and never telling her so, and of Jane Kerwood's broken heart and who had managed to break it. But these things did not really seem dissociated from the murder. For one thing, I did not know whether or not to believe what either of them had told me, and though each might have a reason for invention that had nothing to do with the murder, but only with private troubles and heartache of their own, it somehow seemed likely that lies were being told at the moment which weresomehow connected with the mystery of Peter Loxley's death. I reached home and put the car in the garage, then started up the path to the front door.
But I had taken only a step or two when I saw a very extraordinary thing. Someone was sitting on our doorstep. A woman. A woman whom for a moment I took to be Avril. She had Avril's fair hair drawn back austerely from her oval face, her wide-spaced blue eyes and delicate features. And there was a look of casual grace about the way she sprawled on the doorstep of which Avril might have been capable if it had ever occurred to her to sit there. But she was not Avril, though I knew her face almost as well as Avril's. It was her cousin, Lynne Denison.
CHAPTER 5
She got to her feet as I came up the path. Standing, she looked a little less like Avril. She was not as tall and she was even slimmer and there was something more alive, more expressive about her face.
‘So it was worth waiting,’ she observed as I joined her by the door. ‘I thought someone would turn up sooner or later.’
Her voice was quite different from Avril's. It was richer and warmer.
‘Have you been waiting long?’ I asked.
‘No, only a few minutes,’ she said. ‘I came by taxi from Otterswell, and I let it go before I was sure there was anyone at home. By the way, I'm Avril Loxley's cousin, Lynne Denison.’
I smiled. ‘I knew that. And I'm Frances Chance and I live here. Is there really no one at home?’
‘Well, I've tried ringing and knocking and I've been round to the back to see if I could get in there; in fact, I've tried everything but shouting, but there's been no response.’
I took my key out of my handbag. ‘Let's go in then, and see if we can find out what's happened to everybody.’
I unlocked the door and pushed it open and led the way inside. Picking up a small suitcase that she had with her, Lynne followed me. I did not know what I expected to find, but I had a frightened sort of feeling that there might be some sort of horror waiting for us. That was what the events of the last twenty-four hours had done to me. Idid not fear anything in particular, but the mere emptiness of the house when I was expecting several people to be there gave me a feeling of tingling apprehension.
In fact, the house was empty. Nothing was out of place. The potatoes that I had peeled were still in their bowl in the kitchen sink. The copy of
The Times
that Brian had been reading when I left for Otterswell was in a fairly crumpled state on the sofa where he had been sitting. There was a slight warmth in the room, as if the electric fire on the hearth had only recently been switched off.
‘Just wait a minute,’ I said to Lynne. ‘I don't know where everyone's got to, but I'll take a look upstairs.’
But there was no one upstairs.
Coming down, I said, ‘No, they've all gone out. I expect Avril had to take the dogs for a walk, and my husband and a friend who's staying with us have also gone for a walk. Of course, it was Avril you came to see. You know — do you? About Peter?’
She was standing in the middle of the sitting room, looking round her, taking in her surroundings. I had a feeling that that was something that she would always do. The scene in which she found herself would always be a matter of importance to her.
‘One could hardly help it if one watched the television news last night,’ she said.
‘Ah yes, of course,’ I said. ‘We didn't watch it.’
‘I expect you had too much else to think about. But I saw it
But I had taken only a step or two when I saw a very extraordinary thing. Someone was sitting on our doorstep. A woman. A woman whom for a moment I took to be Avril. She had Avril's fair hair drawn back austerely from her oval face, her wide-spaced blue eyes and delicate features. And there was a look of casual grace about the way she sprawled on the doorstep of which Avril might have been capable if it had ever occurred to her to sit there. But she was not Avril, though I knew her face almost as well as Avril's. It was her cousin, Lynne Denison.
CHAPTER 5
She got to her feet as I came up the path. Standing, she looked a little less like Avril. She was not as tall and she was even slimmer and there was something more alive, more expressive about her face.
‘So it was worth waiting,’ she observed as I joined her by the door. ‘I thought someone would turn up sooner or later.’
Her voice was quite different from Avril's. It was richer and warmer.
‘Have you been waiting long?’ I asked.
‘No, only a few minutes,’ she said. ‘I came by taxi from Otterswell, and I let it go before I was sure there was anyone at home. By the way, I'm Avril Loxley's cousin, Lynne Denison.’
I smiled. ‘I knew that. And I'm Frances Chance and I live here. Is there really no one at home?’
‘Well, I've tried ringing and knocking and I've been round to the back to see if I could get in there; in fact, I've tried everything but shouting, but there's been no response.’
I took my key out of my handbag. ‘Let's go in then, and see if we can find out what's happened to everybody.’
I unlocked the door and pushed it open and led the way inside. Picking up a small suitcase that she had with her, Lynne followed me. I did not know what I expected to find, but I had a frightened sort of feeling that there might be some sort of horror waiting for us. That was what the events of the last twenty-four hours had done to me. Idid not fear anything in particular, but the mere emptiness of the house when I was expecting several people to be there gave me a feeling of tingling apprehension.
In fact, the house was empty. Nothing was out of place. The potatoes that I had peeled were still in their bowl in the kitchen sink. The copy of
The Times
that Brian had been reading when I left for Otterswell was in a fairly crumpled state on the sofa where he had been sitting. There was a slight warmth in the room, as if the electric fire on the hearth had only recently been switched off.
‘Just wait a minute,’ I said to Lynne. ‘I don't know where everyone's got to, but I'll take a look upstairs.’
But there was no one upstairs.
Coming down, I said, ‘No, they've all gone out. I expect Avril had to take the dogs for a walk, and my husband and a friend who's staying with us have also gone for a walk. Of course, it was Avril you came to see. You know — do you? About Peter?’
She was standing in the middle of the sitting room, looking round her, taking in her surroundings. I had a feeling that that was something that she would always do. The scene in which she found herself would always be a matter of importance to her.
‘One could hardly help it if one watched the television news last night,’ she said.
‘Ah yes, of course,’ I said. ‘We didn't watch it.’
‘I expect you had too much else to think about. But I saw it
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