by Emily Selby
'The area isn't well-frequented, as you probably know. This is one of the reasons why the previous investigation was so slow to progress, remember?'
Chris nodded.
'So, you think two different cars visited the scene,' Katie said, thinking aloud. 'One which came in the afternoon and whose driver didn't mind being seen. And the other which came later and whose driver wanted to fly under the radar.'
'Well put, lass,' Chris said and smiled. He tapped the computer screen. 'I think you should definitely consider those courses. Barry talked you out of going back to university after Julia was born, right?'
Katie winced. Even though it was nearly a year since her divorce, it still hurt. 'It was a joint decision,' she said slowly. 'I wanted to spend time with my baby, of course. But it would be a lie if I said Barry didn't encourage me not to enrol on a course.'
Chris inhaled sharply. 'I heard you comment about him being the one destined to make his mark in the police force. And, having worked with him, I think you were right, to some extent. But,' Chris took a deep breath, 'having worked with you on these last few cases, I think you've got more potential than Barry ever did. Also, I suspect he knew you were smarter than him and definitely didn't want the competition.' Chris finished his speech and watched her carefully.
Katie set her jaw. Normally she would defend Barry because she believed everybody deserved a fair chance, but this comment hit a little too close home. 'I wasn't going to compete with him,' she said simply.
'I don't think it mattered. He likes to think he’s the best of the bunch.'
Katie nodded and blinked away the moisture gathering at the corners of her eyes. 'So, what's your next step, Sergeant?' she asked, keen to change the subject.
Chris grabbed the door handle. 'I'd like to find out a little more about our mysterious drivers. I'm going back to Stream Drive and Meadowbank Road, doing door-to-door to see if anyone else heard or saw anything.'
'You're enjoying this, aren't you?' she asked, smiling.
The corners of Chris' mouth turned upwards. 'Yeah. It makes a nice change from the usual drunk and disorderly.'
'I like solving puzzles too,' Katie replied. 'Will you let me know if you find out anything useful?'
'Only if you promise you share your findings with me.'
'Of course I will,' Katie said solemnly. 'I always do!'
'See you soon, then,' Chris said and walked out.
It was a deal then. If only it was as easy with Jack.
Katie was going to intensify her efforts to discover the real reasons for Archie Blackburn’s death. She was convinced it was a murder and she didn't want his killer to get away with it.
Like anyone else, Archie Blackburn deserved justice, and Katie was determined to make sure it was delivered.
12
Katie couldn't wait to leave the office, keen to progress with her own investigation and to distract herself from the feelings of inadequacy that seemed to be growing at the back of her mind. She might have divorced Barry, but his subtly disparaging comments lived on in her head.
When Katie entered the cafeteria at the garden centre, the place was humming with human voices, and the clinking of tableware intensified the noise. She carefully navigated the maze of tables and chairs and the minefield of children running wild, and headed towards the back of the room where Dorothy was sitting at a table, waving at her.
'I've got us the staff's table,' Dorothy said once Katie was within an earshot. The table was small, two-persons only, but sufficient for the quick lunch Katie was planning. They ordered their food and drinks and sat down, heads close together.
'Before I forget, here is a Christmas wreath for you - courtesy of the Garden Centre,' Dorothy said, pulling a box from under the table.
'You're really shouldn't have—'
'My pleasure, Katie. I would have made you a real one if you gave me more notice. I prefer making my own from fir branches, or at least add one or two twigs for the scent.'
'Great idea. But where do you get fir branches?'
'There are loads of fir trees growing on the old allotments at the back of the new estate. Some have been abandoned. I think the Bowers' company is trying to buy that land and convert it into community gardens. Why not take a look? Go to the end of Main Lane and turn right. They grow by the perimeter fence. As long as you don't dig up entire trees, you should be fine.'
Katie made a mental note to visit the place. It would be nice to have at least some table decorations made with real fir.
Just imagine the real Christmas smell...
'Speaking of the allotments,' Katie said. 'I've got a question for you. The shed fire where Archie Blackburn's wife died, do know anything about it?'
