Up to No Gouda

by Katherine Hayton

  “What horrible plan are you up to?” Mia asked.

  Charlie turned, a flush of guilt rising in her cheeks as she saw her sister staring, arms folded and a stern expression on her face. “Nothing. I was just remembering Ben.”

  Mia snorted. “No, you weren’t. I’ve seen that look on your face often enough during the past two days. You’re thinking of doing something stupid now, I can tell.”

  Growing up, as the introverted middle child in an extroverted pack, Charlie had got into a plethora of trouble acting out in a desperate bid for attention. Even now, the scrapes she’d plunged headlong into made her stomach crawl. Over a two-year period, she’d made mistakes enough for a lifetime of sober regret.

  “No, I’m not. I’ve just had a lot on my mind lately and I want to get home and reflect on it.” Charlie pushed her way past her sister and grabbed her belongings out of the locker. “I’ll see you tomorrow at ten.”

  With a sniff signalling her disbelief, Mia emptied her own locker and strode out the door without so much as a wave goodbye. As Charlie locked the door, she hoped they weren’t embarking on another fight. She didn’t have the fortitude for a family squabble right now.

  “Hurry up,” she told Bocconcini as she walked through the alleyway where she’d scared herself half to death the night before. “If you want to join me tonight, I can’t have you dawdling.”

  The pug seemed to understand, sprinting ahead and yapping until she unlocked the front door. A quick change into her oldest jeans and top, plus a muesli bar shoved in her back pocket in case she got hungry later, and Charlie was ready to go.

  As she pulled the door closed and beeped her car unlocked, a throat cleared beside her. Mia.

  “So, you’re just thinking about Ben and you’re not about to do something stupid, eh?” Her baby sister grinned and gave Charlie an elbow to the side. “You’re such a horrible liar.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Mia volunteered for driving duty on the promise that Charlie would update her with everything she’d discovered. Charlie sat, patting Bocconcini on her lap, and told her sister about the library, Dwayne’s threatening behaviour, and her attempts to question Amanda.

  After a long pause, weighty with her sister’s expectations, Charlie sighed and closed her eyes. “I also found one of my towels in the dumpster, covered in Ben’s blood.”

  “What?” The vehicle momentarily wobbled as Mia’s attention diverted to Charlie. “How did Detective Wolverton react to that?”

  Charlie opened her eyes again, staring out the passenger side window as the lush forest grew darker in the setting sun. While she was still trying to work out how to word it, Mia got to the correct answer on her own. “You didn’t tell him.”

  The flat sentence held a note of condemnation and Charlie bowed her head. It was no more than she deserved.

  Oh, well. In for a penny, in for a pound. “One of the kitchen knives is also missing. I’ve searched everywhere in the shop, but I couldn’t find it. The police are apparently still searching for a murder weapon, but I think I know what it’ll be if they find one.”

  “Charlie. You didn’t…?”

  “I didn’t murder Ben if that’s what you’re asking. It sure looks like I did, though, thanks to somebody’s actions.”

  “No wonder you’re heading into the middle of nowhere to search down a tenuous lead.” Mia clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth. “Ben must’ve been wrapped up in something terrible given everything that’s happened. When I first heard about the murder, I thought it might be a street fight gone too far or something. Now, that seems less and less likely.”

  “I know.” Charlie ran a hand through her hair and rubbed her eyes. Sleep was forming in the corners, despite having been wide awake all day. “Each time I try to think what that might be, I come up against a brick wall. He seemed to be a genuinely nice guy, so I just can’t picture him doing anything bad.”

  “Perhaps he didn’t.”

  Charlie glanced over at her sister, waving her hand when she didn’t elaborate.

  “He might’ve seen something he shouldn’t. Just a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. If he was a good guy, being a witness to a crime might have made him a target.”

  Dwayne popped back into Charlie’s mind. Although she didn’t want Amanda’s cousin to be involved in Ben’s murder, she had to admit he was the most likely candidate. People didn’t threaten their colleagues for no reason.

