They Lie Here: A gripping mystery thriller with a sci-fi twist by N S Ford

Author:N S Ford [Ford, N S]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Independent
Published: 2022-11-04T04:00:00+00:00

Strong Jaw

If Jenny is surprised to see me on her doorstep, she hides it well. Did she know I would come back? It’s nine in the morning. After Colleen ran away from me at the train station, I didn’t go home. Over a cooked breakfast, which I could barely taste, I puzzled over what happened, wondering what I should do to investigate further. The first idea I had was to see Jenny again. Does she know something? What can I ask her, without telling her what I saw at the hotel? Scooping up forkfuls of congealing baked beans, I played out scenarios in my head, ranging from her slamming the door in my face without a word, to giving me a full confession of… what? I can’t think past that point. My imagination, which never lets me down, is defeated at last. In books or movies, anything goes, but this is real life.

I waited until what seemed an acceptable hour to visit her and get some answers. Now that I’m here, I know this will be a chat, rather than an interrogation. She looks so kind and vulnerable that I find it hard to believe that she could have lied to me before.

‘Hello, Kat,’ says Jenny. Her eyes have a sad expression. ‘How are you?’

‘Not good,’ I say, abruptly. ‘I’m sorry for troubling you again, but I have a question for you.’

Jenny sighs. ‘Did you get my message from Ellie?’

‘Yes, I did. But I can’t just ‘let it go,” my voice gets louder. ‘There’s something I need to ask you.’

Jenny glances up and down Workhouse Street, as if wary of being overheard. ‘You’d better come in.’

As before, she motions me into the lounge, then follows me on her crutches. She settles in the armchair, her folded hands resting in the lap of her floral dress. I remain standing. We look at each other.

‘Well?’ she says. ‘How can I help you?’

I ask the question that’s occupied my mind for the last three hours. I thought the words would rush out unintelligibly but now I’m actually here, they come out hesitantly, as if I’m afraid of the answer.

‘Did Roskoe have a son?’

Finally, Jenny seems taken aback. Maybe it wasn’t what she thought I’d ask. She picks up a cup and saucer from the little mahogany table next to the armchair. She peers into the empty cup, as if looking for the right words to say.

‘I’ve never told anyone this,’ she begins, clinking the china together. ‘Even Maureen, Mrs Parker, doesn’t know. It’s my secret.’

I think of the figure in the narrow bed, wires, the sound of the alarm. The imploring eyes. The voice. ‘Help me.’ ‘They lie here.’

Impatiently I wait for Jenny to continue. ‘Won’t you sit down?’ she says.

‘No, thank you,’ I say. ‘Please, go on.’

‘I met Roskoe, or John as he was then, in 1979. We had what you’d call an on-off relationship for two or three years, before we seemed to become more stable. I was still living with my parents, while Roskoe had his own place.

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.