opened the door and stared blankly at her. It was as if he didn’t know her, but he’d recognized her at the party.
‘Oh, it’s you,’ he mumbled. ‘Sorry, I’ve forgotten your name.’
‘Jill. Jill Kennedy’
‘Dad’s out,’ he said. ‘He won’t be back for a couple of hours. Shall I tell him you called?’
He clearly didn’t plan to invite her inside so Jill took a step forward, leaving him little option.
‘That’s OK. I came to see both of you really. To see how you were coping and if there was anything I could do.’
‘You’d better come in then.’
She was already halfway in, but she welcomed the invitation.
The hall floor was bare and her shoes clattered on the concrete.
‘The carpet’s - gone,’ he explained. ‘The police said erm, it’s been painted, too.’
The air was still heavy with the smell of paint, but better that than a murder scene.
There had been blood everywhere, according to Max.
Not surprising. Alice’s main artery had been slashed when she’d been in a state of panic. Her heart would have been pumping blood for all it was worth.
‘Let’s go in the kitchen then,’ she suggested briskly, leading the way to what she hoped was the kitchen. It was.
“I don’t know about you, but I practically live in my kitchen. I’ll put the kettle on, shall I?’
A less polite boy would have told her to sod off, but Michael just mumbled, ‘Sorry,’ and began getting cups from the cupboard.
Cups and saucers rattled in his hands. He was shaking.
The kitchen was large, with a big, scrubbed pine table in the centre of the room. The units were old, but clean and serviceable. Tea, coffee and sugar containers sat in a neat row near the kettle.
‘I’d like coffee if that’s all right,’ Jill said. ‘How about you?’
‘Mmm? Oh, yes, coffee’s fine.’
He wanted her gone, she knew that.
‘Are you back at school tomorrow?’ she asked, and he nodded. “I bet your friends are missing you.’
‘Er, yes. Oh, I wouldn’t think my friends ‘
“I bet your girlfriend is,’ she put in quickly.
‘Girlfriend? I don’t have a girlfriend.’ But the hot blush that spread across his face told Jill otherwise.
‘Come on, you don’t have to be shy with me!’ She nudged him in an all-pals-together sort of way. ‘Besides, I saw you with her.’
‘Oh.’
So he did have a girlfriend.
“I was exactly the same at your age,’ she rushed on, knowing she had never been like this vulnerable young man. ‘If I so much as mentioned a boy’s name to my
parents, they’d want to know it all. Then, knowing it all, they would decide he wasn’t right for me. In the end, I kept quiet.’
He listened politely, but didn’t comment.
‘So what’s she like? Lovely, I bet. Does she go to the same school?’
He gave her a suspicious look. ‘No. Er, she’s older.’
‘Really? I only saw her from the back. Is she pretty like your mum?’
‘Yes.’ He smiled shyly.
Their coffee ready, Jill made herself comfortable at the table, leaving him little choice but to do likewise. Except he didn’t look comfortable.
“I wish I’d known your mum better,’ Jill said. “I only met her at the party, but she seemed a lovely woman. Very pretty, too, and a stunning figure. I envied her that. Comes of being a dancer, I suppose. Your dad said she’d written me a note, inviting me to lunch. That was so kind of her.
She was a kind lady.’
‘Yes. We miss her.’
His immaculate manners would drive Jill crazy. He knew something, she was sure of it.
‘Any news?’ she asked. ‘Have the police come up with anything? What about that red van your dad saw? You didn’t see it, did you?’
“I don’t remember seeing anything on the road.’
‘Your dad arrived only minutes after you, didn’t he?’
‘Yes.’ He cleared his throat. ‘Look, I’d rather not talk about it if you don’t mind.’
‘Of course. Sorry.’
The house was freezing and she shivered. She was glad she’d
‘Oh, it’s you,’ he mumbled. ‘Sorry, I’ve forgotten your name.’
‘Jill. Jill Kennedy’
‘Dad’s out,’ he said. ‘He won’t be back for a couple of hours. Shall I tell him you called?’
He clearly didn’t plan to invite her inside so Jill took a step forward, leaving him little option.
‘That’s OK. I came to see both of you really. To see how you were coping and if there was anything I could do.’
‘You’d better come in then.’
She was already halfway in, but she welcomed the invitation.
The hall floor was bare and her shoes clattered on the concrete.
‘The carpet’s - gone,’ he explained. ‘The police said erm, it’s been painted, too.’
The air was still heavy with the smell of paint, but better that than a murder scene.
There had been blood everywhere, according to Max.
Not surprising. Alice’s main artery had been slashed when she’d been in a state of panic. Her heart would have been pumping blood for all it was worth.
‘Let’s go in the kitchen then,’ she suggested briskly, leading the way to what she hoped was the kitchen. It was.
“I don’t know about you, but I practically live in my kitchen. I’ll put the kettle on, shall I?’
A less polite boy would have told her to sod off, but Michael just mumbled, ‘Sorry,’ and began getting cups from the cupboard.
Cups and saucers rattled in his hands. He was shaking.
The kitchen was large, with a big, scrubbed pine table in the centre of the room. The units were old, but clean and serviceable. Tea, coffee and sugar containers sat in a neat row near the kettle.
‘I’d like coffee if that’s all right,’ Jill said. ‘How about you?’
‘Mmm? Oh, yes, coffee’s fine.’
He wanted her gone, she knew that.
‘Are you back at school tomorrow?’ she asked, and he nodded. “I bet your friends are missing you.’
‘Er, yes. Oh, I wouldn’t think my friends ‘
“I bet your girlfriend is,’ she put in quickly.
‘Girlfriend? I don’t have a girlfriend.’ But the hot blush that spread across his face told Jill otherwise.
‘Come on, you don’t have to be shy with me!’ She nudged him in an all-pals-together sort of way. ‘Besides, I saw you with her.’
‘Oh.’
So he did have a girlfriend.
“I was exactly the same at your age,’ she rushed on, knowing she had never been like this vulnerable young man. ‘If I so much as mentioned a boy’s name to my
parents, they’d want to know it all. Then, knowing it all, they would decide he wasn’t right for me. In the end, I kept quiet.’
He listened politely, but didn’t comment.
‘So what’s she like? Lovely, I bet. Does she go to the same school?’
He gave her a suspicious look. ‘No. Er, she’s older.’
‘Really? I only saw her from the back. Is she pretty like your mum?’
‘Yes.’ He smiled shyly.
Their coffee ready, Jill made herself comfortable at the table, leaving him little choice but to do likewise. Except he didn’t look comfortable.
“I wish I’d known your mum better,’ Jill said. “I only met her at the party, but she seemed a lovely woman. Very pretty, too, and a stunning figure. I envied her that. Comes of being a dancer, I suppose. Your dad said she’d written me a note, inviting me to lunch. That was so kind of her.
She was a kind lady.’
‘Yes. We miss her.’
His immaculate manners would drive Jill crazy. He knew something, she was sure of it.
‘Any news?’ she asked. ‘Have the police come up with anything? What about that red van your dad saw? You didn’t see it, did you?’
“I don’t remember seeing anything on the road.’
‘Your dad arrived only minutes after you, didn’t he?’
‘Yes.’ He cleared his throat. ‘Look, I’d rather not talk about it if you don’t mind.’
‘Of course. Sorry.’
The house was freezing and she shivered. She was glad she’d
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