Sand Glass Read Online Free Page B

said, ‘black. And will you check in the
bread bin over there for the wholemeal?’
    ‘How would you
like it?’ I said obediently.
    ‘Honey. And
look in the fridge. There should be some fresh garlic.’
    ‘Garlic?’
    ‘To put on the
toast.’
    ‘Garlic?’ I
went and looked never the less.
    She fussed him
in a way that I tried to avoid looking at. Jules put his arms round
her neck, and squinted at her from the stage of hangover that was
probably not as bad as it was going to get.
    ‘Sorry
Violette. I had too much. To be fair Davey did suggest I stopped.
But I ignored him.’
    She kissed him
softly. He was kissing her back. I tried to look away. Terribly
embarrassed I suppose. I carried on with Violette’s instructions.
Then I left the mutually consoling couple in private, and went back
upstairs to find where I’d left my jacket.
     
    We zoomed along
in Dr Rhodes’ Jeep. It was bright yellow outside like sunshine; and
completely tidy on the inside. She had Jules in the front passenger
seat and I sat behind him in the back. She glanced at me in the
rear view mirror.
    ‘Just when I
think I reached a dead end, something always turns up.’ She said
with a purposeful tone.
    I told her
about my need to see Janey.
    ‘That’s fine.
We will do a little house call first.’
    ‘Who?’
    ‘You’ll see.’
She smiled coolly, ‘You will be surprized I think.’
     
    We arrived. It
was in a street I knew quite well. A wide avenue, with verges and
lots of trees, and huge Victorian terraces.
    We walked some
way along, having left the car neatly parked in a side street. I
saw the feathers jammed in a vase just inside the window and the
chaotically arranged curtains. Dr Rhodes knocked in a sharp
rappity-rap that made Jules flinch.
    ‘Sorry,’ she
said to him and touched his hand.
    ‘It’s fine.’
said Jules. He bowed his head to stumble into the gloom of a badly
lit hall way.
    ‘What took you
so long?’ I heard a familiar voice and saw none other than my dear
pal Alex. We followed him through to his old-fashioned plaster
walled kitchen with herbs hung from the ceiling. Alex sat back down
near a bowl of cornflakes and chopped up bananas.
    ‘Oh.’ I sat
down on the nearest chair.
    ‘I’ll always
watch your back.’ he said.
    ‘Is this a
conspiracy?’ I asked
    ‘You ok there
mate?’ said Alex to Jules.
    ‘Maybe.’ Jules
sat down too.
    Dr Rhodes
continued standing.
    ‘Have you been
spying on me?’ I asked Alex.
    ‘What?’ He
dropped the spoon with a clatter in the empty bowl, which I was
sure didn’t do much for Jules’ head.
    ‘Err....’ I
really wasn’t used to Alex out of hours. Literally anything was
possible.
    Dr Rhodes stood
looking prim. ‘I now know that you two do know each other. I must
say it is quite a useful situation. But perhaps Alex would like a
full background from you.’
    ‘I think that
is not necessary right now.’ I said stiffly. I felt caught out.
    ‘Your friend
here is in need of something only I can provide.’ Alex indicated
Jules, ‘So when you’ve finished being astounded by the company I
keep, you can thank me for getting you off the hook with respect to
the boss and his visitors that did issue forth out of Ye Olde Golf
Clubee!’
    ‘What?’
    ‘He does that a
lot.’ Alex said to Dr Rhodes, ‘I think his brain is shorting
out.’
    ‘But… but you
are friends?’
    ‘That is the
general meaning of this get together. To establish that we are all,
in fact, friends.’ He mixed something for Jules, ‘That is the
intention of the meet is it not. Oh! And Davey… I do have to be at
work this morning. So while you are swanning around saving the
world, I’ll be fending off any unfavourable comments from the cube
of gammon. So think of me at four o’clock. Only an hour to go
without murder being committed.’
    ‘So let me get
this straight? Dr Violette Rhodes is poetry girl?’
    ‘Finally. The
circuit is rerouted. I’ll just run and get some daily slave robes
on. Then