Unnatural Wastage Read Online Free PDF

Sukey pointed out.
    â€˜I suspect he’s inclined to exaggerate when it suits him. Wilkins might have been a bit shaken by his discovery, but “practically gibbering” sounds a bit OTT.’ Rathbone knitted his brows and thought for a moment. ‘I wonder why he was so keen to get Wilkins into his flat.’
    â€˜Perhaps he thought Wilkins might have noticed him and Fenella crossing swords about something and wanted to persuade him not to mention it to us,’ Sukey suggested.
    â€˜Maybe. It’ll be interesting to hear how far other people, among both the neighbours and their colleagues at Maxworth Foods, share his opinion of Ms Tremaine. By the way, how come you know so much about the company?’
    â€˜Harry Matthews has been following the story for the
Echo
and we were talking about it the other day.’
    â€˜Ah yes, your young news-hound,’ said Rathbone. ‘So you two are still an item?’
    â€˜In a manner of speaking, Sarge,’ Sukey admitted with a smile.
    â€˜Good luck to you. OK, let’s see how the CSIs are getting on.’
    By the time they left Ellerman’s flat the ambulance and police cars had left and been replaced by a mobile police station. They went inside and found Sergeant Drury and a uniformed constable drinking tea.
    â€˜We could do with a cuppa if there’s one going,’ said Rathbone. ‘We’ve just been interviewing a witness who sat swilling scotch without offering us so much as a sniff at the bottle, and informed us he could only spare fifteen minutes before his favourite telly programme started.’
    Drury gave a sympathetic grin. ‘That wouldn’t be Mr Ellerman, by any chance?’
    â€˜Got it in one, but it’s
Doctor
Ellerman, he’d have us know.’ Rathbone’s tone was sardonic. ‘He admitted he didn’t like the victim “before we heard it from anyone else” he was at pains to tell us. He went on to add that she wasn’t flavour of the month with a lot of people, either here or at work, but that he didn’t know of anyone who’d want to murder her. That included himself, of course. He’s employed by the same company as she was, by the way – Maxworth Foods.’
    â€˜We didn’t know that,’ Drury handed mugs of tea to Rathbone and Sukey, which they accepted gratefully, ‘but we do know that he and the deceased weren’t exactly best friends. One of the statements we have here –’ he took a sheet from a folder and handed it to Rathbone – ‘is from a Mr John Yardley. He lives at number thirty on the third floor in the second block and he mentioned a rather acrimonious argument between the two of them at a recent residents’ meeting – not the first, he told us.’
    Rathbone was scanning the statement. ‘He says he used to be her line manager before he retired, but knows nothing of her private life,’ he commented. ‘We’ll see him tomorrow.’
    â€˜There’s another statement here – a joint statement by two ladies. One of them – a Miss Kate Springfield – has lived at number eight for the past six months. The other is her cousin, Miss Patricia Godwin, who was spending the day with her. They’re both what my father would have described as “maiden ladies of a certain age”. Miss Springfield claims she’s hardly spoken to Tremaine and knows nothing about her except that she was at the residents’ meeting I just mentioned and witnessed the “difference of opinion” as she called it with Doctor Ellerman. She was rather upset and wanted her cousin to stay with her overnight, but Miss Godwin insisted she had to go home to feed Henry.’
    â€˜Her dog?’ said Sukey.
    Drury grinned. ‘No, her cat. Quite a remarkable animal, I understand.’
    â€˜Well, if Kate has only lived here for six months she’s unlikely to know much about any bad