Fear on Friday by Ann Purser

Author:Ann Purser [Purser, Ann]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Suspense
ISBN: 9780425212257
Google: LX-lIKVYzqoC
Amazon: 0425212254
Goodreads: 791355
Publisher: Berkley
Published: 2005-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

TWENTY-NINE

DOREEN AND JEAN STOOD IN THE BARE SITTING ROOM of the now nearly empty Jenkinson house and stared out of the windows into the garden. It looked exactly the same as always, now that the police had finished and gone away. “That pond,” Doreen said. “I never liked it. He loved those enormous great fish. I thought they were sinister.”

“I expect they’d have eaten him, if he’d been in there much longer,” said Jean reflectively. An eavesdropper would have been aghast at her lack of sensitivity.

Doreen just shrugged. “Fair enough, really, Jean,” she said. “We eat fish, so why shouldn’t they eat us?”

They turned away from the window and walked together out of the room.

“What did you do with all that stuff in his den?” Jean was curious. That young bloke who cleaned for the Jenkinsons had helped Doreen with boxes and boxes of very dubious videos and photographs. Jean had been amazed at how sanguine Doreen had seemed, when the whole distasteful truth had come out about Howard’s liking for the merchandise offered by Rain or Shine. The family had agreed to keep it as quiet as possible, and hoped that nothing would become public. It had been a while since the photograph of Howard and Fergus Forsyth had appeared in the newspaper.

“Bill offered to take it away. Said he could destroy the whole lot for me, so I let him. I was glad to see the back of it.”

“And of Howard?” said Jean.

“Don’t know what you mean,” said Doreen, meeting Jean’s eye with a straight look. “Fancy a glass of wine before you go? Might help us to keep our eyes on the ball.” Jean had spent as much time as possible since the funeral with Doreen, and their leisurely games of golf gave an opportunity for Doreen to talk and Jean to listen. They both had a lot to talk about, of course.

The move to Long Farnden had been postponed, and many of her friends had advised Doreen to back out of the whole thing. “Stay where you are, dear,” they said, “until you have time to decide what you really want to do.” Doreen was quite certain what she wanted to do. She wanted to leave this too-large house, with all its associations, and start a new life. That is what she had planned from the beginning, and Howard’s death had not changed her mind. As soon as it was decently possible, she had set in motion once more the half-finished arrangements.

Now she and Jean linked arms and set off for the remaining few bottles of wine that Doreen had reserved. The rest of the stuff had been loaded on to removal lorries and was due in Long Farnden next day.

“It’ll be a long day tomorrow,” Doreen said, pouring out two generous slugs of wine into plastic tooth mugs.

“Don’t worry,” said Jean. “Ken and me’ll be there to help you. You can get it all just as you like it.”

“I hope so,” said Doreen, and the ghost of a smile crossed her face.

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