by GJ Minett
Wilmot was waiting for them, looking as dapper as ever in the same light grey suit. His one concession to the fact that this was a Saturday morning was a Cambridge blue scarf, draped casually round his neck in place of the more formal tie. He ushered them both in, apologising for the temperature in the office. He shook hands with Kate and then went on to ignore her for the time it took him to go through the formalities. He produced more papers for Ellen to sign. She did her best to listen to him while shutting out Kate, who was pulling faces whenever he looked away. Eventually he was ready to hand over the keys. He took great pains to explain the purpose of each, despite her assurances that she’d be happy to find out for herself by trial and error.
He reminded her that the house was now secure, the broken window having been replaced the night before. Waving away her thanks, he assured her she would be billed for any expense incurred. Then he told her he’d contacted the police again after their conversation on the phone. Personally he suspected they had more pressing things to deal with than a ten-a-penny break-in but he’d taken the opportunity to inform them that the laptop was not in fact missing after all and need no longer be considered part of their investigation. His body language made it clear she was not forgiven.
When Ellen and Kate left AWL, they stopped at a small grocery store and bought a few items to see them through the weekend – tea, milk, sugar, biscuits (Rich Tea for Ellen, Hobnobs for Kate), rolls and fruit for lunch, and for the evening two large thick-based pizzas, a number of salad ingredients, a tub of Ben and Jerry’s Caramel Chew Chew and two bottles of Cabernet Sauvignon. Then Ellen typed Oakham into the sat nav and they followed the same route she’d taken two days earlier on her white-knuckle ride with Sharp – Prestbury, Cleeve Hill, Winchcombe, Toddington. She warned Kate to watch out for the hidden turn to the village and they were grateful even so for the warnings from sat nav, so suddenly was it upon them. Finally they pulled up outside Primrose Cottage just before 11 a.m. and Ellen opened the gate, standing back to let Kate go first. She wanted to enjoy her friend’s initial reaction.
She was not disappointed. Kate was every bit as enchanted as she herself had been two days earlier. She too wanted to do a complete tour of the outside first, sighing over the pergola with its rockery and natural spring, cooing over the view out across the fields from the rear garden, chuckling delightedly to herself as she sat on the swing hammock and rocked herself back and forth, for all the world as if the crisp, wintry air had given way to the height of summer.
‘Jesus, Ellie’, she said, swinging her legs high in front of her. ‘Talk about falling on your feet.’
She was just as fascinated by the inside, trailing her fingers across every surface, examining one object after another as she passed. In the front room, she paused to pick up the photos for a closer look.
‘Is this is her then?’ she asked, pointing to the young woman at the lychgate in the wedding picture. ‘The mysterious Eudora?’
‘I guess so.’
Kate pointed to the man in uniform next to her. ‘In which case this must be Mr Nash.’
‘I don’t think his name was Nash.’
‘No?’
Ellen shook her head.
‘It occurred to me last night after you’d left. Wilmot said Eudora had a sister who died a few years ago. Her name was Nash too so unless they both married brothers or somehow managed to pick out husbands with the same surname . . .’
Kate picked up the photo and studied it more closely.
‘So, you’re saying . . . what exactly? Eudora was divorced?’
‘Or went back to her maiden name after he died, maybe.’
‘But why would she do that?’
‘Aha,’ said Ellen, waving her finger mysteriously in front of her face. ‘Why indeed?’
Their conversation was interrupted by three sharp raps as the front door knocker sounded loudly throughout the building. Kate almost dropped the photo, managing to clasp it against her chest at the last moment. Ellen glanced at the clock, which still maintained it was ten past four. She promised herself she’d have a look at it later – maybe it just needed winding. Her own watch made it five hours earlier.
‘I’ll get it – you put the kettle on,’ she said. ‘Kitchen’s through there.’ She stepped into the cloakroom area, half-expecting to see O’Halloran as she opened the door. It wouldn’t have surprised her at all if he’d tried to catch her off guard by arriving early.
