A Cornish Revenge (The Loveday Ross Cornish Mysteries Book 1) by Rena George

accident.’ She shook her head sadly. ‘A terrible accident. Lawrence had been driving and crashed his car. His passenger, a young woman was killed.’ She sipped the glass of gin, hardly noticing it. ‘It was worse…the woman had been expecting twins. None of them survived the crash.’ She touched her temple as though that would help release details of the trial in her head.
      ‘Paul represented him in court, but he pleaded guilty…death by dangerous driving…He was sentenced to eight years in prison.’ She looked at the shocked expressions on Cassie and Loveday’s faces. ‘Poor Lawrence,’ she said. ‘I could hardly believe it, Cassie, when you recommended him to me to paint the Blue Lady.’
      ‘You never said you already knew him,’ Cassie gasped.
      ‘No, it wasn’t my business to bring up the past, anyway, he’d been punished enough. If Lawrence could make a new start here in Cornwall then I was certainly not going to spoil it for him. I didn’t even tell Paul,’ she added wistfully.  
      Loveday could feel herself warming to the woman. Lawrence would have appreciated Magdalene’s discretion.
    Loveday needed some thinking time to make some sense of everything. Could Sam Kitto really be putting Lawrence in the frame for a bizarre murder simply because he had known the dead man?
    Back in her cottage that night Loveday made a list of everyone she knew was connected to the case and then studied it. If there were any clues here then she couldn’t see them. Her head hurt and her tummy rumbled. There was salmon in the freezer and she went to prepare it for supper.  While it was baking in foil she showered and put on her pyjamas. She deserved an early night.
      Her mobile rang as she washed up after her meal, and she made a grab for it when she saw whose name was flashing. ‘Lawrence! At last! Are you OK?’
      ‘I’m fine, they’ve let me go.’ His voice sounded flat and exhausted. ‘I knew you’d be worried, but don’t be because everything is fine now.’
      ‘Where are you. Do you need a lift?’ She looked down at her pyjamas.
      ‘I’m still in Truro but the police are organising a car to take me home. I’m waiting for it now.’
      She could hear him sigh.
      ‘Can we meet up tomorrow? We need to talk, Loveday.’ He suggested the same pub where she’d had supper with Abbie and Kit.
    ‘About noon?’ Loveday suggested.
    ‘Sounds great,’ Lawrence said, and rang off before she had a chance to ask any more.
     
    The pub car park was busy when Loveday arrived there next morning. Being close to the coastal cliff path it was a good stopping off place for walkers. She spotted Lawrence’s battered old vehicle at once and pulled alongside it to park, before walking through the beer garden and around the building to the little door that led into the bar. He was sitting at a table in the furthest corner and got up, holding his arms out to Loveday as she walked in. He looked paler than usual and she guessed he hadn’t slept much over the past few days.
      ‘I’ll get you a drink,’ he said. ‘What’s it to be?’
      ‘A glass of orange juice, please.’
    She watched him at the bar as he waited for their drinks. He appeared older than when she had last seen him. Fragments of Magdalene’s story flitted through her head. Loveday felt she was looking at a stranger.
        ‘How much do you know?’ he asked, putting her drink in front of her and sliding into the bench seat opposite
      Loveday stared into the glass and imagined she could see her reflection in its contents. ‘I know about the accident…and the prison bit.’
      Lawrence sank back into his seat and stared at her, his eyes questioning. ‘How…?’ he said, his brows drawing together. ‘…How long have you known?’
      ‘Since yesterday. Magdalene Bentine told us...Cassie and me, I mean. We went to see her.’
      Lawrence was watching her face intently for any sign of anger…maybe even disgust,