'Not much,' Dorothy replied after a short pause. 'That’s why I thought of the allotments. Because that’s where it happened. From memory, the allotment now belongs to Erin. If you go there, you can have a look yourself. It's at the end of one of the little alleys. There is still a lot of debris. I don't think they fully cleaned afterwards. It was a big explosion.'
'An explosion?'
'Yes. It happened shortly after I came back to Sunnyvale having lived abroad. At the time, my mum had an allotment over there as well. I took her there regularly, helping with the planting. It happened in the summer, during a heat wave. Apparently, they kept an old motorbike in the shed. There was the leak of petrol and because of the heat it created some fumes. Unfortunately, the shed’s wiring was faulty. Anyway, one day, Archie's wife walked into the shed and turned the light on, and the whole thing exploded. She suffered severe burns and later died in hospital. Erin's boyfriend at the time was also on the allotment. He dragged her out of the fire and called the ambulance. He also received some bad burns but he's survived. He had to have some extensive skin grafts, though.'
'Where was Erin at the time?'
'I think she went to the shops. They were planning to renovate the shed. She was angry and blamed herself for not being there to help.'
'But how could have she helped?'
Dorothy shrugged. 'I don't think it would have made a difference, but you know what it's like. She felt guilty.'
Katie stirred her coffee as the wave of sadness swept over her.
Poor Erin...
'It must've been horrible living with the guilt,' Katie said. 'How old was she at the time?'
'Seventeen. She just passed her driving test and was keen to drive whenever she had an opportunity. That was the reason she went to the shops.'
Katie sipped her coffee, thinking about the situation. 'Isn't it rather ironic a building inspector's ex-wife dies in what effectively is a safety accident?'
Dorothy nodded, her face serious. 'Exactly what a lot of people thought at the time,' she said gravely. 'Apparently, a couple of weeks before the fire, Archie checked the shed and deemed it to be safe. Nobody expected the weather to turn so hot, of course. The fire investigators blamed the incident on the petrol fumes. A lot might have happened between Archie checking the shed and the explosion. On the other hand, he wasn't an electrical safety specialist.'
'One would think they would have hired an expert to do the test,' Katie said.
'Yes indeed,' Dorothy sighed. 'But often people don't behave logically or in their best interests.'
That was a comment Katie agreed with wholeheartedly. 'Do you think Erin still feels guilty about it?'
Dorothy bit into his sandwich. She looked away, chewing slowly. 'Erin came to the Paper Crafts Club meeting last Tuesday. You were probably too busy with Jane Starr, but I hung around Erin for a little while. She struck me as being quite distracted, maybe a little down. I tried talking to her, but she dismissed me. She busied herself with Jane's scrapbooking machine, avoiding people. I overheard Ally Baker asking Erin about her boyfriend. Apparently, they were engaged to get married but it's fallen through.'
'Who is her boyfriend or rather, her ex-fiancé?' Katie asked.
'His name is Jason. He's a freelance photographer for s
ome local newspapers. He did a nice feature on the garden centre a while back. His face is looking better now after the surgery.'
'I think I know him then,' Katie said, remembering the scarred face. 'Erin's still with the same guy?'
'Not any more, if we are to believe the local gossip,' Dorothy commented. 'But it's the same boy who tried to save her mother. Erin and Jason were together for years. Such a shame it hasn't worked out.'
It was an interesting comment. Katie reached for her sandwich and tucked into it. 'They were together for over ten years, got engaged and are now splitting up? Quite unusual.'
'Not really, if you think about it,' Dorothy replied. 'I'm of the view that every relationship has a "Best Before" date. At some point you either feel you can spend the rest of your life together, you move together and get married, or you realise this is not going to work and you part ways.'
'Were they living together?'
'I'm not familiar with all the details,' Dorothy said, wriggling in her chair and leaning closer to Katie. 'But here’s what I've gathered from Ally, who is close friends with Erin.