Instead she found herself confronted by a short, squat woman with a cheery smile and bright eyes which twinkled from deep within the folds of her face. She was almost circular in shape, reminding Ellen instinctively of a Weeble doll Sam and Mary had given her when she was small. Weebles wobble but they don’t fall down. She’d loved it, and wondered briefly what had happened to it.
The man standing behind her offered as vivid a contrast in body shape as was likely to be found anywhere, a walking definition of an ectomorph. He was wearing a brown overcoat and a hat, which he raised in acknowledgement the moment Ellen appeared before them.
‘We saw your car out front and guessed it must be you,’ the woman said, her voice burbling like water trickling over stones. ‘Rose and Bob,’ she offered, as Ellen inclined her head. ‘The Woodwards – from next door.’
‘Oh right,’ said Ellen, smiling and extending her hand for each of them to shake in turn. ‘I recognise the name. You’re the ones who disturbed the intruder, right?’ She smiled at the husband who smiled back with an uncertain glance towards his wife.
‘Awful business,’ Rose tutted. ‘And you not even moved in yet. Honestly, the things that go on nowadays. I was only saying the other night, wasn’t I, Bob? Time was, we used to leave our front and back doors unlocked and neighbours just walked in without knocking. Now you can’t trust anyone. I tell you, there’s no shame in people any more, Julie.’
‘Ellen.’
‘Sorry?’
‘Would you like to come in for a while?’ she asked, stepping back to open the door a little wider. ‘We’re just making tea or coffee, if you’re interested.’
‘Not for us, thanks,’ said Rose, stepping forward none the less and manoeuvring herself through the doorway. ‘We had a cup at ten. Next one’s at twelve. We like our routine, don’t we, Bob?’
Her husband removed the hat once more and stepped through after her, dutifully wiping his shoes on the mat. He followed his wife as she turned left and headed through the kitchen en route to the conservatory. Unlike O’Halloran two days earlier, they clearly knew their way around. Ellen offered to take their coats – no thank you, dear. Can’t stay long – and introduced them to Kate as they passed her on their way through.
‘Ah, brought a friend with you. That’s nice,’ said Rose as she dropped into the welcoming folds of the sofa with a contented sigh. Bob stood awkwardly in the middle of the room for a moment until Ellen invited him to join his wife. She went into the kitchen and brought a wooden straight-backed chair into the room for herself, leaving the rocking chair for Kate. The shortage of seats suggested Eudora hadn’t been used to many visitors.
‘Actually, I wouldn’t mind a glass of water, if it’s no trouble’, said Rose. ‘Straight from the tap’ll be fine. Much better for you than that stuff they put in bottles nowadays. Bob’ll have one too, won’t you, dear?’
Ellen smiled and called through to Kate in the kitchen before turning her attention back to the Woodwards. She’d been hoping for something like this, the chance to talk to Eudora’s friends and neighbours. Rose certainly didn’t seem the sort to hold anything back.
‘Well, as I understand it, I’ve got you to thank for frightening the intruder off,’ she said, smiling at Bob to encourage him to join in. ‘I’m told you came along just in the nick of time.’
‘You don’t know the half of it,’ continued Rose, leaning forward and putting behind her a cushion she’d spent the past few seconds plumping up. ‘Pure luck we came back when we did. Been to Tewkesbury, hadn’t we? Ou
r daughter, Tracy – she lives there. She’s just had our second grandchild – Isabella, lovely little thing. That’s why we weren’t here to say hello when you arrived, otherwise we’d have offered you lunch or something.’
She wriggled in her seat to enable her to pull at the hem of her dress, which was caught up beneath her.
‘Anyway,’ she continued, ‘Tracy wanted us to stay for dinner, only I don’t like Bob driving at night – his eyesight’s not what it was, is it, dear? – so we left earlier than we might have. We were just going past Eudora’s gate and I saw this light, sort of flicking backwards and forwards like a torch or something. Bob thought I was imagining things till we walked back and then he saw it for himself. Told me to go home and phone the police while he had a closer look.’
