A shout pierced the air. The man’s face took on a panicked expression and he moved to the rear of the cubicle.
‘What was that?’ Flora followed his gaze. On impulse, she slipped under the barrier to get a better view.
The two train carriages were sitting empty, one at the top and one at the bottom. The sight of them made Flora shudder. Good thing it was closed, when you came to think about it: she didn’t really want another trip up the cliff face. But if it was closed, where might Joy and Cynthia have gone instead? The track led up and up: Flora followed it to the top with her eyes. Along the wall that overlooked the track and the valley, people were leaning over and pointing to something out of Flora’s line of vision.
She edged forward a little further, pressing her nose right up against the glass.
‘Crazy old lady,’ grumbled the ticket man. ‘Costing me money. No one ever thinks about that, do they?’
High above the top carriage, on the metal gantry that ran across the narrow track, stood a solitary figure. She had white fluffy hair that whipped around her head in the strong breeze. The sleeves of her pastel blue cardigan were pushed up to the elbows and her arms where ghostly white. Almost as though she was wearing long white gloves …
Flora took in a sharp breath and a strangled cry escaped her throat.
The woman on the gantry was Joy.
***
‘Joy! Oh, my God.’ Flora banged her fists on the glass. ‘You have to do something. Can’t you get her down?’
The man threw her a disgusted look. ‘Don’t you think we’re trying? She’s been up there for fifteen minutes. Crazy old bat. Hold on – do you know her?’
‘How do I get up there?’ Flora had dropped her bag on the floor and was looking around for an access door. Her eyes fixed on the carriage. ‘Come on, open it up. You can send me up in that. It’s the quickest way.’
‘No can do. Health and safety.’
‘Damn it! Joy, hold on. I’m coming.’
‘You’ll have to go on foot,’ the man told her. He gave her directions. ‘It’s not far, just steep. You’d better run.’
She didn’t need to be told that. Swinging her bag over her shoulder, Flora legged it out of the ticket office and turned left, heading for the cobbled street that would lead her to High Town. She could hear the cries on the wind, people shouting, trying to talk Joy down. What was she doing up there? Did she know about the warden already? No, that wasn’t possible. Maybe it was the thought of moving to the third floor, of losing her independence forever. That must be it. The poor old thing, full of fear, unable to face life without Eddie, unable to cope with the shame and guilt of what happened all those years ago. Flora had been right all along – that was what was behind her friend’s anxieties and stress. If only she’d tried harder to get her to talk about it, to resolve it. But she’d been too caught up with playing detectives. She’d let her friend down completely.
Her phone started to ring. Flora answered it, still running. Good job she was fit, although her breathing was starting to show the strain and her legs were already burning. It was Marshall.
‘Flora, where are you?’
‘I’m in Bridgnorth.’
‘What? Me too! What are you doing?’
‘What did you say? I’m in Bridgnorth.’
Marshall’s voice sounded strained. ‘Flora, I’m in Bridgnorth too. Listen, there’s something going on with Richie. He took the van, the police called me about an hour ago, it had been abandoned just outside High Town with two flat tyres. Steve’s just driven me down here to pick it up.’
Flora’s eyes stretched wide. ‘Marshall, I can’t explain right now but I think Richie might be in on it with his aunt. He must have done it so we couldn’t follow them here.’
She turned left again and started up a flight of steps, taking them two at a time.
‘In on what? What’s going on?’
‘Where are you exactly?’
‘We’ve had to wait for a mechanic so we’ve come into the town. I’m by a big supermarket next to a medical centre.’
Flora knew where that was. The thought that Marshall was close by lifted her heart in a way she wasn’t about to analyse. ‘Listen, you have to get to the top of the funicular railway.’ Her words were coming out in gasps now, running and talking was impossible. ‘The cliff railway. Ask someone, just get there as fast as you can. Okay?’
