relief. A house key was prominent in her hand.
âI canât imagine whatâs happened to Lucy, officer,â she said, scarcely bothering to glance at Sloanâs warrant card. âSheâs not answering the door but the lights are still on and her curtains havenât been drawn back. What can possibly have happened to her?â
âWhen did you last see her?â asked Sloan. Heâd noticed that his own doctor always responded to a question he didnât want to answer with a question of his own. Sloan did that now.
Mrs Marshall paused for thought, her brow wrinkled. âNot for a few days, come to think of it. Last Friday, I would have said it was. We had a chat when we met in the street â sheâd just come off duty at the hospital and I was on my way home with the shopping.â
âAnd you have Miss Lansdownâs spare key,â Sloan prompted her gently.
âThatâs right,â she said, handing over the key with alacrity. âI usually keep an eye on her house for her when sheâs away â sheâs got a married brother in the North â and I always take any parcels in for her if sheâs out when the delivery people come. That sort of thing.â
âSo she lived alone,â concluded Sloan. Whether the girl was in a relationship or not was something that could await what were euphemistically known as âfurther enquiriesâ.
Mrs Marshall nodded. âThatâs right. She did. At least Iâve never seen anyone else around. Otherwise I didnât see a lot of her. Mind you, she does the same for me on the looking-out side for deliveries and she feeds my cat when I go over to my daughterâs in Calleford.â
âVery neighbourly,â said Sloan absently. âIt must have been a great help.â
âItâs not like Lucy to go away without saying anything,â she persisted.
âNo,â said Sloan. âNurses are usually very responsible people.â
âThatâs what the hospital said â and that it was not like her not to come in to work when she was on duty. Mind you, she had some time off yesterday but they said they knew all about that at the hospital.â
âWhat was that for?â asked Sloan casually. âDid she mention it?â
Mrs Marshall shook her head. âNo, but I just happened to notice her coming home yesterday afternoon, thatâs all.â The woman was clearly working out how much noticing was a neighbour taking a kindly interest and how much was an old woman spying on someone else.
âDressed for work?â asked Sloan, determinedly low-key.
âOh, no,â said Mrs Marshall instantly. âShe wasnât in uniform then. Very neat and tidy, she was. Best grey coat and all that.â
âAnd so she came home later or earlier than usual?â
âOh, earlier. I just happened to look out of my window as she came up the road. About half past four that would have been.â
âThatâs very helpful,â said Sloan gravely, turning towards the door of the house.
Mrs Marshall did not leave her position on the pavement.
âIâll just have to get my constable to check the lock to make sure that there hasnât been any forced entry,â said Sloan, jerking his head in Crosbyâs direction.
That worthy suddenly became alert and approached the door. He examined it closely for scratches. âSeems OK, sir,â he said presently.
âThatâs good, it looks as if she went out voluntarily, if she did,â said Sloan, addressing the neighbour. âThank you for your help, madam, weâll be in touch again if necessary.â
He entered the house first, as always feeling an intruder himself. A police visit even to an empty house was never a welcome incursion. The light in the front hall was indeed still on but the rest of the house was in darkness, all the curtains drawn against the daylight. He switched on the
Maggie Brendan
Barbara O'Connor
Jan Washburn
Terri Blackstock
Norah Simone
Barry Kemp
G.P. Taylor
Alan Cumyn
Linda Barnes
Lisa Jackson