‘That was very brave of you under the circumstances,’ said Ellen, addressing Bob.
‘It’s what you do, isn’t it?’ Rose continued, undaunted. ‘Neighbours an’ all that. I was a bit worried, if truth be told. He’s not getting any younger, bless him, but off he goes down that path and, well, whoever it was must have seen him coming ’cos he took off out the back like a skinned rabbit before Bob could get there. Still, I gather nothing much’s been taken, is that right?’
‘So I’m told,’ said Ellen, getting to her feet and walking over to help Kate with the tray she’d just brought in. ‘They didn’t get the laptop, that’s for sure – I’d taken that back home with me. As for the rest, I’m probably not the best person to judge. I only had the briefest look around the other day and there’s so much packed away in boxes. I really wouldn’t know if something was taken from there.’
‘I could have a look for you, if you like,’ offered Rose, rocking forward twice as a necessary prelude to escaping from the confines of the deep sofa. ‘I might notice if there’s something obvious missing.’
Ellen held out her glass of water and assured her that wouldn’t be necessary. The police seemed fairly certain that the conservatory was the only part of the house that had been touched. Rose took the glass and nestled back into her seat.
‘Well, if you’re sure,’ she said, taking a couple of sips. She held the glass up to the light, as if checking for impurities. ‘You know, you can’t beat the water in this area. Same source as the spring in Eudora’s garden – well, your garden, I suppose I ought to call it now. You should try it. Much better for you than all that caffeine. What’s the water like where you are?’
‘The water?’ Ellen frowned. ‘Well . . . it’s not bad, I suppose.’
‘Well, you look good on it, I must say. You look like you’ve recovered OK.’
‘Recovered?’
‘From the journey – such a long way to have to come.’
‘Oh, it’s not so bad,’ said Ellen, taking a spoon from the tray and stirring her tea. ‘And in any case, Kate drove, not me.’
Rose shook her head.
‘No – not today, dear. I mean before. I suppose that’s why you weren’t able to make it to the funeral, having to come all that way and everything.’
‘No. Not really. I’d have been here if I’d known about it. Unfortunately, by the time Mr Wilmot – that’s Eudora’s solicitor – by the time he got in touch, it was too late.’
‘Oh, I’m sure everyone understood, dear. And Reverend Williams gave her such a lovely send-off. The whole village was there too, just about. Such a shame you didn’t get to see it for yourself. Which reminds me, we’ve got a message for you, haven’t we?’
‘A message?’
‘From Reverend Williams. He rang this morning and said he’ll be over this way for most of this evening. I know he’s going to visit Josie Killick after Evensong. She’s not been well, bless her. Anyway, he said he’d welcome the chance to drop in for a while, if it’s OK with you. Just for a couple of minutes. I said we’d ring and let him know if we happened to see you.’
Ellen looked at Kate, whose expression suggested that spending even a portion of Saturday night with a member of the clergy was not what she’d had in mind when signing up for this weekend but Reverend Williams was one person Ellen most definitely wanted to see while she was here. She asked Rose to tell him they’d be in all evening and he was welcome to drop by any time.
‘He’ll be pleased to hear that,’ said Rose, clearly gratified by her role in having brokered the deal. ‘He seems so keen to meet you. You’ll like him – everyone does. I expect he’ll want to talk to you about Perth, what with him having spent time out there himself . . . although he was in Brisbane himself. Is that anywhere near?’
Ellen exchanged a puzzled glance with Kate, who mouthed the word Perth?
‘Seems to be all the rage nowadays,’ Rose continued, barely drawing breath. ‘When I was your age, people hardly ever left the village. Trip to the seaside once a year maybe, and that was it. Now it’s like you haven’t had a holiday worth mentioning if you haven’t flown halfway round the world. Tell someone you had a week in Weston an’ they look at you like there’s been a death in the family or something.’
She paused to take another sip from the glass.
