A Lover Too Many by Roy Lewis

Author:Roy Lewis [Lewis, Roy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Joffe Books crime, thrillers, and mystery
Published: 2018-09-10T23:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 5

When Peter entered the office on Thursday morning Betty was so surprised that she actually left her seat and intercepted him.

‘Ooh, Mr Marlin, are you all right? I heard that—’

‘Yes, thank you, Betty. I’m quite all right.’ He couldn’t prevent the smile that came to his face at the sight of Betty’s eyes, riveted to the discolouration around his temple and eyebrow.

‘You really got a bashin’, didn’t you, Mr Marlin!’

‘Yes,’ replied Peter gravely, ‘I really got a bashing.’

He went on up the stairs. Joan wasn’t in the ante-room, but he wasn’t surprised. It was a difficult situation. She would obviously wish to see as little of him as possible, but would she leave the firm now? He hoped not; he had no quarrel with her for telling the truth, even if she had been moved to do so by the belief that he had taken up with Shirley again.

Had he?

He opened the door to his office. It remained to be seen; he wasn’t sure of his own feelings yet, let alone hers. He also had to admit to himself that the realisation that he had known so little of what Jeannette was thinking about, what she was, tended to make him reluctant to enter another emotional entanglement. He smiled wryly. Assuming that one could avoid an entanglement. He suspected that such things happened with little control of the situation being possible.

But he really must try to get in touch with Joan, persuade her to come into the office, carry on with her job. It wouldn’t be long now before he would be leaving Martin, Sainsby and Sons and it was foolish that she should relinquish her job in the circumstances.

He rang reception. Betty answered at once. ‘Betty — I gather Joan isn’t in today. Can you ask one of the juniors to call up here in about an hour’s time to do some filing for me? I’ve a stack of stuff to deal with. Oh, and, Betty — do you know if there have been any calls for me? No? Well, if there are later, put them straight through to me here.’

He opened the appointment book. Three only, all of which he could push off on to Daly or one of the other experienced legal executives. And lunch with the Round Table. Better give that a miss: there might be a certain amount of strain. There might even be a certain surprise to see him there out of Crow’s clutches.

Peter himself had been a little surprised at Crow’s attitude. They had returned to the police station and Peter had made a written statement. Crow had paced around the room on his long, thin legs and then sent the amanuensis out. He’d turned to Peter and Shirley then and said, ‘I’ve decided to press no charges at this stage. I’ll be perfectly frank with you, Mr Marlin. I’m not happy at your involvement in these two murders: a great deal remains to be explained. But while I yet harbour certain

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