reached into the back seat for the list of guests that Phoebe had given them.
‘I’m surprised Hannah Brooks wasn’t invited. Over the last two or three months, I’ve seen photos of her with Bradley Johnson. They would have been in the Burnley paper, or maybe the Rossendale Free Press . She was planting trees or opening supermarkets or some such thing and Bradley was there, smiling for the camera and telling everyone how marvellous she was and how everyone should make sure she was our next MP.’
‘Perhaps she had something else on that night,’ Max suggested.
‘Yes, that’s possible. She’s pregnant, too, so perhaps she’s not doing much socializing at the moment.’ Her earlier thoughts came back to her. ‘Could a woman have killed him? I mean, would you have to be particularly strong or anything?’
‘It’s possible. A good blow from behind, so long as it had the element of surprise, wouldn’t have needed all that much weight or force. Then a couple more for good measure. Yes, it could have been a woman, I imagine.’ He took his eyes from the road briefly to look at her. ‘Are you thinking of Phoebe?’
‘It was just a thought.’
‘Yes. I had the same one.’
Chapter Six
Jill grabbed the bouquet of flowers from the back seat of her car, held them close against her chest in an attempt to protect them from the wind, locked the car, and ran up the drive to Hannah and Gordon Brooks’ house.
The doorbell was answered almost immediately by a tired-looking Gordon.
‘Jill, how lovely to see you. Come in.’
‘No, thanks, Gordon, I don’t want to intrude. I just wanted to say how very sorry I am for your loss. I only heard this afternoon. I’m so sorry.’
‘Thank you. But come in, please. Hannah would love to see you.’
His hand was on her arm and she had the feeling that, if she resisted, he would pull her inside by force. She guessed they were struggling to come to terms with the tragedy and finding it difficult to be in each other’s company for long stretches.
‘Thank you,’ she said, stepping inside.
Although Jill didn’t know him well, she’d always liked Gordon. Their first meeting had been at a lecture to Kelton Bridge’s local history society. Jill had only gone along because Ella had organized the event and had begged as many people as possible to support it. Gordon was a stalwart member of the society and had welcomed Jill and introduced her to several people.
He worked in Manchester for a firm that specialized in buying foreign properties, mostly in Spain and France, for people wanting to retire to the sun. He was quietly spoken, friendly and unassuming, and Jill had gained the impression that Hannah made all the decisions in their household.
‘Hannah’s in the lounge,’ he told her, ushering her through the hallway.
Hannah had been lying on the sofa, a duvet wrapped around her, but she stood when she saw Jill and went forward to give her a hug.
‘Are these for me?’ she asked. ‘Oh, Jill, you shouldn’t have. They’re gorgeous.’
‘They’re nothing,’ Jill told her. ‘I’m sure you could open a florist’s by now, but I always think flowers cheer a house. I’m so sorry, Hannah.’
‘Thank you.’
Hannah couldn’t quite meet her gaze. She was a strong character and Jill suspected that she could cope admirably until people said a kind word. That was often when people lost the tight control they had on their emotions.
‘I do have a few,’ Hannah went on, nodding at three floral displays in the room, ‘but you’re right, they do cheer the place up. Everyone’s been so kind,’ she added. ‘Let me see to these.’
Jill followed her into the kitchen where Hannah set about arranging the flowers with great care. Perhaps it helped to take her mind off everything.
‘I was speaking to Ella this afternoon,’ Jill explained, ‘and she mentioned that you’d come home from hospital this morning. She was horrified to learn that I didn’t know. News
‘I’m surprised Hannah Brooks wasn’t invited. Over the last two or three months, I’ve seen photos of her with Bradley Johnson. They would have been in the Burnley paper, or maybe the Rossendale Free Press . She was planting trees or opening supermarkets or some such thing and Bradley was there, smiling for the camera and telling everyone how marvellous she was and how everyone should make sure she was our next MP.’
‘Perhaps she had something else on that night,’ Max suggested.
‘Yes, that’s possible. She’s pregnant, too, so perhaps she’s not doing much socializing at the moment.’ Her earlier thoughts came back to her. ‘Could a woman have killed him? I mean, would you have to be particularly strong or anything?’
‘It’s possible. A good blow from behind, so long as it had the element of surprise, wouldn’t have needed all that much weight or force. Then a couple more for good measure. Yes, it could have been a woman, I imagine.’ He took his eyes from the road briefly to look at her. ‘Are you thinking of Phoebe?’
‘It was just a thought.’
‘Yes. I had the same one.’
Chapter Six
Jill grabbed the bouquet of flowers from the back seat of her car, held them close against her chest in an attempt to protect them from the wind, locked the car, and ran up the drive to Hannah and Gordon Brooks’ house.
The doorbell was answered almost immediately by a tired-looking Gordon.
‘Jill, how lovely to see you. Come in.’
‘No, thanks, Gordon, I don’t want to intrude. I just wanted to say how very sorry I am for your loss. I only heard this afternoon. I’m so sorry.’
‘Thank you. But come in, please. Hannah would love to see you.’
His hand was on her arm and she had the feeling that, if she resisted, he would pull her inside by force. She guessed they were struggling to come to terms with the tragedy and finding it difficult to be in each other’s company for long stretches.
‘Thank you,’ she said, stepping inside.
Although Jill didn’t know him well, she’d always liked Gordon. Their first meeting had been at a lecture to Kelton Bridge’s local history society. Jill had only gone along because Ella had organized the event and had begged as many people as possible to support it. Gordon was a stalwart member of the society and had welcomed Jill and introduced her to several people.
He worked in Manchester for a firm that specialized in buying foreign properties, mostly in Spain and France, for people wanting to retire to the sun. He was quietly spoken, friendly and unassuming, and Jill had gained the impression that Hannah made all the decisions in their household.
‘Hannah’s in the lounge,’ he told her, ushering her through the hallway.
Hannah had been lying on the sofa, a duvet wrapped around her, but she stood when she saw Jill and went forward to give her a hug.
‘Are these for me?’ she asked. ‘Oh, Jill, you shouldn’t have. They’re gorgeous.’
‘They’re nothing,’ Jill told her. ‘I’m sure you could open a florist’s by now, but I always think flowers cheer a house. I’m so sorry, Hannah.’
‘Thank you.’
Hannah couldn’t quite meet her gaze. She was a strong character and Jill suspected that she could cope admirably until people said a kind word. That was often when people lost the tight control they had on their emotions.
‘I do have a few,’ Hannah went on, nodding at three floral displays in the room, ‘but you’re right, they do cheer the place up. Everyone’s been so kind,’ she added. ‘Let me see to these.’
Jill followed her into the kitchen where Hannah set about arranging the flowers with great care. Perhaps it helped to take her mind off everything.
‘I was speaking to Ella this afternoon,’ Jill explained, ‘and she mentioned that you’d come home from hospital this morning. She was horrified to learn that I didn’t know. News
Similar Books