‘Don’t see the attraction personally. They say it plays havoc with your body clock. And Bob doesn’t much fancy the thought of flying, do you, dear? Thinks it’s unnatural. Still, you seem to be thriving on it, I must say. How are the children?’
‘The children?’
‘Did you bring them with you?’
Ellen frowned as she struggled to keep pace with the sudden shifts in Rose’s conversation. ‘No – they’re . . . they’re with their father.’
‘Ah, bless them. I don’t suppose you’ve got a photo, have you? They must have grown quite a bit. Don’t suppose we’d recognise them now.’
‘Recognise them?’ said Ellen, putting her cup and saucer on the floor next to her and leaning forward. ‘I’m sorry, I don’t understand. Why would you expect to recognise my children? This is the first time we’ve met, isn’t it?’
‘Well, of course it is but . . . you know . . . we’ve seen the photos so often –’
‘What photos?’
‘Well, Eudora’s photos, of course – of you and the children.’
‘She has photos of us?’
Now Rose was frowning too, as Ellen’s confusion began to register.
‘Well, yes. The ones on the dresser. In the front room.’
Ellen shook her head. ‘The only photos in there are two old prints from, what, sixty years ago?’ She looked to Kate for confirmation and received a nod in return. ‘We assumed they were of Eudora and her husband.’
‘Well, yes, dear,’ said Rose, with the air of someone accustomed to having to explain the self-evident to everyone around her. ‘Obviously I don’t mean those. I’m talking about the other three.’
‘There are no others – at least not in the front room.’
‘Are you sure?’
‘Absolutely certain.’
Rose put a hand to her mouth.
‘Well, that’s strange, I must say. They were always there every time we came round to see her, weren’t they?’ She turned to her husband for support and he nodded.
‘You don’t suppose the intruder took them, do you?’ asked Kate.
‘No way,’ said Ellen. ‘There were no photos there Thursday – not of us. I’d have seen them. If someone’s taken them, it must have been before the break-in. When did you last see them?’
‘Oh . . . I couldn’t say for certain. We used to pop in most days to see Eudora, just for a quick chat and to make sure she was alright. We didn’t always go into the other room though, did we? It’s so much nicer in here. So I suppose we wouldn’t necessarily have known if the photos weren’t there. Mind you, I’m sure Eudora would have said something if they’d gone missing. It’s all very strange.’
‘Well, they’re probably upstairs somewhere. Maybe they’ve been packed away in one of those boxes.’
‘I don’t see why she’d have done that,’ said Rose thoughtfu
lly. ‘She loved those photos.’ Bob nodded silently alongside her.
Questions, thought Ellen. Everywhere she turned, more questions. More mysteries.
‘These photos,’ said Kate, pausing as she lifted a Hobnob to her mouth. ‘You’re sure they were of Ellen?’
‘Ellen?’
‘Of me. Me and my children.’
‘Oh, no question. There was an old black-and-white one from long ago. You were a lot younger – in your teens, I’d have said. Still at school, at any rate. She was wearing her uniform, wasn’t she?’ she asked, turning to check with her husband. ‘Then there was a more recent one. Your hair was a bit longer maybe, but it was definitely you. Very smart, you looked, as if you were dressed for work or something. Eudora said you had a really important job, a manager or something, so you always had to look your best. I remember you were wearing a white blouse and there was this necklace with a silver barrel on it, wasn’t there?’
Ellen stared at her in astonishment, then reached slowly inside the neck of her jumper and lifted a silver chain into view. ‘You mean, like this one?’
Rose’s eyes lit up.
‘Oh, you’ve still got it, then. Yes, that’s the one. Very pretty, isn’t it? And then, in the other photo, you were on a park bench near a playground with swings and there was a little girl helping you get a baby out of a pushchair. I think that was the most recent.’
The playground on the sea front. She’d taken the children there almost every day when she was on maternity leave for Harry. Had she ever posed for a photograph? If she had, she couldn’t remember it.
‘Mind you, Eudora said even that one was out of date,’ Rose chirped up again. ‘I suppose the children must be a lot bigger now.’