In Loving Memory

In Loving Memory
Emma Page

A standalone mystery from the author of the Kelsey and Lambert novels.A number of people stood to benefit from Harry Mallinson’s death and Henry Mallinson was old and sick and very rich.His estranged elder son needed money for his business. His younger son did not want to see his father’s will changed. His pretty daughter-in-law needed money to lay of ghost from her past to rest. His godson was behind with instalments on a motorcycle. His nurse needed a few thousand to buy a son a small-holding and his secretary a few hundred to buy herself expensive clothes.So when Henry Mallinson died – not from natural causes – there was no lack of suspects for the police.

COPYRIGHT (#ulink_c1e5e0d4-9b7c-5a7c-88a8-7cdbef4fcf26)

Harper An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 1 London Bridge Street London SE1 9GF

www.harpercollins.co.uk (http://www.harpercollins.co.uk)

First published in Great Britain in 1970 by Collins Crime

Copyright © Emma Page 1970

Emma Page asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work

A catalogue copy of this book is available from the British Library.

This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

HarperCollinsPublishers has made every reasonable effort to ensure that any picture content and written content in this ebook has been included or removed in accordance with the contractual and technological constraints in operation at the time of publication.

Source ISBN: 9780008175962

Ebook Edition © MARCH 2016 ISBN: 9780008175979

Version [2016-02-18]

CONTENTS

Cover (#ud1c5f609-e0f9-581c-8b80-dc7f7516b8e4)

Title Page (#uec5f7c00-bbf9-51c6-a06d-89e7a85ddaad)

Copyright (#ua8dbbaf0-5e85-58fc-b818-ac0f4bcf0cee)

Chapter 1 (#u567f2798-c51e-5a3f-8b02-b01c01d1a789)

Chapter 2 (#u9c381fed-025a-5d1c-9e56-4a9b6c4fe362)

Chapter 3 (#u549165db-df0f-5323-b88b-0b3d7f20e957)

Chapter 4 (#uc4c7b6cf-2bad-5bd3-b8d1-9e61f580caa2)

Chapter 5 (#u712276aa-1afd-519a-a2af-7de33bc62459)

Chapter 6 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 7 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 8 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 9 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 10 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 11 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 12 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 13 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 14 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 15 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 16 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 17 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 18 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 19 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 20 (#litres_trial_promo)

About the Author (#litres_trial_promo)

By Emma Page (#litres_trial_promo)

About the Publisher (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER 1 (#ulink_112b6f45-5a93-5cab-9f29-eaa7c56625e0)

TWO O’CLOCK in the morning. A silent hour, the time of darkness, of the first deep sleep. A stirring in the tall thick branches of the great trees standing sentinel at the rear of Whitegates, the sudden melancholy screech of a night-owl, a rustling of fieldmice in the thick carpet of old leaves.

In the bedroom next door to old Mr Mallinson’s room, Mrs Parkes woke with a start, coming at once to full consciousness from long years of training and habit. She put out a hand and pressed the switch at the base of the bedside lamp, glanced at the little clock, screwing her eyes up against the light.

She turned her head in the direction of Mr Mallinson’s room, remaining rigid, listening.

The sound of confused movement, Mr Mallinson’s voice calling her name … ‘Mrs Parkes! Mrs Parkes!’ A window being flung open.

‘It’s all right! I’m coming!’ She snatched at a dressing-gown, shrugged it on and drew the cord tightly round her waist.

‘It’s all right,’ she said again with professional reassurance, opening the connecting door and going through into the old man’s room. ‘I’m here, don’t worry.’ He was standing in his pyjamas, leaning out of the window, drawing great gasping breaths of air.

‘What is it?’ She put a hand on his shoulder. He remained where he was, struggling for breath, unable to speak.