Page 102 of Murder in the Family

LAILA FURNESS – off

When she was first working as a nanny?

SHIRLEY BOOKER

That’s right. I was at Law School and had a spare room. And like most students I needed the money.

LAILA FURNESS – off

Did you know her before or did you advertise, or what?

SHIRLEY BOOKER

A cousin of mine was at school with her. She told me she had a friend who was looking for somewhere in London so I suggested we meet. We hit it off straightaway.

(smiles)

I think it was our shared obsession with Bryan Ferry that sealed the deal. She moved in later that week.

LAILA FURNESS – off

What was she like as a flatmate?

SHIRLEY BOOKER

What everyone hopes for really. Tidy, always did her share of the cleaning, never stole my milk. I had a lot of exams that year and I needed peace and quiet to work and Caroline never gave me any trouble on that front. She didn’t go out much, butshe never made that much noise. Unlike next door and their bloody piano. You barely knew Caroline was there.

LAILA FURNESS – off

That doesn’t sound like the person other people have described to us. One of her employers around the time you’re talking about said she was chatty and ‘easily distracted’.

SHIRLEY BOOKER

That was probably a bit later. She did seem to come out of her shell rather more towards the end of our time sharing.

LAILA FURNESS – off

How long did she stay with you?

SHIRLEY BOOKER

Just over a year, from memory.

LAILA FURNESS – off

But you kept in touch after that? Even after she got married?

SHIRLEY BOOKER

Oh, I went to all three of her weddings. They got glitzier every time. But to answer your question, yes, we kept in touch. Three or four times a year, something like that. I never met any of her other friends apart from at the weddings, but I think she liked it that way – our relationship was something ‘apart’ from the rest of her life. She could tell me things she would never tell other people.

I think the fact that I was a lawyer helped too – she knew she’d always get a straight answer, even if she didn’t like what it was.

LAILA FURNESS – off

What did you think of her relationship with Luke Ryder?

SHIRLEY BOOKER