The Silent Pool Read Online Free PDF

experience?’
    ‘It's just the way it is sometimes,’
    She lent back in her chair and took a deep breath.
    ‘Look, Erasmus, the only things important in my husband's life are God, me and his job, probably in that order.’
    Erasmus detected a note of bitterness.
    ‘He's a religious man then?’
    ‘Yes, he always was, though less so in the last few years. He was a choir boy at St Mary's when he was a kid and then when Father Michael left he followed him to the World Evangelical Church, the Third Wave.’
    ‘He's a born again?’
    ‘He's there come rain or shine every Sunday, he's a regular Ned Flanders.’
    ‘And you?’
    ‘Weddings, funerals and Christmas. We used to argue about it years ago, but not for a long time now. My husband is a good man. He just wanted to make sure my soul would be saved and now it's my turn to save him. He would never disappear like this unless something had happened. The police think he's run off with another woman. I know that's not the truth. I need your help.’
    She reached across the table and took hold of Erasmus’ hand.
    ‘Will you help me Erasmus?’
    ‘Hang on a second.’
    Erasmus stood up and walked across to the next table. A girl in her late twenties was busily writing in her notebook. Erasmus snatched the notebook off the table. There were gasps from the other customers.
    ‘What do you think you are doing!’ said the girl, looking up at him with large blue eyes hidden behind thick, black plastic spectacles. She looked frightened but Erasmus recognised something else there as well, defiance.
    Erasmus looked at the notepad and cursed. It was shorthand.
    The girl stood up and stretched out her hand.
    ‘Give me my book back,’ she said.
    Erasmus looked around; there were at least twenty pairs of eyes staring at him, waiting to see what he would do. He put the notebook back on the table.
    ‘My apologies, miss. Mistaken identity. I thought the notebook was mine.’
    The girl looked down and spoke quietly. ‘Bullshit.’
    As soon as the notebook was on the table the girl snatched it and shoved into her oversized bag before hurrying out of the café. Anxious silence was replaced by the regular café background noise as the threat of unpleasantness receded.
    Erasmus sat back down. Jenna looked appalled.
    ‘Do you want to tell me what that was about?’
    ‘She was listening in to our conversation and making notes.’
    ‘What had she written?’
    ‘I couldn't read it, it was in shorthand.’
    ‘How do you know it was about us then?’
    ‘There was one bit I did understand, my name, “Erasmus” and a question mark. Do you know why someone would be following you Jenna?’
    Jenna looked him dead in the eye.
    ‘I haven't got a clue. We aren't important people. But it must be connected to his disappearance surely? It can't be a coincidence, can it?’
    ‘I don't know, maybe, maybe not,’ said Erasmus.
    ‘Will you help me find Stephen?’
    Erasmus leaned back in his chair. He very much wanted to see more of Jenna Francis and the truth was he didn't think it was a coincidence that somebody was making notes on their conversation.
    ‘Yes I will.’

CHAPTER 4
    Marcus hadn't been to a church for over ten years and even now he wasn't sure that he could bring himself to go in.
    It was a Friday service, late afternoon, and he supposed that the fresh-faced vicar standing forlornly at the entrance to the church could blame the filthy weather for the poor attendance although Marcus knew, from having walked past the city centre World Evangelical Church earlier that day, that they had no problems with attendance on such a shitty day.
    He gave the lead a tug and pulled Toby, his black Labrador, away from the tombstone of an unknown soul lost at sea. The graveyard attached to St Christopher's, here at the estuary mouth of the Mersey in Crosby, was filled with such tombstones, testament to the killing power of the sea that lay beyond.
    Toby who had been about to leave his calling card