“Go down to the infirmary, Rayn. There’s something I have to do.”
“Amelia. What’s going on? Why are you so calm?” Rayn wailed.
“I don’t know - I really don’t know,” answered Amelia, adding to Rayn’s confusion.
As she waited for Rayn to disappeared Amelia thought about the sequence of events. This was a distinct ‘before’, and it didn’t exactly creep up on her. The after was going to be difficult to handle but the marker was one hell of a hole in her reality. She sighed and then made her way to the library noticing that the news was spreading quickly, with varying degrees of response from tears to outright cheering.
Miss Collins was sitting in a chair, her foot propped up on a stool. She looked a solitary, broken figure. Her eyes, reddened with tears, were empty. Jenny the librarian was trying to massage her foot and comfort her but was running out of clichés and struggling.
“Miss Collins,” Amelia said quietly.
Miss Collins looked up. Her eyes focused and she looked directly at Amelia. “Jenny, can we have a moment, please?” The girl left, grateful for the reprieve.
“Amelia,” Miss Collins said, when they were alone. “We don’t have much time. No, don’t speak, just listen. You must not, under any circumstances, tell anybody about the Professor’s book. No one must know you have it.”
“What? What’s this got to do with…”
“Please, promise me,” Miss Collins talked over her objections. “It’s why the professor put it in your locker himself. He doesn’t…” she stopped and corrected herself. “He didn’t want anyone to know you have it.”
“But Rayn Mgee knows,” cut in Amelia.
“That’s okay,” Miss Collins continued. “You can trust her, and her mother. They may be the only ones you can.”
“What do you mean? The only ones…”
“Oh Amelia,” Miss Collins talked over her again. “There are things I can’t tell you, and you and your mother may be our last hope.”
“What on earth…” Amelia didn’t get the chance to finish as they heard footsteps running along the corridor.
“Quickly, He left this letter in my pigeon hole just before…Oh. It has your name on it, take it and go now Amelia. And please, be very careful, trust no one.” finished Miss Collins.
Amelia walked out of the library. She felt as though she hadn’t taken a breath since she’d seen the Professor’s body hanging on the railings.
Rayn was fully recovered by the time Amelia got back to the infirmary and was bursting with questions. Amelia whispered to her.
“Not now, not here,” was all she’d say. Rayn had to settle for that, but it was the first time Amelia had seen her without that impish look of mischief in her eyes. It worried her. She hoped this ‘emotional hand grenade’ wasn’t some kind of ‘rite of passage’ to adulthood.
Standing on the steps in the watery sunlight they noticed most of the kids had left, thankful for an unexpected day off. The first of the police cars and vans had arrived and were parked on the grass. Rayn shuddered at the thought of what they had to do.
“Miss Jaxson. Mgee.” Miss Collins voice reached them from inside the building. Apart from a limp, Miss Collins seemed to have recovered from her initial shock, although her face was drawn and showing the footprints of the emotion she was going through. “Ah, there you are,” she said to them. “These gentlemen would like to ask you some questions.”
Three men smiled at them. The younger one was in police uniform and seemed to be enjoying the situation. The older one was in a well-worn suit. He had grey hair, a face that told the world he’d ‘seen it all before’ and looked very bored.
The third man was very familiar; Tall, black suit, white collar – it was the vicar of Tetherington. The Reverend West.
Amelia was trying to understand what a Protestant vicar would be doing in the heart of this autonomous Catholic domain, but her mind felt as if it were in a tumble drier; tangled, emotionally dry and completely disorientated.
“Miss Collins tells me you were first on the scene,” the older man spoke to Rayn. He offered no introductions or showed any identification. Rayn’s back was up already. She was familiar with the routine.
“No,” she said simply.
“You got there before me, Rayn. Don’t you remember?” interrupted Amelia.
“No,” repeated Rayn, and remained silent. But she felt a delicious wickedness at this involvement in obvious deception. It would have been nicer if she knew what the devil was going on.
