Read Online Murders in the Blitz by Julia Underwood - Free Book Online Page B

left soon after ten as they had work the next day.
    How lovely it was to see everyone dressed up and enjoying themselves, somehow managing to forget the threat from across the Channel and the aerial battles going on over the east coast in ‘The Battle of Britain’, as Winnie called it. Everyone was convinced that Britain would prevail, the alternative was unthinkable.
    The band, loud with brass and rhythm, charged Eve’s mood and she grabbed Pete around the waist and dragged him to the floor. A glitter ball rotated in the warm air, casting a sparkling pattern over the revellers as they swirled into the crowd. Eve spotted Charlie in the distance, whirling one of his sparkling blondes around with abandon.
    ‘Come on, Pete. There’s no time to waste. Let’s enjoy ourselves while we can.’
    That seemed to be the philosophy of everyone present; the rich perfume of hedonism was in the air and no-one was going to be sad tonight. Soon everything might be very different.
     
     
    Chapter Twelve
     
    After a characteristically brief interlude of love-making, Pete was asleep on his back. His mouth gaped and his breath whickered noisily; not quite a snore, but nearly.
    Eve scrutinised him closely in the thin spear of light peeking through a gap in the blackout curtains. He had rather too much body hair for her taste, but he was very sweet. What he lacked in sexual skill he certainly made up for in enthusiasm, even if it was short-lived. A memory of a poem they had read at school crossed her mind. Something about ... “He no Orpheus and she no Eurydice”. Well that was true, neither of them would be much competition in a beauty contest.
    Eve sighed. Was this what she wanted? A nice, safe lad to settle down with. Mum would approve. With a steady job, Pete was likely to go far if Eve prodded his latent ambition. But she couldn’t help feeling that she’d prefer someone a little more exciting, more daring; someone to have adventures with.
    She went and made herself a cup of tea before returning to bed and snuggling close to Pete’s warm body. Before dozing off she reviewed everything she knew about Zoya’s death and reminded herself of things she needed to find out. How did Miss Archer know that Zoya was pregnant? What had happened to Zoya’s personal possessions, her handbag and papers, and why had Anna looked guilty when asked if the girls knew who Zoya’s boyfriend was? Did she know more than she wanted to tell?
    She planned to visit the PRC again to see if she could find out anything from Miss Archer. With luck she might bump into the major; that would brighten her day. If she discovered anything new she would see Inspector Reed later.
     
    Pete left early. His sleepy face greeted Eve with a cup of tea into which he seemed to have shovelled the last of her sugar ration.
    ‘Good God, Pete! You know I don’t like it sweet.’
    ‘Sorry, love. I thought it would help wake you up.’
    ‘What time is it?’ Eve scanned her watch blearily. ‘Christ, it’s only six. Go away. I can get another hour’s kip.’
    Pete had dressed in uniform, which he had brought with him the evening before so he didn’t have to go home before work. He dropped an awkwardly aimed kiss on Eve’s face. Minutes later she heard the front door slam and she turned over again. But Jake decided it was time for a walk, so she had no choice but to get dressed. The dog danced around her feet whilst she completed her rudimentary toilette.
    Early sun was lighting the Green except where the barrage balloon sailing overhead cast a looming shadow. Eve watched as a party of men winched the device to the ground from the back of the lorry and started to refill the top half from a tank of hydrogen. This had to be done every day to keep the thing in the air as the gas gradually leaked away. These huge contraptions, each covering an area the size of a football field when deflated, were designed to stop enemy bombers from flying too low. Eve had heard that there were