Prey by Hilary Norman

Author:Hilary Norman [Norman, Hilary]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Severn House
Published: 2024-10-01T07:00:00+00:00

TWENTY-FIVE

Asbestos.

Only a suspicion for now, but the word itself enough to keep Libby from peaceful sleep any time soon.

Asbestos.

Reggie hoped to be wrong, she said, but she had recommended testing, and Libby had never known her to exaggerate a risk. Reggie was no cowboy builder.

Not just herself to worry about, of course. Her tenants’ well-being was Libby’s priority, and she had been determined, when undertaking the house’s conversion, that no corners be cut when it came to comfort, safety and taste, and everyone since then had been content with their homes.

Until now.

The residents’ meeting held that evening, with Reggie and her foreman, Mal Evans, present, bearing leaflets and willingly answering questions, was showing no signs of doing anything to alleviate Libby’s stress.

‘Bottom line –’ Mack Kennedy, tenant of Flat B, the garden flat, and Libby’s least favourite resident, was first to speak – ‘this stuff is lethal, right?’

‘Not, in general, if it’s left alone,’ Reggie answered, ‘but if asbestos-containing-material is handled or moved or damaged, it can become hazardous.’

‘But it’s moved itself already,’ Kennedy said.

‘Do you know if the chimney pot actually fell because of this asbestos, Reggie?’ Beatrice asked.

‘It’s likely.’ Mal Evans, a tall, broad man with a tough, slightly scarred face, answered for his boss. ‘Nothing to do with the pot. Probably down to the cement used to fix it – though that kind of cement only contains ten to fifteen per cent of asbestos – a lot less than you’d find in insulation or lagging materials.’

‘But if the same cement was used in other parts of the house …’ Libby’s stomach twisted with stress.

‘Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, Libby.’ Reggie’s smile was kind.

‘So what do we do?’ asked Lucas Hendriks, the quiet physiotherapist who lived in Flat A, the smaller front flat on the ground floor.

‘First we take samples for analysis.’ Evans answered again, his voice deep and resonant. ‘If they’re positive, decisions will have to be made whether to seal the asbestos in or remove it altogether.’

‘And your firm would do all this?’ Marika asked.

Reggie took over from the foreman. ‘If Libby wants us to.’

‘So what I want to know –’ Kennedy turned to Libby – ‘is how you could have had all the conversions done and not found out then about this asbestos.’

‘Obviously I can’t speak for anyone involved back then –’ Reggie stepped in quickly – ‘but Mal and I can give you umpteen examples of buildings worked on any number of times before the presence of asbestos was detected. If the chimney pot hadn’t—’

‘Are you even qualified to deal with this at all?’ Kennedy interrupted.

‘My firm’s certificates are available for viewing,’ Reggie said equably. ‘Brownlow & Daughter is a member of the Asbestos Removal Contractors Association. You can all search for us online – any queries, you have my numbers.’

‘Still, finding asbestos and having to deal with it wouldn’t do your bank balance any harm, would it?’

‘Oy,’ Evans said.

‘That’s enough, Mack,’ Libby agreed.

‘Why so aggressive?’ Marika asked.

‘Because it’s our health at stake. Not to mention the costs.

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