In A Dark House by Deborah Crombie

Author:Deborah Crombie [Crombie, Deborah]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi, pdf
Tags: thriller

“Okay.” Kincaid broke the silence a few minutes later as they passed Paddington Station and swung into Bishop’s Bridge Road. “Maybe I was a bit hasty with Bell. And snarky with you. Sorry.”

“Tact doesn’t seem to be Bell’s strong point,” Cullen answered equably.

“While it is yours.”

“Well, I try.” Cullen smiled.

“Don’t get too cocky. I’m not saying she was right. I don’t like shooting in the dark, and we simply don’t know enough yet. Nor am I going to badger a man who’s afraid he’s lost his child, regardless of his position.”

“Do you think he was telling the truth about why he was trying to ring her?”

“No. But I haven’t figured out why he would lie.” Bishop’s Bridge had morphed into Westbourne Grove, and Kincaid pulled up at a stoplight. “What was that address?”

Cullen consulted his notes. “It’s Denbigh Road. Do you need me to check the map?”

“No. I know the street.” Denbigh Road ran parallel to Portobello, but the mere block’s separation made the difference between a quiet backwater and a teeming hive of activity.

Having passed the natural foods market on Westbourne Grove where Gemma liked to shop, Kincaid turned left into Denbigh Road. Although Notting Hill was becoming increasingly expensive and gentrified, there were still unreconstructed pockets, and Kincaid wondered which sort of flat Chloe Yarwood inhabited.

The address, which he found easily, turned out to be a prewar mansion block, in solid and unpretentious red brick. The first-floor flat was listed under Tia Foster’s name. They rang the bell, and after Cullen explained briefly who they were, Tia Foster buzzed them in.

Chloe Yarwood’s flatmate answered the door wearing tight jeans and a loose white cotton sweater, rubbing at her dripping hair with a towel. “Sorry,” she told them. “I’ve just got back from a few days’ holiday in Spain. Had to wash off the travel grunge.” She was an elegant-looking woman in her midtwenties, her lightly tanned face free of makeup, her shower-damp hair a dark blond. More attractive than pretty, she had the good bone structure that promised her looks would last into middle age. “You said you were wanting Chloe?” she asked when they’d introduced themselves.

“Have you seen your flatmate recently, Miss Foster?” Kincaid asked.

“Not since I left for Spain on Wednesday. Look, can I get you some coffee or something? I was just making a pot.”

“Yeah, that’d be great,” Cullen answered before Kincaid could decline. “Can I give you a hand?” Cullen added, following her into the kitchen with the alacrity of an eager puppy. Kincaid wondered if his partner’s enthusiasm had something to do with the fact that the girl didn’t appear to be wearing a bra beneath her thin cotton sweater.

Taking the opportunity to examine the flat rather than its occupant, Kincaid looked round the room. The place had definitely been upgraded. Pale wood floors gleamed throughout, the creamy paint was new, the ceiling fitted with high-tech light fixtures. And because the mansion block had been purpose built, the rooms, unlike those in many flats in converted Victorian villas, were spacious and well laid out.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.