Lockhart Road by Gordon John Thomson

Author:Gordon John Thomson [Thomson, Gordon John]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-02-10T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 16

Sunday, 22th August 1937

Edith Starling walked out of the main door of St John’s Cathedral, and saw that Paul Jericho was waiting for her outside, with the clear intention of speaking to her.

She emerged from the shade of the square tower of the cathedral, and felt the full blast of summer heat on her face. The power of the tropic sun seemed even more intense than usual for some reason, and she could almost feel it burning her skin like an open flame. Perhaps she simply noticed the heat more today because her mind was in turmoil after the disturbing events of this last week.

Paul Jericho, dressed in his Sunday best again, stepped out from the protective shade of a fan palm and raised his white Panama hat to greet her. ‘Second time in two weeks. You’re becoming quite a regular again here at Sunday service, Miss Starling...’ He saw her look of mild reproof and added quickly, ‘...Edith, I mean.’

She made a weak attempt at a smile. ‘That’s better.’ She glanced back at the chancel: the cream-coloured walls of the cathedral looked very striking against the intense blue of the sky, and with the soaring green beauty of the Peak rising behind it. ‘I came here deliberately again because I was hoping to run into you,’ she admitted quietly.

She thought that Paul Jericho looked even more tired today than he had last week, so had obviously had a demanding week just like her. His hair was very thick and wiry, and badly in need of a trim, she saw, and he was a little overweight and out of condition. He had aged quite noticeably in the seven months since Susan’s death, and clearly wasn’t taking good care of himself now that he was on his own. He had lines in his face too that made him look rather older than his real age - Edith had been surprised when Susan had told her last winter that Paul was only thirty-six, for even then he had looked over forty. But she liked Paul Jericho’s face nevertheless; there was something reassuring about that square jaw and those intense blue eyes that told you that here was a man who would never let you down.

‘Are you still troubled about Mr Ogden’s death?’ Jericho asked her, before she had the chance to broach the subject herself. ‘Last week I sensed that you had some genuine concerns about his death, but were a bit reluctant to say so. So...am I right? Do you have some real doubts that his death was due to natural causes?’

She wavered for a moment, not sure if she should tell him the truth even now. But then, almost by themselves, the words flowed out of her in a sudden rush. ‘Yes, I do have some doubts, Paul, if I’m honest.’ She took a deep breath. ‘I think there is a strong possibility that somebody might have killed Ralph. If somebody did do it, then they must have been

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