Darkness Falls (Kate Marshall, #3)(76)

“How much does a hovercraft cost?” asked Kate.

“I don’t know. Probably more than I get in a whole year for my pension,” Elspeth chuckled. “He helped pull a wee doggy out last summer. Even when the mud is shallow, it’s thick like porridge, and you can get into trouble, like this woman did with her basset hound . . . You must have seen the reports on the local news?”

“The story of a basset hound getting stuck made the news?” asked Tristan. They’d now reached the bottom of the track.

“Of course not,” said Elspeth, flashing Tristan a flirtatious smile. “I meant people getting stuck in the sand, it often makes the local news . . . There isn’t a summer that goes by without a person or some foolish picnickers who drive out on the sand and then have to abandon their cars when they get stuck and the tide comes roaring back in.”

“Are they here often, Nick and Max?”

“A few days a week. They both have busy jobs . . . How well do you know them?” she said, shielding her eyes from the sun, which had just come out from behind a cloud.

“They seem to travel around so much—I’m used to seeing them in Exeter,” said Kate.

“You must come to their summer parties?”

“Yes, we enjoyed the masked ball last August, with the ice sculpture . . . I don’t remember seeing you there?” said Tristan.

“I’m too old for all that. I prefer to see the boys for morning coffee. Although Nick seems to always be away; I never get to see them together . . . Right. I’d better be off. Nice to meet you.”

“Lovely to meet you, bye,” said Kate. Elspeth gave them a nod and started along the sandy footpath to her bungalow.

As Kate and Tristan walked down to the car, Kate watched Elspeth picking her way along the footpath, and was pleased to see she didn’t turn to look back at them.

“I don’t know if I overdid it.”

“Where did you get Maureen and John?” asked Tristan.

“I don’t know.”

“Good thinking on your feet, though. It sounds like she’s a good friend of theirs.”

“Or is she just a nosy old biddy to keep an eye on their house whilst they’re away? I wonder why she was leaving with a bag of fruit. She was probably nicking it. Let’s go,” she said, shivering. They got in the car.

“It’s like the end of the earth,” said Tristan. He started the engine and turned on the heater. He turned the car around in the small parking area and then drove back down the sandy track. Thick cotton wool–like clumps of mist came drifting in front of the car, breaking away from the mist on the sand.

“We need to come back on Monday. I’m determined to talk to Nick Lacey,” said Kate.





42


Kate and Tristan spent the journey home discussing their next move. The traffic was bad along the M5, so they didn’t get back until five, and by that time, they were both tired and hungry.

“Let’s get a good night’s sleep and meet tomorrow,” said Kate when Tristan dropped her home.

She texted Jake to find out where he was, and he said he was coming back from a diving trip and would be home at seven.

Kate decided to make dinner for a change, rather than heating things up or ordering in. She could cook only a couple of things, and one of them was Jake’s favorite, chili con carne. Kate had the things she needed, and she set to work, glad of a distraction from the case. When Jake came in just before seven, she was happy to see his face light up with a smile.

“Chili con carne? Sweet!” he said. “You need a hand?”

“No. It’ll be ready in ten minutes; I’m just making the rice,” she said. “Do you want to eat outside? It’s lovely and warm.”

“Cool,” said Jake. He went to the fridge and got himself a beer and Kate an iced tea, and then he went out and sat on the porch.

When she came outside with two bowls of steaming chili, Jake was sitting in one of the chairs, looking out at a beautiful sunset.

“This smells goooood,” he said, taking the bowl of chili and a fork.

Kate sat in the chair opposite, and they started eating.

“How was the diving trip?” she asked.

“It was nice, just me and this girl, Becca. She’s the blonde-haired girl you saw the other day when you were in the car. She’s staying at the site with her mates.”

“She’s pretty.”

“She is, and she looks really good in a bikini,” said Jake. He put another forkful of chili in his mouth and smiled. “This is the second time she’s asked me to take her diving.”

“That’s cool. How old is she?”

Jake shrugged. “Twenty, I think. She’s in her third year at uni.”

“Is it serious?”

“No. She’s leaving on Saturday morning. It’s just been nice, casual.”

“Are you being careful?” said Kate, hating to ask the question but needing to make sure.

“Mum, Jesus, I’m eating,” he said, going red.

“Just tell me yes or no, and then we can change the subject.”

“Yes, I’m being careful . . . I’m the one who fills up the condom machine in the men’s shower block so there’s no shortage.”