Kennedy 01 - Into the Shadows Read Online Free PDF Page A

her doorbell interrupted him.
    ‘It’s open/ Jill called out, smiling sweetly at Max.
    He was never more than six inches from her right shoulder while she thanked the man and paid him, opened the cartons, took out a plate and cutlery.
    ‘That smells good. I don’t really have time, but I haven’t eaten all day’
    Suppressing a sigh, she took another plate from the cupboard.
    Samuel, too, had appeared from nowhere. All human food was high on that cat’s list, but chicken was his favourite. Chefs at Indian and Chinese restaurants could do with it as they pleased; it was still Sam’s favourite.
    She had hoped Max wouldn’t be staying long, but there was too much food for one, although probably not enough for two, not when one of the two was Max. But his need would be greater than hers; he seldom remembered to eat without being prompted.
    He forgot to eat because he never found time, and he drank because - well, Jill reckoned life in general stressed him to hell and he reckoned he simply enjoyed a drink.
    They’d agreed to differ on that long ago. Not her problem, she reminded herself. They’d parted almost a year ago now. So long as they could be civilized on the rare occasions they saw each other, that was fine. It wasn’t easy, but it was OK.
    ‘Is there any wine in this place?’ Max began searching, first the fridge, then the cupboards.
    ‘There’s a bottle of red in the cupboard above the microwave.’
    He found the bottle and soon had it open. It was only the second time Max had visited her here, yet he managed to make himself comfortable as if he’d known no other home. The knowledge irritated.
    Having eased her conscience by phoning her parents, Jill had planned to curl up in the sitting room with her food.
    Deciding the kitchen was less intimate, however, she put their food on the table and sat down. Max sat opposite. At least with two of them eating, it would be easier to keep Sam off the table.
    It was ironic, she thought, but she and Max had probably sat down to eat together more times in the last year than they had during the time they’d been together.
    She wondered if there was anyone else in his life. She never asked, of course, but she would dearly love to know. Half of her was jealous at the idea, but the other half, the sensible half, knew the poor woman was welcome to him.
    ‘So?’ she prompted, spearing a hot chunk of pineapple.
    ‘You were about to tell me why you’re here.’
    ‘This afternoon,’ he said, ‘a woman was killed in Kelton Bridge.’
    ‘Killed?’ She thought he was referring to an accident, but Max wouldn’t be involved in that. ‘You mean murdered?
    Here? In Kelton?’
    “In sleepy old Kelton Bridge, yes.’ His smile was mocking.
    ‘Must have been expecting a takeaway’
    She ignored his sarcasm. ‘Who?’
    ‘Alice Trueman. The vicar’s wife.’
    ‘No! Alice Trueman? But I only saw her on Friday night.
    I was talking to her.’ It simply wasn’t possible. Yet she knew it had to be true. ‘Are you sure she was murdered?
    It couldn’t have been an accident?’
    ‘Difficult to accidentally slit your throat from ear to ear.’
    ‘Good God. Who on earth would want her dead?’
    ‘That’s what I’d like to know. How well did you know her?’
    ‘I don’t really know her. I met her at a party on Friday night.’
    ‘What was she like?’
    Was.
    Jill pushed her plate aside, her appetite gone, and leaned back in her chair.
    ‘Very attractive,’ she said, causing an impatient raising of dark eyebrows. ‘Sorry. Um - down-to-earth, homely type, proud of her son, embarrassed by her husband. The vicar - what’s his name? - oh, yes, Jonathan Trueman is a bit of snob. As soon as I said I’d already met Michael, the son, he had to make sure I knew that Michael was soon off to uni and that his job at the filling station was only a Saturday job. Alice wouldn’t have liked that. She stopped him talking religion at me, too.’
    And now she was dead.
    ‘She was