慖s that your wizard friend??says Cathy. She has refused cake because 慽t抯 a five hundred calorie day?but she抯 not a bad sort really.
慔e抯 a druid,?says Kate.
慦hat抯 the difference??says Jack.
慏ruids are real,?says Kate. She specialises in unanswerable replies which can sound rude if she抯 not careful. Ruth is just about to plunge in with more questions about the zoo when her phone pings. It抯 from Alison.
R U in Eltham?
Ruth types back 憏es?though she knows Kate wants to remind her about the 憂o phones at the table?rule.
OMG. It must be a sign! School reunion tonite! U up for it?
Is she?
Chapter 2
Nelson is looking at a photograph of a dead woman. This is not normally something that he would do at home, on a Saturday, but his wife, Michelle, has taken their youngest child on holiday to their native Blackpool and so he has the house to himself. He had decided on an afternoon of watching rugby and drinking beer, but this was spoiled by his German shepherd dog, Bruno, who stood in front of the television, sighing. Eventually, Nelson took Bruno out for a walk and, when they returned, Nelson didn抰 seem to be able to recapture that Saturday afternoon feeling. He thought about Michelle and Georgie. They were visiting Michelle抯 mother and Nelson was pretty sure that they would be at the Pleasure Beach today. It wasn抰 Nelson抯 favourite place and he spent several minutes worrying about safety harnesses and passing child molesters. Then he thought about Ruth and Katie in London. Ruth had said that she was packing up her mother抯 belongings which must be a sad task. Nelson can抰 imagine life without his mother, although he抯 glad she lives two hundred miles away. But thinking of his mother makes him think of a conversation he had with her at Christmas and a decision he needs to make. He can抰 think about that now, not with Bruno staring at him trustingly and Georgie抯 toy garage in the corner of the room. So he takes refuge in work.
Samantha Wilson was found dead yesterday at six p.m. She was lying on her bed beside an empty bottle of pills. Her body was found by her adult son, Brady, who had called in to the semi-detached house in Gaywood when he became concerned at Samantha not answering her phone. There will have to be a post-mortem but all the signs point to suicide. And yet . . .
Samantha was fifty-two, Nelson抯 age. She was divorced with two adult children: Saffron, a beautician, and Brady, a personal trainer. Samantha worked part-time at the local library. The scene was attended by two uniformed PCs who reported no signs of forced entry or struggle. The photograph, taken by one of the officers, shows a woman lying, fully dressed, on a flower-patterned duvet. Her face looks peaceful, her ash-blonde hair neatly arranged. Brady, who抎 been too shocked for a proper interview, said that his mother had not seemed depressed or worried. This, in itself, is no reason to suspect foul play. Children, even grown-up children, don抰 always know what goes on in their parents?minds. No, what worries Nelson is the description of the kitchen. Sergeant Jane Campion has done a thorough job: Daily Mail on the table next to an empty coffee mug, vase of tulips, empty water glass upside down on the draining board, ready meal in the microwave. This last is what抯 making Nelson wonder if the Serious Crimes Unit should be involved. Because who puts a Weight Watchers?chicken and lemon risotto in the microwave if they抮e planning to kill themselves?
His phone buzzes. Jo Archer. Why is Nelson抯 boss ringing him at home?
慔i, Nelson,?says Jo. 慙ook, it抯 nothing to worry about.?
慦hat isn抰？？says Nelson, worrying.
慖抳e been thinking about coronavirus.?
Even Nelson hasn抰 been able to avoid hearing about the deadly flu that apparently started in China. The news has been full of cancelled flights, holidaymakers trapped on a cruise ship like some modern-day re-enactment of the Flying Dutchman. Nelson is sorry for anyone caught up in it, of course, but it does slightly confirm his view that it抯 better to avoid holidays altogether.
慔ave there been more cases here??he asks. 慖n the UK??