‘No, definitely not that I saw. She’s really nice. Asks how we are, leaves leftovers in the fridge if we want them, lets us rent a movie sometimes.’
‘Sounds like you had the run of the house.’
‘She isn’t intrusive. She talks to us if she’s around, but she’s not a pain or anything. She’s got some great stories.’
‘Oh yeah?’
‘Before she got married she travelled a lot, spiritual sh— I mean stuff. She was big on that, always reading about inner lights and auras and that.’
‘Was she seeing anyone?’
‘Not that I saw. I mean she never seemed interested in that kind of thing. Amelia used to joke about getting her on some dating apps, but she insisted she was fine as she was, and she did seem just fine. She was a proper character. One minute she was reading in her book nook, and the next she was dancing around the room to the Rolling Stones. She was unpredictable but always smiling. She was that kind of person, you know?’
‘Can you think of anyone who was unhappy with her?’
‘No one. She went out a few times a week to see friends, but other than that she was working or reading.’
The life she’d led was at complete odds with the way she’d died. She had tried to hang on to existence with every fibre of her being.
‘Any children?’ Kim asked.
He shook his head.
‘What about customers. Any issues?’
‘I don’t think so. Business was booming. She had more clients than she knew what to do with. I don’t think you leave a reiki session pissed off.’
He had a point.
‘Did you see any of the customers?’
‘Sometimes, coming in or going out.’
‘Any new customers recently?’ Kim asked.
He thought for a minute.
‘Actually, she was seeing someone new today. They’d contacted her through Facebook even though she rarely used it. She doesn’t really advertise. Her business mostly came from recommendations.’
Okay, that was something. Someone had specifically sought her out, on the same day she’d been murdered.
‘Did she keep a diary of her appointments?’
‘Yeah, in the treatment room, I think.’
Kim felt a flicker of interest. The new client had communicated with her, and there was a chance they were the person they were after.
They might finally be heading in the right direction.
Sixty-One
Penn stared down into his uneaten lasagne and took the last sip of his lukewarm coffee.
Lynne was working the late shift, and Jasper was out with friends. After being stood down by the boss, he hadn’t relished the thought of returning to an empty house and had found himself heading towards Betty’s in Hagley. The place was still owned by the same family who had opened it in the sixties. Unlike many establishments, they didn’t follow trends but kept in business by opening late and offering good quality meals.
Except tonight, the home-cooked meal couldn’t make it past the pit in his stomach.
‘Hey, partner,’ he heard as a soft hand squeezed his shoulder.
