Murder for Profit by Veronica Heley

Author:Veronica Heley [Heley, Veronica]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Severn House
Published: 2022-07-15T00:00:00+00:00

TEN

Saturday afternoon

Ellie didn’t know how to answer that question. She said, ‘We could always pray.’ She didn’t know whether Nancy ever prayed or not, but she herself got down to it straight away.

Dear Lord above, help! I don’t understand what’s going on, but it’s left Nancy’s cousin dead and her in trouble. I’m way out of my comfort zone here. Please can you help her, or show me how to help her?

Time passed. Now and then Ellie could hear the phone ring. Thomas would deal with that, wouldn’t he?

Finally, Nancy relaxed with a long, slow breath. She leaned back on the bench, closing her eyes and lifting her face to the thin sunshine.

Thomas tapped on the doorframe to attract their attention. This time he was carrying a sheet of paper.

Without opening her eyes, Nancy said, ‘I’d forgotten God.’

Thomas said, ‘He hasn’t forgotten you.’

Nancy started and opened her eyes. Ellie could see her thinking, Who is this strange man?

Ellie said, ‘This is Thomas, my husband. He’s been dealing with the phone for you.’

Thomas said, ‘I’ve taken messages from the following: your daughter, who wants you to ring back, and two newspapers. There were three identical hate messages, nasty. I think they’re being sent to you automatically, perhaps every twenty minutes or so.’

‘That’s right. In the beginning at work, we were lulled into the idea it was safe to pick up the phone and then we’d get whammed with another series of nasty messages. You could time it. Every ten minutes mostly, occasionally they went for fifteen minutes. They must have found my private number.’

‘I got on to the telephone people, asked them to block the calls but the caller is withholding his number so they can’t do anything much about it. They advise changing your number. Two neighbours rang with offers to help including someone called Hugh, and a Charlie Walker—’

‘Dear Hugh. But no, I can’t talk to him yet. Charlie Walker is my cousin’s older son. He’ll be handling the funeral, I suppose. Nice boy. I’ll ring him back some time. Nothing from the police?’

Thomas shook his head.

Silence fell. Nancy concentrated on her problems.

Ellie and Thomas waited.

Finally, Nancy said, ‘I think … I’m not sure I’m up to it, but I think I want to fight.’ And then, with a wail, she added, ‘No, I’m not sure. On the one hand, I don’t want everything that Charles and I have worked for over the years, to drift away. I object to being hounded by phone calls and our window being smashed and people wanting me to sell. I’m heartsick at losing Charles, but I can’t see my way clear to carrying on.’

‘Well,’ said Ellie, ‘I actually came to ask if you’d allow one of the bright youngsters from the charity to help you out in the office next week. At the very least he can man the phone for you and, if you like, he can take a look at your books and bring them up to date. He can assess your true worth in the marketplace.

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