“Would you like to tell me what you saw?” enquired the police officer.
“No,” said Rayn again, hoping that Amelia would bail her out.
“Oh, why is that then?” he asked, sounding as if he had better things to do.
Rayn, not knowing what was happening, was unable to respond. Amelia bailed her out. “I’m sorry sir, but you’ve seen it. Do you really need a second opinion? We are, after all, only children.”
A flicker of interest crossed the inspector’s face. He gave an ‘almost’ smile and sighed. The uniformed policeman was scribbling in his notebook while unsuccessfully trying to stop the grin that was breaking out on his face.
The inspector turned to Amelia. “I’m also told you were the last one to see him alive,” he said to her.
“Was I? I don’t know.” Amelia was trying to reassemble her mind and was searching for any mental ammunition she may need.
“Yet you were also one of the first on the scene. How do you account for that?” The inspector looked straight into her eyes. Amelia felt out on a limb – a long way out. She hesitated and Rayn roared in.
“Account for it? We were too busy throwing up!” she spoke sharply. “Look at the mess we’re in, and we’re not answering any more questions till our parents get here.”
Amelia knew that Rayn had a deep-rooted mistrust of authority, especially policemen. The inspector, showing nothing more than a passing nod to Rayn’s outburst, continued speaking to Amelia.
“One last question. Why did you go outside when you came down from the Professor’s office?”
“Why, Inspector?” said Amelia, putting on her most innocent of faces. “We wanted to enjoy a few moments of God’s panorama of sunshine and scenery.”
Miss Collins gave a loud choking cough and turned away, her shoulders shaking with partially concealed laughter. The young policeman made a bolt for the door, muttering some excuse, and the inspector gave up on the grounds that he had never heard that one before.
Unfortunately, the vicar believed her. He stepped forward and, cupping Amelia’s hands in his own looked down at her.
“Amelia, I hope you are all right,” he said earnestly. “But don’t worry; we’ll get through this, together. If there’s anything you want to tell me, I’m here to listen.”
Amelia looked up at him, her face serene. “Thank you so much, Vicar,” she replied sweetly, but that nagging ‘something’ in her mind told her she was being intellectually hunted, and that there could be no mercy, either shown or expected.
This is stupid, she thought. This man is a member of the church. True to his beliefs. It made her wonder just what his beliefs were.
“It looks as though your bus has left without you,” said Miss Collins, back in control of herself.
“That’s all right,” the vicar smiled. “I came to pick up my children. I’ll give them a lift home, not to worry.”
Rayn jumped on this like a pit bull terrier, partly to help Amelia, who was fading fast. “That’s strange,” she said to him. “How come a Protestant vicar has his children in a Catholic school?” Her face dared him to answer without opening a can of bigotry.
“You must be Rayn,” he replied. “I met your mother at the weekend – in the flower shop?” He eyed her, smooth and cold as ice. “Was that you I heard from the kitchen?”
Rayn rode the wave, recognising an adversary who was used to winning. “Yes, it was.” She was unruffled by his question and wasn’t going to be sid
e-tracked by this clumsy ploy. “So, what are your kids doing here?”
The vicar leaned toward her, emphasising his social advantage, and gave the girls a condescending smile, the type that game show hosts reserve for the losers.
“My girls don’t attend St Margaret’s,” he said. “They come over here on Mondays for a music lesson, which Miss Collins has graciously allowed. After all, if music is God’s gift, should it not be enjoyed free of prejudice?”
Rayn knew that this question required no answer. It was a full stop. The final word. End of conversation, crafted to perfection.
Rayn looked at Amelia for some help but she was looking away, through the glass entrance doors. The inspector and his sidekick were standing on the lawn talking. Next to them was what held Amelia’s attention. A transit van was being unloaded by a heavenly vision.
Miss Collins hobbled off. “Thank you, Vicar,” she said, over her shoulder.
