Read Revenge in the Cotswolds for Free Online Page B

old things in the home do need somebody on their side. It’s much too easy to make their remaining days a complete misery.’
    ‘And we can’t have that, can we?’
    ‘Thanks. I knew you’d understand.’ He still sounded worried. ‘I’m hoping the police won’t reveal the source of their information, but it’s bound to get out. Or they’ll figure it out for themselves. And if the place is closed down, that’s not going to help the inmates, is it?’
    ‘Too late to worry about it now, love. Listen, it must be nearly time for you to go. I’ll call you again tomorrow. But first I have two quick questions.’
    ‘Fire away.’
    ‘First – do you know what galanthus is?’
    ‘Um … snowdrops, isn’t it? I remember when Karen planted them all along our bank, she said that was their proper name.’
    ‘Great. Thanks. It’s the name of this house, you see. The other thing is – have you come across a newfangled type of washbasin – you know, in a fancy modern bathroom, where you push the plug in and then can’t get it out again?’
    ‘Not that I can recall.’
    ‘Well, there’s one in the other house I’m minding. I couldn’t for the life of me see how you do it.’
    ‘Try pushing it down further. It might be on some sort of spring.’
    ‘No, no. That can’t be it. It’s already right down.’
    ‘Just try it, okay. If everything else fails, try the counter-intuitive angle.’
    ‘That would never have occurred to me in a thousand years. I can’t wait to go back and see if you’re right.’
    ‘I think it’s called lateral thinking.’
    There followed two minutes of sentimental exchanges along the lines of how greatly they approved of each other. Then Drew said, ‘Oh, I think that’s Hilary now. I’ll have to go.’
    ‘One last thing,’ she called, wondering how she could have left it so late. ‘My brother Damien’s wife is pregnant. She’s forty-four.’
    ‘Good for her. So is Maggs. She told me not to tell you, for reasons I don’t understand. Speak to you tomorrow, sweetheart. Sleep well.’
    And he was gone.

Chapter Five
    She woke next morning, still thinking of the two new babies soon to force themselves into the world, neither of them ever even dreamt of in her own personal scheme of things. If Maggs had a baby, that would hugely impact on Drew’s business. She wouldn’t be able to drop everything and go on removals at all hours of the day and night. Well – perhaps she could do the nights, when her husband Den could mind the child. And perhaps she could take it with her at other times. Drew had looked after Stephanie at the same time as running Peaceful Repose, when Karen returned to teaching. Den, in his late thirties, was still not entirely settled to any proper career. He had gone into the police initially, but deemed himself a failure at it, in some way Thea had never grasped. He seemed like a man born out of his time, a sort of Dixonof Dock Green set down in the wrong era. Even the uniform must have looked all wrong on him, with his extreme height. He and Maggs made a couple even more physically ill-matched than Damien and Judy. At roughly the time Thea met Drew, Den had found a job at Bristol Airport, as a security officer. As far as she could gather, he was enjoying it enough to generate some hope that he might stick with it for some time to come. The hours were regular, with overtime available, and the pay substantially more than he had earned for ages. He always had a new story to tell about some benighted passenger falling foul of the surveillance system.
    It was awful of her, she realised, not to feel thrilled at the imminent new lives. She did try, but all she could think was that her brother’s life would be changed forever, and possibly not for the better. As for Maggs and Den, they would no doubt make excellent parents, and produce a lovely dark-eyed child. But the consequences for Drew were unlikely to be beneficial.
    Gwennie was slow to rouse, curled in her