  “Park in the shelter of the large pine tree,” Charlie instructed as they arrived at the head of the trails. The parking area held enough room for three vehicles, but she didn’t want to be closest to the edge and risk a bumper kiss.

  “Have you thought we should drive on a bit?” Mia pulled the car to a stop but turned a strained face in Charlie’s direction. She’d appeared excited and determined earlier but now she appeared to be second-guessing her decisions. “If we park further along the road, anyone coming up behind won’t know we’re here.”

  Charlie opened the door, fixing a lead to Bocconcini’s collar so he couldn’t run too far away in the dark. “There’s nowhere to pull over, safe from oncoming traffic. If you park up there and someone comes along later, my car will be in the garage for a week.”

  “Do you think…?”

  Voices came out of the darkness and the two sisters stared at each other, wide-eyed. With a leap, Charlie got out of the car, locking the door and plunging down the first trail. She’d only got a few metres when her senses returned. Running headlong into the gathering twilight was a sure way to do herself an injury.

  She stopped and waited, listening to the sounds of Mia crashing through the undergrowth like an elephant. The noise was so monstrously loud it tickled Charlie’s funnybone. By the time Mia pulled up beside her, panting, she was struggling to hold back laughter.

  “What’s so funny?”

  Mia’s puzzled face just added to the convulsions in Charlie’s chest. She gave her sternum a few thumps, gradually getting things back under control. “Sorry, the situation just caught me off-guard.”

  The frown on her baby sister’s face threatened to trigger another bout so Charlie turned to look along the track. “Is this even the right one?”

  “It is,” Mia confirmed, then gave Charlie a nudge. “And here are your car keys.”

  Charlie was about to tell her to keep them, then scanned her sister’s attire.

  Mia caught the gaze and ran her hands over her hips. “No pockets.”

  “Stupid clothes manufacturers,” Charlie grumbled. “Never mind. I’ve got plenty, mostly used for stashing a small dog and his accessories.”

  One of those pockets contained a torch, and she used it to light their way along the path. It wasn’t as long as Charlie remembered, and she realised with a twinge of sadness it had probably been twenty years since she was last out here.

  Between her marriage, then her business, she’d lost a lot of her connection to the surrounding land. Maybe the next time Janis invited her to go foraging—and knowing her mother, there’d be repeated requests—she should take her up on it. The forest was a riot of different flora and fauna. Serving the local populace with cheese sandwiches shouldn’t be enough of an excuse to keep her away.

  “Gosh, it’s in an even worse state than when I was a teenager,” Mia said as the factory appeared out of the gloom. “This used to be a favourite spot for a while.”

  Charlie raised her eyebrows and Mia put a fingertip to her dimple.

  “Just for meeting up after school and studying.”

  Charlie snorted with delight. Her sister wasn’t dumb, but she’d also never been one to crack open a textbook if she didn’t have to. She could imagine what a teenage Mia would have got up to in a place like this and reading was the bottom of the list.

  “Careful,” Charlie warned as Mia stepped over the signs clearly labelling the area as unsafe. “If you break a leg, you’ll have to put up with me dragging you all the way back to the car. Ther
e’s no way I could lift you.”

  “That’s why we have a fire brigade full of strapping young lads to come to the rescue.”

  “It’s been a long time since you visited the volunteer fire station.” Charlie’s amusement shone in her voice. “Old Mr MacGregor is the fittest one amongst them and he’s pushing fifty-five.”

  “I don’t mind silver foxes.” Mia turned and gestured for the torch. “Now that I’m single, I’ve got to get back into the game somehow.”

  Charlie pulled a face and walked around the perimeter of the building. Even Bocconcini couldn’t find anything of interest and they soon met back with Mia.

  “If there’s been something nefarious going on around here, I think it’s well over with,” her sister said with her mouth drooping in disappointment.

  “Either that or I was on the wrong track.” Charlie picked up her pug as she thought back over their visit to the library. “Those numbers could’ve been scribbled in that book at any time and there’s no guarantee they were even referring to the other title.”

