smaller place — if one could imagine that — at the back.

She stopped her car and got out.

There was the semblance of a path that led past the cottage to an even smaller dwelling — the place hardly bigger than a shed — a door with a single window either side of it.

Luke Sharp’s home.

She rapped on the door, flaking ancient white paint as she did. In a flash, the door opened and a young man peered out at her behind oversized glasses.

He had the classic pasty complexion of someone who spent too much time in front of a computer screen or games console. And dressed in the ubiquitous uniform of the twenty-something male: jeans, surfer’s T-shirt, tattered trainers.

“Luke Sharp?” Sarah said.

The young man tilted his head at her, confused, as if visitors were uncommon.

Sarah smiled. “I’m Sarah Edwards. Your friend Megan gave me your address. I’m looking into what happened to Zach. Think we could chat?”

She saw something in the man’s eyes. A few seconds of indecision, then he opened the door.

“Sure,” he said. “Megan told me you might come round. Dunno what else I can say, but come in.”

*

Once inside the tiny cottage, Sarah saw the place was no more than a single room: kitchen at one end, at the other a bed, and a couple of battered armchairs by a flimsy stove.

In one corner, a tiny table, a pair of work chairs piled with papers.

But on that table, a top-end laptop.

In the other corner, a cheap portable wardrobe, the long rectangular box taking up a good amount of floor space.

And one strange thing.

A hefty-looking pair of dumbbells just visible under the bed frame.

She watched Luke stand awkwardly by the bed, as if uncertain how to deal with guests.

Sarah smiled. “Just wanted to go through what happened that day when you and Megan found Zach.”

“Yeah, Megan said. You do investigating … with an American guy?”

“That’s right. All we’re doing is trying to make sure the police aren’t missing anything.”

“Right. Yeah. That’s good. That’s a really good thing.”

“You happy talking?”

“Yeah. Totally. Zach was … an amazing guy. Owe it to him to get the facts.”

Sarah looked over at the table, and Luke seemed to realise this little meeting was going to require sitting down.

He rushed over, moved the laptop, cleared the papers from the chairs.

They both sat, and Sarah took out her notebook.

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