As she hung it to one side in the wardrobe, Jane noticed her tracksuit and thought about her conversation with Father Chris about how he liked to run three or four times a week or go to the Walnuts Leisure Centre. There’s no time like the present, she thought to herself and decided to go for a run.
Having changed into her tracksuit and trainers, Jane realised she didn’t know Chislehurst, or the surrounding area very well, and planned out a triangular route using her A-Z street map book. She estimated it would be about three miles and wrote it down on a piece of paper which she put in her tracksuit pocket. She did some stretches and then set off.
As she ran along the pavement, Jane started thinking about Nick Durham. It crossed her mind he could be in cahoots with his father and Lee Holland, and the invitation to dinner was a ploy to get information out of her. They could each be playing the same game. At his office he’d seemed relaxed, though understandably concerned about his father’s heart condition and the building work having to stop. And he’d readily accepted she had further inquiries to make, even offering to let her look through the company files — which suggested he had nothing to hide.
As she trudged up a steep road, Jane also realised it was irrational to think Nick could have been involved in the nun’s murder since he’d have been a teenager at the time, and his father had yet to purchase the convent. It made her wonder if Thomas Durham had lied to his son when he said his solicitor told him everything had been deconsecrated before the sale of the convent. But if it was true, then why were Thomas Durham and Lee Holland so worried about the discovery of the coffin? If they’d been involved in the nun’s murder, it seemed bizarre that they would bury the coffin on land they knew might be dug up in the future.
Jane was pretty sure Nick didn’t know his father and Lee Holland had lied to her. But the more she thought about it, the more she worried that going to dinner with him to probe him about the case could compromise the investigation — she should cancel their dinner date under the pretext she had to work. It would be a shame, though. She realised she’d been looking forward to it.
Jane knew there were other ways she could find out what Thomas Durham and Lee Holland were up to, without using Nick or giving anything away. She made her mind up and decided to take her police hat off for the evening, just enjoy herself, and not talk about the investigation.
Jane struggled up Yester Road towards the High Street. It was a steep climb of over a mile, and she regretted not driving the route first to see what it was like. She was so hot she took off her tracksuit top and tied it round her waist.
The last mile home included another hill and halfway up she had to walk to the top. She was grateful that the final stretch was downhill. By the time she got home, she was breathing hard and soaked with sweat. She looked at her watch and was disappointed to see how long it had taken her and how unfit she’d become without regular exercise over the last few weeks.
‘Been out for a run, Jane?’ Gerry asked, seeing her bent over and breathing heavily.
She took a deep inhale. ‘Yes, but I’m beginning to regret it. I had no idea how steep Yester Road is.’
He chuckled. ‘There’s a lot of steep hills in Chislehurst. In fact, the name is derived from the Saxon words cisel, which means gravel, and hyrst, which means wooded hill. There’s quite a bit of woodland around here.’
‘I didn’t see any woods on my run.’
‘There’s Hawkwood and Petts Wood, which are owned by the National Trust, and Scadbury Park Nature Reserve. They’re lovely for walking and running... you should try them out sometime.’
‘I will, Gerry, thanks.’
‘My pleasure. How’s the tap holding out?’
‘It’s not dripped once since you fixed it.’
‘That’s what I like to hear,’ he said.
Jane went inside, drank two glasses of water then collapsed on the settee and quickly fell asleep.
The room was in darkness when Jane opened her eyes. Realising the sun had gone down, she jumped up, switched on the table lamp, and looked at her watch. ‘Shit.’ She only had thirty minutes to get ready before Nick Durham arrived to take her to the restaurant. She ran up the stairs, peeled off her tracksuit and got into the shower, wondering if she had time to wash and dry her hair.
She had a tepid shower, not waiting for the water to heat up, put curlers in her hair and was just switching on the hairdryer when she heard a knock at the door. ‘Oh my God, he’s here and I look a mess!’ she said, seeing herself in the mirror. She put on her dressing gown, hurried down the stairs and started apologising as she opened the door.
‘I’m really sorry, Nick, I...’ She stopped in mid-sentence as she saw a smiling Gerry holding out a booklet.
‘Sorry to bother you, Jane. I forgot you were going out to dinner.’
‘And I’m running late, Gerry. What can I do for you?’
‘I’m a member of the Chislehurst Society. They produce this newsletter, called The Cockpit, two or three times a year. It gives you the latest news and goings-on in the area and I thought you might like to read it... or maybe even join yourself,’ he said and handing it to her.
‘Thanks. Sorry — I really must dash.’
‘Have a nice evening... and don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,’ he said with a cheeky grin as she shut the door.
She liked Gerry and knew he meant well, but Jane was beginning to regret asking for his help and wondered if his surprise visits were going to become a regular occurrence. She ran back upstairs and started blow-drying her hair.
It wasn’t long before there was another knock at the door. Nick was holding a bouquet of flowers in one hand and a bottle of wine in the other.
‘Sorry,’ she said, ‘I went for a run, then fell asleep and only woke up half an hour ago.’ There was still a curler dangling from her hair. ‘As you can see, I’m still not ready.’
‘It’s a woman’s prerogative to be late.’ He smiled and held out the flowers and the wine. ‘These are just a token of my thanks for agreeing to have dinner with me, and not completely shutting my building site down... yet.’
‘They might be construed as a bribe,’ she teased, noticing the wine was Châteauneuf-du-Pape, which she knew was expensive. ‘But thank you.’
He faked a look of shock. ‘I would never bribe an officer of the law.’
Jane showed him through to the living room. She thought Nick looked quite trendy in his white shirt and navy blue suit.
‘Take a seat. I’ll be as quick as I can.’
‘There’s no rush. I booked the table for 7.30. I thought we might pop into The Olde White Lion for a drink before dinner. It’s just opposite the restaurant.’
‘Sounds good to me,’ she said, putting the orchid on the mantelpiece.
Jane finished drying her hair, got dressed and put on some light makeup. She stood in front of the bedroom mirror, fluffed her hair and smoothed out her dress, then went downstairs to the living room.
‘Right, I’m good to go,’ she said.
He stood up and looked at her with wide eyes. ‘Wow, you look absolutely stunning.’
Jane smiled. It had been a long time since a man had said that to her. ‘You look very smart, too.’
‘Thank you. It’s the first time I’ve worn it.’
Jane locked her front door and turned to follow Nick to his car — then stopped in her tracks when she saw it.
‘Is this your car?’ she said, admiring the shining silver-grey convertible sports car, with its wire wheels and red leather interior.