  “Still, it was worth a shot,” Mia said with equanimity, starting back along the path. “And you can shout me dinner since I kept you company.”

  Charlie could have pointed out her sister had insisted on tagging along but a shared meal sounded nice. Eating with Bocconcini was fun enough, but it wasn’t the same as another person.

  “Shh,” Mia said as they drew close to the carpark. “I think there’s someone out there.”

  Mia went into stealth mode. As far as Charlie could see, that comprised her bending over and making twice as much noise while she crept along the track. Bocconcini obviously thought it looked a lot of fun because he jumped up on her thighs, barking joyously at the top of his lungs.

  “Oh, look!” a feminine voice called out. “It’s a little doggie.”

  Charlie muscled forward, not about to let Bocconcini take the brunt of whatever action was about to befall them. “He’s not little,” she said grimly. “He’s very overweight.”

  Just as the pug turned his liquid brown eyes to her, lower jaw pooching out as if he’d understood exactly what she’d said, the woman moved closer. “He’s a butterball.”

  “Pretty much.” Charlie raised her eyebrows as Bocconcini continued to stare. “What?” she asked him finally. “I’m not the one who said it.”

  “What are you doing out in the woods at this time of night?” Mia asked, turning sideways to slip by the dog-petting woman and nod to her male companion. “It’s late for sightseeing, isn’t it?”

  “Oh, the Hanmer Lodge told us the abandoned factory was much better at night,” the man said before sticking his hand out. “I’m Pete and this is Rosie.”

  “Nice to meet you,” Charlie and Mia said in unison before Mia continued her interrogation. “What did they mean by better?”

  “It’s part of their haunted trails tour,” Pete explained. He pulled a folded brochure out of his back pocket. “They’ve made up a map noting all the historic buildings in the area where there’ve been ghost sightings. We only arrived today, so this is our first stop since it’s closest to the hotel.”

  “Ghosts?” Mia turned pale as she glanced back at Charlie. “I’ve never heard of that before. I’m not sure I would’ve come down here—”

  “Just be careful,” Charlie interrupted, taking her sister’s arm and guiding her along the track. “The building is condemned and not safe to enter.”

  “Oh, I don’t think we’ll go inside,” Rosie said, her voice reaching so far into the upper registers it was almost a squeal. “When other people tell stories about seeing ghosts, that’s good enough for me. I’m not sure I’m equipped to bump into one in real life.”

  Pete curled his hands and raised them above his head. “What if I’m a ghost and I’ve been haunting you all along?”

  “Then you’re doing a poor job of scaring me,” Rosie said with a toss of her head. “And you’d better not pay the hotel bill with ghost money or that’ll come back to haunt me.”

  They walked off together, arm in arm, and Charlie headed for the safety of the car, frowning. “The hotel isn’t far from here,” she said in a thoughtful tone.

  “Uh-oh.” Mia got into the driver’s seat, pulling her seatbelt across. “I’ve heard that voice before. It’s your ‘let’s go exploring’ voice.”

  “When have I ever—?”

  “Earlier this evening,” Mia said, cutting her off. “You know, after you lied to my face.”

  Charlie rolled her eyes as her sister reversed out of the car park, nosing the vehicle back towards town. “It’s only a few minutes out of our way and I’m sure we’ll both rest easier tonight if we can cross this off our list.”

  Mia nodded but seemed distracted. When they drew level with the Hanmer Lodge, she turned into the driveway and parked in a visitor spot. “You know, Detective Wolverton would be mad to arrest you just for the knife and the towel. He must have other leads he’s chasing up already.”

  “What are you saying?” Charlie turned, Bocconcini whining as she hugged him too closely.

  “I’m suggesting you turn over the evidence and let him decide where it fits.”

  “And if it fits with me being tried for murder?”

  Mia gave her an unhappy look. “Since you didn’t do it, I’m sure you’d be able to convince a jury of that, but I doubt it would get that far. Has it occurred to you there’s other evidence on the towel? It might have the real killer’s DNA or something.”

