Kate was alone, sitting at a table in the harsh glare of an unshaded electric light. She had thrown an old coat round her shoulders for warmth and there were dark shadows under her eyes, but she smiled as they came in, composed and even relaxed.
‘Peter’s on the line,’ she said. ‘The family solicitor’s just rung him again. We felt we had to see you, Mr Pollard. I — I owe you Peter’s life, don’t I? And we want to say how immensely thankful we are that Inspector Toye’s all right. That bit just doesn’t bear thinking, about.’
As Toye mumbled something about it being all in the day’s work Peter Grant came in looking white and exhausted, but rather touchingly dignified, Pollard thought.
‘...utterly shattering that I don’t feel I’ve really taken it in properly,’ he was saying. ‘But do believe I’m grateful to you for bringing the whole ghastly business into the open. Suppose anything — anything else...’
‘We’re being married as soon as we can get a special licence,’ Kate said firmly as she got up. ‘I’ve told Peter that otherwise I’ll break off our engagement,’ she added, slipping her arm in his.
‘Upway’s the snag,’ he said, drawing her close to him. ‘Grants have lived there for the last couple of centuries, but I couldn’t face it now.’
‘I’m marrying you, not an eighteenth-century manor listed Grade B,’ Kate remarked. ‘Besides, you’re an architect. We can start from scratch. Have a house we’ve thought up ourselves, and begin its history.’
‘Ride out the storm here in Stoneham?’
‘Here or anywhere. It’s a wide, wide world. We’d better be going, don’t you think? Mr Pollard?’
‘Yes, Miss Ling?’ he said, wondering what was coming.
‘Don’t have too hard thoughts of Father. After all, if he hadn’t done that crazy thing with the skeleton?’
‘Perfectly true,’ Pollard told her. ‘As a matter of fact it struck me while we’ve been talking.’
‘Dare I tell you —’ she gave him a sidelong glance — ‘that he’s already got there himself? I’m afraid he’s quite irrepressible.’
On this more relaxed note they all went out to the carpark. It was still dark, but Pollard sensed a touch of dawn freshness in the air as he stood watching the BMW drive off.
‘Something salvaged,’ Toye commented as its tail light vanished.
‘All right, all right,’ Pollard retorted. ‘I’ll admit to feeling a bit less jaundiced. Let’s go.’
He smote Toye powerfully between the shoulder blades and they walked across to the Rover.
*****
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ALSO IN THE POLLARD & TOYE INVESTIGATIONS SERIES
DEATH OF AN OLD GIRL
THE AFFACOMBE AFFAIR
ALIBI FOR A CORPSE
DEATH ON DOOMSDAY
CYANIDE WITH COMPLIMENTS
NO VACATION FROM MURDER
BURIED IN THE PAST
STEP IN THE DARK
UNHAPPY RETURNS
CHANGE FOR THE WORSE
NOTHING TO DO WITH THE CASE
TROUBLED WATERS
THE WHEEL TURNS
LIGHT THROUGH GLASS
WHO GOES HOME?
THE GLADE MANOR MURDERS
Published by Sapere Books.
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United Kingdom
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Copyright © Elizabeth Lemarchand, 1978
The Estate of Elizabeth Lemarchand has asserted her right to be identified as the author of this work.
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publishers.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organisations, places and events, other than those clearly in the public domain, are either the product of the author’s imagination, or are used fictitiously.
Any resemblances to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales are purely coincidental.
eBook ISBN: 9781913028022
Suddenly While Gardening Page 16