'Jason lives in Newcastle and travels around the region working on his assignments. Erin has a flat in Sunnyvale, and she's often away, too.'
'Indeed,' Katie replied, realising why she hadn't seen Erin at every meeting. 'I've heard she's had a few well-paid projects offshore.'
'So did I. Apparently, she had to take those jobs to pay for the wedding. It's hard if you don't have a family to help financially. But all that traveling doesn't bode too well for a relationship, particularly if the relationship isn't too strong in the first place.'
'Over ten years together, there must have been something, a bond that connected them,' Katie said.
'Indeed,' Dorothy replied and paused. 'And Erin has helped him so much.'
'What do you mean?'
'I don't think Jason earns a lot as a freelance photographer, and he's not close to his parents. When he ended up with burns and obviously unable to work for a long time, Erin supported him with the money she inherited after her mother's death. And then she started working in the building industry and studying at the same time. She's a hard-working girl, Erin. And she paid for his private plastic surgery.'
'What dedication,' Katie observed and bit another piece of her sandwich.
Dorothy pursed her lips. 'Or guilt,' she said quietly.
Katie had to admit it did fit. Erin had always struck her as a quiet, responsible, serious girl. She rarely joined in anything spontaneous and preferred well-prepared events. Maybe that was the reason she got on so well with Ally Baker? Strangely, Katie had always put it down to Erin being a well-organised person herself. A perfect project manager. But it was, of course, the personality that came first. It seemed that Erin had to take on big responsibilities from a young age. Such fertile ground for guilt and anger to thrive.
'Poor Erin, it doesn't look as though she's had much happiness in her life,' Katie said.
'Definitely not,' Dorothy replied.
Dorothy’s phone pinged, and she put down her cup to glance at the screen. She pressed the silence button, grunted and reached for her sandwich again. They sat in silence for a while taking care of the lunch.
'Can I ask you a personal question, Katie?' Dorothy asked suddenly, looking intently at her.
Katie blinked. What sort of question did Dorothy have in mind that required asking her permission? It wasn’t as though Dorothy didn't ask personal questions on regular basis.
'Fire away, my friend,' she said and smiled.
'Have you ever considered getting back with your ex-husband? Or regretted splitting up with him in the first place?'
Katie's shoulders tensed. That niggling doubt at the back of her mind which had been there since this morning intensified. Would she ever consider going back to life with Barry?
'Breaking up with Barry was not an easy decision, particularly because of Julia. I suspected he would be going back to York, and she would be seeing him less often.'
'I know nothing about children, I'm afraid,' Dorothy replied. 'But what about the relationship between the two of you? Have you ever wondered about going back to him?'
Keating noticed that her friend's eyes were red. Had she been crying before the meeting?
'No. Maybe it's all too fresh still. Are you being a witch again?' Katie laughed nervously. 'I've been thinking about Barry since this morning, but not in a good way. I'm actually happy to be out of his zone of influence, and enjoying being free and myself again. Fair enough, I have my worries, particularly financial. I might not be able to give Julia all I'd like her to have, but at least I can enjoy quality time with her. We can live our lives the way we want to live, not the way someone else dictates. I may not have enough money, but I don't have to worry about his debts anymore. Why are you asking?'
Dorothy looked away again. She tugged at her spiky hair which, unusually for her, looked a little flattened.
'I was just wondering. Thinking about Archie and his wife, and Erin in her strange relationship with Jason. I was also, just maybe ... reconsidering my own decisions.'
A question grew in Katie's mind. She had never actually asked her friend how and why she had broken up with her husband. She’d never asked whether she had been in another long-term relationship since. And if not, why not? This would have would be a good topic for a heart-to-heart chat with Dorothy one day. One day Katie was ready to admit to the outside world that she was dating again, and maybe hoping for another happy relationship.
Katie opened her mouth to suggest a proper chat on the subject of relationships one day but then, fear clenched at her throat. She closed her mouth.
Too early for that ...
Katie wasn’t even certain she and Jack were in a proper relationship. Not yet.