  Charlie sighed and nodded. “I thought that on the first night, then panicked when I found a knife was missing. It seemed funny the first time Janis suggested it, but I’m half considering taking her up on her offer to give me an alibi.”

  Now it was Mia’s turn to roll her eyes. “Yeah, good one. And as soon as the spotlight’s off her, she’ll forget what she said and drop you squarely in trouble again. You’re not that stupid, are you?”

  “No.” Charlie undid her seatbelt and got out, stretching her legs as she gazed at the hotel. “But I’m nearly that desperate.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Charlie had tossed a suspicious glance at the no-vacancy sign outside the small hotel, but she took back her misgivings when she spied the empty key slots inside.

  “Can I help you?” a harried waitress asked on her way through the lobby. “The receptionist is away for a few minutes.”

  “We’re happy to wait,” Charlie said, waving at the woman to continue on her way.

  “Are we?” Mia asked, wrinkling her nose. “Since I don’t know what we’re searching for in here, wouldn’t a receptionist be able to help?”

  Charlie tipped her a wink, stroking Bocconcini who’d gone down the front of her cardigan again. “Things might be easier to find out with her away,” she said, slipping in behind the desk and giving a cry of happiness as her eyes alighted on a post-it note with a password scrawled upon it.

  “It’s such a pleasure when people are forgetful,” she said, logging herself into the front desk computer. “If not for that, I’d be stuck here trying to work out the receptionist’s birthday.”

  “What are you looking for?”

  “I met a couple the other day who was staying here,” Charlie said, jotting a number on the back of her hand. “They were very keen on visiting the local attractions, so I thought they might know something about what’s going on.”

  “How long have you known these people?”

  “Five minutes.” Charlie adjusted her pug and slid back out from behind the counter. “But they were happy to strike up a conversation with me, a complete stranger, so I’m hoping they’ve been doing the same all week.”

  “Can we have something to eat before you interrogate some strangers?” Mia grumbled. She held a hand to her flat stomach and Charlie nodded. Her empty tummy was grumbling, too.

  At the dining room door, she waved to the waitress she’d seen earlier but either the woman was ignoring her or was genuinely too busy to notice them standing ther
e.

  “Ooh,” Mia said, grabbing a copy of the menu. “They’ve got a nice grilled cheese sandwich on here.”

  Charlie burst into laughter, holding a hand to her mouth when a couple at the closest table gave her a curious stare. “If you really want a grilled cheese, I know some people. I could pull some strings.” She waggled her eyebrows.

  “Right now, it sounds divine.” Mia stared around the room, tapping her foot. “Surely, we’re not invisible to these staff?”

  Just as Charlie was about to respond, a calamitous noise erupted from the kitchen. The two waitresses froze, then both ran for the swinging door.

  Mia groaned, shaking her fist. “Why? WHY?”

  “Let’s go.” Charlie grabbed hold of her sister’s arm and tugged her towards the lift. “If we pay the Hitchmans a visit now, we’ll hopefully be on our way in a few minutes. I’m sure we can drive to the Indian restaurant in town, order, and be served before we’ll be seated here.”

  Mia agreed with reluctance. “But if we come across a vending machine in our travels, I’m making a pit stop.”

  “Deal,” Charlie said at the same time Bocconcini popped his head up and barked. “And that makes two of us.”

  She pulled the pug out of her top while the lift groaned and protested the two-storey ride. When they got to the Hitchmans’ room, she knocked but received no response.

  “Onwards to a decent meal,” Mia announced, turning back along the hallway.

  Bocconcini sniffed at the door, then pawed at it, then began a ferocious flurry of barks.

  “Wait a moment,” Charlie told her sister, testing the door handle. She expected to find it locked, but it turned easily and pushed open. “Do you want to stand out here and keep guard?”

  “Not likely.” Mia strode past her sister, into the room.

  It was empty, with the bed made up. If it wasn’t for the open duffel bag tossed in a corner, Charlie would have assumed no one was staying there at all.

  “The bathroom’s free,” Mia said, strolling out of it. “Do you think they’d mind if I raided their mini-bar?”