‘Wondering what?’ said Liz.
Thelma looked at them. ‘A couple of things really,’ she said. ‘According to Chelsey the flat was left spotless – but then Jax said the person staying there had had to leave in a hurry. Surely if you were called away by some crisis, you wouldn’t stop first and clean somewhere that would be cleaned anyway?’
Pat shrugged. ‘Some people are like that,’ she said. ‘It’s a point of honour to leave places cleaner than when they found them.’
‘What was the other thing?’ asked Liz.’
‘It was something Jax said. Why did Neville go into the holiday flat?’
‘There could be any number of reasons,’ said Pat dismissively.
‘But why didn’t he put the wheelie bin out first?’ Thelma’s words seemed to cast a chill across the warm room. They all instinctively felt there was something odd about that misplaced wheelie bin.
‘Chelsey said he always put the bins out when he got back from Rotary,’ said Liz slowly. ‘But he didn’t.’
‘So, what stopped him?’ asked Thelma.’
‘A heart attack?’ said Pat pointedly.
‘No,’ said Liz, ‘if you’re feeling ill, you’d go into your own house – not a holiday let—’
‘Exactly,’ said Thelma. ‘So the chances are he was fine when he got back – and for whatever reason didn’t put the wheelie bin outbecause of something that happened.And that’s what made him go inside the holiday let. And now I think on it, there’s a third thing.’
‘What?’ asked Pat uneasily.
Thelma steepled her fingers in thought. ‘Derek said he left Rotary early because he got a call…So, who was the call from – and why did it make him go back home –but not into his own home?’
Chapter Four
Friday 11th July
Met Office weather forecast:
Exceptionally high temperatures across parts of England and Wales now updated to extend into Monday.
‘Summer.’ DS Donna Dolby blew out her broad cheeks expressively. ‘Bad idea.’ She cast a grim glance round the garden centre café, which looked much as it had the previous day, the sun hats, the T-shirts, the open windows. It was even hotter today. Already the temperature was nudging the mid-thirties and outside the pylons over the cattle market stood stark against the dazzling blueness of the sky.
‘You wouldn’t believe the number of things that kick off at barbecues,’ she said.
‘You’re busy?’ said Thelma politely.
‘Is there a vowel in the month?’ The police officer’s gaze lighted on an elderly couple eating an all-day breakfast; she regarded them impassively for a moment as though considering the possible need for a taser. ‘Anyway.’ She turned back to Thelma. ‘How are things with you?’
The gaze she gave was shrewd and questioning, the sort of gaze that, Thelma realised with an unexpected stab of panic, could see straight throughanyform of pretence. She felt an unwelcome flush of shame.Get a grip!Surely DS Dolby couldn’t know about what had happened to her?
‘Fine,’ said Thelma. ‘Just enjoying this beautiful weather.’
Donna regarded her, face expressionless. ‘Your hubby still on with his vicar-ing at the college?’ she asked. Thelma smiled at this description of Teddy’s former vocation.
‘Actually, he stopped working in Ripon last year,’ she said. ‘He’s now working as a delivery driver.’
Donna slowly nodded. ‘Interesting.’
Thelma smiled again; initially she’d been against Teddy’s unexpected change of career to a delivery driver for Wait A Minute Mr Postman (known as WAMMP) but these days the thought of her husband sailing serenely round the postcodes of Ripon and Thirsk, windows wound down,The Best of the Goonsplaying full blast, brought an envious pang.
‘So …’ DS Donna leaned forward on her elbows. ‘There was something – or rather someone – you wanted to know about.’
‘There was,’ said Thelma. ‘Thank you.’
