In The Shallows: A Gripping Psychological Mystery Thriller (The Lakesford Series Book 3) by Jo Hamilton

Author:Jo Hamilton [Hamilton, Jo]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Hazelwood Press
Published: 2020-05-01T16:00:00+00:00

TWENTY TWO

‘W

hat’s got you so fired up?’ Deborah Newbigging asked her older sister.

‘It’s been a long day,’ Louise said, landing in her mother’s old armchair, desperate to take the weight off her feet. She’d changed into her jeans and tee shirt at work then driven over to see her sister.

Coutts, as she preferred to be called, handed her sister a cold beer. ‘Are you staying for tea?’

‘Depends what it is,’ Louise said, wearily.

‘I’ve got chips in the oven and I’m about to fry some eggs and sausages.’

‘No salad?’ Louise quipped.

‘What? Get out of here!’

‘A hot mess of artery clogging fat is exactly what I feel like tonight,’ Louise said, patting the grey kitten that jumped down from behind the curtain on the window sill to meet her. ‘Who’s this?’

‘Teddy. I got him from the SPCA to replace Penny-Farthing, ’cos that piece of shit across the road murdered her.’ She was referring to Gavin Hill, AKA Derek Mudgway who planted a bomb in Coutts’ house. The rest is history. ‘I read on the online news that Neroli Swift’s body has been found.’

‘Yeah. A bit friendlier than Fat Penny, this one,’ Louise said, scratching under Teddy’s little chin.

‘I’ll have you know that Penny was large boned and thickly covered in fur,’ Coutts protested. ‘Not fat. So was she murdered?’

Louise looked up from the kitten. ‘Who?’

‘Neroli.’

‘Officially we’re waiting for a pathology report on cause and time of death. Unofficially, you don’t beat yourself up, hang yourself with rope then walk down to the lake to have a swim.’

‘She was strangled?’ Coutts called from the kitchen.

‘Yeah, and then dumped in the lake. That’s what it looked like to me. How’s the building going next door?’

‘They’re hoping to have it finished by late April, just in time for the colder weather.’ The builders first fixed the area of Coutts’ current house that had been destroyed by the bomb blast, then started on building the house next door, their neighbours, the Van der Zouwes’ old property.

Coutts threw pork sausages on the hot frying pan and it sizzled and spat. Louise went to the kitchen leaning up against the bench, so they could hear each other speak. ‘So tell me about your visitor today?’

‘Yeah, that was weird. Detective Forrester. She turned up in full cop uniform as well. She’s bloody intimidating. Is she your boss?’

‘What was she asking?’

‘About you, sort of. She was asking out of interest for your welfare. Whether or not you were having problems at home that may affect your work.’

‘And what did you say?’ Louise asked.

‘I said no. I said you were glad to be back at work and had no mental issues. Of course, I didn’t mention your other five personalities and that severe twitch you have,’ Coutts joked.

‘Ha! Funny,’ Louise said. ‘But seriously, was she enquiring whether or not I could hack it?’

‘I think so. She wasn’t worried that I might tell you about her visit, either. Is that normal for them to do that?’

Louise blew out pent-up air sitting in her lungs from holding her breath.

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