Esme and Lucas seem nice enough. I watch them with interest as they move around the group, both on their best behaviour, as we all are really. The fact we are all new means we are keen to establish friendships and Liam and I could use all the friends we can get at the moment, so I keep a smile on my face and appear interested even when I’m dying inside, which is usually the case when I talk to the Wickham’s.
As expected, Sandra has pulled out all the stops and provided an evening that the rest of us would struggle to reciprocate. Having the larger house on our street, she reminds us of that every other sentence and I struggle not to roll my eyes when I hear her say to Esme, “Yes, of course your house is much smaller than ours, I keep on forgetting.”
Catching Lucas’s eye, I grin as he raises his eyes and excuses himself, leaving his wife to shoulder the Wickham responsibility on her own.
As he heads our way, Liam offers him a beer. “Here you go, you’ll need a few of these to get through this evening.”
Lucas pulls a face and says in a low voice, “Thanks, I think that woman just got hold of my last nerve and jumped on it. Honestly, I’m not sure how much more of this I can take.”
Liam nods. “You’ll get used to it. Luckily, we manage to avoid them most of the time, but occasionally you have to take one for the team.”
Spotting Nancy looking a little lost, I make my way over to her and she smiles with relief when she sees me coming.
“Thank God, a normal conversation at last. I’ve just spent twenty minutes discussing planning applications and snagging lists with Keith. I’m sorry, Jasmine, but there’s only so much I can take.”
“Tell me about it. I spent all morning weeding just so they didn’t find their way into their Chelsea inspired front garden.”
“Maybe you should build a wall.”
We laugh and Nancy whispers, “What do you make of Esme and Lucas.”
“They seem nice, I haven’t spoken to them long enough to form an opinion, why, what do you think?”
“They seem nice, normal really. They argue a lot though, which I’m not used to and the boys are rather loud.”
“You should be used to that, I mean, you had boys yourself, it can’t be that different.”
“Yes, I suppose, but you forget what it’s like. I’ve kind of got used to them staying locked in their rooms with only a computer to entertain them. I’ve forgotten boys like to play outside when they’re younger.”
I nod and then remember what I wanted to tell her. “Talking of being locked away in your room, what do you make of that house around the corner, you know, the one with the pretty pink door.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know, it’s just that it always seems deserted from the front, as if there’s no one home and yet the window is always open at the back. I saw the man who lives there the other morning and he was a little strange if I’m honest.”
“How strange?” Nancy looks interested and I shake my head. “I’m not sure. It was early and he was heading home, probably from the night shift. I engaged him in conversation, but he wasn’t interested.”
“He was probably tired.”
“Maybe but he didn’t look as if he’d been up all night. He looked as if he was heading off to work rather than from it.”
“How can you tell?”
“Oh, I can tell a lot just by looking at a person. It’s what I do, study people for a living to test reactions and build a picture of a person without them realising it. Well, as I said, he was heading home and I invited him over for drinks one evening with his wife, to meet everyone.”
“What did he say?” Nancy looks intrigued and I shrug. “Said he wasn’t interested. He told me he was a loner and liked to keep himself to himself. He also told me he wasn’t married, but he was wearing a wedding ring.”
“So, he’s probably divorced, or separated.”
“And still wears his ring, I’m not so sure. He was also carrying a bag of what appeared to be groceries.”
“Maybe he did the shopping on the way home.”
“He could have I suppose, but it just didn’t really add up.”
Sandra interrupts us and says loudly, “Grab your drinks please and follow me. We will all take a seat in the living room and Keith can run through a few things.”
As she moves off, I whisper, “Kill me now.”
Nancy grins and promptly refills both our glasses. “We’ll need this.”
We head into their large living room and I note the antique furniture with disdain and whisper, “It’s like Miss Havisham’s front parlour, goodness, I think I’ve gone back in time.”
Nancy giggles and Liam shouts at me from across the room. “Jas, I’ve saved you a seat.”
Under my breath, I whisper, “He’s only done that so he can make me answer any awkward questions. That man’s a master at dodging a bullet.”
Nancy giggles and sits beside Adrian, and I note he looks as interested to be here as the rest of us.
Sandra claps her hands and says loudly, “I would like to take this opportunity to welcome our new neighbours Esme and Lucas. Now, as is customary on these occasions, please stand and tell us your potted history.”
I daren’t look at anyone. What the hell, since when did we divulge our potted histories as she put it? Esme looks shocked and Lucas uncomfortable and to be honest, if I were them, I’d invent a babysitter problem and get the hell out here but Esme stands and blushes a little as she says nervously, “Well, um, yes, thank you, Sandra. Well, as you know, I’m Esme Williams and this is my husband Lucas. We moved from Streatham with our two boys Archie and Billy, not forgetting our fur baby Pixie.”
Liam mutters under his breath and I elbow him sharply in the side, maintaining an interested smile on my face.
Lucas looks uncomfortable as Esme says loudly, “Um, Lucas works long hours as a mechanical engineer and I am employed as a full-time mum, although I am actively seeking part time work.”
“What did you used to do?”
Sandra interrupts and I see a flush break across Esme’s face as she says, Retail supervision, mainly.”
“What does that mean?”
