‘Even so,’ Penn interrupted. ‘I’m not sure she was rolling in it.’
‘Two adults working and extra social money for the kid. Gimme a break, they were fucking loaded.’
Penn was about to defend the Reynolds family again when a look he couldn’t decipher passed between the Chances and he decided to move on. The current conversation was not conducive to keeping him calm.
‘Mr Chance, I need to know where you were on Sunday night between the hours of nine and ten.’
‘I was here. I’m always here.’
‘Except for the time you bumped into your sister, also on a Sunday night, by accident?’
‘Yeah, only night I’ve been out in months.’
‘Hmm… and you, Mrs Chance?’
‘I was here as well, waiting for my Chinese.’
‘Why would we hurt her?’ the man asked completely unperturbed by the insinuation. ‘I ain’t gonna get no pocket money for my kids if she’s dead, am I?’
He had a point. But there was something here Penn didn’t like the smell of, and it had nothing to do with the food.
He thanked them for their time and rose.
‘So, what’ll happen to the kid now?’ Lyra asked, eyeing him with interest.
‘Sorry, I don’t get you.’
‘Who’s gonna be her mum now?’
‘I’m sure her father is able to take care of her.’
‘Yeah, but he’s?—’
‘I’m sure he can,’ Warren said, cutting off his wife. ‘But two parents are better than one.’
Penn wasn’t sure what they meant, so he just shrugged and headed out the door.
There was something brewing between those two, and he doubted that it was going to be anything good.
Twenty-Nine
‘Bryant, pull over here,’ Kim said urgently.
‘You not feeling any better, guv?’ he asked, eyeing her with concern.
She shook her head as she looked away. Strangely, a mystery sickness had overwhelmed her once they’d got back in the car. Even stranger, it had come on following the text message from Stacey giving her the information she’d requested.
She stepped out of the car. ‘I just need some air,’ she said, resting her backside on a low wall in front of a small semi-detached house. ‘Will you knock that door and ask for a glass of water?’
‘Guv, I can just?—’
‘You want me to throw up right here?’ she snapped.
He hurried up the short path and returned seconds later.
‘She’s gonna bring you one out,’ he said as the front door opened again.
A woman in her early twenties headed towards them with a tall glass of water.
