by Issy Brooke
“Hmm.”
“And the uncle, William Goodfellow.”
“She’s such a skinny, quiet girl. And he’s in a mobility scooter,” Penny protested.
“What, and that makes him incapable of killing? I don’t think so.”
“It’s political correctness gone mad,” she muttered.
“Crime has always been an equal opportunities employer,” he said. “You need to lengthen your list.”
Chapter Eight
On Friday morning, the day before the town’s history day, Penny went over to Ariadne’s house. Penny had sent Ariadne a number of reassuring texts over the preceding few days, though she had had few replies. She needed to see her in person. She wanted to show Ariadne, in person, that she was serious about pursuing the investigation.
She had also had a text from Drew informing her that Kevin had been seen, out and about, and walking his dog. She was relieved. She had been harbouring a fair bit of guilt about the incident. After all, he was self-employed. If she had done him real damage, his business would have suffered. It didn’t bear thinking about.
Wolf had been right in his assessment of his mother. When Penny saw Ariadne, she was shocked at how stressed and tired her sister looked. Ariadne led her into the living room. A pot of tea was already standing on the coffee table. Penny picked up the warm pot and began to pour the tea into the mugs automatically.
Wolf was sitting on the floor, reading an ebook. Destiny was curled up on the sofa, headphones in, looking sulky. She was painting her nails and tutting when her hand wobbled.
Penny was just sitting down when her phone buzzed with a call. It was Drew.
“Hey there, I just called round on the off-chance that you were in…”
“I am in,” she told him. “I’m down at Ariadne’s. About ten doors down, with the new door. I’ll wave.”
“Who are you inviting in?” Ariadne asked dully.
“Drew. He was in the area and wanted to know where I was.”
Destiny looked up, so she was obviously listening through her music, and Ariadne nodded in acknowledgment. “Okay. I’ll get another cup.”
Once Drew had arrived, and they were all settled, Penny said to the room at large, “So, let’s talk about this case. What does everyone know about the murder so far? Do we know what the police know?”
Everyone shrugged and muttered. “Dunno.”
Penny sighed. “Oh, you lot are rubbish. Right. I picked up the local paper earlier. The death is officially suspicious and an inquest has been opened. The police are described as ‘making enquiries’ and apparently they are ‘keen to talk to anyone who might have information’ which I reckon is coppers’ code for ‘they don’t have a clue what’s going on.’ All we do know is that Julie Rose was found dead, and was poisoned by commonly available cleaning chemicals. The fact that it’s suspicious and not accidental suggests that these were not chemicals that Julie routinely used. What is the general gossip?”
She looked towards Destiny and Wolf. Destiny was staring at her phone now, probably waiting for her nails to dry before the next coat. Wolf perked up.
“Charlotte has lived away for ages. She came back to the area about six months ago, and rented a bedsit. Before that she was in Leicester, and other places around the East Midlands, and no one really seems to know her.”
“Good work,” Penny said. “Was it definitely Leicester? I’d heard all sorts of places.” All beginning with N, she remembered.
“Mostly Leicester,” Wolf said. “She was in some shared house run by an association. And, and, and, somehow the word has got out that Charlotte is Julie’s daughter.”
“Really?” Penny looked at Drew and at Ariadne. “Did you two know that?”
“You told me,” Ariadne said. “But I didn’t hear anyone else ever say it. Then again, I haven’t been out much and I don’t know many people here yet.”
“I heard it mentioned,” Drew said. “But only in the last few days, though, and I didn’t really listen. Is it true, though?”
“It is,” Penny said. “I have it from a reliable source.”
“The thing is,” Wolf said, “everyone is talking like they had known for ages. They say that Julie was so young that she had to give Charlotte up, but that William and his wife took her in. But then I think William’s wife died about ten years ago. Everyone wants to sound like they already knew, but I bet they didn’t.”
“People are stupid,” muttered Destiny without looking up.
“Did you find anything out, Destiny?” Penny asked.
“Nope.”
Penny and Wolf met each other’s glances and he tightened his lips ever so slightly, a very grown-up gesture of tired disapproval.
Destiny suddenly looked up and caught their silent exchange. “Yeah, well, I fail at everything else, don’t I?” she blurted out.
“Destiny,” Drew said, putting out a hand.
She jumped to her feet and stormed out of the room.
There was an awkward silence.
Wolf rolled his eyes and sighed.
Ariadne rubbed at her face. “I just cannot deal with all this right now,” she said miserably.
“Do you want me to go and talk to her, mum?” Wolf asked.
“No, love. Leave her be.”
“It will be all right,” Drew said gently. “She’s all awash with hormones and feelings that she can’t explain never mind control.”
“Well, her timing is pretty poor,” Ariadne said. “Star, my eldest daughter, was never this much trouble.”
The awkward silence returned.
Penny chewed her lip, wanting to say something helpful and not meaningless and trite. Ariadne broke the tension again by looking at her watch, and groaning.
“And I’ve got to go up to the dogs’ home,” she said.
“When?”
“Now,” Ariadne said with a sigh. “Actually, I should have been there ten minutes ago. I hate this. It’s not like me to be late for things. It’s like I just can’t get motivated properly.”