I want to punch Sandra because it’s obvious Esme feels uncomfortable and so I go to her rescue and say brightly, “Well, whatever it means, it sounds exciting, unlike my own job where I get to defend useless criminals who deserve the electric chair more than a fair trial.”
I take a swig of my wine and there’s an awkward silence before Nancy says with interest, “What are you working on at the moment, anything you can talk about?”
“Not really, it’s all top secret and if I tell you, I would have to kill you after.”
Sandra looks astonished and the curiosity in her eyes makes me smile inside. Of course, I could tell them little bits of what I do, but it’s much more fun watching Sandra hate the fact she can’t discover the juicy gossip for herself. This time Liam nudges me and I feel bad. I’ve always been the same. People rub me up the wrong way and I go in for the kill. I try to make them uncomfortable and I sometimes forget it’s not appropriate. Liam looks at Esme and Lucas and says loudly, “Jasmine and I moved in a few months ago and I work in the building trade. I own a small yard near Brighton and business is good. Jasmine’s a lawyer in London and work consumes her life, so what little time she has, I dominate it, isn’t that right babe?”
He winks and throws me a lascivious look that I know is purely for Sandra’s benefit and I rise to the challenge, rubbing his knee and saying flirtatiously, “Hush, don’t tell them our secrets, babe, well, maybe not yet, anyway. You never know, some of them may like to play the same games.”
I almost laugh out loud at the look that passes between Sandra and Keith, and the astonishment in Esme’s eyes brings out the devil in me. I know that Sandra and Keith think we’re a couple of swingers and I’m keen to build on that. I’ll fill Esme and Lucas in later on and smirk as Nancy catches my eye and shakes her head, grinning as she says loudly, “Um, yes, well, as you know, Adrian and I moved from Norfolk because of work commitments. Adrian secured a position heading up a new operation at the Phoenix group near Lewes. We’ve moved a lot over the years and so I don’t work, preferring instead to make a happy home for him to come home every night.”
Sandra looks as if she wants to adopt Nancy because she obviously approves of everything she does because they are similar in a lot of ways, although I know they are different in the ones that count.
Nancy has become a good friend to me and the more I’ve got to know her, the more I understand how underestimated she is. Adrian may bring home the bacon as they say, but Nancy rules the roost. She is a force to be reckoned with, and if anyone’s in charge in that household, it’s her.
Sandra nods and then stands as if she’s addressing an auditorium and I stifle a grin as she claps her hands and says regally, “My husband and I took the extremely hard decision to downsize from our rather large estate in Surrey.”
I stare at her incredulously as she wipes an imaginary tear from her eye and sniffs, “It was the hardest decision we ever had to make because we were pillars of the community and in huge social demand.”
“Why did you move then?”
I resist yawning and if looks could kill, Sandra would be up for murder as she glares and says tightly, “Personal reasons that I don’t want to go into now.”
Once again, Liam nudges me and I take another swig of my wine, wishing I could just close my eyes and sleep through this whole debacle. I can’t remember the last time I had over four hours sleep and it’s taking its toll.
Reaching inside my pocket, I slip another pill from the packet and surreptitiously take it with another swig of my wine. I know I’m walking a fine line here, but I rely on my pills to keep me awake because I need to get through this case before I can think of a normal sleep pattern.
Liam stiffens beside me and I know he noticed, making me feel annoyed with myself. I promised him I would stop taking them and now we’ll have the usual argument when we get home.
Great, the only promise I’m on tonight, is the one that will have me backed into a corner while he shouts at me, probably ending with me dissolving into hysterics and promising to change right before we have make-up sex.
Keith stands and my heart sinks as I see him wielding his usual clipboard and I watch as he perches his tortoiseshell glasses on the end of his nose and says in his nasal voice, “Now that you’re all here, I wonder if I can sign you up to sit on the neighbourhood committee. I am chairman and Sandra sees to the refreshment and social side of things. We need a secretary, a treasurer and active committee members. Esme, can I count on you?”
He turns to her first which gives the rest of us time to come up with an excuse and she stares at him like a deer caught in a hunter’s sight. “Oh, um…”
“Of course, she’ll sign up, what else does she have to do?”
Sandra butts in without giving Esme a chance to decide for herself, and Keith nods and reaches behind him.
“Good, then your first job will be to deliver these leaflets around the development, inviting the residents to a meeting here two weeks from today.”
Esme takes the wad of leaflets looking slightly stunned but I have no time to commiserate because Keith turns to us and says firmly, “Jasmine, you will be our legal expert who will advise on a free of charge basis, should the need arise.”
I open my mouth to tell him where to shove my advice and Liam blurts, “Of course, no problem.”
I glare at him and then grin as Keith says, “Liam, you can assist me with the neighbourhood watch project. There is a meeting in town on the subject that we will attend together next Thursday evening.”
Without stopping for breath, he says, “Nancy and Adrian, you can assist and Nancy, I feel as if you have time to take on the role of Treasurer. You possess all the qualities and it would be churlish of you to refuse.”
Now I know the real reason we were invited this evening. We’ve been trapped and played, and if I wasn’t so angry, I would be suitably impressed. Yes, the Wickham’s are a force to be reckoned with and I need to be one step ahead of them because as sure as I want to be anywhere but here, they’ve got us all over a barrel.