Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
It was only an hour until the undertaker and his assistant arrived to remove Mr Latham’s body.
In that time, Mr Patel had got his laptop out and researched how things might proceed for their tenancy.
Lily had been right that they could expect someone to get in touch once the next of kin had been informed and the will read.
The tenants could be in limbo for a few weeks, but it was unlikely they’d be evicted any time soon.
At the window, they watched the undertaker and his colleagues enter the building. At the sight of Gigi following them in with the dog in her arms and a puzzled frown on her face, they moved into the hallway. Gigi stood gawping as the sombrely dressed men made their way upstairs.
“What’s going on?” she asked, eyes flicking to Mrs Patel.
“I’m afraid there’s been a tragedy,” she replied. “Mr Latham has passed away.”
Gigi’s gasp made the little dog jump. “What? How?”
“A bookcase toppled on him,” Lily said.
Mrs Patel nodded. “He suffered a head injury.”
“From a bookcase?” Gigi said. “What do you mean?”
“It toppled,” Caroline said, matter-of-factly. “Must have come away from the wall and crashed onto Mr Latham.”
“A bookcase fell on him?” Gigi nibbled her bottom lip. “How does a bookcase just fall over?”
“Maybe he was reaching for something,” Caroline said. “Mrs Patel sees it often in A&E.”
“Really?” Gigi looked disbelieving. “When did this happen? Why didn’t anyone hear it?”
“There was a crash last night,” Lily said, then frowned. She’d swear it was more of a bump than an entire bookcase falling, but she’d been pretty sleepy.
“Poor Mr Latham,” Gigi said, her tone not overly sympathetic. “You hear about these tragedies, but you don’t imagine them happening in your own building. Have the police been here?”
“They’re still here,” Caroline said.
Gigi shifted her weight. “Do they need to ask questions or anything?”
“They already asked us,” Mrs Patel said. “I’m surprised they haven’t knocked on your door.”
“I’ve been out walking Pixie all morning.”
“I thought you had a work call,” Caroline said.
“Oh. Yes. That got cancelled.”
Lily opened her mouth to point out that Gigi had been coming home from walking the dog when they saw her earlier, but movement at the top of the stairs had them all stepping to the edges of the hallway.
A few glances told her she wasn’t the only one wondering whether they should disappear while they brought out the body.
Nobody moved, though. Perhaps it would be disrespectful to scarper.
Watching him being taken out was like paying respects.
Maybe. She had no idea what the etiquette was.
In the end, they all dipped their heads and stood quietly while the stretcher with the body bag was taken outside.
“Oh, no!” Caroline said, clapping a hand over her mouth. “He’s supposed to be at school.”
Lily followed her gaze to a stocky teenager out on the pavement, watching the body being loaded into the ambulance.
“Liam!” Caroline called, meeting him at the door. “Why aren’t you at school?”
“Had a headache,” he muttered, eyes fixed on the stretcher. “What happened?”
“You look pale,” Caroline said, placing a hand on his forehead, which he promptly swatted away. “When did you start feeling ill?”
“I’m fine. It’s only a headache. What’s happened? Is that Mr Latham?”
“Yes. I’m afraid he had an accident,” she said, pulling him into the hallway. “It’s very sad. A bookcase was unstable, and it fell on him.”
“A bookcase?” Finally, he directed his full attention at his mum. “What?”
“It’s terribly sad,” she soothed, rubbing his shoulder. “Mrs Patel says he wouldn’t have suffered.”
“I don’t understand,” Liam muttered. “A bookcase fell on him and killed him?”
“Yes. It’s awful. I’m sorry you had to see him being taken out like that.”
“He was in a bag, Mum. Not a lot to see.”
“Yes, but…”
Liam moved and stroked Pixie, who wagged her tail furiously. “Someone’s happy, anyway,” he mumbled.
“Liam!” Caroline spat.
“What? Pixie never liked Jeremy.” He straightened and looked Gigi right in the eyes. “Personally, I think the dog has good instincts.”
“I… umm…” Gigi’s cheeks flamed as she stuttered.
“I’m going to bed,” Liam declared, and Caroline hurried up the stairs after him.
“Give us a knock if you don’t want to be alone,” Mrs Patel said, touching Gigi’s elbow. “You too, Lily,” she added before she and her husband filed back into their flat.
Lily smiled weakly at Gigi but got the impression she wasn’t registering anything around her as she stroked the dog with a blank stare.
