Detective Sergeant Steph Baldwin was a five-foot two inch natural
blonde and weighed no more than six stone-soaking wet, but she could wrestle a
suspect twice her size to the ground without breaking a sweat.
She was on the attractive side of pretty with
hypnotic green eyes that made her very alluring, and she was a genuinely placid
natured girl who never allowed anything to faze her but, cross her and you
would feel her wrath.
She was 32 years old, unmarried with no
significant other in her life, but she was not a wall flower and had plenty of
male attention, but most men didn’t measure up to her ideal, but she had hopes.
Since the murder of Dominic Mackay in August
Steph made regular welfare checks on the housekeeper Kitty, who had discovered
the body, and who was still living in her deceased employer’s
8-bedroom former home in the affluent Shepherds Row area of the village, Steph was born and raised in Oakvale and knew
Kitty very well.
Kitty along with his secretary Erin Hope had been
kept on by the estate executors, Kitty to keep the house in good order and Erin
to deal with his personal and business documents.
They were to remain in post until after the trial
when his estate would finally be wound up.
Sometimes she literally just popped in, but at
the end of September she had a day off so she could spend longer.
When she arrived at the house Steph walked into
the kitchen, she was invariably in the kitchen and found her sitting at the
kitchen table and found herself feeling a little disappointment not to find the
Curate Toby Bishop sitting with Kitty, he more often than not was.
“Hello Kitty” she said and kissed her “How are
you doing?”
“Not too bad Steph” she replied stoically
“How is it having Erin in the house?”
“Oh fine” she replied “She’s been so nice, and so
forgiving considering I accused her of murder”
“That’s good,” Steph said and smiled
She spends quite a lot of her time keeping me
company in here” she explained “And I have other regular visitors”
“No Curates Egg today” she chuckled
“Oh, Steph you are cheeky, you shouldn’t tease
him so, he’s a really good man, and he really likes you”
“Oh, I don’t think so” Steph rebutted
“And I think you like him” Kitty said and in
response to Steph pulling a face she added “You’re like a schoolgirl knocking a
boys cap off to get him to notice you”
“Nonsense” she scoffed
“Deny it all you want, but it’s obvious to
everyone” she said with a chuckle “Now would you like a cuppa?”
“Thanks Kitty” Steph said “That would be lovely”
“Morning sergeant” Erin Hope said as she walked
in
“Hello Erin, you can call me Steph”
“So, what have I missed?”
“Kitty was telling me that the Curate “likes” me”
she said, “How ridiculous is that?”
“Oh, I agree, Toby’s soppy about you” she said
“What! not you too?”
“And you obviously like him too” Erin said
“See I told you” Kitty chipped in
“It’s a conspiracy” Steff said and laughed
When she left the house, she was confused, how
could everyone know something that she didn’t even know herself, she was a
detective for God’s sake.
She only knew Toby Bishop a little from Church,
she did know that she made him feel uncomfortable and she knew she liked that,
but she gave him no reason to like her.
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