Five Six Pick Up Sticks (Grasshopper Lawns) by Lamprey EJ

Author:Lamprey, EJ [Lamprey, EJ]
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub
Tags: Five Six
Published: 2013-12-29T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 11 - A big boy did it and ran away

William, who usually wore colour, had opted for a black Jacobite shirt, which exposed some ferocious grizzled tufts of chest hair, while Donald, who arrived a few minutes later, had greased his dark grey hair and slicked it back. He prowled across the grass towards them, his face twisted into an exaggerated sneer. The effect, combined with his inevitable dark clothes and his summer tan, fell somewhere between Danny Zuko and one of the Kray brothers, and made Jayenthi, who was a great admirer of his looks, clap her hands delightedly. Vivian and Edge exchanged weak smiles – Vivian was, if anything, more jittery than Edge, who had chosen a subdued beige twin set and a drab skirt. She wore her hair caught into a clasp low on her neck, and pale pink lipstick. She left the others to settle down at a table which had a clear view of the car park and took her drink over to a table nearer the pub door, feeling exposed and very glad to have Vivian’s excited Labrador pulling eagerly on his lead.

She smoothed her skirt over her knees as she sat down and realized her fingers were trembling slightly. Buster seemed to sense her nervousness and gave up his effort to check every scent at the furthest stretch of his lead, returning to lean reassuringly against her legs. This was far more frightening than the Nick date, even with her friends and a sturdy and protective Labrador as backup. She’d already seen her big bodyguard pretending to smoke in the car park, and knew that if Jayenthi identified her date as the man who had beaten her friend to death, there was a police unit on standby. There was no reason to be afraid, yet his hectoring voice still seemed to echo in her ears. Perhaps for some this trembling anticipation would be exciting, but she merely felt slightly sick. Her mobile – her own – buzzed suddenly and started to creep across the table and she snatched it up.

'Jayenthi says it’s him,' Vivian hissed, sounding terrified. 'Oh Edge, do be careful!'

Even as she switched the phone off and stuffed it to the bottom of her bag, the other started its cricket chirrups and she answered nervously.

'Suzi? You here, hen?'

'I – I’m in the garden. I had to bring my dog.' There was a muffled curse and the line went dead. Had he seen the police? Would they intercept him before he even made it to where she sat? He loomed in the garden doorway even as the wish crossed her mind, a burly man in his late fifties, medium height, with a shaven, slightly sunburned, head, and powerful shoulders. He glanced around the almost empty garden. With evening coming on, and a sharpening breeze bringing the temperature down rapidly, the only other people there were the Lawns foursome, all talking animatedly at once. He strode over towards her.

'A dog? You should have said.

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