Walking to her flat, she clutched Pixie and spoke softly. “You’re safe. Everything is okay. We’re safe now.”
Lily opened her mouth, but the door closed behind Gigi, leaving her alone in the quiet hallway with her mind racing.
Ten minutes later she sat at Flynn’s kitchen table, eyes fixed on the plate Mr Latham had brought the biscuits on. She’d polished off the last two and pondered what to do about the plate. It felt odd to keep it.
Shifting in the chair, she contemplated what to do for the day.
With the bright blue sky and the leaves changing colour, she should probably venture to Hyde Park and have a wander.
After the events of the morning it felt slightly inappropriate to just get on with her day, and she was sure she wouldn’t be able to stop chewing it all over in her mind.
Ideally, she’d call Flynn and talk it through, but he’d be busy with work, and she didn’t want him worrying about missed calls and messages from her.
Maybe she’d call Seren.
But when she got her phone out, it was Maria’s name she scrolled to. She checked the time. The ice cream shop would be open, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t be able to chat.
Deciding not to overthink it, she hit dial.
“Hello!” Maria said brightly. “How’s the big city treating you?”
“Umm…” That was a tough one to answer. “Fine. How’s everything there?”
“All good. It’s absolutely pouring with rain, so it’s quiet in the shop. Not a soul in here at the moment, and I don’t think anyone will venture out for a while. It’s really coming down.”
“You should flip the sign to closed and go home.”
“I might do that later,” she said cheerfully. “For now, I don’t fancy going out. Plus, I’m quite enjoying the view. I forgot what it’s like to sit and watch the waves on a quiet day. Even when the weather is terrible, it’s magical. Maybe even more so, since there are no people out there.”
“You’re welcome to go up to the flat and curl up in the armchair to enjoy the view. It’s my favourite spot.”
“I might do that. Thank you. So how is everything there?”
“Interesting,” Lily said.
“Have you been looking into the property development company?”
“I went over to their offices, but it wasn’t quite the corporate giant I’d been imagining.”
“No?”
“Just a tiny place with the owner and one employee.”
“Did you find anything out?”
“No. I need to speak to the owner’s dad. He was involved back when they were trying to buy my parents’ house. His daughter promised to get him to call me, but I’m not holding my breath.”
“Maybe it’s best to leave it in the past.”
“Yeah. Maybe.”
“How’s Flynn?”
“Working.”
“I thought he had time off while you’re there.”
“He did, but they asked him to fill in to cover illness.”
“That’s a shame.”
“It’s fine. It’s only today and tomorrow.” Her eyes went to the flower pattern on the plate. “I’ve had the strangest morning.”
“What happened?”
Lily paused, pondering where to start. “Flynn’s landlord died,” she began. “Me and one of Flynn’s neighbours found him in his flat.”
“Oh, my goodness!”
Lily sighed heavily, then gave Maria a quick rundown of the last couple of hours.
“You always get yourself caught up in these situations, don’t you?” Maria said eventually.
“I really do.” She ran her fingers over the rim of the plate. “I don’t know if I just have a suspicious mind, but there’s a lot about Mr Latham’s death that doesn’t add up.”
“Such as?”
“I feel as though the falling bookcase would have shaken the building, not just made a thud. And there were screws laying out as though someone had removed them from the wall.”
“Maybe the landlord did that. He might have been trying to move them.”
“I didn’t think about that,” Lily said. “That makes sense, though. Why does my brain always go to something dark? I assumed someone else had been involved.”
“Was there anything else that made you think that?”
“Yeah. There were a couple of other weird things. It’s tempting to dig around a bit, but maybe this is just me not being good at entertaining myself. I should be able to manage two days alone in London.”
“You could go clothes shopping. That’s one thing I miss living over here.”
“Yeah. Maybe I’ll do that.” She paused. “Thanks for the chat.”
“Thank you for calling.”
“Go upstairs and sit in the armchair,” Lily said. “Make yourself a hot chocolate. Help yourself.”
Maria thanked her again.
Ending the call, Lily set the phone aside. She liked the thought of Maria making use of the flat. Maybe it would be good for her to spend time there and reflect on the past.
Lily, however, needed to focus on the present. A trip to Hyde Park was a solid plan. Sightseeing, just like she’d told Flynn.
First, she’d deal with Mr Latham’s plate, but then she was off to be a tourist for the day.