Wrongful Death by Lynda La Plante Page B

pantry-style kitchen and out to the rear of the house. The view was even more spectacular than from the front, overlooking further woodland and fields. The vast lawn was the size of a football pitch and had diagonal lines of freshly cut grass, the scent of which filled the air like a perfume. At the far end, on the left of the garden, there was an enormous Victorian-style greenhouse with a domed roof.
    Approaching the greenhouse, they could see someone with their back to them, dressed in hooded green overalls, moving in and about the array of plants and flowers. A Doberman bitch suddenly sprang to her feet and stood her ground. At first, she snarled, revealing her sharp teeth, then began barking and growling ferociously as they approached. Anna, Dewar and Katrina stopped in their tracks. Dewar took a step backwards behind Anna.
    ‘I forget say, dog no like be disturb also.’
    ‘Great, now you tell us,’ Anna replied, trying to make light of the situation.
    ‘Don’t give it direct eye contact. That makes it worse,’ Dewar said nervously.
    The door of the greenhouse opened abruptly, revealing the person in the green hooded overalls wearing a respirator mask that covered their nose and mouth.
    ‘Somebody get this dog under control!’ Dewar exclaimed.
    The figure swiftly pulled the mask away and a female voice commanded, ‘Atropa, heel,’ and the Doberman instantly sat down and gave an obedient whimper.
    ‘I’ve told you, Katrina, not to disturb me when I’m in the greenhouse!’
    ‘It wasn’t her fault. We asked her to bring us out here,’ Anna said, and then introduced herself and Dewar.
    ‘As you can see, the sign I have on the door clearly says in large letters, “Beware Poisons”. When I’m spraying pesticides it’s highly dangerous to enter. That’s why I wear protective clothing.’
    ‘We’ll go back and wait in the house,’ Dewar said, not wanting to be near the dog.
    ‘I’ve finished spraying now. I just need to change and then I’ll join you,’ the person said. So this was Gloria Lynne – but it was hard to make out her looks as she still had the overall hood up.
    Anna and Dewar returned to the library and sat waiting for the woman to reappear.
    ‘She was very rude to her Australian maid Katrina,’ Dewar remarked.
    ‘She’s Polish, from Poland, and it was you who insisted she take us out to the greenhouse. I think she was mad because of the safety implications.’
    ‘It’s only a bit of insect spray – no big deal if it gets on you, just wash it off,’ Dewar said dismissively.
    ‘How do you clean your lungs if you breathe it in then?’ Anna asked sarcastically.
    Dewar just raised her eyebrows and sighed. Unscrewing the top of the still water, she poured herself and Anna a glass and added some ice and lemon.
    The door to the library burst open and Gloria Lynne entered. It was an astonishing transformation from the woman they had met in the garden. She looked to be in her mid-forties and very elegant in a tight-fitting black sleeveless dress and patent black high-heeled shoes. Her ash-blonde hair had a centre parting and was swept into a stylish French pleat, revealing mother-of-pearl earrings. Her light blue eyes with large pupils were piercing yet sensuous thanks to very thick mascara, deep eye shadow, and kohl around their inside rim. She had a matt foundation, with blusher and rouge, and her lip gloss was lined in dark crimson. Anna noticed she was wearing a large diamond ring and gold band on her wedding finger.
    ‘We’ll start again, shall we?’ Gloria said, beaming, her teeth flashing like white light bulbs. She looked towards Anna and held out her hand, palm slightly curved to the ground as if she were royalty. A heavy gold chain bracelet with dangling charms swayed at her wrist and jingled as Anna did the polite thing, shaking the tips of Gloria’s fingers. She felt as if Gloria expected her to curtsey.
    ‘I’m Gloria Lynne.’
    Anna introduced herself and then