Power Games Read Online Free PDF Page A

to the point of a disciplinary. And then the ring—’ Kate shook her head.
    â€˜No one would have known if you’d pocketed it.’
    Kate flushed. ‘I would.’ No need to point out it wasn’t worth stealing anyway.
    Â 
    From one powerful presence to another. Great Aunt Cassie was ensconced, not in bed, but in her armchair. After pouring her the obligatory stiff gin, Kate sat down on the day bed opposite her.
    â€˜They’re still working, these new pills,’ Cassie informed her, proving it by holding out one hand only for the tumbler. ‘And you’ve no idea how much better they suit my insides. The diarrhoea’s much better. And the doctor thinks he’ll try some new tablets next time I have my water-works troubles.’
    â€˜Perhaps you won’t have any more trouble if you carry on with your daily cranberry juice,’ Kate said, deciding that the general tenor of the conversation could be improved.
    â€˜Nasty bitter stuff. And have you seen the amount of sugar they put in it to make it palatable? What’s that you’ve got there?’
    Kate laid the button on her aunt’s outstretched palm. The skin was so dry. She’d better buy the old lady some rich hand-cream – always assuming she’d use it, of course. She was just as likely to give it to one of the carers. Cassie was like that. She had not only given Kate the house, she’d lent her a great deal of money to repair and decorate it. Now the London house was sold, Kate had paid her back, only to have the old woman refusing a penny in interest.
    â€˜I think it’s a button,’ Kate said. ‘It’s from your back garden. Alf – the workman, do you remember him? – found a hoard. So now we’ve got to decide what to do with them. And with the site.’
    Cassie snorted and held her hand out for Kate to retrieve the button from where she’d placed it. ‘Nothing but rubbish. You get on with your garden. That’s what matters. You’re paying that man good money to dig the place over – let him dig it. No need to worry about this muck. Chuck it in the bin. Forget about it.’
    â€˜Oh,’ came a quiet voice from the door. ‘I don’t think she could do that, do you?’
    Graham!
    Who came in and, taking Cassie by the other hand, kissed her cheek, something Kate rarely dared to do. And the old dear obviously loved it – well, why not? A good-looking man must be a rare enough occurrence in her world.
    Straightening, Graham held out his hand for Cassie to tip the button into it and turned to Kate. He was still smiling, but a quirk of his mouth might have suggested embarrassment, too. As for Kate, she didn’t know what she felt. How could a man who could be hard to the point of unforgiving at work find time to be kind to an old lady who’d perfected ungraciousness to an art form? Cassie’s oft-repeated explanation was that he couldn’t stand his mother-in-law and regularly slipped in for five minutes while he waited for his wife to escape Mrs Nelmes’ clutches. So it was nothing unusual for him to be here. But for them both to be here, out of their usual context, disturbed Kate – and, she suspected, him too. If she couldn’t forget what had passed between them, she was sure he couldn’t.
    Hesitating a moment, Graham sat down beside her. He held out the button on his outstretched hand, just as Cassie had done.
    â€˜It was this that was under your woodshed?’
    â€˜And lots more. And’ – she dug in her pocket – ‘some bone ones, too. Too many to be ignored, really.’
    â€˜I don’t know what you’re making such a fuss about,’ Cassie put in, holding out her glass. ‘And more to the point, why you want to pull that shed down.’
    Kate got up to refill the glass. She gestured with a spare glass to Graham, who blinked with amusement as she sliced lemon and