Mystery at Lockley Grange: A totally gripping cozy mystery novel (An Eve Mallow Mystery Book 13) by Clare Chase

Author:Clare Chase [Chase, Clare]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Bookouture
Published: 2024-11-04T00:00:00+00:00

27

Before Eve left the Grange for the day, she asked if she could speak to Sonia alone.

Sonia raised an eyebrow. ‘That sounds ominous. But of course. Shall we talk in Lance’s study?’

But Eve couldn’t get the thought of the hidden camera out of her head. It might not be working but the whole room felt uncomfortable now. ‘Do you mind if we have a change of scene?’

She looked at Eve curiously. ‘Not at all. Come up to my room instead if you want privacy.’

It wasn’t next door to Lucy’s suite as Eve had expected, but down on the second floor. Yet Eve was sure Sonia and Molly had been talking about sorting through Lance’s stuff when she’d heard them through Lucy’s wall. Perhaps it was a storeroom or something.

But there was no evidence of a male presence inside Sonia’s room. Even if she’d been clearing out, she didn’t think Sonia could have removed all traces so quickly. She was starting to think Lance and Sonia had had separate rooms. It could mean that Lance had slept next door to Lucy, but try as Eve might, she still couldn’t see them as lovers. She had the feeling that Lucy had given up on the idea of that sort of happiness a long time ago. There was something closed-off about her.

Once again, Eve thought of the way Lance had treated Sonia – like a favourite pet who was very good at putting on parties and making rooms look pretty but was beneath him intellectually. Why had she stayed? If Acland was to be believed, Lance could have died at any moment over the last five years. Perhaps she really had got one eye on his money. It didn’t mean she’d killed him.

‘Come and sit down.’ Sonia motioned her to a sofa. ‘So tell me, what is it?’

Eve took the seat she’d been offered. ‘It was just something Dr Acland said when I interviewed him earlier. To be honest, I started to wonder if he was obsessed with you and given what’s happened, I thought I should warn you about it. Though you might already be aware.’ It was one way to get her to open up, and the warning seemed reasonable under the circumstances.

Sonia gave a hollow laugh. ‘Thank you, but don’t worry. I’m well aware. I suppose he told you Erica and Lance were having an affair too.’

Awkward.

Sonia sighed. ‘You can take it from me that they weren’t, though Maynard’s got a bee in his bonnet about that too. He’s been needling me about it. I could cheerfully throttle him.’ She took a deep breath. ‘Sorry. Not the thing to joke about right now.’

Eve wasn’t sure she was joking, though she did sound genuinely convinced that Acland was wrong about Lance and Erica.

‘Letting Terence down gently hasn’t worked, so I’m telling it to him straight. I’m afraid he exaggerates our connection. We were left alone together once after a dinner party. I accepted his compliments graciously because I didn’t know what else to do and I didn’t want to hurt his feelings.

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