The Body in the Wall by Anna Penrose

Author:Anna Penrose [Penrose, Anna]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Published: 2022-08-17T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Two

Sharon Trebetherick was watching TV when there was a knock at the front door. Grumbling, she paused the show, the tiles were about to fall and they were on for a jackpot win. No way was she missing that. She headed through the hallway and could see the outline of more than one person through the opaque glass. That took her back, it was either officials or religious sorts. She prayed it was the latter. Them, she could get rid of. Wiping her palms on her jeans, she opened her door and glared at the police – the bloke leading the investigation into Roger’s death, his sidekick, and Sophie Taphouse, the only one in uniform.

‘What do you want?’

‘Hello, Mrs Trebetherick,’ said Sophie, with a smile. ‘Can we come in for a chat?’

Sharon didn’t want the police in her house. But it was better than them saying what they had to on the doorstep, with the whole world watching. She looked at Sophie.

‘Since when did you start calling me Mrs Trebetherick again? You’re not a schoolgirl anymore.’

Waving them in, she turned and opened the door to the front room. As she walked in, she stared in dismay. The boys had left all their dishes in here and kicked their shoes off wherever. She stepped forward quickly, tidying things up. Thank God she had dusted at least. Sophie followed her in tutting and helped to straighten the place up.

‘Bloody kids are the same the world over, aren’t they? Mine would shame me to the devil. They can walk into a tidy room and five minutes later it looks like the place has exploded.’

Sharon straightened a pair of shoes and placed them alongside a wall. ‘But yours are still in little school. Mine are in their twenties. You think they’d know better.’ She grinned across at Sophie, as she stacked some bowls.

‘And when exactly do men grow up, anyway?’ asked Sophie.

The two women laughed, but the inspector cleared his throat noisily.

‘You can leave that, we need to talk to you.’ And without invitation, he sat down. She was grateful that his sidekick looked across to her and she nodded. At least one of them understood the importance of a best room. The boys always teased her for it, but it was a matter of pride, or maybe a generational thing. In fairness, she remembered thinking it mad that her parents had a room that no one could use. Maybe you simply got to a certain age and discovered the old ways were best.

‘Constable Taphouse,’ said the inspector, ‘would you like to find the kitchen and make a pot of tea?’

That was a step too far for Sharon. Who was this man to arrange tea in her own home?

‘Young Sophie knows where the kitchen is well enough.’

‘That I do. Do you still hide the milkshake powder behind the flour bags?’

For the first time since she opened the door, Sharon relaxed. ‘Oh my days. You lot could drink me out of powder quicker than I could buy it.

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