HANKS’S TRAWL THROUGH Carol Mumford’s address book had produced a sister, a Mrs Linda Cartwright. She lived at Habberstone, four miles to the west of Elmhurst. It was a pleasant, twenty-minute drive, and at least they didn’t have the prospect of breaking the news of Ms Mumford’s death as Hanks had already done that.
Linda Cartwright’s home was a modern bungalow. Its front garden was filled with twee ornaments: a wooden windmill, a wishing well and several gnomes.
Mrs Cartwright herself turned out to be a grey-haired, Mumsie figure, in a lemon cardigan and grey pleated skirt. She looked a good few years older than Carol. She led them into the front room, which was furnished with lots of chintz and family photographs—they covered nearly every available wall surface.
Mrs Cartwright, once t