“If you girls wait here, I’ll collect my girls and drop you off at home,” said the vicar, making his way up the wide staircase.
“Miss Collins, may I have a word?” Her shoulders slumped at his request.
Before Rayn could say anything Amelia was gone. She’d run through the open doors, down the steps and thrown herself into the arms of the dishy workman. “Oh great!” muttered Rayn. “She even gets the guy.”
***
Rayn stood on the top step and looked out. There were more police cars and several vans on the lawn. She saw one that had a TV aerial and was obviously a local news van. The inspector and the police officer had left, but there were several police types rushing around trying to look busy. There was an ambulance with a very queasy-looking paramedic sitting on the back step.
The sky had developed a haze that the sun was finding hard to penetrate. When it finally did, there was no warmth and Rayn felt the chill complementing the mood of the drama. Right in front of her, centre stage, so to speak, her best friend was sobbing her heart out in the arms of the most gorgeous creature she’d ever seen. By the sketchy description Amelia had given her she assumed it was Nigel. At least, she hoped this was her future P.E. instructor. A vision of him in shorts and vest flirted with her imagination.
“It was horrible,” she heard Amelia say. “I’ll never get it out of my mind.” It then dawned on her that for Amelia everything was just sinking in and Rayn knew that delayed shock was the worst kind to get through.
As she walked down the steps, the guy held Amelia by the shoulders and gently pushed her to arm’s length. She had her face buried in her hands. Wanting desperately to do something for her friend she had no idea what to say or do. Walking towards them she said simply “Hi!” She felt pathetic, but it was all she had.
Nigel looked at her and was immediately mesmerised. He stood there, holding a sobbing Amelia at arm’s length while becoming totally absorbed by Rayn. He couldn’t tear his eyes from her. Rayn caught her breath and was unable to break their mutual gaze.
“Rayn, this is Nigel, my hero,” said Amelia, in between sobs. “Nigel, this is Rayn, my friend.” Not getting any response, Amelia stopped rubbing her eyes and looked up. She had never seen Nigel at such a loss for words. She looked at Rayn and saw the same expression. Amelia started laughing between her fading sobs and gave Nigel a hearty thump on the arm. He broke his gaze and turned.
“Ow! What was that for?”
Rayn had turned away, struggling with the concept that she was way out of her depth.
“Blimey Amelia,” the young man said. “That cop and his mate, they don’t like you two at all.”
“You heard them?” asked Amelia.
“Yeah,” said Nigel. “They didn’t even notice me. It was like I wasn’t there.”
“What did they say, Nigel?” coaxed Amelia.
“What? Oh yeah… The one in uniform had a notebook and was saying that things didn’t add up. The older one said he didn’t need a notebook to tell him that you two were lying and covering something up.”
“Was there anything else?” Amelia prompted.
“Yeah. He said he thought the secretary was involved somehow. Then it got really weird. He said that the redhead was a firebrand who knew her way around, and the other one was dangerous. There’s something he doesn’t like about you. He finished up by saying “We’ll come across those two again sergeant, gut instinct, you mark my words.”
“That’s it?” Rayn blurted out. “I was bluffing like crazy. Gut instinct indeed! Amelia, you have to tell me what’s going on,” she commanded.
“Professor Melkins has died. The police have to ask questions,” Amelia answered evasively, nodding toward Nigel who had turned to pick up a bag of tools. “Any chance of a lift home, old friend?” she asked.
“Sorry, I’ve got to measure up here than pick up G-Dad from the builder’s merchants.”
“Pick up Granddad? reiterated Amelia. “Come to think of it, what are you doing here?”
“Oh, they called us in to board up the window in case anyone tries to break in”
“It’s on the third floor, Nigel,” Rayn pointed out.
“Tell me about it,” he said with a grin. “I’m the one who has to work on the outside.”
“Why you and Granddad?” asked Amelia. “Surely there are local people who can do this?”