‘Sure. Flora, are you–’
She cut him off. She was nearly at the top. There was the ice cream shop she’d passed with Joy only three weeks ago; around one more corner and she’d be able to see the tea rooms with the winding gear up ahead. Her mind was working quickly, figuring it all out. Richie. Of course. He’d been spying on her all along. She remembered how he’d crept in on her yesterday – and she’d left the websites open on the screen, had only turned off the monitor. It would have been easy for him to come back later and see what she’d been doing. It must have been him following her too, reporting back to the warden exactly what she was doing and who she’d talked to.
She ran along the walled walkway, heading for the crowd that had gathered at the end. In her mind she said her friend’s name over and over.
Joy, whatever you’re thinking right now, just hold on. I’m coming. Just. Hold. On.
A high-pitched scream pierced the air. With tears streaming down her face, Flora lurched forward.
***
‘It’s okay. She’s okay.’
Flora had pushed her way to the front of the crowd to where a man was fanning a woman’s face with his hat.
‘Oh, my goodness! I thought she was going to jump,’ the woman said, leaning back against the wall with her hand on her chest. Flora took a step to the right and looked up at the gantry.
Joy was still up there. Which was good news, kind of.
‘Joy! Joy, it’s me. What the bloody hell are you doing?’
The old woman started and peered down. ‘Flora? Is that you? What are you doing here?’
As if they’d bumped into each other shopping. A bubble of hysterical laughter burst from Flora’s lips.
‘You crazy old biddy. Get down! You’re losing the funicular paying fares.’
Joy laughed. For a suicidal geriatric, she didn’t seem too melancholy.
‘Joy, what exactly are you doing up there?’ Flora shielded her eyes from the sun. The wind was picking up now, blowing Joy’s fluffy hair straight back off her forehead.
‘I’m the king of the world!’ Joy shouted, and she leaned against the metal barrier, holding her arms wide.
‘Listen to me, it’s not the bloody Titanic! Stop messing around and get down here. Someone’s going to notice soon, you’ll get us into a ton of trouble.’
‘Ha! You’re so funny, Flora. That’s one of the things I love about you. Because I do love you – you know that, don’t you? You’ve been like family to me these past six months.’
Flora edged closer to the wall. She closed her eyes for a second, trying to stem the sudden swell of nausea. It had to be here, didn’t it? Joy couldn’t have chosen somewhere not-high-up to have some kind of breakdown. She steeled herself and opened her eyes. And looked right into the eyes of the warden.
Cynthia was standing on the other side of the track, about five feet below. Judging by the tables and chairs around her, the warden was on the terrace of the tea rooms. She locked eyes with Flora, who recoiled in shock. So much hatred there. Any hopes she’d had of being way off the mark disappeared in that single frozen moment. Cynthia – Cyndy – already knew that Flora knew everything. With a final glare in Flora’s direction, the warden turned her attention back to Joy.
‘Don’t listen to her, Joy. I’ve told you all about her. She only befriended you to get your money, she’s done it before.’
What? ‘Joy, that’s crazy! It’s her – she’s the one after your money. Didn’t she take you to sign your will this morning? Well, guess what? That charity she told you about, it’s hers. All the money goes to h
er and her pal Vasco.’
The warden began to clamber up the wall that ran along the perimeter of the terrace. A gasp ran through the crowd. There was a fifty-foot sheer drop the other side of that wall, but the warden seemed oblivious. She spoke to Joy again, holding out her hands. ‘See what I mean? What kind of a person would say something like that? I know what that cause means to you. I just want to help you do the right thing.’
Joy was still leaning against the barrier, her head twisting from one side to the other like she was watching a game of tennis. She started laughing, waving her arms. ‘Wheee!’ she said. ‘Whooo!’
‘Is she on something?’
‘Probably drunk.’
Flora shot the people behind her a withering glance. ‘She is not drunk. Or “on” anything.’ But when she looked back at her friend she started to wonder. What on earth made her get up there in the first place? Could the warden have slipped her some kind of pill, something that would make her behaviour erratic, reckless?
She elbowed her way around to the narrow stairway that led up to the gantry. Joy would have had to climb over a gate marked No Entry to get up there. Surely she wouldn’t have gone to such extremes just to see her favourite view? And now she was swirling around, taking imaginary dance steps with an invisible partner.
