The Bones in the Attic by Robert Barnard

like?”
    â€œPerfectly nice to pass the time of day with,” said Hester. “Being a widower, he didn’t entertain or anything like that. Mostly we talked over the garden hedge. The only time I set foot in the house, and that was just in the kitchen, was when I’d taken delivery of a parcel for him. The kitchen looked as if it hadn’t been changed since the houses were built, and I did wonder whether an elderly chap like him wouldn’t be better off with some modern cooker rather than an Aga. But of course, you’ll know what the kitchen looked like.”
    â€œThe modern cooker has just been installed,” said Matt, smiling. “I cook but I don’t slave if I can help it. Did you notice Mr. Farson becoming senile?”
    They cast looks at each other.
    â€œWell . . . not at first,” said Jacob. “Just little things like saying something a second time a minute or two after he’d said it the first time—the usual sort of things. He seemed to be losing his grasp, but quite gradually. Then—when was it?—one day last year it must have been, Hester saw him in the middle of the day gardening in his pajamas.”
    â€œI didn’t know what to do,” said Hester, looking at Matt with genuine compassion in her face. “If I’d gone out and said anything he would have been so embarrassed and ashamed. On the other hand he could have walked up to the shops like that, which would have been even worse. Luckily we had his son’s telephone number—old Mr. Farson had given it to us when he went to stay for a few days with his daughter in Milton Keynes. So I rang the son up and he was round like a shot. He came to see us later to thank us, and said he’d been noticing the signs for some time. That was really the beginning of the end for poor old Mr. Farson. They say he’s hardly capable of any sort of conversation now.”
    â€œI heard he was a bit better than that,” said Matt. “I suppose it’s a question of which day you catch him on.”
    â€œComes to all of us,” said Jacob Goldblatt.
    â€œIt does not!” said Delphine brightly. “We’ve all got to live in the hope that we can keep that particular wolf from the door. Tell him about the woman, Hester.”
    The long, concerned face paused for a moment in thought.
    â€œWell, I didn’t tell anyone at the time, apart from Jacob. It was a while ago now—five, six, seven years, I couldn’t really say.”
    â€œSeven or even longer,” said her husband.
    â€œProbably you’re right. It usually is longer than one thinks, at our age. Anyway, it was nothing more than an incident, really. I was at my back door putting milk bottles out, and I saw this—this figure go past down the back lane. There must have been something about her, perhaps about the way she moved, almost floated, but anyway, I stood there for a moment, and the footsteps stopped outside Elderholm. We’re two down from you, Mr. Harper, by the way: the Willows. So I was curious, frankly, and went down to my gate and looked along. She was outside what is now your house, looking over the gate, up at the house. This was another situation where I didn’t quite know what to do. One doesn’t want to seem like a busybody, does one?”
    â€œDoesn’t usually bother you,” said her husband.
    â€œIgnore him. I wondered for a moment if it was Mr. Farson’s daughter, whom I’d never seen: but I’d heard she was crippled. And if it was her, why was she looking up at the house? Eventually I just called out, ‘Can I help you?’”
    â€œWhat happened?” asked Matt. Hester looked troubled.
    â€œShe turned and came toward me. I realized at once she was mad, or disturbed, or whatever euphemism one cares to use. She actually answered my question, though she was reluctant, hesitant. She said, ‘I don’t think so. There’s