Chapter Forty-One

 

Emma wasted no time in going round to see Margaret Watts. Luckily, she was in and glad to see her. Soon the two women were sat in her best, front room with tea and cake – rich fruit this time.

'Listen, Margaret,' Emma said nervously. 'We have a suspect in this series of murders that we're trying to solve. But it needs to be kept very quiet.'

'I'll not be spreading any gossip about the murderer, you can rest assured of that. Everyone here on the estate wants him caught. You can feel it when you go outside. Everything's changed and not for the better.'

'Well, we've got a lead, and we're not sure whether or not it is the murderer, but we'd certainly like to find out a lot more about him.'

'Well, go on then, dear, let me know the name. I'm not any kind of mind-reader, you know.'

'Okay, well, what do you have to say about Jeremy Bradley? I've got an address for him that's literally three streets from here, on Brindle Drive.'

'Brindle Drive? That's where his mother lived, all the boys did too when they were at school. She died a few years back, so I'm not sure who's there now. There's never been a For Sale sign though.'

'He has registered his business address as that house. He changed it a few years back.'

'Must have been when his mother died,' Margaret said. 'Do you know what he does for a living?'

'He does special effects for TV companies. He used to make the models for architectural companies. Why did you ask?'

'Oh, that makes sense. He does keep very much to himself on the estate but it's no secret that the garden out the back of that house has all but disappeared.'

'Disappeared?'

'Yeah, there's sheds out there. Well, I say sheds, but it's more of a huge workshop, lots of them all linked together. You know how big they made the gardens on these old properties? It's a right shame though, when the parents lived there, they had a lovely garden. All gone now.'

'So, Jeremy's likely to be there, then?'

'Like as not, if he's registered it as his business address.' There was a pause as Margaret studied Emma. The two women were separated by decades but there was a link between them. 'Are you all right, dear? You look like you've been working too hard.'

'I'm fine. It's just this case. We've all been working so hard on it. You tend to put other things aside when you've got a killer to catch.'

'Well, don't you put off looking after yourself forever, will you? I know I'm old-fashioned, but you need to find yourself a man. Make time to settle down and enjoy life.' Emma looked amazed at her suggestion. 'Oh, I know I'm an interfering woman. But ask yourself, would you want to get to my age and think about how you spent so much time at your desk, about how many cases you solved. Take it from one who knows, the real prize in life is family. Give your parents some grandchildren, spend time watching them grow up.'

'I haven't spoken to my parents in nearly ten years,' Emma said, slightly sulkily.

'Well, that's something that should be your first order of business,' Margaret said firmly. 'You need your family around you. You need to cherish the ones you have and make new ones. Look at my boy Gregory. He's only in his thirties and he's already given me a lovely clutch of grandchildren.' Her eyes misted slightly as she considered her extended family. 'I mean, I won't lie, I would have preferred it if they all had the same mother and my boy was married to her. But, you know, it's the modern world. It's nothing like the one I grew up in. So, you've got to take what you're given.'

'Yes,' Emma said. This was the opening she'd been waiting for. 'What about your boys, Greg and Don? Did they ever know the Bradleys?'

'No, I wouldn't have stood for that. It's the way you bring your children up, isn't it? I knew they were headstrong, but I made sure they didn't associate with that kind of element.' She lowered her voice as she prepared to share a confidence. 'Don was the more easily led of the two. I had to make sure he didn't spend too much time with the likes of the Bradleys. They'd have made him their fall guy given half a chance. Didn't have to worry too much about Gregory though. He was always a smart lad, that one.' She looked proud. 'If he set his mind to something, then he'd do it. He saw the Bradleys for what they were and had no time for them. Look at what he's done already with his career and children.' Margaret paused and considered Emma. 'What about you, dear? Any family or plans in that direction?'

She had never even considered marriage, children or any of the traditional trappings of life. She vaguely assumed that at some point in the future she'd find The One and settle down, but hadn't given it any serious thought, hadn't made any plans.

Her parents on the other hand were a more complicated matter. It was them who had cut the cord when they learnt of the direction her life was taking. But it had been a long time, and while she hadn't changed her mind, she had to be open to the fact that maybe her parents had changed their opinion. Maybe she owed it to them to reach out, to see if they wanted to talk. She still had contacts, it could be done.

'Oh, I'm sorry. I'll never call myself old, not by any means. But I do know that I can meddle a bit. It's written all over your face – I've gone over the line a bit and stirred you up. What are you going to do about the Bradleys?'

Emma leaned forward, to betray a confidence. 'I'll have to check with my boss, but I think we'll be paying Jeremy a visit tomorrow morning, when he's least expecting it.'

'Well, he won't hear it from me. Whenever you put one of the elder Bradley sons in prison we all breathe a bit easier round here. Of course, we never thought the youngest one was any trouble. A bit odd maybe, but there's no harm in that.'

Well, we'll see about that, Emma thought.