Or maybe he wasn’t invisible to Joy.
With a shuddering sigh, Flora climbed over the gate and ran up the metal steps. She kept her eyes to the left, away from the so-called stunning view – stunning to anyone without chronic vertigo. At the edge of the platform she stopped and crouched low, steadying her breathing. She made sure she had a firm hold of one of the metal bars, then she reached out her other hand and called to her friend.
‘Joy. Come on now. It’s time to go home.’
Joy’s ebullient mood evaporated instantly. ‘I don’t have a home anymore. You moved me out of it, remember? You moved me into that place, and that’s where I’m going to die.’
‘No. No, you’re not. But you can’t stay up here any longer either.’
Out of the corner of her eye Flora could see the bright yellow high-vis vests of the police, who were clearing the onlookers away from the wall. She kept her eyes trained on Joy’s legs.
‘You’re right, Joy,’ called the warden from the other side of the gantry. She was closer now: she’d climbed right up to the top of the wall and would be close enough to touch Joy’s feet if the old lady moved to the far end of the platform. ‘She was the one who made you leave your home. She’s behind all of the weird things that have been happening to you. The flowers, that postcard, what happened to your lovely dog. All her fault.’
Flora shouted out in indignation. How dare she? ‘Joy, take no notice of her. Come here. Come here right now. You know I hate heights. I can’t believe I’m doing this.’ She stood up and took a step towards her friend.
The gantry moved. It was the slightest shift, but Flora felt it beneath the thin soles of her sandals. She swallowed and took another step. It happened again. With a creak and an unmistakable lurch, the metal began to pull away from the wall.
‘Joy! We really have to get off here.’
‘It’s not made for more than one person,’ came a voice from below. Flora peeped out from behind her hands and saw the ticket man standing with his hands on his hips. He must have followed her up. Standing beside him, his wispy comb-over blowing off his freckly scalp in one piece, was Mr Felix. He was holding something up high and pointing at Joy. Flora looked closer. Then she looked back at her friend.
‘Oh no!’
Joy had slumped to the back of the gantry and was clutching her chest. Her face had pinked and each breath was becoming more and more laboured.
‘She’s having an asthma attack! We need help up here.’ Flora looked down at Mr Felix again. ‘Can you throw me her inhaler?’
‘No.’ Joy was crawling away, heading for the other side of the gantry and the warden. The metal creaked sickeningly.
‘Joy, what are you doing?’
‘I don’t trust him. He’s put something in it. I’m telling you, Flora. He’s trying to kill me.’
‘He’s not!’ Flora thumped her fist against her thigh in frustration. ‘Joy, he’s not trying to kill you, he’s trying to save your life.’ She turned back to the old man. ‘Throw it to me. Just hold on a minute. And you,’ she told Joy, ‘don’t move so much as a finger. If this thing comes away from the wall we’re both dead.’
Joy stopped crawling and looked up, terrified. The warden seemed about to climb onto the gantry, then clearly thought better of it. She threw a triumphant look at Flora, then began to clamber back down to the tea room terrace. She was going to get away, but there was nothing Flora could do about it now.
She wedged herself against the front of the rail and steeled herself to let go. She’d need both hands to catch the inhaler.
‘Oh, hurry,’ someone called from the walkway. Flora ignored them. She kept her eyes focused on Mr Felix. She nodded.
In the moment before he lifted his arm into an overhand throw, it occurred to Flora that if Mr Felix really was Aubrey this was his crowning moment. He could simply miss. He could fling the inhaler down the ravine and no one would be able to blame him. Stress. Pressure. Never any good at throwing, actually. Did his best and all that. She held her breath and watched the inhaler leave the old man’s hand and fly, up and up, then down and down, never taking her eyes off it until it landed safely in her outstretched palms.
She gripped it tightly the minute it made contact, just like her old PE teacher had instructed, and rolled back down onto the gantry, holding it out for Joy. The watching crowd cheered. Someone clapped. Joy grabbed hold of the blue plastic tube and stuck it in her mouth. And Flora looked down at Mr Felix and smiled. He was smiling right back up at her, triumphant.