“Can I come up with you, mum? I like seeing the dogs,” Wolf said.
“Sure.”
“Let me give you both a lift,” Penny said. “And it’s ages since I’ve been up there. I ought to see if they need me in the shop again, from time to time.”
“Sounds good.” They started to get to their feet.
Wolf grinned at Drew. “Are you coming?”
“No,” Drew said. “I’ve got to get on with some planning this afternoon, for the event this weekend.”
“Oh, doing your history stuff?” Wolf said. “I’ve been doing the Gunpowder Plot. I know lots of stuff. I can help, if you like. I’ve got football practise in the morning, though.”
“Thank you very much,” Drew said. “You go to your footie practise and come down when you’re free in the afternoon.” He smiled wickedly at Penny. “I was going to ask for some help, as it happens. We need more people in character for the event.”
“What exactly does ‘in character’ mean?” she asked suspiciously.
“Well, you’d dress up as a seventeenth-century woman and–”
“I’m busy,” she said hastily. “I’m doing some photos for the community website. Practising before fireworks night next weekend. I want to try to take as many different types of shots as possible.”
“You can take photos in character!” Wolf said.
“Did they have cameras back then?”
His face fell. “No.”
“Well, then,” she said. “I’d ruin the ambience.”
Drew was still grinning. “I’ll work on you.”
She liked the sound of that, though.
“Come on,” Ariadne said, interrupting them all. She was ready, with her coat on and her bag in her hands. “Let’s go.”
They waved goodbye to Drew, shouted farewell to Destiny, and piled into Penny’s car. Wolf chattered with excitement all the way up to the dogs’ home which was a few miles north of the town, and down a
narrow farm track.
Penny had spent a lot of weekends as a volunteer in the shop, and she was familiar with the place, though she hadn’t been for some time. Ariadne went to speak to the manager about the arrangements for fireworks night. The dogs would be upset at the lights and the noise, though they were far enough away from any large populations. It must be much worse in the cities, Penny thought.
She left Ariadne talking in the office, and took a wander around the site. The shelter had a no-kill policy, and as usual, they were full to capacity. Dozens of sad eyes peered through the wire at her.
She located a staff member and volunteered her services to take some dogs on their daily walks; she’d done the centre’s required training, after all. They were happy to have some help, and Penny spent a pleasurable hour with various mad staffies, a strangely aloof poodle, and finished by taking an overweight labrador for a walk, or at least, a waddle. On the way, he tried to eat a dandelion, three wet leaves, a discarded food wrapper and a snail.
Ariadne was waiting for her when she returned after putting the labrador back in his kennel.
“The rota’s all set for the next few weeks,” Ariadne said. “I must get back on my feet.”
“Yes, you must,” Penny said. “I’ll help if I can. Wolf has been amazing, hasn’t he? He told me he did some of your dog-walking work recently.”
Ariadne reddened and looked down. “I’m a bad mother.”
“Not at all. You’re human. Look at him. Here he comes, bounding along. You honestly haven’t done him any harm.”
Wolf jogged over to them, and held out his hands. “Look! A stag beetle!”
Ariadne squeaked and stepped back. Penny sighed. “Very nice. Put it down. We’re going home.”
* * * *
Ariadne’s embryonic good mood was abruptly shattered when she walked back into her house. Wolf was behind her, and Penny stayed on the pavement, saying goodbye. She was just turning to walk up the street to her own house, when a piercing scream from Ariadne stopped her short.
Wolf burst back out of the house and shouted, “Aunt Penny, come in, quick.”
Fearing all manner of horrors, and trying to ready herself to see anything, Penny ran into the living room.
Ariadne was standing in the centre, a note in her hand, and her face was a mask of agony.
“Destiny has run away.”
Chapter Nine
Penny was at Ariadne’s side immediately. She took the note from her sister’s shaking hand, and read it. It was simple and to the point, the handwriting rounded and childish.
“It’s all my fault. I’m so sorry for all the stress I have caused you. It will be easier without me around. I’m going to live [ANGRY SCRIBBLES] somewhere else, don’t follow me.”
“I wonder what she wrote before she scratched it out?” Penny said quietly. “She was basically saying where she was going.”
“Maybe she’ll go to stay with Star,” Wolf said, referring to the eldest child who was in her twenties and at college.
“It’s Friday lunchtime,” Penny mused. “She’d have to get the bus to Lincoln and then the train. The buses are hourly.” She checked her watch. “We might find her in town, still.”
Ariadne stared at her, blankly.
“So, shall we go and look for her?” Penny urged.
Ariadne flapped her hands. “I don’t know what to do.”
“Right. Okay, Wolf, you stay here in case she comes back. Phone us immediately if she does, all right?”
“Got it.” He straightened up and looked intently serious.
“Ariadne, come with me. We’re going to the bus stop in town. We’ll drive. We’ll drive up to Lincoln if we have to; we can outrun the bus, because of all the stops it has to make. We can easily get to the station before it. There’s nowhere else she’d go, is there?”
Ariadne shook her head.
“Right. Let’s go.”
