Free Somebody Told Me by Stephen Puleston Page A

of papers and took me through each one. There were documents and letters which he tried to explain in layman’s terms. An hour passed quickly and Papa started tidying his papers when the front door bell rang. I heard Mamma’s footsteps and then the sound of a greeting as she opened the door.
    ‘Mrs Marco, lovely to see you.’
    The voice of my ex-partner, Jackie, was unmistakable. I had seen more of Jackie in the last three months than I had in the previous three years – Dean’s recent admission to hospital had seen to that. Thankfully he had survived the operation he needed on his brain after a fall, but I had spent hours in the hospital and it had thrown Jackie and me together.
    Mamma had always liked Jackie and the feeling had been mutual. I silently cursed my mother for having orchestrated an invitation for her to join us for dinner. I flashed an angry glance at my father but he was staring at the computer screen reading emails so I went downstairs.
    ‘Nice to see you, Jackie.’
    She gave me a smile and held my gaze a little longer than normal. I gave her a brief kiss on the cheek. Her skin felt smooth; her perfume lingered in my nostrils.
    ‘I didn’t know you were joining us.’
    For a moment, she looked puzzled. Then my mother cut in. ‘Of course you did. I told you last week.’
    Jackie wanted to reply but Mamma fussed over her, leading her by the arm into the kitchen, telling her the finer details of the recipe she’d been assembling. I followed them, helped myself to some sparkling water and listened to their conversation. Mamma still treated Jackie like a daughter-in-law, sharing the occasional confidence, asking her advice – both ignoring me.
    ‘Where’s Dean tonight?’ It had taken a degree of her prior planning to make these arrangements.
    ‘Dean’s staying with some friends.’ She paused, a serious look in her eyes. ‘I’ve been thinking about moving back. There are some jobs going in one of the call centres in Cardiff Bay. And I don’t think I can afford to keep the house once my divorce from Justin is finalised. So I’ll probably sell up.’
    ‘You’ll be able to see a lot more of Dean then.’ Mamma’s tone was upbeat and positive.
    I wondered how much of Jackie’s arrangements were not being shared with me.
    Papa joined us in the kitchen before we went into the adjacent dining room where a bottle of Chianti stood on the table with two bottles of water. Mamma’s beef stew was up to her usual high standard and Jackie made all the right complimentary comments. It still annoyed me that Mamma was trying to interfere in my personal life, but criticism was futile. There was a careful analysis of whether Dean was fully recovered after his accident and brain operation. Then his current schooling was scrutinised before the discussion focused on the quality of schools near Jackie’s mother.
    After panna cotta my father made espresso and by eleven I was stifling a yawn. I mumbled my excuses about having to work the following morning and needing a good night’s sleep and Jackie joined me as we left my parents’ home. I didn’t know exactly what to say as we stood on the driveway.
    Jackie squeezed my arm. ‘I wanted to tell you how much I valued your help when Dean was ill. I could never have done it without you.’ Then she lingered too long with a simple kiss on my cheek before getting into her car and driving away.
    Now Jackie dominated my thoughts as I drove back to Cardiff. I was uncertain of my own emotions and unclear how I would react if Jackie tried to rekindle our relationship. I had reached Taff’s Well just before the M4 when my mobile rang. I fumbled with my jacket on the seat by my side and answered the call.
    ‘Inspector Marco. You’re needed at a murder scene.’

Chapter 12
     
    I slammed the car into third gear and hammered up the slip road of the motorway where I raced into the outside lane. The traffic was light and soon the car reached a hundred miles an hour. I