Free Cherringham--Playing Dead by Neil Richards Page B

the director hurled over his shoulder.
    “Bastard!”
    Jack waited a few seconds then tapped on the kitchen door.
    “Hi Laura,” he said gently. “Jack here. Safe for me to come in?”
    There was no answer so Jack entered, ready to dodge more crockery if it flew his way. But as he entered the little kitchen he could see Laura sitting at the table blowing her nose on a paper handkerchief.
    “Mind if I grab a coffee?”
    “No. G-go ahead.”
    “Want one?”
    “Sure.”
    He filled the kettle, waited for it to boil then made the drinks and handed one to Laura.
    “Sorry about that,” she said. “One of those days.”
    “So I gather,” said Jack. “I called you at your office today, but they said you were home sick.”
    “Yeah. Truth is I had a bit of personal stuff to sort.”
    “Our beloved director, huh?”
    “Hmm.”
    “I didn’t realise you and Jez were…”
    “We’re not. I mean, we were. But now we’re not.”
    “Right.”
    Jack waited for her to say more, but she clearly wasn’t going to.
    “So Laura — the reason I wanted to talk to you was — Andy Parkes.”
    “From one bastard to another, huh? What do you want to talk about him for?”
    “I gather your office was helping him with his development plans for the theatre?”
    “What is this, Jack? What are you talking about? That stuff’s confidential — how do you know about that?”
    “Whoa, it’s all right. I’m just trying to make some connections here. All the accidents we’ve been having. Things aren’t looking good for the debut of the theatre. And some people are wondering if Parkes might be involved.”
    “And if he was — you think I’d know? And not say anything? Give me some credit.”
    “Sure. I understand.”
    “If you must know — my company did some valuations of this building for him. But I wasn’t involved.”
    He stood back as Laura suddenly got up. “I’ve got to get into costume.”
    She brushed past him toward the door.
    O-kay, I handled that well, thought Jack. But then to his surprise, she stopped at the door and turned.
    “Do you know what really pisses me off about him?”
    “Parkes?”
    “No, Kramer. The fact that he thinks I’m so bothered by him that I’d break into his house.”
    “What do you mean?”
    “Someone turned his cottage over this afternoon,” she said. “Smashed everything up.”
    “And he accused you?”
    “As if I care enough about him to do that. I mean — truth is — he’s just some old has-been, isn’t he?”
    Jack watched as she shook her head in disgust and walked away.
    Suddenly there was a lot to think about. Laura and Kramer? How had he and Sarah missed that? And a break-in. What the hell was going on?

14. An Unexpected Shock
    Sarah hadn’t felt like this since she was at school. Excited, nervous, thrilled — but also part of a team.
    She looked around the Ladies’ Dressing Room and knew now why her mother would never give up her amateur dramatics or the choir.
    It was just such fun .
    Seated in front of a line of mirrors and light bulbs down one whole side of the room were the other female members of the cast, laughing, giggling, helping each other with hair and make-up: Ellie, Helen, her mum, Laura.
    Someone had brought their iPhone and had plugged it into a big speaker — their party playlist was blasting out.
    All around her, other female friends and relatives of the cast were bustling around, sorting costumes, caught up with the rhythms of the room and the music.
    She looked at herself in the mirror and had to laugh again.
    Whoever had ordered the maid’s costume had clearly selected it from the sixties comedy film section: far from the demure Edwardian outfit she’d expected, it was low-cut, black with white lace trimmings and with a short skirt.
    “Hey Sarah — better not wander round the village wearing that,” said Ellie, “or you’ll get yourself arrested.”
    “Hmm, maybe she wants to be,” said Laura, teasing. “The strong arm of the law