Ring of Lies (3 page)

‘
We’re quite alone out here.
If I wanted to, I assure you I could drop you where you stand.
’

Grace ceased to breathe. She knew he was right.
‘
What do you want from me?
Who are you?
’

‘
Your husband
kept
files that are of great
importance
to me.
’

‘
All client files are stored at the office.
’

The stranger shook his head.
‘
Not
paper
files
, e
lectronic files
—computer disks
.
’

‘
Whether
the information you
require
is
on paper or
on a computer
, I can assure you
,
I don’t h
ave anything belonging to you.
’

He smirked, never b
linking
, and then
released her arm.
‘
You’re telling the truth.
’

‘
Of course I am.
’

‘
It’s a good thing you are.
I know when women are lying.
You wouldn’t want to lie to me,
Mrs.
Elliott.
Not ever.
It wouldn’t bode well for you.
Now I’ll let you go.
You’ll be late for your appointment with
your husband’s solicitor
.
’

‘
How do you know that?
’
Grace’s
fingers tighten
ed
a
round the strap of her
purse
, until
her nails dug into her palm
.

‘
It’s my business to know things.
By the way,
have you spoken to
your sister
lately
?
’

Grace’s head jerked up.
‘
That’s none of your business.
’

The man merely smiled.
‘
Of course it’s not.
I won’t keep you any longer,
Mrs.
Elliott
.
I’ll be in touch again
soon
.
’
He turned
and limped away into the mist
.

Sweat gathered along
Grace’s
spine as grief
was replaced by fear
.
Her heart hammered beneath her ribs.

‘
Wait
!
Please!
Is
Catherine
in trouble?
If you know
anything at all about
her
,
please
tell me.
’

He didn’t turn around.
‘
Goodbye,
Mrs.
Elliott.
’

She
stared at his retreating back
.
Who was he
?
Someone violent enough to instil fear, that much was certain.
W
hat did
Catherine
’s whereabouts have to do with
the stranger’s
computer disks?
And ho
w
did
this man
know
about
her
appointment
with the solicitor?
Was it
a lucky guess?

She took a deep, unsteady breath, and hurried out of the chur
chyard toward
the waiting car.

‘
Who was that?
’
Olivia asked, as Grace slipped into the passenger seat.

‘
O
ne of Daniel’s clients.
’
Sh
e rubbed her arm.
‘
I told him to speak to Shaun
.
’
She
twisted in her seat to
look back at the wooden lych-gate,
but the stranger had vanished.

‘
Well, not to worry, my dear,
’
Olivia replied.
She selected first gear and released the handbrake.
‘
Are you
sure you don’t want me to come
with you to the solicitor
’s office
?
’

‘
Thanks
for the offer
, but no.
I think this is something I should do on my own
.
’

Olivia sighed.
‘
Then I’ll drop you off in town.
But you need to know I don’t approve.
’

‘
I’ll be fine.
Besides, didn’t you say one of the veterinary nurses is off with the flu?
’

‘
Rufus
, Tom’s assistant, has come down with it too
. O
therwise Tom would have come to the funeral.
I
t’s very difficult to find a locum vet at short notice.
And you know how agitated Tom gets if he has to cope with reception duties as well as his patients.
But if you want
ed
me to stay, I daresay he could manage on his own for another hour or two.
Can I change your mind?
’

‘
You
and Tom hav
e been marvellous.
I don’t know what I would have done without your support.
And thank you for
the
hat.
I just hope the rain hasn’t ruined it.
’
She
took
it off and
laid
it on the rear seat.

‘
Darling, think nothing of it.
That’s what friends are for.
’

Grace turned and smiled at the woman next to her.
Olivia’s dark hair was cut into a sleek dark, chin length bob, and despite the sadness of the occasion, her blue eyes brimmed with happiness.
Pregnancy suited her.

‘
I have to get used to being on my own
.
Besides, you’ve the baby to think of.
You should be sat at home with your feet up, not running around after me.
’

‘
Well, I must admit, I’m starting to feel tired
, and my ankles swell if I stand for too long
. B
ut if you would like me to stay until that wayward sister
of yours
gets in touch
, I can.
’

Grace shook her head.
‘
No, really, I’ll be fine.
’

‘
Ah, here we are.
’
Olivia pulled the car into a vacant parking space outside the
pharmacy
.
‘
I’ll call you this evening
to make sure you’re all right.
’

Grace climbed out of the passenger seat
. I
t was market day, and the small Cotswold town was crowded with Christmas shoppers.
Grace felt anxious as she walked along the bustling
s
treet toward the solicitor’s office.
She hated dealing with people in authority
:
Daniel had insisted
on handling everything himself.

As she passed the shoe shop
,
Grace caught
sight
of her
reflection
in the window.
She looked gaunt
, much older than her thirty-two years
.
The jacket of the hastily purchased black woollen suit hung off her shoulders, making her appear anorexic.
Her normally pink cheeks were pale, and there were dark
circles under her
deep blue
eyes.
Even her chestnut-
coloured
hair lacked lustre.
Perhaps she should have worn it loose instead of scraped back in a bun,
which highlighted
the hollows in her cheeks.
She shrugged.
It was too late to
worry about her appearance now.

She took a deep breath, and pushed open the door of the solicitor’s office.
The staccato of her heels echoed on the polished marble floor.
She hardly noticed the décor as the exquisitely groomed receptionist showed her into the
conference room
where an
old, bespectacled gentleman sat behind
an enormous
desk.
He
creaked to his feet
when she entered the room.