Murder With Mercy Read Free Page A

hope.
    â€˜Mother!’
    â€˜Coming, dear.’ Ellie wished she’d had time to change out of her gardening clothes and shoes, and to clean up in the kitchen. Oh, horrors! The mess in the kitchen! ‘I’ll see to your tea. Won’t be a minute.’
    She hurried through to the kitchen to find Rose, arms akimbo, glaring at the still dirty sink and the flower pots on the draining board. ‘Sorry, Rose. I meant to finish before you woke up. Leave everything, will you? I’ll clear up when I’ve got rid of Diana.’
    Rose refilled the kettle with vicious haste. ‘What does Madam want this time? And don’t say it’s only a social call, because that one doesn’t “do” social.’
    Ellie clattered a fine bone china cup, saucer and teapot on to a tray, and delved into the fridge for a lemon to slice. ‘I didn’t realize there was any cake left.’ An empty cake tin was on the table, the lid on the floor underneath. Ellie retrieved the lid and replaced it on the tin.
    â€˜I kept a piece back for your tea but Mikey got to it first. He’d have had my hand round his backside if I’d got to him quicker.’
    â€˜He’s a growing boy.’ Ellie put tea bags into the teapot and poured on some boiling water. ‘Diana won’t eat cake, anyway.’ She carried her tray through the hall and into the sitting room. Diana was leaning back, eyes closed and hands clasped over her stomach.
    â€˜Here you are, then. How are you feeling today?’
    Diana’s pregnancy had not been an easy one, and she’d felt sick for most of the time.
    â€˜As if you cared.’
    Ellie didn’t reply. It was never any good arguing with Diana. ‘Nasty weather. How’s your husband? The last I heard he was hoping to get out of his wheelchair soon. I never knew a knock on the head could set you back so much.’
    A twist of Diana’s lips. ‘He’s given up, won’t make the effort any more. Sinking into self pity. “My life is over,” that sort of thing. I can’t be doing with him when he gets like this. He wants attention twenty-four seven. If I stay home with him he frets about the office and says we’re heading for bankruptcy. If I go to the office, he’s ringing me every five minutes, wanting me to come home.’
    Ellie didn’t care for Evan but she said, ‘Oh dear. How awful,’ and tried to mean it. ‘I thought he’d feel better once he was back in his own house. It must have been fun for you, decor-ating and refurnishing it to your own taste.’
    An arsonist had set light to Evan’s substantial detached house some months ago. Worse, the arsonist had been his mentally unstable son. A double whammy, you might say. It had taken months of work and a complete redecoration of every room before the place had been fit to live in again.
    â€˜Yes, yes,’ said Diana. ‘I haven’t been able to find a housekeeper and gardener to live in yet. Every time I arrange for Evan to interview someone, he turns them down. One drinks, another is too fat. He doesn’t know what he wants.’
    Perhaps, thought Ellie, he needed a loving, attentive wife. Ah well.
    â€˜As for that daughter of his,’ said Diana, with some animation, ‘she says she loves him to bits and wants to look after him, but she’s studying for her exams, and when she
is
at home, he doesn’t want her helping him to the toilet, or in and out of the bath.’
    â€˜Mm,’ said Ellie, ‘she’s a good kid, but I can see he wouldn’t want that.’
    â€˜Another thing; she studies with her headphones on, so when he calls for help, she doesn’t hear him. And, let’s face it, a schoolgirl can’t give him the companionship he needs. He needs someone older, more responsible, to be with him every minute of the day.’ Diana put down her cup. ‘He’s depressed, but