Past Tense by Catherine Aird Page A

relief. A house key was prominent in her hand.
    â€˜I can’t imagine what’s happened to Lucy, officer,’ she said, scarcely bothering to glance at Sloan’s warrant card. ‘She’s not answering the door but the lights are still on and her curtains haven’t been drawn back. What can possibly have happened to her?’
    â€˜When did you last see her?’ asked Sloan. He’d noticed that his own doctor always responded to a question he didn’t want to answer with a question of his own. Sloan did that now.
    Mrs Marshall paused for thought, her brow wrinkled. ‘Not 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 – she’d just come off duty at the hospital and I was on my way home with the shopping.’
    â€˜And you have Miss Lansdown’s spare key,’ Sloan prompted her gently.
    â€˜That’s right,’ she said, handing over the key with alacrity. ‘I usually keep an eye on her house for her when she’s away – she’s got a married brother in the North – and I always take any parcels in for her if she’s out when the delivery people come. That sort of thing.’
    â€˜So she lived alone,’ concluded Sloan. Whether the girl was in a relationship or not was something that could await what were euphemistically known as ‘further enquiries’.
    Mrs Marshall nodded. ‘That’s right. She did. At least I’ve never seen anyone else around. Otherwise I didn’t 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 daughter’s in Calleford.’
    â€˜Very neighbourly,’ said Sloan absently. ‘It must have been a great help.’
    â€˜It’s not like Lucy to go away without saying anything,’ she persisted.
    â€˜No,’ said Sloan. ‘Nurses are usually very responsible people.’
    â€˜That’s what the hospital said – 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€˜What was that for?’ asked Sloan casually. ‘Did she mention it?’
    Mrs Marshall shook her head. ‘No, but I just happened to notice her coming home yesterday afternoon, that’s all.’ 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.
    â€˜Dressed for work?’ asked Sloan, determinedly low-key.
    â€˜Oh, no,’ said Mrs Marshall instantly. ‘She wasn’t in uniform then. Very neat and tidy, she was. Best grey coat and all that.’
    â€˜And so she came home later or earlier than usual?’
    â€˜Oh, 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€˜That’s very helpful,’ said Sloan gravely, turning towards the door of the house.
    Mrs Marshall did not leave her position on the pavement.
    â€˜I’ll just have to get my constable to check the lock to make sure that there hasn’t been any forced entry,’ said Sloan, jerking his head in Crosby’s direction.
    That worthy suddenly became alert and approached the door. He examined it closely for scratches. ‘Seems OK, sir,’ he said presently.
    â€˜That’s good, it looks as if she went out voluntarily, if she did,’ said Sloan, addressing the neighbour. ‘Thank you for your help, madam, we’ll be in touch again if necessary.’
    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