She used to work here, I believe?’
He pursed his lips and nodded.
‘Was she friendly like Josh?’
‘I don’t want to speak bad about her, but she started work here as a pole dancer, then she hooked Mr Reynolds and married him. She was always a bit hoity-toity. When she became head hostess she started throwing her weight around a bit, said she was taking over running the club. To be honest she couldn’t run for a bus, and she put a lot of people’s noses out of joint, mine included. The girls didn’t like her.’
‘Maybe they were a bit jealous she’d been promoted?’
‘I heard Mr Reynolds and Donna having a real row about her working here. I don’t think he liked the way she dressed and flirted with the VIPs.’
‘Was it just flirting?’
He hesitated before answering. ‘I really don’t know. I try to mind my own business, but I didn’t like her for personal reasons. She’d park her car here in the yard and tell me to give it a wash, and to keep an eye out for the traffic wardens. She must have had Christ knows how many tickets and would blame me. I only got one pair of eyes and can’t stand out here until six p.m. every day.’
A large rubbish truck began to back into the small yard, Curtis jumped into action, gesturing for it to move slowly towards him. Realizing she needed to get a move on, Anna left him to get on with his work.
Chapter Nine
Anna drove down a narrow lane flanked on either side by hedgerows and fields of rapeseed with blazing-yellow flowers that brightened up the countryside. It was such a contrast to central London, with its exhaust fumes and stop–start traffic, and she could feel herself beginning to relax. At first, she thought the satnav had directed her to the wrong location until she saw Dewar’s car parked up on the nearside of the road. Anna pulled up behind her and looking out of the window saw a set of large decorative wrought-iron gates tipped with spikes. A plaque on one of the gate pillars read LYNNE HOUSE and below it was a CCTV intercom system and lockable mailbox built into the stonework. On the other side of the gates there was a long tree-lined gravel driveway that rose gradually upwards to an imposing Georgian manor house. Anna got out of her car and approached Dewar, who was still in her car.
‘Some place, isn’t it. I may as well leave my car out here and go in with you.’
‘We’re a bit early. It’s only five-thirty.’
‘I’m sure they won’t mind,’ Anna said, going over to the intercom as Dewar pulled up in front of the gates. Anna held her warrant card up to the camera, the gates slowly cranked open and they drove up the long gravel drive to the house. Once out of the car, they stopped to take in the breathtaking view across the front of the house down to a large lake and surrounding woodland.
‘It’s not just a house, it’s a country estate!’ Anna breathed.
‘Wonder how much it’s worth,’ Dewar remarked.
‘In this area, with all the land . . . millions!’
‘Those cars are worth a few bucks as well,’ Dewar said, drawing Anna’s attention to a four-bay detached garage. There were three cars parked in front and a man in his mid-fifties was washing one of them.
‘That’s the new Bentley Mulsanne he’s cleaning. Costs over a quarter of a million. The others are a Maybach 62 and a Mercedes McLaren 722. They’re not far off a million put together.’
‘Didn’t have you down as a petrolhead, Jessie.’
‘It’s not just boys with toys. My dad was a head mechanic on the Indy-car-race circuit and then he opened his own repair shop. Used to help out whenever I could.’
Anna nodded in approval at Dewar’s skills.
The front door was opened by a stocky middle-aged grey-haired woman. In broken English with an eastern European accent, she said that she was Katrina the housekeeper and Mrs Lynne had asked that they make themselves comfortable in the library. Katrina escorted them through the vast entrance to the library,
He pursed his lips and nodded.
‘Was she friendly like Josh?’
‘I don’t want to speak bad about her, but she started work here as a pole dancer, then she hooked Mr Reynolds and married him. She was always a bit hoity-toity. When she became head hostess she started throwing her weight around a bit, said she was taking over running the club. To be honest she couldn’t run for a bus, and she put a lot of people’s noses out of joint, mine included. The girls didn’t like her.’
‘Maybe they were a bit jealous she’d been promoted?’
‘I heard Mr Reynolds and Donna having a real row about her working here. I don’t think he liked the way she dressed and flirted with the VIPs.’
‘Was it just flirting?’
He hesitated before answering. ‘I really don’t know. I try to mind my own business, but I didn’t like her for personal reasons. She’d park her car here in the yard and tell me to give it a wash, and to keep an eye out for the traffic wardens. She must have had Christ knows how many tickets and would blame me. I only got one pair of eyes and can’t stand out here until six p.m. every day.’
A large rubbish truck began to back into the small yard, Curtis jumped into action, gesturing for it to move slowly towards him. Realizing she needed to get a move on, Anna left him to get on with his work.
Chapter Nine
Anna drove down a narrow lane flanked on either side by hedgerows and fields of rapeseed with blazing-yellow flowers that brightened up the countryside. It was such a contrast to central London, with its exhaust fumes and stop–start traffic, and she could feel herself beginning to relax. At first, she thought the satnav had directed her to the wrong location until she saw Dewar’s car parked up on the nearside of the road. Anna pulled up behind her and looking out of the window saw a set of large decorative wrought-iron gates tipped with spikes. A plaque on one of the gate pillars read LYNNE HOUSE and below it was a CCTV intercom system and lockable mailbox built into the stonework. On the other side of the gates there was a long tree-lined gravel driveway that rose gradually upwards to an imposing Georgian manor house. Anna got out of her car and approached Dewar, who was still in her car.
‘Some place, isn’t it. I may as well leave my car out here and go in with you.’
‘We’re a bit early. It’s only five-thirty.’
‘I’m sure they won’t mind,’ Anna said, going over to the intercom as Dewar pulled up in front of the gates. Anna held her warrant card up to the camera, the gates slowly cranked open and they drove up the long gravel drive to the house. Once out of the car, they stopped to take in the breathtaking view across the front of the house down to a large lake and surrounding woodland.
‘It’s not just a house, it’s a country estate!’ Anna breathed.
‘Wonder how much it’s worth,’ Dewar remarked.
‘In this area, with all the land . . . millions!’
‘Those cars are worth a few bucks as well,’ Dewar said, drawing Anna’s attention to a four-bay detached garage. There were three cars parked in front and a man in his mid-fifties was washing one of them.
‘That’s the new Bentley Mulsanne he’s cleaning. Costs over a quarter of a million. The others are a Maybach 62 and a Mercedes McLaren 722. They’re not far off a million put together.’
‘Didn’t have you down as a petrolhead, Jessie.’
‘It’s not just boys with toys. My dad was a head mechanic on the Indy-car-race circuit and then he opened his own repair shop. Used to help out whenever I could.’
Anna nodded in approval at Dewar’s skills.
The front door was opened by a stocky middle-aged grey-haired woman. In broken English with an eastern European accent, she said that she was Katrina the housekeeper and Mrs Lynne had asked that they make themselves comfortable in the library. Katrina escorted them through the vast entrance to the library,
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