'I see what you mean,' Katie said instead. 'Relationships are difficult. And the older you are the more complicated they become.
'I nearly forgot,' Katie said, suddenly realising there was another thing she wanted to discuss. 'Apparently, Archie Blackburn used to come here quite often. Do you know anything about it?'
'Yes, I've seen him a few times,' Dorothy replied, still looking a little distracted. 'On his bike doing a cycling loop behind the garden centre, and in here as well when it rained.'
'Have you ever seen anyone with him?'
Dorothy shook her head. 'He was a lonely man.'
'I've heard that. But I've also heard he didn't have any enemies.'
'He was eccentric but harmless,' Dorothy added, nodding distractedly.
'That's what the police seems to think.'
Dorothy's brown eyes shone. 'But you disagree with it?'
Katie blew out a breath. 'Strangely enough, the police still insist on treating it as an accidental death rather than a murder,' she said. 'But I just can't shake off a feeling it was more sinister. Could you keep it to yourself, though?'
'No problem,' Dorothy replied. 'Does this mean you're sleuthing again?'
'Sort of,' Katie replied carefully. 'Do you know anyone I could talk to who’ll give me a better understanding of Mr Blackburn?'
'Besides Erin?'
'Yes. I don't know Erin that well, I'm afraid. And there aren’t any more Craft Club meetings this year.'
'Unless you count our Christmas do,' Dorothy cut in holding her finger in the air.
Katie clasped her hands. 'Bother, I've forgotten! When is that?'
'Tomorrow evening. And apparently, you've volunteered to bring a lemon drizzle cake and help with room preparation. I think most people present at the meeting last week volunteered to help so Erin is likely to be there early as well.'
'When did you decide that?'
'After you left. I nearly forgot myself, with all what's been going on in my life at the moment, Christmas and everything,' Dorothy added, glancing at her phone again. 'Fortunately, Ally Baker reminded me last night. She's a real Godsend.'
Yes, Ally Baker. She was another person Katie could talk to.
>
'Erin offered to help with the preparations as well? Don't you think she would rather stay home grieving?' Katie asked.
'We'll see what happens. I won't be surprised if she turns up. She has a strong sense of duty. Probably a little overgrown.'
It did fit in with Erin's personality. But speaking of the party, Katie made a mental note to check if she had all the ingredients she needed. Katie hadn’t made lemon drizzle cake since splitting with Barry. Julia didn’t like it.
'I'll be there tomorrow evening,' Katie said. 'I'm sure Julia will be delighted to be involved as well.'
They chatted a little more about Christmas preparations, the weather and a number of other unimportant things until Dorothy had to start work.
With lunch break and chat with friends over, Katie drove home. Sadly, she still didn't have enough information about poor Mr Blackburn. And as for her confusion over who might have wanted him dead and the motive, it had only increased.
13
On the way back, Katie pulled off by the bookshop. She had seen a book on analytical and intuitive thinking in the window the other day. It wouldn't hurt to check it out.
She flicked through the pages, pushing aside the paralysing panic rising in her chest. It was a rather scientific text, written in an understandable way, but not quite Enid Blyton or Harry Potter. She'd have to get used to reading books for grown-ups again.
Panic under control, or so she thought, Katie paid for the book and headed for the exit. The moment she sat in her car again, her phone beeped with a reminder that this afternoon, Julia's drama group was holding a major rehearsal. She needed to be on time, and if she arrived early, she could start studying the book.
The afternoon passed quickly. The book proved to be interesting. The rehearsal went well, and Julia and Ines were best friends again, even when arguing about Santa Claus and presents in the back of the car.
This made Katie realise she hadn't wrapped Julia’s present yet. She'd wrapped a stack of mystery books ordered online earlier, but the other items were still in their original packaging. She'd finally relented and bought the darn glitter - a set of six different colours in neat bottles. She added a box of rhinestones as well, and a self-healing mat. And then, there was the Christmas stocking to find and fill. And what about Jack? What would he do if she bought him a present? Only six days to Christmas. So much to think about and so much to do!