* * * *
Ariadne muttered continually about how it was all her fault. Penny started to tune her out. She couldn’t say anything new; she was just repeating “no, it’s not your fault” over and over again. What good did that do?
“How is it your fault?” Penny snapped eventually as they waited at the junction for a clear gap in the traffic.
“Because I … it just is.”
“Is there something you are not telling me?”
“You left home,” Ariadne said and lapsed into sulky silence.
Penny grimaced, but her attention had to focus on the driving as she took her chance to get across the junction. Now they had a clear view of the bus stop by the opposite side of the road, and there were four people waiting.
None of them were Destiny. Penny rolled the car across the road, up to the perspex shelter, and came to a halt as she wound her window down.
“When is the next bus to Lincoln?”
An old man in a flat cap answered. “Any minute now; you’ll get yourself flattened if you park there.”
“When was the last bus?”
“An hour ago, love.”
They had been at the dogs’ home for over an hour. Theoretically, there was a chance that Destiny had left the house soon after they had, and caught the earlier bus.
“Is everything all right?” the man asked.
“We’re looking for my niece, Destiny. She’s fifteen, quite tall, well-built, wearing skinny blue jeans and a bright purple hoody. She has long hair all piled up in a big bouncy pony-tail.”
The man shook his head, but a woman behind him said, “I think I saw a girl like that in the mini-market. She was looking at the sandwiches because I had to ask her to move, but she had headphones in. She tutted at me.”
“Oh, that sounds like her attitude all right. Sorry about that. When was that?”
“Half an hour ago, maybe.”
Penny looked at Ariadne. “Does she have any cash on her?”
“Not much, but she’ll have enough for sandwiches and a bus fare.”
Penny thanked the waiting queue and managed to drive away before the bus came to the stop, veering across the road quickly to avoid a head-on collision.
“Now where?” Ariadne said.
“I’ll park by the shops and we’ll get out and walk, and talk to people. She must still be in Upper Glenfield. Never have I been so relieved to live somewhere with such a terrible public transport service.”
And that’s what they did. They pulled up and left the car by the market, and walked up and down the parade of shops, going in to each one and talking to the staff.
No one remembered seeing Destiny. The cashier on the till at the mini-market shook her head. “It doesn’t mean she weren’t here or nothing,” she said. “I just don’t take much notice of folk, you know.”
Ariadne tried calling Destiny, but it went repeatedly to voicemail. She left messages and she sent texts. She also called her eldest daughter, Star, who said she hadn’t seen Destiny or heard from her, but she promised to let her mother know if she did.
Eventually they went back to the bus stop, planning to stake it out for the next scheduled bus. There was only one person there; the slender figure of Charlotte Goodfellow.
If Goodfellow was still to be her surname.
“Hi,” Penny said, approaching her. “Um, have you seen a teenage girl hanging around?” She described Destiny as well as she could.
Charlotte shook her head. She had a very sharp, pointed face, and large eyes. She said, “Sorry, no, I haven’t. Have you lost her?”
“She’s my sister’s daughter. She’s fifteen and she’s left a note saying she’s run away.”
Hearing Penny say it out loud made Ariadne stifle a sob and turn away.
Charlotte’s face was sympathetic. She thrust out a bony hand for Penny to shake. “I’m Charlotte,” she said. “I’ll keep an eye out for her. I’m heading up to Lincoln but I live locally. If I see her, do you want to call you, if you give me your number? Or I can try to talk to her. I’m kind of good at that sort of
thing.”
“Are you? Would you? Oh, that would be brilliant.” Penny scribbled two numbers on a piece of paper from her handbag, both her own number and Ariadne’s. “I’m Penny and this is Ariadne. Thank you so much.”
“Yeah, no problem. I know what it’s like. Being a teenager, I mean. I remember.”
She looked to be in her mid-twenties, but she had fine lines already starting to form around her eyes and mouth. Perhaps she’d been ill, Penny thought.
“Well, we really do appreciate it.” Penny hesitated. She wanted to offer some condolences, but that would make it very obvious that everyone knew Charlotte’s personal business, even strangers, and it seemed wrong. But it also seemed wrong to ignore what she knew.
But there was nothing polite she could say without looking like a colossal busybody and gossip, so Penny thanked her once more, and walked away, leading Ariadne back to the car.
“I want to stay at the bus stop,” Ariadne protested.
“If Destiny sees you there, she’s not going to approach, is she?” Penny pointed out.
“I’m going to find somewhere to hide and spy on it.”
“All day?”
“If I have to.”
“Shall I go and get some food?”
“If you want. Whatever.”
Penny sighed. She left Ariadne leaning on a wall at some distance from the bus stop, and went back to the mini-market for a supply of snacks and food.
Chapter Ten
And now it was two o’clock in the darkest hours of the morning. Penny knew exactly what time it was without looking at the clock. After all, she’d been looking at the clock every ten minutes since she had got into bed. Sleep was elusive. She lay tangled in her sheets and blankets, with her phone tucked under the pillow.
They had staked out the bus stop for a few hours. Penny was amazed that no one had reported them to the police for suspicious behaviour. They had silently watched people come and go, but there had been no sign of Destiny.