‘That’s what they all say.’
Carol and Vera both laughed. It was more of a cackle. No one joined in.
‘Vera, stop it,’ said Fred. ‘Leave the poor man alone. Can’t you see he’s been through enough.’
‘He hasn’t been through anything, as far as I can tell,’ Carol snapped. ‘No more than the rest of us.’
Richard didn’t care for the attention from either direction. He sat down and took a long draught of his water. Once he’d set down his glass, he kept his gaze pinned on the table.
‘I think we are all overwrought,’ Clarissa said, taking up her chair beside him and adopting a peacemaker role. ‘It’s never easy confronting a dead body especially when they’ve been murdered.’
Carol screwed up her face. ‘Don’t.’
Clarissa gave her a cool stare. ‘We have to face the truth. I’m just glad we are all h
