A Perfect Likeness by Roger Gumbrell Page B

recognise the lady in this photograph.’
    She studied it for a while before responding negatively.
    ‘Perhaps it may just help if I said she was with her long lost twin sister and wanted everyone to know how excited she was about meeting her.’
    ‘Oh, yes, I’ve got it now. Sorry about that. She was the poor lady who was murdered, wasn’t she? A terrible thing. I recall her saying something about how wonderful it was to have a twin. I have to say, however, that I was not totally convinced the other lady was her twin. There was something about the way they acted. Yes, they were alike, very alike in fact. If the hair had been the same I would have said as identical as you could get. But, in my experience, twins, even at their age, normally would have been much closer together and both would have been happy. Laughing and giggling. Do you know what I mean? Touching each other. Showing signs of that incredible bond twins tend to have. This was not the case, the ‘found’ twin stayed well in the background, didn’t speak and, to me, gave the impression she did not like all the attention.’
    ‘Have you seen the other lady since?’
    ‘No, I haven’t.’
    ‘Thank you very much for your help, Susan. If she should come in would you let me know, via Mr Myers.’
    ‘No problem. May I go now, Mr Myers? I’m in the middle of putting the new range of fashion bras on display. Boxes all over the floor. Not good for the customers.’
    ‘Yes of course, Susan, and thank you.’
    ‘I see what you mean, Mr Myers, personality plus the looks to go with it. Lucky lady.’
    Myers laughed. ‘Yes, not bad for a grandmother is she? Her husband is a police inspector, their youngest son has just been accepted as a police cadet and their daughter had twins last year.’
    Trish wished she had corrected Myers over his ‘working for the police’ comment.

    *

    ‘I could do with something a little stronger than coffee,’ said Trish, ‘I can feel myself shaking. I don’t feel much like anything to eat either.’
    ‘Must eat, Trish. We’ll have a light snack and a glass of wine.’
    It wasn’t busy and they elected to sit by a window. The Maxfords cafeteria was on the third floor and from their table it was possible to get a good view of the sea.
    ‘I love the sea,’ said Jackie cutting the pizza in half and sliding one portion on to Trish’s plate.
    ‘Me too, but are you not interested in my mornings work?’ Trish was transferring half of her salad on to Jackie’s plate as she spoke.
    ‘Don’t be silly, of course I am. I didn’t think there was much to tell as you were not gushing with news.’
    ‘Well now, where shall we start?’ She took a mouthful of pizza. ‘Mmmm, this is delicious. How’s your half of the salad?’
    ‘Oh, stop it, Trish. Don’t tease.’
    ‘Victoria did meet a woman who could have been mistaken for her twin. They also had coffee together in this cafeteria. The mystery lady has been back here, the last time with a handsome, muscular and tanned man. That was two to three months ago, the girls were not sure.’ She flicked over a page of her note book and ran her finger across it. ‘Here it is. Yes, it was the lady on the shop floor who said something interesting. A Susan Trent, who is the wife of a police inspector by the way, acknowledged they were almost identical but felt they were not twins. No bonding between them and the other woman stayed in the background as if she didn’t want the recognition.’
    Jackie placed her knife and fork on the plate and took a sip of wine. ‘Look at me, Trish, I’m shaking.’ She raised her arms out in front of her. ‘I’ve got your problem, but without the booze!’
    ‘You cow,’ said Trish feigning her anger.
    ‘I’m so glad we can joke about the problem, Trish, it has to help. What do you think about this lady?’
    ‘One thing is for sure, Michael hasn’t been lying to us, which is good news. Another witness, that waitress over there by the till,