Dead Woman's Shoes: 1 (Lexy Lomax Mysteries) Read Online Free Page B

despairingly. This was so not her kind of place.
    Within a minute she was turning from the end of the high street into a side alley which bore a sign announcing that G Ellenger, Veterinary Surgeon, resided in the unexpectedly shabby end building.
    As soon as she stepped into the reception area, Lexy became aware of an atmosphere that didn’t have anything to do with disinfectant or dogs.
    A large woman with a pile of rust-coloured hair stood at the counter holding an indignantly mewing wicker basket in one hand and a small white plastic tub in the other.
    Lexy melted into a corner behind a stand of magazines about worms and tetanus.
    The woman was reading out loud from the label on the tub. “… and apply frequently to the affected area, blah blah.” She had a flat, penetrating, confrontational voice. “So that’s what I did. And what happened? The rash got worse.”
    Lexy glimpsed the receptionist behind the desk, to whom this tirade was being addressed. She was about thirty, hollow-cheeked with quietly furious eyes.
    “I’m sure the aloe vera cream wouldn’t have made Horace’s rash worse, Avril.” Her voice shook under the distinctive Suffolk lilt.
    Avril. It was Avril Todd. Lexy thought she’d recognised those granite features from the photographs.
    “So now I have to pay for antibiotics,” Avril continued, ignoring the receptionist. “This quack remedy was a waste of time and money.”
    Lexy frowned. No need for that.
    “Perhaps the rash had reached the stage where it needed something stronger,” said the receptionist. “But if you carry on using the cream alongside the medication, it will soothe the inflammation, and make him more comfortable.”
    “And I suppose when this tub runs out, there will be plenty more at eighteen pounds a go?”
    A spot of red appeared on each of the receptionist’s hollow cheeks. “Avril, we will happily refund the money if you don’t want the cream.”
    “No, I’ll take it,” replied Avril Todd, as if she was conferring some kind of favour. She dropped the tub into her handbag and turned to go.
    The other woman closed her eyes briefly.
    “But,” Avril threw over her shoulder, “I’m starting to wonder if the trading standards people might be interested in what’s going on here.”
    The receptionist’s face froze.
    Lexy’s mouth twisted. What a bitch! What bloke in his right mind would be having an affair with someone like that? As she watched Avril Todd’s broad back disappear from view, she suddenly found the prospect of tailing her strangely intriguing.
    She put Kinky down and emerged from behind the magazine rack.
    The hollow-cheeked woman jumped. She had a badge on her tunic that proclaimed her to be Hope Ellenger, Veterinary Practice Receptionist. Was this nervous wreck the vet’s wife?
    “Er… hi… I’d like to get my dog looked at,” said Lexy, somewhat disconcerted by the fact that Hope Ellenger was still looking beyond her to the door through which Avril Todd had just passed. “It’s his ear.”
    “His ear?” The receptionist’s voice was vague.
    “Yeah. It’s torn quite badly. I think it needs stitching.”
    “Stitching?”
    “You know. Needle and thread.” Lexy made a sewing motion in front of the woman’s nose.
    The receptionist focused properly on Lexy for the first time, taking in her cropped hair and tattoo. She managed a thin smile. “Yes. OK. Not a problem.” Up close her eyes were bloodshot; she looked like she could do with a good night’s sleep.
    “Great,” said Lexy.
    “But I’ll have to ask you for the money in advance.” She glanced down at a list on her desk. “Ninety-eight pounds, I’m afraid.”
    Lexy swallowed wordlessly at this unwelcome news, feeling her fingers curl around the roll of fivers nestling so comfortably in her jeans pocket. She brought it forth and handed it over.
    Hope Ellenger counted it out with hands that shook a little, and gave Lexy a pound coin and two fifty pence pieces. Lexy