The Cat Who Caught a Killer by L T Shearer

Author:L T Shearer [Shearer, L T]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
Published: 2022-08-31T17:00:00+00:00

20

Lulu crawled off the bed and padded along to the galley to put the kettle on. The stove was still hot and the embers cast a warm glow across the cabin. She showered and pulled on jeans and a polo-neck sweater and returned to the galley just as the kettle began to whistle. She made herself a cup of instant coffee and put a bowl of Evian water down for Conrad. ‘How’s your head?’ he asked.

‘Surprisingly good,’ she said, sitting on the sofa. ‘But then I’ve never really got hangovers from wine, especially white wine.’ She sipped her coffee. ‘Plus we were walking from place to place so I think that burned off the alcohol. I’d hate you to think that I drank like that every day.’

‘It was a nice day. I learned a lot about Emily.’ Conrad lapped at his water, then sat down and looked up at Emily. ‘How do you feel?’

‘As I said, no hangover. I’m good to go.’

‘I didn’t mean that,’ said Conrad. ‘I meant how do you feel about your mother-in-law passing?’

Lulu shrugged. ‘Wow, that’s a tough one. My mind’s in a bit of a whirl at the moment.’ She frowned as she drank her coffee. ‘Emily was old and I knew she wasn’t going to live forever, obviously. So I was getting used to the idea that she was reaching the end of her life. But it happened so suddenly, you know? One moment she was here and then I’m told she isn’t here.’ She sighed and brushed away a tear with the back of her hand. ‘When my father passed away, it was a gradual process, you know? He was old and bit by bit his body just failed. His last few days weren’t easy but he was at home and they kept him on morphine and when he was conscious he was able to recognize me and even say a few words. I’m not saying I was happy when he finally passed away – he was my dad and I loved him with all my heart – but at least he wasn’t suffering. He’d lived a good life and it was time to go.’

‘What about your mother? Is she still alive?’

Lulu shook her head. ‘No, she passed away two years before my father. And again it was a slow process. She fell and broke a hip and was taken to hospital and then she got pneumonia. The doctors said she probably wouldn’t recover and we all had the chance to say goodbye to her. It was all long before that Covid nonsense so we could all go and see her, and my father and I were with her when she passed away. It was actually quite peaceful, despite all the machines around her.’ She paused. ‘I think that’s what’s upsetting me, the fact that it was so sudden.’

‘Like when Simon died? The hit and run?’

Lulu looked at him over the top of her coffee mug and frowned. ‘I hadn’t thought of that,’ she said quietly.

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