The Silent House by Nell Pattison

Author:Nell Pattison [Pattison, Nell]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Published: 2020-02-06T17:00:00+00:00

Chapter 17

What had I been thinking? When I got home, I paced around the flat for a while. Anna was engrossed in her thesis, and I didn’t tell her where I’d been. It would only lead to more questions. But what had Elisha and Lombard been up to?

A couple of hours later, I drove Anna to the Deaf club like I’d promised. I’d been reluctant at first, but then I took one look at my scorched hallway and decided I could do with an evening out. I was deep in thought while Anna made notes in a little book she had in her handbag, and I wondered if she’d spoken to Laura again. Laura had seemed convinced that Alan couldn’t have hurt Lexi, but I was keeping an open mind. Anna had told me she was sure Laura was still in love with him, whatever she might have said, and we all had blind spots where our loved ones were concerned. The number of suspects had grown since we’d last seen Laura, however: along with Alan and Elisha, there was Rick Lombard, and Elisha’s brother who the police were struggling to track down. I was becoming more interested in what Elisha was up to.

When we arrived, the main room of the Deaf club was half full. Scunthorpe was lucky to have kept this amenity, when so many towns had been reduced to hiring a room in a community centre once a week. It was one of the few Deaf clubs that were still a dedicated centre, and it was the best place for the Deaf community to socialise, particularly on Saturday nights. We went up to the bar and Anna ordered while I scanned the room. There was no sign of Laura, but Alan was surrounded by a group of men at a table nearby. It surprised me that he was here so soon after his daughter’s death, but if that was where his support network was, maybe it helped him. I knew Anna would want to spend some time with her friends, but I would’ve preferred it if we sat on the other side of the room so Alan didn’t see me. What if he was the one who’d been threatening me? The last thing I wanted was further scrutiny or suspicion from him.

Gem waved to me from the other side of the room and we went over to join her. She was sitting with Lucy and a couple of other people I vaguely knew. We pulled up chairs but Anna looked around anxiously, her eyes narrowing when she saw some of the people Alan was talking to. Part of me wanted to ask what she was thinking, but it was probably better if I didn’t know.

You’re out late, I teased Gem.

My mum’s looking after Petra. I needed a bit of adult time, she told me.

No kids’ club tonight?

Not any more, not enough volunteers. She pulled a face. They only run it on Tuesdays now.

The Deaf club received funding from the local council, though the building was owned outright by a trust.

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