Kitty Neale 3 Book Bundle. Kitty Neale

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СКАЧАТЬ returned home and at dinner time done his best to get through a plate of burned sausages, lumpy mash, and equally lumpy gravy. Carol had barely touched hers, her head down as she toyed with the food on her plate. She looked terrible; drab and scruffy. It was hard to equate her to the vivid, beautiful and vibrant daughter he’d been so proud of just a short time ago.

      ‘Look at the state of you!’ he said. ‘When I get my hands on the man who did this to you he’ll be sorry he was born.’

      As though his words had lit a fuse, Carol cried in anguish, ‘My baby wasn’t born. I killed it, Dad. I killed my baby.’

      For a moment Frank was too surprised to react, but as Carol shook with sobs he quickly stood up to go to his daughter’s side. At first he just stroked her head, but then Carol surged up and into his arms. He felt helpless, unable to understand why his daughter was in this state. She must have been only about twelve weeks pregnant, maybe less. ‘Come on, girl. You didn’t kill a proper baby. It would’ve been little more than a blob.’

      ‘A blob!’ she cried, pulling away from him. ‘How can you say that?’

      Frank had never been much good with words of comfort and it was with some relief that he heard a sharp knock on the door. He rose to open it and seeing two men he asked, ‘Yeah, what do you want?’

      ‘Mr Cole. I’m Colin Foreman, CID, and this is my colleague. Can we come in?’

      ‘What for?’ he asked, puzzled.

      ‘We’d like to ask you a few questions.’

      ‘What’s this about? What sort of questions?’

      ‘They concern your wife.’

      Frank paled and stood back, asking anxiously as the men walked in, ‘Has something happened to her?’

      ‘That’s what we’re here to find out, Mr Cole.’

      Both men saw Carol, and seeing the state she was in, Frank wasn’t surprised that their eyes widened imperceptibly. He said quickly, ‘This is my daughter, Carol. She hasn’t been well, but what’s this about my wife?’

      ‘We’d like to see her. Is she here?’

      ‘No, she … she’s gone to look after a sick relative.’

      ‘What relative?’

      ‘A … an aunt.’

      ‘I see, and where does this aunt live?’ Foreman asked.

      ‘Err … in Kent.’

      ‘At what address?’

      Frank swallowed and stalled by asking, ‘Why are you here asking me questions about my wife?’

      ‘All in good time, Mr Cole. Now as I said, I’d like this relative’s address.’

      ‘I haven’t got it.’

      ‘So you’re telling me that your wife has gone to look after a sick aunt, but you don’t know where this relative lives.’

      ‘Yeah, that’s right.’

      ‘Do you have any means of contacting your wife?’

      ‘Err … no.’

      ‘When do you expect her to return?’

      ‘I’m not sure. As soon as her aunt recovers I expect, but what’s with all these questions?’ Frank asked yet again.

      ‘We’re investigating certain allegations that have been made, Mr Cole, and as I’m not satisfied with your answers we’re going to have to take them seriously.’

      ‘Allegations! What allegations?’

      ‘They’re regarding the fact that your wife seems to have disappeared, and as I think this matter now needs further investigation I’d like you to accompany us to the station.’

      ‘What for? I haven’t done anything,’ Frank protested, but then he paled as the penny dropped. ‘Wait! Surely you don’t think I’ve done my wife in?’

      ‘Have you?’

      ‘No, no, of course not! If someone is accusing me of doing that they must want their head examined.’

      ‘Dad, tell them the truth. Show them the letter Mum left for you,’ Carol urged.

      Frank’s mind was reeling. Yes, Daphne’s letter, but where had he put it? He hurried to the mantelpiece, searching, but there was no sign of it. ‘I can’t flaming well find it!’

      ‘What’s this about a letter, Mr Cole?’ Foreman asked.

      ‘It’s one my wife left when she walked out on me.’

      ‘So now you’re saying that she isn’t looking after a sick relative.’

      ‘Yeah, that’s right. The truth is she left me.’

      Foreman’s eyes narrowed with suspicion as he asked, ‘So why concoct the story about a sick aunt?’

      Frank ran a hand through his hair in agitation. ‘Look, my wife walked out the same day that my daughter went into hospital and I was in a bit of a state. I just said that to keep the gossips at bay for a while, that’s all.’

      Foreman didn’t look convinced, but Frank saw a spark of the old Carol as she said sharply, ‘My dad isn’t lying. I saw the letter and read it.’

      ‘Did you recognise your mother’s handwriting?’

      Once again Carol flared as she snapped, ‘Of course I did!’

      Foreman didn’t react, unperturbed by Carol’s outburst as he said, ‘Nevertheless, I’d like to see this letter, Mr Cole.’

      Frank began searching again, finding it down the side of his fireside chair and with relief he was at last able to hand the letter to Colin Foreman. The man read it, passed it to his colleague, who so far hadn’t uttered a word and still didn’t as Foreman said, ‘It seems you’re telling us the truth this time, Mr Cole. It would have saved us a lot of time if you had done that in the first place.’

      ‘My dad hasn’t done anything wrong and whoever made the allegation is the one who wasted your time,’ Carol said angrily. ‘Was it Mabel Povis?’

      ‘I’m not at liberty to say, but I think we can say this matter is closed now.’

      With nods of goodbye both men left, and as Frank was still too stunned to react it was Carol who said as the door closed behind them, ‘He didn’t say it was Mabel, but I bet it was and I’m not letting her get away with it.’

      Frank looked at his daughter, thinking that at least the visit from CID had served to snap Carol out of her lethargy. ‘Leave it, love. No harm’s been done and we can’t say for sure it was her.’

      ‘I can’t believe СКАЧАТЬ