she’d rung Jade’s doorbell the following evening. It was she who’d accepted Jade’s parcel from the courier.
‘So,’ said Dee, after bringing Jade up to date about Mrs Good. ‘What’s this then?’ She nodded at the box. ‘A birthday present?’
‘No.’ Jade shook her head. ‘It’s not my birthday, but it is a present to me.’
‘Nice,’ said Dee, smiling her approval. ‘It’s good to treat ourselves now and again. Brightens life up, eh!’
‘Yes,’ Jade agreed.
Dee was showing no sign of shifting from Jade’s doorstep. Jade had a horrible feeling the woman was all set for a cosy chat.
‘Can I ask, is everything all right?’ said Dee.
‘Er, yes, everything is fine. Why shouldn’t it be?’
Dee stared at Jade. Was this girl for real?
‘Because yesterday you were on the receiving end of an attempted burglary.’
Dee recognised that she was enunciating, as if the younger woman had learning difficulties. Jade picked up on her neighbour’s tone and flushed.
‘Oh. That,’ said Jade dismissively.
‘Yes. That. You looked pretty freaked out when I last saw you.’
Jade shrugged. ‘These things happen.’
‘I heard screaming in the early hours. What was that about?’
‘I don’t know what you’re talking about,’ said Jade, feigning puzzlement.
‘You didn’t hear the noise? It woke me up,’ Dee persisted.
‘Perhaps it was someone’s television,’ Jade suggested. Nice to know you couldn’t be bothered to make sure I was okay at the time.
Dee eyed Jade quizzically. The young woman was lying. She had to be.
‘So, after yesterday’s drama, how did you sleep last night?’
Jade didn’t miss a beat. ‘Like the proverbial log.’
Yeah, right, thought Dee. Except logs don’t scream. ‘It was nice of Brad to board up the window for you.’
‘Yes.’
Jade wanted her neighbour to go. However, Dee had brought Brad into the conversation which struck her as odd. Where was this line of chat going?
‘I saw him going into your place with a take-out bag from the local Indian. I’m guessing you had dinner together.’
‘Yes.’
Jade wondered why Dee was interested. She didn’t have long to find out.
‘Is there anything going on between the pair of you?’
‘What? No!’ said Jade incredulously. What a bloody nosy question.
‘Just thought I’d ask.’ She arched one eyebrow at Jade. ‘You see, I’m not the sort of woman who takes another’s man.’
Jade gawped at Dee. Was she implying that Jade was the sort of female who pursued men that didn’t belong to her? She found herself turning bright red.
‘Brad is not my man,’ she protested.
‘That’s good to know, because I quite fancy him myself. Just for fun. Nothing wrong with making one’s own amusement, eh?’
Jade looked at Dee in astonishment. She didn’t know how old her neighbour was, but she had a few years on Brad. But then again, some men liked that. The older woman. A female who had masses of experience in the bedroom and could show them a trick or two.
Dee was certainly attractive enough. Her cropped platinum blonde hair gave her a sophisticated edge, and her slim figure was always dressed in flattering clothes. Jade had never seen Dee without make-up. She was always chic. Jade was sure most men would find Dee sexy. She wondered if Brad could be one of them.
Jade didn’t want to think of Brad and Dee together. It seemed… wrong. Apart from anything else, for some bizarre reason it also made her feel jealous. That was a first. Her therapist would be delighted and probably tell Jade that jealousy was a healthy sign. One that signalled she was moving on.
‘Well, thanks for bringing my parcel over,’ said Jade, her tone dismissive.
She really did want Dee to go now. She wanted to open up this box and examine her purchases.
‘Oh, right. I guess I’d better not keep you. Enjoy your prezzie to yourself.’
‘Thanks. I will.’
As Jade finally shut the front door, she gave a sigh of relief.
Walking into the kitchen, she set the box down on the table. Her fingers worked at the thick brown sealing tape. A few seconds later, the box’s flaps were released. Jade flattened them out and peered inside. And there were her purchases! She lifted one out. It looked just like a regular clock. There was no clue to its hidden camera lens.
Reading the instructions carefully, she then downloaded the recommended app and connected the clocks to the Wi-Fi. Now she would be able to use her mobile phone for remote viewing when away from Gresham Terrace. There was also an infrared LED night light. A motion detection function would send a notification to her phone in the event of any