Chapter 18
‘You sure know how to find the action.’
‘Marshall!’ Flora fought the impulse to throw her arms around his neck, so pleased was she to see him. ‘You took your bloody time.’
He smiled and reached out to touch her cheek. ‘Take it easy, Tiger. It’s all okay now.’
She ducked her head so he couldn’t see the threatening tears. So, she could overcome her fear of heights, climb up onto a dangerous gantry and rescue an old lady, and see off an evil mastermind – but Marshall being nice reduced her to tears?
Figured.
She nodded towards Joy to divert his attention. ‘She okay?’
‘Fine. That is, her breathing’s stable. The paramedics said she seems a bit hyper. I guess it’s all the excitement.’
‘I guess.’ Flora watched the old lady sip from a glass. She frowned. ‘Does anyone know what happened? I mean, how she got up there in the first place?’
Marshall shook his head. ‘Best guess – and this is the police talking, not me – is that the gate was left open.’
‘No way! That’s so dangerous.’
‘Wasn’t it open when you went up there?’
‘I didn’t even try it. I just assumed it would be locked. Stop smirking! There’s a great big No Entry sign on it. Who’d even think to try and open it?’
‘Erm, Joy?’
‘Very funny. But why did she go up there? How did she know it was open?’
‘Again, guessing, they think the warden arranged it somehow, planned it as some kind of treat for Joy and Eddie’s anniversary.’
‘Joy would have loved that. The view, this place, it means a lot to her. And she’s a right daredevil.’
‘Not the only one, hey?’
Flora shrugged. ‘I was terrified every second I was up there. It was one of the worst experiences of my life.’ She thought for a moment. ‘But only one of them.’
Marshall put an arm around her shoulders. She didn’t move away. ‘You made a pretty good catch too, I’ve heard. You’ll have to join our baseball team.’
‘Flora?’ Joy was waving her over. Flora slid out from under Marshall’s arm and made her way to
the ambulance.
‘How are you feeling?’
‘I’ve been better.’
‘Joy?’ Flora knelt down and looked up at her friend. ‘What were you doing up there? What was really going on?’
‘What do you mean?’
The old lady sounded indignant, but Flora knew her too well.
‘I can swallow the stuff about the view and it being your anniversary and all, but really? When I arrived you were going pretty crazy. And why wasn’t the warden on the gantry with you, if it was her idea and all?’
‘Big scaredy-cat, she was, just like you. Couldn’t cope. She said she’d go and wait for me in the tea room, but I knew better.’
‘What do you mean?’ Joy’s blanket was slipping off her shoulders. Flora pulled it back on.
‘She thought I wanted to top myself. See – you’re not even surprised. You expected it too. I’d become a burden to everyone, of use to no one. She took me to see a solicitor, got me to sign a new will. She said there was still time for me to do something worthwhile with my life, told me about this charity for women who’ve suffered multiple miscarriages. Did you know that was why we never had children, Flora? I just couldn’t carry one to term. It was heartbreaking. As soon as I read all that wonderful stuff about that charity I knew I had to try and help someone else who’d been through it. It was another way I could make amends.’
Flora’s jaw tightened. She hadn’t known, but Cynthia had clearly done her homework well.
‘Joy, there’s a lot you need to know about the warden, and that charity. But now probably isn’t the best time. What you must know, you have to believe this, is that you are not a burden or useless. You’ve got everything to live for, and once we’ve got you sorted on your new tablets you’ll be absolutely fine.’
Joy smiled. ‘I do feel better, you know. Those tablets the doctor gave me have done wonders for my eczema already. Look.’ She peeled down a glove to show Flora her arm, which did look a lot less angry. But then Joy sighed. ‘I just don’t want to go into Special Care. Standing up there – something came over me, Flora. Some kind of euphoria. I thought I could be with Eddie instead. I could step off the edge of the world and dance with him for all time. That would be better than being sent to the third floor. Wouldn’t it?’
Murder at the Maples: A Flora Lively Mystery Page 22