慔ow did Avril seem when you last saw her??asks Tanya.
慒ine,?says Jean. 慦e talked about the weather. You know, like you do.?
It doesn抰 sound to Tanya as if the two women had a very close friendship. She asks if Jean saw anything unusual yesterday morning.
慤nusual??says Jean, bridling slightly. 慦hat do you mean, unusual??
慗ust anything out of the ordinary,?says Judy, with a quick glance at Tanya. 慉ny callers. Anything unexpected.?
慖 just saw the cleaning lady going in at about eleven,?says Jean. 態ut I don抰 spend all day looking out of my window. The first thing I knew was when the ambulance arrived. I went next door then to see if I could help but Tina said that Avril had . . . well, passed.?
慞assed?is Tanya抯 least favourite euphemism for death. It seems far too casual somehow.
慏o you know Tina Prentice, the cleaner??asks Tanya.
慐veryone knows Tina,?said Jean. 慡he was devoted to Avril.?
Chapter 10
Tina Prentice is certainly very upset about Avril抯 death. She tells Judy and Tanya this whilst preparing lunch for two children, who look about two or three, feeding a white fluffy dog and making coffee.
慖 have the grandkids on Wednesday and Friday,?she explains. 慉nd my daughter抯 dog. I clean on Tuesdays and Thursdays. On Mondays I work in a care home. Oh, and I take in ironing.?She gestures at a pile of neatly folded clothing on the kitchen table. Tina lives about ten minutes?walk from Avril抯 bungalow in a semi-detached that Tanya at once categorises as 慹x-council? It抯 very comfortable, though, with a cheerful yellow kitchen and wooden floors. Tanya can see chickens in the garden. She gives the place a solid six.
慦hen do you have a rest??asks Tanya.
She means it seriously, but Tina laughs and says, 慖抣l relax when I抦 dead. I have Saturdays off. On Sundays I usually do a roast for the family.?
慔ow long have you worked for Avril??asks Judy, sitting at the table. The children, a boy and a girl, in their booster seats, eye them solemnly. Tina moves the clothes and puts sandwiches and fruit in front of them. Tanya feels her stomach rumbling and hopes Tina hasn抰 heard.
慙ike a sandwich??asks Tina.
慛o thanks. We抮e fine,?she says. She抣l have to get Judy to stop off on their way back to the station. Tanya is very keen on eating regularly. It抯 the best way of burning calories.
慖抳e worked for Avril since she moved here from Scotland about five years ago,?says Tina. 慡he and her husband, Tony. Such a lovely man. They wanted to retire on the Norfolk coast but Tony died only a year after they moved here. Cancer.?
慣hat must have been tough for Avril,?says Judy.
慥ery tough,?says Tina, now preparing chicken feed. 態ut she got on with things. That was the sort of woman she was. She got involved in the community.?
慍ould you tell us what happened yesterday??says Judy. 慡orry, I know this must be hard.?
Tina shoots a glance at the children, but they are still busy with their lunch.
慖 went round to Avril抯 at eleven as usual,?she says. 慖 remember it was a lovely day and there was a heron by Avril抯 pool. I took a picture of it. Avril and Tony loved birdwatching. It was one of the reasons they moved here. Avril wasn抰 in but that wasn抰 unusual. She worked part-time at the library and did lots with the church. I cleaned the kitchen and hoovered the sitting room but when I went to Avril抯 bedroom it was locked.?She looks again at the grandchildren. 慏o you two want to feed the chickens??she says. She helps them down and sends them into the garden with a pail. Then she turns back to Judy and Tanya.
慣he key was in the lock,?she says. 慉ll the rooms have keys but I was surprised to find it locked. I opened the door and Avril was there on her bed. I went over to her and took her pulse. I work in a care home so I know first aid, but I could see it was too late. I rang an ambulance though, just in case. Even tried CPR. But, like I say, it was too late. Her body was cold.?