Rafferty & Llewellyn Cozy Mystery 01 - Dead Before Morning (v5.0) by Geraldine Evans

Author:Geraldine Evans [Evans, Geraldine]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Amazon.com
Amazon: B004EYUHN8
Publisher: St Martins Press
Published: 1993-01-01T08:00:00+00:00

Rafferty settled the Hospital Administrator as comfortably as the rickety chairs would allow. He was surprised by a feeling of recognition. He felt he had met her before somewhere and then it came to him. Big-boned and with the rather old-fashioned bun hairstyle and practical short nails, she reminded Rafferty of one of his former school teachers, a Miss Robinson, who had fallen in love late in life, with the new French master. She had been an intense woman and had fallen hard, and he remembered with a trace of shame how he and the rest of the school had sniggered over the affair, how they had mimicked the adoring eyes of Miss Robinson at assembly. She must, like Miss Parry, have been in her early forties: "Miss Robinson's last chance", the affair had been dubbed. The man had let her down, he recalled, and she had left the school soon after. He wondered whether Miss Parry had found her last chance in Dr Whittaker and if she was prepared to fight for it. According to Gilbert, she had a widowed, invalid mother at home, so would be unlikely to have many more such opportunities.

'I understand you've just returned from a few days leave, Miss Parry?'

Gwendoline Parry nodded.

'Do anything nice?' Rafferty enquired casually, aware that a few interested, non-threatening questions relaxed an interviewee. But this time, his technique failed abysmally.

For some reason Gwendoline Parry's fair skin flushed a delicate rose, though she replied calmly enough. 'I had some work I wanted to get on with at home, Inspector.'

'Doing a spot of DIY, were you?' he asked, reminded of the necessity to soon do something about the depressing yuppified magnolia walls of his own flat. He fancied something cheery like sunshine yellow or terracotta.

'No. As it happens I was typing up some research notes.'

'Surely Dr. Melville-Briggs doesn't expect you to do extra work when you're on holiday?' he queried sympathetically. Though Rafferty wouldn't put it past him.

Gwendoline Parry smiled faintly. 'No. Luckily, Sir Anthony isn't in need of my amateur typing skills. He has a perfectly competent secretary in Mrs. Galvin.'

Rafferty had a good idea who was in need of some free assistance. He couldn't imagine Simon Smythe went in for much in the way of research; he had as much on his plate as he could handle already. But Gilbert's tongue had proved obligingly indiscreet on various topics; not least who was sweet on whom, and Miss Parry's love and loyalty didn't rest with Sir Anthony. However, for the moment, he didn't pursue the question. 'You've heard about the murder, of course?'

She gave a grimace of distaste. 'How could I not? The papers were full of it. Still are.'

Rafferty felt guilty, as he remembered his reassurance of Linda's mother, but there had been no way he could have kept Linda's double life out of the papers. 'You understand that we have to check up on everyone's movements for Friday night?'

She nodded. 'Of course. As for myself, I was at The George in Hamborne from 7.

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