The Next Girl(Detective Gina Harte #1)(61)

Family photos and Christmas cards adorned the immaculate bookshelf behind her chair. Gina noticed a photo of a woman in her twenties standing with Mrs Lenton. She was holding a baby. ‘That’s a lovely photo of you and your family,’ Gina said as she pointed.

‘Taken last year. My third great-grandchild, a little boy. I am so blessed to have such a wonderful family,’ she replied. Gina smiled and opened her notes. She could see Jacob out of the corner of her eye trying to suppress a cough. He cleared his throat and reached for the glass of water in front of him.

‘You certainly are. They’re beautiful. Anyway, back to that morning. Tell me what you saw.’

‘As I said on the phone, I often wake up in the night. I have sleeping pills but I try not to take them all the time as they really knock me out and, as you know, they’re addictive. I treat myself to one a couple of times a week, but that night, I hadn’t taken any. I’d watched a bit of telly in my chair, like I am now, and I’d fallen asleep. I awoke about two. The room was cold as the heating is on a timer, and all I had to keep me warm was a throw over my knees.’

‘What happened when you woke up?’ Gina asked.

Mrs Lenton twiddled her thumbs and stared at the window. ‘I was tired but knew I wouldn’t sleep once I went to bed, so I went into the kitchen and took one of my tablets. They act quite fast so I knew I’d have to get myself up the stairs and ready for bed as soon as possible. That’s what I did. I turned the light off on the landing and felt my way along the walls to my bedroom. I remember my bedroom curtains being open. I can’t rest with them open, even after one of my tablets. We all have our going-to-bed routines, don’t we?’

‘We certainly do, Mrs Lenton,’ Gina replied.

‘You can call me Alice. Mrs Lenton sounds too formal, like I’m a head teacher or something. I worked in a delicatessen that we used to own. Me and William, when he was alive. I’d serve; he’d present the goods and do the paperwork. We were a good team,’ Alice said as she smiled.

Gina cleared her throat and glanced at Jacob. ‘Alice it is. Can you tell me what you saw when you reached your bedroom?’

Alice pulled a small piece of fluff from her thick tights and looked up. ‘I was getting a little sleepy at this point, so I leaned on the windowsill. I was about to close the curtains when I saw a man leaning against the lamppost just outside my house. He didn’t look drunk or ill, he was just loitering. At this point I was a little suspicious so I watched him, hoping that he would soon go away from my house. Being on my own, you can appreciate that I’m terrified at the thought of being burgled, especially when I’m at home. I have a good security system but people are clever, especially the young when it comes to technology. I suppose you know all this in your profession, don’t you, Detectives?’

‘We certainly do,’ Jacob croaked.

‘So, he was leaning against the lamppost,’ Gina said, trying to bring the wavering conversation back on track.

‘He was. It was odd. He wasn’t wearing a coat and it was cold. He just had on one of those zip-up hooded tops. The hood was up. I remember it was a dark colour, maybe black or navy, definitely not a warm tone like brown. I could tell that much in the lamplight. I remember him turning to look up at the houses, my house. He looked right into my bedroom. I don’t think he saw me, as the light was off and I was standing behind the curtain, but he did make my heart skip a beat. By this time my tablets were making me woozy.’

Rain began to tap on the window. Gina took a swig of her tea. It was just as she remembered her mother making: sweet with full-fat milk. ‘Did you see his face?’ she asked.

Alice pulled an embroidered handkerchief from her sleeve and wiped her nose. ‘He had a scarf covering his mouth and nose. I didn’t catch his eyes but he scared me. Something about the time it took him to stare up at our houses, like he was checking for signs of life before committing a crime. But then he walked away, down the street in that direction.’ She pointed towards the Jenkinses’ house. ‘I was so tired by then, I almost pulled my curtains off the hook as I drew them. I stumbled to my bed and woke up with a thick head about seven.’ The woman paused. ‘I’m sorry I didn’t see more.’

‘You’ve been really helpful, Alice.’

‘Did he burgle a house? There have been rumours up and down the street that Mr Jenkins was burgled. He’s such a lovely man and his children are lovely too.’

Jacob closed his notebook, coughed and drank the rest of his water. Gina knew she needed to put Alice at ease. ‘He wasn’t burgled, luckily. If you see this person on your street again, could you please give me a call?’ Gina handed her card to Alice.

‘I certainly will, Detective Inspector. What a credit to your sex you are. I wished I’d done more than work in a deli.’

‘You did do more. You and your husband were businesspeople; you worked hard. You have a lovely house and a beautiful family. You should be very proud of what you’ve achieved. Your great-grandson is adorable, too,’ Gina said as she stood. ‘We will now leave you in peace. You have my number.’



* * *



As they reached the car, Gina stood against the lamppost. It was the perfect vantage point. If he was seen, he could duck around the corner and head onto George Street. If he was undisturbed, he could see Luke Jenkins’ house perfectly from afar. Her gaze turned to the house next door, near where the intruder had been sitting and watching Luke. ‘He came from this direction both times. Maybe he parks up George Street,’ she said. They had interviewed many people who lived on the surrounding streets, asking them whether they’d spotted any unusual vehicles that had been parked on the road, anything that had seemed out of place, but nothing had been said. Again, no one had CCTV on the surrounding streets. This area was normally trouble-free. It was a nice area, where people felt safe.