Death at Rainbow Cottage by Jo Allen (novel24 TXT) 📕

‘They’re on first name terms already, by the sound of it.’

‘As long as he doesn’t seek my opinion.’ He paused. ‘I saw you talking to Mrs B. What do you make of her?’

‘I think there’s something very odd about her.’ Ashleigh lowered her voice to match his.

‘I thought that.’ He drained the cup of coffee, already cold, at one go.

‘She strikes me as one of those souls who struggles to find peace. You know the sort. Everything they try is the answer, but only for a short time. The only thing that seems to help her is running, or so she says.’

‘She runs to live. Some people are like that.’ Jude was a runner himself. ‘I can’t say it gets me that way. I do it to allow myself to think, and I’ve a suspicion she does it for exactly the opposite reason.’

‘You don’t go to pieces when you can’t do it, either.’

‘No. But she strikes me as having an obsessive personality. That’s what it’s all about. Claud’s a brave man, or a devoted one. I think she might be quite hard to live with.’

‘Everyone has their peculiarities.’ Scott had always left his shoes on exactly the same spot just inside the front door.

‘I have mine, too, but I don’t get stressed if something disturbs them.’ Jude was still staring in the direction in which the Blackwells had disappeared.

‘She adores Claud, I think. And depends on him.’

‘He certainly seems to have enormous influence on her.’ He looked down at his cup. ‘I’m going for another coffee. Do you want one?’

If it wasn’t for the fact that Faye was lingering near the counter, making herself obvious and accessible as she’d promised she would, Ashleigh would have offered to go up and get it, but discretion was a virtue. It would be wise to keep a safe space between them. ‘I’m fine, thanks.’

Faye had other ideas. As Jude joined the short queue for a cup of coffee, she detached herself from her position and drifted over as if he was the one she was keen to avoid. ‘Ashleigh.’

‘Hi.’ Ashleigh waited for her to take a seat, but she stood a clear yard back.

‘I didn’t know you’d come here when you left Cheshire.’

I’m not hard to find, Ashleigh raged inwardly, but the relationship was over and any leeway had evaporated with it. In work, Faye was a woman who professed informality but practised authority. It wasn’t worth taking liberties involved risk. She said nothing.

‘It goes without saying that anything that happened in the past…’ Faye licked her lips, the faintest, only sign of concern, ‘…stays there.’

So why talk about it? Just say nothing. ‘Fine by me.’

‘Good. Because if there’s any gossip, I’ll know where it’s come from.’ Faye shuffled half a step away and raised her voice, for public consumption this time. ‘You’re busy on the Pierce murder, I understand?’

‘Among other things.’

‘And working closely with Jude Satterthwaite. A workplace romance, I understand. Is that correct?’

‘That’s correct.’ Jude put his coffee cup down on the table, pulled out the chair and sat down. His smile was bland, and the expression he turned on Faye gave no clue as to how much of their conversation he’d heard.

‘If you’d been able to stay for the rest of this morning’s workshop you’d have seen a very clear case study of the pitfalls of that kind of relationships and ways to avoid them. Among other things.’

‘No-one’s complained so far.’

‘Good. I take it there was a good reason for you leaving early?’

‘Yes. We had a new and important lead in the Pierce case.’ Quite deliberately, Jude helped himself to a corner of Ashleigh’s carrot cake and swapped it for a piece of his chocolate brownie.

‘Good news. But there are others this week and it’s important that you make an effort to attend the next one. I’m sure I can squeeze you into one tomorrow.’ And Faye, head held high, swung on her flat heel and stalked out of the canteen.

Chapter 11

‘In a hurry, Jude?’

He’d been looking at his watch as he strode down the corridor, already running late, and Faye had emerged from her office showing no signs of getting ready to leave. ‘Not particularly. Just off down to join a few guys in the pub. It’s Tammy’s birthday.’

‘I see. And you have to go along to pick up the tab. Very generous.’

Jude enjoyed a drink with friends but he’d have skipped this particular outing if he’d dared. ‘Feel free to go along and relieve me,’ he said, and laughed. Since Tammy had approached him the previous week they’d brokered a delicate truce, as if having had her say she felt it easier to deal with her concerns, but you never knew what mood she’d be in.

Rather to his surprise, she took it as the joke he’d intended. ‘Maybe another time.’ And then the smile disappeared and her business face was back. ‘Did you find the workshop productive?’

The workshop was the reason he was running late. ‘Yes. An efficient use of my time.’

‘I don’t need the sarcasm. It’s a vital part of working with the community.’

‘Of course.’ He looked at his watch again, to telegraph the message. ‘If you don’t mind—’

‘Any progress on the Pierce case?’

‘I’ll do some more on it later on.’

‘After the works drinks?’

‘Yes, I imagine so.’

‘Then we can discuss it tomorrow.’

He was due on a rest day the next day but he didn’t remind her in case she saw fit to go through the case on the spot, but if she thought of doing that she was distracted by Claud, backing out of one of the meeting rooms in a profusion of goodbyes.

Jude sensed escape. ‘Are you heading down to reception, Mr Blackwell? I’ll walk