Three Little Maids (32 page)

Farmer was lecturing her. ‘My advice to you, Ms Goring, is to watch it. Stick to the local news. Garden shows and jumble sales, they’re much safer.

‘And keep that pert nose of yours out of the Kaufman’s filthy back yard. You could dig up some shit and sleaze
there that’ll get you into real trouble. It’s our business to deal with them. Not yours. Linda would tell you that,’ he added caustically.

He stretched his lean frame upwards and gestured with his hand to the door. The talk was over as far as he was concerned; he’d emptied the bullets out of her automatic, or so he reckoned. But if anything it had made her even more determined to deal with the Kaufman’s personally.

‘Thanks for your time, Farmer.’ She stood up reluctantly to leave. ‘Would it be in order for me to visit her flat later? When you’ve quite finished with it? I have some personal things I’d like to pick up.’ He was wearing a frown again now. ‘We lent each other books frequently. I’ll ask permission from her parents first though. Oh - God! They must be devastated. They’ve been told?’

‘Yes.’ He opened the door for her. ‘Mr Handley is due to identify Linda shortly. Understandably they are in shock. As we all are.’

‘Of course...’

He studied her steadily and could hardly miss the flood of vivid colour in her cheeks and the tear filled eyes that this close inspection revealed.

‘I can sympathise with you. Good friends are hard to find, especially those we’ve known for years.’

‘Thank you.’ She looked into his eyes and saw with surprise that the sympathy in them was genuine. ‘I can’t promise you that I shall take note of your warning. But I promise that I will try not to interfere with your work.’

His next words were harsh. ‘You’d better keep to that, Ms Goring, or you and I will have cause to talk again. And next time I won’t be so easy on you.’

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