The Jade Garden (The Barrington Patch Book 2) by Emmy Ellis

Author:Emmy Ellis [Ellis, Emmy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2021-04-08T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Thirteen

Doreen Prince was on a mission. Not only did she want to find out the real story behind Jiang supposedly going to China, but also, and without being obvious about it, she still had to suss out what the hell Karen and Sharon were up to. They whispered a lot in Karen’s kitchen under the guise of making cups of tea, but Doreen wasn’t stupid, you only needed one person to do that, didn’t you, so they were gossiping.

She wasn’t vain enough to imagine it was about her, but then again, they weren’t best pleased Cassie had arranged for her to help them with The Life, so maybe they had nagged to each other regarding the new protocol, and that would have included slagging her off.

Perhaps I’m vain after all.

She thundered down her garden path, head bent, her mind on gathering as many clues as she could. Down the pavement she went, bumping into someone who couldn’t have seen her coming. She lifted her head and stared at a woman she recognised, that Jason’s mother, giving her evils because they’d clashed.

“You should walk with your head up,” Gina said, all snooty, her hair like some old-fashioned woman in the forties, brown sausage curls resting on her shoulders. Red lipstick bled into the wrinkles around her mouth.

Even Doreen knew you needed a lighter shade when you got a certain age.

Gina glared at her. “Then you wouldn’t tread on people’s toes.”

“I didn’t tread on your ruddy toes,” Doreen snapped, incensed at her cheek, “so you can piss right off on that one, madam.”

Gina tsked. “You always were a gutter mouth.”

Doreen wanted to lump her with her heavy handbag—she had a tin of Heinz chicken noodle soup in there in case her time at Karen’s ran over into lunch. Last time, they’d scoffed cheese-and-cucumber sandwiches without offering her owt, the rude baggages. “At least I stayed true to who I am. You swan about as if your shit doesn’t stink, when we all know it does.”

Gina’s plucked eyebrows danced. “What do you mean?”

“Your old man.” Doreen smiled, all smug at getting in a massive dig.

“Ex-old man.”

“Hmm. Forgotten who he was and what he got up to, have you? Half the furniture in your house was nicked, and he disappeared on you. Weren’t you good enough in the sack to keep him close?”

Gina flushed. “That’s in the past.”

Doreen tapped her temple. “It’s still in my head.” She peered over Gina’s shoulder. “’Ere, what’s going on there then?”

People came out of Brett’s little house down the way a bit, and if Doreen wasn’t mistaken, it was Cassie’s cleaning crew. She thought back to the early hours, just after one, a load of clonking going on in the street. She hadn’t had the energy to get up and nose outside, and anyroad, Harry’s arm had pinned her down across her stomach. She supposed she should have investigated, considering she had to report any strange matters to Cassie.

But if this was to do with Cassie, Doreen was in the clear.

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