2 A Different Shade Of Death Read Online Free PDF Page B

a bug or something yesterday, I wasn’t myself at all.”
    “No,
I don’t think you were. Doesn’t matter, we all have off days.”
    Frankie’s
face wrinkled up, his hand rubbed his stomach. “Speaking of off days, I think I
need the toilet again.”
    He
dashed towards the kitchen area, the toilet was located in a room at the far corner.
    “Charlie
Ford, show yourself!” Grace hissed quietly.
    Charlie
appeared. “Is that any way to say hello?”
    Grace
glared at him. “You’re still having an affect on Frankie, stop it! And where’s
Pearl?”
    “That
nosy old bat? Haven’t seen her since yesterday. I can’t help having an affect
on your brother, I can’t control it. I’m not feeling any pain today.”
    Grace
was just about to say, ‘Good for you,’ but she kept the words in. Charlie Ford
was having a bad affect on her temper. She wanted this matter of his murder
cleared up as soon as possible.
    Frankie
came back into the shop waving his hand in front of his face. “Made it just in
time. We need some more air freshener. You can go out now if you want, I’ll be
all right.”
    “I
can stay a while.” Grace had no intention of leaving him in this state.
    She
stayed for another hour in the shop. She helped Frankie price up the suits. She
ignored Charlie’s comments of how they were pricing the items too cheaply.
    At
9.30 Grace collected her coat and handbag. When Frankie wasn’t looking she took
the pocket watch out of the safe and placed it into her handbag.
    “Are
you sure you’ll be okay?” she asked Frankie as she prepared to leave.
    He
grinned and said, “I think I’m all empty now, there can’t be anything left
inside.”
    “Ring
me if you don’t feel well,” Grace said. She didn’t feel happy about leaving
him.
    Frankie
walked over to the shop door and opened it for her. “Get out Grace, you’re
getting on my nerves with all your fussing. I’ll be fine. See you later.”
    He
gently but firmly took her arm and pushed her through the door.
    Well,
he was certainly back to his normal self, Grace thought as she buttoned her
coat. Heathville was only a ten minute walk away, she turned in that direction.
    Charlie
appeared at her side. He nodded towards their shop. “Could do with a bigger
window display and a new sign. You really need to attract more customers.”
    Grace
took a tissue from her pocket and pretended to blow her nose, covering her
mouth up in the process. She mumbled, “I can’t talk to you in public.”
    She
put the tissue away and strode onwards. Charlie said he didn’t care that she
couldn’t speak to him, he had plenty to talk about. He had an opinion on
everything: all the businesses that they passed, the clothes that people were
wearing, even the route that Grace was taking.
    “There’s
a short cut you know,” he complained.
    Grace
stopped walking a few minutes later. There was no one around. She said, “We’re
here now.”
    Charlie
looked up at Heathville. A horrified gasp escaped from him, his body started to
shimmer.
    Grace
looked at him in concern. “What is it? What’s wrong?”
    He
raised a shaking finger. “The scaffolding! Look at what they’ve done to my
beautiful house.”
    Grace
looked at where the scaffolding was. There were workmen perched halfway up it.
They were aiming some sort of machine at the wall.
    “They’re
cleaning the house, aren’t they? Restoring it to its original colour, it looks
good.”
    Charlie’s
hands were pulling at his hair. “No! This wasn’t supposed to happen. The bricks
had darkened because of the soot from the mills. The stones had to stay black,
it was part of the history of the house. Amy knew I loved the house like that.
Why would she do this? I don’t understand.”
    Grace
looked at the part of the house that hadn’t been cleaned. It was black with
soot and smoke from when the nearby mills were in operation. She felt a sudden
pang of sadness, she could understand Charlie’s despair. Although the newly
cleaned