16

"Bloody hell!!" I shouted in a burst of anger. "The bastards!"

"I'm very sorry," said Maggie Plume, visibly shaken by my outburst.

I looked at her.

"I am not angry with you."

"That's what it looked like," she replied.

"I'm angry at what has happened to your family." I answered. "It's a bloody disgrace."

My voice trailed off, leaving a quietness which no one risked breaking.

Finally, calming myself, I turned to James Plume.

"Have you sold your house yet, Dr Plume?"

"No, we haven't," he replied.

"Can you take it off the market for a while?" I asked.

"I suppose we can. But Why? How? I'm sorry," James Plume said, "but I don't understand. How did you know we were trying to sell our house and how did you know I'm a doctor? And what do any of these things have to do with Tina?"

"I make it my business to know things," I said. "If I were you, I would take my home off the market, if only to keep unwelcome visi