Read Corpse in Waiting for Free Online

side.
    â€˜How on earth did you know I was here?’ I asked.
    â€˜I’ve a thermal-imaging wife-seeking device on my mobile,’ Patrick said, jokey but still cool. ‘And I thought you were likely to be in a quarter of a mile radius of the estate agents.’ He eyed the sandwiches. ‘Have you put those in the sun deliberately?’
    I just looked at him and he looked at me, the temperature going down a few more degrees. Then he gave me one of his stock-in-trade penetrating stares. ‘Ingrid, what’s wrong ?’
    â€˜A body’s been found at the house,’ I whispered.
    â€˜A person , you mean?’
    â€˜A woman. The head was in a cupboard upstairs and the rest in the scullery. It was ghastly. Do you want the sandwiches? I’m not hungry.’
    Virtually shockproof after his service days, he pounced on them but presented me with the carton of juice. ‘Don’t get dehydrated – you’ve had a nasty experience. Would you like something stronger? I know of a nice little pub nearby.’
    â€˜No, I’m all right, thank you.’
    â€˜Is James on the case?’
    â€˜Yes. He’s going to call round at our hotel later. Where’s Alexandra?’
    The chilly barrier between us reappeared. ‘Gone off with a headache. She asked me to tell the estate agent that she wouldn’t look at any more houses today.’ A pause. ‘She’s really mad with you.’
    â€˜It’s irrelevant – she won’t want the place now.’
    â€˜Do you ?’
    â€˜James asked me that. I don’t know.’
    â€˜It seems to me you’ll do anything to stop Alex having it.’
    â€˜No, it’s not like that at all. And frankly, you ought to know me better than that after all this time. I fell in love with it. But you might be partly right – perhaps I don’t want it to fall into the hands of someone I know will tear it to pieces.’
    I thought he would carry on with that subject of conversation but he tackled the sandwiches instead, staring into space, munching with a slight frown.
    I drank the juice, not knowing what to say, and for a while there was silence.
    â€˜I’m almost sure I met Alex in a pub in Plymouth,’ Patrick said, finally.
    â€˜And I’m quite sure you’ve never been to a fashion show,’ I responded, speaking more curtly than I had intended.
    â€˜Your very good health,’ James Carrick said, raising the tot of single malt that Patrick had just given him. And then, exasperated, ‘Out of all the houses for sale in the world you could have looked at you had to choose that one.’
    â€˜Just think of it from the point of view that someone else who found it might be in hospital right now having suffered a heart attack brought on by the shock,’ I said, again finding myself speaking more sharply than the occasion demanded.
    Patrick said. ‘Do you have an identity for the body yet?’
    Carrick shook his head. ‘No. It was naked under the wrappings – no personal effects. I’m bracing myself to attend the PM tomorrow afternoon. First thoughts are that she was bludgeoned to death. But then to . . .’ He broke off.
    â€˜It might have been meant for a specific person to find,’ I suggested. ‘Some kind of horrible revenge.’
    â€˜That’s a possible explanation. The house belongs to an old lady who’s now in a nursing home, away with the birds. Apparently it had been rented to a nephew, who may or may not be her next of kin – we don’t yet know. Lynn’s been at the home for most of the afternoon trying to get some answers, but without success. But at least we have the address of a firm of solicitors who are acting for the owner from the estate agent so we’re working from there.’
    â€˜Do you want me to come to the nick and make a statement?’ I asked.
    â€˜If you could call in for a wee while tomorrow