Free The Shooting in the Shop by Simon Brett

flat was furnished, I thought we should let it out, so
that at least we’d get some income if things got hard
– at that time having no idea of quite how hard times
would get – but Ricky said no. He never likes thinking
about the details of finances, calls all that
“penny-pinching”. He likes to think in terms of “the
bigger economic picture”.’ There was irony in the way
Lola quoted her husband, possibly even veiled criticism.
    ‘So the flat was empty?’
    ‘Empty of people, yes. I used it for storage. There
was a lot of stuff up there, piled on top of the furniture
and beds.’ Her tone was kept determinedly light,
but Jude could feel Lola trying to come to terms with
the scale of her losses.
    ‘So you haven’t any idea who the dead woman is?’
    ‘No. I’ve checked the obvious people, and there
doesn’t seem to be anyone missing. My mother-in-law Flora’s here with us. Ricky took Polly to Fedborough
Station yesterday afternoon to get a train upto London. He’s checked she’s at home with Piers.
I’ve called Anna and Bex . . . you know, they’re two of
the assistants.’
    ‘Did they know about the discovery of the body?’
    ‘I don’t know. Neither of them mentioned it. And
I didn’t raise the matter. I don’t want to add to the
dripfeed of local gossip. Anyway, Anna and Bex’re
both fine. And I’ve rung around all the other casual
staff. Also fine.’
    ‘So it sounds like whoever died in Gallimaufry, it
wasn’t anyone you knew.’
    ‘That’s the way it seems,’ said Lola Le Bonnier.

    Sadly, she was wrong. On the national news the
following morning, it was announced that the body
found in the burnt-out shop was that of the owner’s
stepdaughter, Polly Le Bonnier.
     

Chapter Eleven
    Carole had been ambivalent about getting a Christmas
tree. She hadn’t done so any other year since
she’d been alone in Fethering. But then again she
hadn’t had Stephen and family coming down any
other year since she’d been alone in Fethering. And
Lily was getting to the age when she might start to
take an interest in pretty lights and shiny baubles. It’d
really only be for the hours when they were with her,
which was a bit of an unnecessary indulgence . . . but
then again . . . She ended up buying a Christmas tree
about three feet high, and a set of fairy lights. And a
box of assorted glass baubles. And some lametta. And
a little silver fairy to perch on the topmost branch.
    Carole thought she’d been rather foolish to buy all
the stuff, but she did enjoy setting it up. And while
she dressed her Christmas tree, she thought about
Polly Le Bonnier. She did an action replay in her mind
of the conversation they had shared at Jude’s open
house, and tried to identify anything the girl had
said that might be odd. But nothing came. Except that
line ‘I know where things went wrong for me.’ Thatwas intriguing, but now there was no chance of
finding out from Polly what she had meant.
    A more obvious question was: why, though, when
her father had taken the girl to Fedborough Station to
catch a train up to London, had she ended up back in
Fethering? Carole concluded with some frustration
that she didn’t have enough information to provide an
answer. But the mystery still niggled away at her.

    Jude phoned her round five that afternoon. ‘I’ve just
had a call from Lola.’
    ‘Oh, any more news about how it happened?’
    ‘No. Well, if she had any, she didn’t volunteer it to
me. But listen, Lola’s got Piers Duncton with her . . .’
    ‘Polly’s boyfriend?’
    ‘Exactly. Apparently he’s in a terrible state –
which is hardly surprising. He feels confused and
guilty. I get the impression Lola’s finding it difficult to
deal with him . . . you know, she’s got the children
and Ricky and his mother and . . . I think she’d be
quite glad to get Piers out of the house for a while.’
    ‘So?’
    ‘So she was suggesting he might come and