Read Flight Path: A Wright & Tran Novel for Free Online

the way home and that was all he would take and I think the son is the same. More’s the pity though because he’s a great quizzer from what I hear.”
    Kara leant her hand gently on the woman’s upper arm again, “What happened to Mr and Mrs Amberley, Daphne?”
    “A car accident dear. They both died, let’s see, oh it must be twenty years ago now. Maybe more. Little Franny was so brave at the Church. Almost the whole town was there and rightly so for big Franny was well liked and Mrs Amberley was such a lovely lady. Up in front of that big crowd he stood and did a reading. Very good he was, well spoken. I remember it like it was yesterday and him only just eighteen and them both still so young and her such a beauty. Ah well, you can’t have it all now can you?” Daphne finally paused for breath and took a sip from her cup of tea behind the bar.
    “I’m sorry Daphne, how do you mean?”
    “Oh now, that’s just me saying what we all thought. Little Franny was such a quiet boy, like his Dad. He got quieter still after the accident but he started working at the marina and it settled him. He obviously got his Dad’s brains but he got none of the looks of his Mother. Still not married now and I always think that’s sad for a man. Such a shame for them not to have a woman to look after them.”
    Jacob looked to Tien and jokingly nodded in support of Daphne’s suggestion of domestic bliss. Tien folded her arms and gave him her sternest stare. Then broke into a grin.
    Kara decided to try to push things forward. “So do you know which pub Franny goes to for his pub quizzes, Daphne?” She asked as gently as she could.
    “Oh yes dear,” said Daphne reaching for her cup and taking another sip of tea.
    Kara waited but there was nothing more forthcoming. She considered pressing the point but then thought better of it. There were only two other pubs to check out and the walk would probably be pleasant.
    “Daphne, we’ve got to go out, but you’ve been marvellous. Really marvellous. Thank you. Would it be okay for us to catch up again and hear more about the town?” Kara enthused.
    “Of course dear, of course. It’s my pleasure.”
    Kara nodded to Tien and Jacob to head for the door.
    “Excuse me, dear,” Daphne called.
    Kara turned, flanked by the others, “Yes Daphne?”
    “You and your friends, you’re not journalists are you?”
    “No, Daphne, we’re not. Why do you ask?”
    “Oh, I just wondered dear,” Daphne said distractedly. Kara began to turn away but the old lady continued, in a much firmer voice, “it would have been normal for a fuckin’ journalist to lie to me. Treat me like some old fool. I can’t stand fuckin’ journalists. So if you were, you’d be finding somewhere else to sleep tonight.”
    Kara knew her face had registered a look of disbelief at the old lady’s use of expletives.
    “You look shocked dear, but I’ve run a pub less than a mile from a docks for the last half century. I can swear like a sailor if I need to. If you aren’t journalists, why do you want to know about Francis Amberley?” The Suffolk burr had fallen from her accent and she was pure East End now.
    Kara walked slowly back to the bar. Daphne was standing straighter, her arms stretched out and her palms down on the counter top. She hadn’t grown in stature but her body language was so much less the frail old woman than it had been during the previous discussion. It was rare for Kara to be suckered-in by anyone, but this landlady had done it easily. She had let Kara see what she wanted to see and reeled her in. The one thing Kara knew for certain was that to lie to her again would be a singularly stupid thing to do.
    “No Daphne, we’re not journalists. We’re private investigators, hired to look into the circumstances surrounding the death of Derek Swift. We just want to talk to Francis about what happened. That’s it.”
    The old lady nodded slowly.
    “Is anything that you told me true?” Kara