MURDER AT THE PUB a gripping cozy crime mystery full of twists by ADAMS JANE

Author:ADAMS, JANE
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3
Publisher: Joffe Books crime thriller and cozy mystery
Published: 2022-01-10T00:00:00+00:00

FIFTEEN

Mac met George and Ursula out of college and walked with them back into town. Ursula seemed unusually subdued, he thought, and George was both worried and pleased to see him.

‘What’s up?’ George asked.

‘Does anything have to be up?’

‘Yes, if you’re waiting for us to get out of school. If this was a social call then we’d all be at Rina’s or somewhere.’

Mac laughed. ‘I suppose we would,’ he agreed. ‘George, did your parents ever mention a man called Dave Jenkins?’

‘He was a right creep,’ George said. ‘Dad used to bring him home and Mum would get in a panic every time he did.’

‘She was afraid of him?’

George thought about it and then shook his head. ‘Not exactly. I mean I think she was, but, I mean, she was scared of everything. It’s like she was half scared of him and half, I dunno, sort of . . . she’d always wear something nice when he came round, make sure she’d got a bit of make-up on, that sort of thing.’

‘So you think she flirted with him? And how did your dad react to that?’

George found that one much harder to answer. He looked away, Mac noted, and a slight flush rose to his freckled cheeks. George was always pale—a classic redhead with almost translucent skin, and a tendency to blush when he was under stress.

‘George . . .’ Mac prompted gently.

Ursula shot him a look that told him his pressure was not welcome.

George shook his head. ‘I dunno.’

‘Oh, for God’s sake,’ Ursula exploded. ‘You want him to say it, Mac? George’s dad pimped his mum. He wanted her to get all dolled up for this Jenkins person. It was just another of the despicable things he did.’

George’s blush deepened but he did not contradict Ursula, and Mac suddenly felt very awkward and very stupid. But there was another question he just had to ask. ‘And Karen?’

‘Sometimes you can be as thick as . . . what do you think?’

Mac was taken aback.

‘He would have done,’ George said quietly. ‘But Karen knew what was going on. Soon as she could she made us leave and she kept us moving. She kept us safe. She tried to anyway.’

‘I’m sorry, George,’ Mac said. ‘I’d not hurt you for the world, you know that.’

‘Isn’t that the kind of lie adults always tell?’ Ursula marched on ahead and George and Mac both stopped and stared at her.

‘George, is she OK?’

George shrugged. ‘She went to see her dad at the weekend.’

‘And that’s bad?’ He was doing it again, Mac thought. Being stupid. ‘Sorry,’ he said. ‘I guess it must have been.’

They walked on. Ursula had slowed down now, seemingly torn between her fury at Mac and not wanting to turn up at the bus stop alone. She’d get teased about falling out with her ‘boyfriend’ and that would be just too much to bear right now. She didn’t look at either of them when they caught up with her, but she didn’t pull away when George took her hand, just bowed her head lower and Mac realized she was crying.

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