Prompt: Woman's work
Title: The Working Class
Jean didn't mind making the tea. Besides, as she delivered it she took the opportunity to sneak a look at the blackboard they'd brought in from the shed and leant against the radiogram earlier. She was fascinated by the map of intersecting lines linking the unfortunate victim to several persons of interest.
One name's placement caught her eye.
"Shirley Watson," she said, giving up all pretence of disinterest in their project. "Why is she a suspect and not a witness? She merely found the body, didn't she?"
The only reply to her query was a chink of china. She looked over her shoulder and raised an eyebrow at the men's sudden united focus on ensuring their sugar dissolved correctly.
"Shirley Watson works for a living, Mrs Beazley," Matthew commented eventually.
Jean frowned. "Would you like to put my name on your board then? Mattie's?" All three men shuffled their feet. "If that makes a woman a suspect, I suggest you move to the school. They might have enough blackboard space."
"She wears a lot of make up, Auntie Jean."
The penny dropped. But… "Just because a woman wears too much lippy doesn't mean she does that sort of thing."
"Miss Watson does indeed do that sort of thing," Lucien confirmed. "She runs her business out of a cottage about two blocks from the scene of the crime."
"You know a lot about this tart then, Doc?" Danny prodded cheekily.
"I'm disappointed in you, Lucien," Jean said. "Does she have any connection to the victim?"
Lucien held her gaze for a long moment. Then, suitably chastised, he fetched the chalk and adjusted the board.
"Good." As she returned to the kitchen, she did make one last demand on Lucien. "We'll talk about how you're so authoritative about Miss Watson's business later."