“They called us ‘cos G-Dad built the office that guy dived from. It was for the guy before this one. G-Dad had just finished when he drops dead. He was furious when the new bloke moved that glass desk in. Still, as he said, he’d been paid well, so it was okay.”
“Has he done any other work here that you know of?” Amelia queried, much to Rayn’s and her own surprise.
“Yeah, they called him in to rebuild the library after the fire. He made all that shelving himself,” said Nigel with some pride.
“Fire? What that one last year during the holidays?”
“Yeah. He spent hours going through those books to see how many he could save. The insurance people were going to dump the lot, but he wouldn’t let them touch ’em till he’d checked them himself.”
“And did he save many?” Amelia kept digging. Rayn wondered where she was going with it. “And was Professor Melkins here then?”
“No, he didn’t save any. I got the impression he was looking for a particular book. And yeah, the professor was here then, he’s the one who hired him – no, I think it was the secretary. She’s the one who paid him, anyway. Look, I must do those measurements and go get the boss, see you both in the gym tonight, okay?”
The two girls agreed and watched as he drove off to the rear entrance, Rayn annoyed at herself for not being able to control the grin rearranging her face.
“Watch yourself, Rayn. You’re not quite fifteen and he’s twenty-eight. He only seems our age,” Amelia warned.
“I know Amelia, but I can dream, can’t I? I know one thing though.”
“What’s that?”
“I feel a hell of a lot better than I did half an hour ago. Now are you going to fill me in on what’s going on?”
***
Spurred into complete silence they stood and watched as two girls came running towards them down the steps, knowing instinctively they were the Vicar’s daughters.
“Oh turdles,” Rayn muttered under her breath. “Just what we need, God’s little helpers.”
“Hi, are you Amelia and Rayn?” said the taller one. Amelia guessed her to be older than herself, but not much bigger for it.
“I’m Amelia,” she replied.
“Yes.” Was all Rayn could say, with no enthusiasm.
“I’m Carrieanne,” said the girl. “This is my sister, Claire.”
Amelia judged Claire to be much younger than her sister, but she looked nothing like her. She had long black hair as opposed to Carrieanne’s shoulder-length brown hair, had much sharper features and a slightly darker complexion. Not even their eyes matched. Caz’s were brown while her sisters were a piercing blue.
Amelia noticed as they’d run dow
n the steps that they were both slim and well-co-ordinated. Both were pretty, with Claire having the edge. The eyes should have made them look enchanting. But there was something not quite right, she decided, but couldn’t pin it down.
“What sort of name is Rayn?” Claire blurted out.
“A very wet one,” retorted Rayn. Amelia caught a glimpse of fire in Claire’s eyes. This could be interesting, she thought to herself.
Carrieanne appeared not to be aware of this initial skirmish and carried on talking. “Are you really the ones who found the body? What was it like?”
“You’re a bit gory, aren’t you?” snapped Rayn.
Claire leapt to her sister’s defence. “My sister is a reporter for our school newspaper. She’s very good at it and this is a scoop, so you back off.” The diminutive figure showed no fear or hesitation
Rayn picked up on the threat immediately but before she had a chance to respond Carrieanne smoothed in. “Look, I’m sorry,” she said turning to Rayn. “That didn’t come out well. What I meant was, what was it like for you?”
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to jump,” Rayn apologised. Claire said nothing. The silence was embarrassing and it suddenly occurred to Amelia what it was that was puzzling her about the sisters. Their faces were, with dark shadows under their eyes emphasising the premature lines of stress around them. The constant furtive glances back up the steps to the school entrance made her realise that they were absolutely terrified of their own father. Horrified, she said the first thing that came into her mind.
“Carrieanne, would you like to do a proper interview?”
Carrieanne’s eyes widened. “Would you mind? Really? That would be great. In the car on the way home?” she asked eagerly.
“Can you come over to the flower shop later?” Amelia replied, knowing she wouldn’t be able to talk in front of their father.
The Chrysalid Conspiracy Page 9