by Agatha Frost
“I might be seeing someone,” he mumbled through a mouthful of carrot cake. “It’s early days, alright?”
“Not early enough for a snog on the neck,” Roxy chuckled, jabbing Johnny in the ribs. “Are you at it like teenagers?”
“Inappropriate,” Johnny mumbled, his cheeks darkening even more. “Can we just leave it?”
“Who is she?” Julia asked.
“Or he,” Roxy said, nodding from behind her glass. “Some of us favour the same sex, after all.”
“She’s a woman,” Johnny corrected her, his spine suddenly stiffening. “She’s a police officer. Works at the station.”
“Peridale station?” Julia asked. “What’s her name?”
“Sarah,” Johnny replied, still unable to meet Julia’s eyes. “She’s nice.”
“Aw, our Johnny boy has finally got himself a girlfriend,” Roxy said as she ruffled his dark curls. “I’m chuffed for you.”
“Me too,” Julia said, forcing him to look in her eyes. “I really hope it works out.”
Johnny shrugged and picked up the yearbook again. He flicked through the pages until Roxy let the topic go, which happened when Julia topped up her wine glass to the brim.
“Did you find out anything else about Astrid in your research?” Julia asked as she cut herself a slice of Swiss roll. “I went to see Evelyn this afternoon. I found out quite a lot about her father.”
“I always assumed Evelyn summoned the energies of the universe and created a baby on her own,” Roxy said as she stared blankly at the cake in front of her.
“She was sixteen.”
“Oh,’ Roxy said, her eyes snapping to Julia. “And the father?”
“A cult leader,” Julia said before sipping her wine. “Died in prison thirty years ago after being found out as a drug smuggler. Had forty kids, according to Evelyn.”
“Wow,” Johnny said, pulling a notepad from his canvas bag. “Forty, you say?”
“Don’t include any of that in your article,” Julia said, pointing across the table. “She told me that stuff in confidence.”
“But –”
“That wasn’t a question.”
Johnny sulked and slipped the notepad back into his bag. He picked up the yearbook again and flicked through the pages once more.
“I found out that Aiden got blind drunk at the prom,” Johnny said as he landed on a picture of the Class of 1997’s group shot, which was missing Astrid. “That was one of the reasons the police questioned him, because if he did chop her up into little pieces – Sorry, Julia. Don’t give me that look! It is hard to break twenty years of stories you’ve heard. If he did lock her in a basement, he might have forgotten all about it.”
“I think he had his stomach pumped that night,” Roxy said as she looked down her nose into the glass of wine. “That’s what I heard at least. Apparently, the police handcuffed him to the bed and questioned him there.”
“Do you believe everything you hear on the gossip circuit?” Julia asked with a roll of her eyes.
“Most of it,” Roxy said with a shrug. “Heard Barker had moved in with you after that storm knocked out his cottage.”
“I heard that too,” Johnny said. “Everyone was talking about it in The Plough last night. You’d think it was 1917, not 2017 the way some of the old biddies were talking about you living out of wedlock.”
“It’s only temporary.”
“So, it is true,” Roxy said with a grin as she slapped Julia on the shoulder. “That’s a huge step.”
“I couldn’t see him on the streets.”
“What’s it like living with a man?” Roxy asked, her finger circling the glass. “Because Violet is as messy as any man. She doesn’t put her underwear in the washing basket, she just –”
“Leaves it on the floor next to it?” Barker said, finishing the sentence for Roxy after appearing in the doorway, still in his trench coat and clutching his briefcase. “I heard I did that too. Are you the same, Johnny? I didn’t even realise this was a thing.”
“I live alone,” he said meekly as he fiddled with his glasses. “I haven’t noticed.”
“Thank you!” Barker said, pointing at Johnny with a grin. “We just don’t notice these things. Maybe it’s Jessie with the problem.”
“I heard that,” Jessie cried from the sitting room. “And you’re the one with the problems. Plural.”
“How was your day at work?” Julia asked, offering a seat to Barker.
“Stressful,” he said. “The cold case team is using the station as their base of operations, but they’re still not letting me in. I hear bits and pieces but nothing I can use.”
“Use?” Roxy asked, leaning back in her chair, and arching a brow. “Are you going rogue?”
“He’s writing a book,” Julia explained, glancing at the typewriter in the corner of the room. “A crime novel.”
“You write?” Johnny asked, narrowing his eyes on Barker. “I never knew that.”
“It’s just a hobby,” Barker mumbled as he walked forward to grab the plate with the leftover chocolate cake on it. “I’ll leave you guys to it. I’m going to take this and put my feet up in front of the TV.”
Barker quickly kissed Julia on the top of her head before bowing out of the room and half closing the door behind him. The trio stayed in silence until the sound of the TV floated through from the sitting room.
“Writing a book,” Roxy said, looking intrigued as she nodded her head back and forth. “That man is full of mysteries.”
“I always thought he was gay,” Johnny said bluntly as he forcefully flicked through the pages.
“Well, your gay-dar is well and truly broken because you never realised I was gay until the whole village found out about Violet,” Roxy said, shoving Johnny’s arm. “But, maybe you hoped he was.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Johnny snapped.
Roxy snickered behind her glass as she glanced at Julia with arched brows. Julia knew what her friend was implying, and it was not that Johnny had wanted Barker for himself, but rather hoped that Barker had wanted someone else so Julia was still free for his taking, not that she would have ever let that happen.
“Why is it when I get you two in a room together I feel fifteen again?” Julia sighed.
“Thank God we’re not still fifteen,” Johnny mumbled after sipping his wine. “Acne, awkward voices, arms too long for our bodies, bad fashion, bowl-cut hair.”
“Speak for yourself,” Roxy said, tossing her red hair over her shoulder. “I was a fashion icon.”
“I don’t think tracksuit bottoms, neon yellow trainers, crop tops, and a frizzy ringlet perm made you a fashion icon,” Johnny scoffed. “It’s safe to say Astrid and her friends were just as awkward looking. Looks like they went on that same school trip to the lakes that we went on.”
Johnny turned the book around to point out a picture of the trio in the corner of a double page spread dedicated to school trips. The trio stood in front of a lake, with Aiden in the middle. He was shirtless and had the exact same shaggy blond haircut he still sported. Astrid stood on his other side, her black hair over her face. Unlike Grace who was wearing a hot pink frilly bikini that exposed her midriff, Astrid was dressed head to toe in heavy black clothes with her arms tight across her chest.
“I don’t think she was one for swimming,” Roxy said as she squinted at the picture. “Is Aiden still sporting his Nirvana fantasy look?”
“The very same,” Julia said. “Although Grace looks different. I forgot she used to be a blonde.”
“I think she wanted to be Baby Spice,” Roxy said after another sip of wine. “We all get to that age where we can’t be bothered with the upkeep of dying our hair every four weeks.”
“I don’t remember you being a natural flaming red,” Johnny retorted under his breath. “It was always more carrot than fire.”
“Red is easy when you’re already orange,” Roxy said, shoving his shoulder again. “Going from black to blonde isn’t. I’m not surp
rised she keeps it natural now.”
Julia took the yearbook from Johnny and looked closely at the picture by the lake. Beneath the hair, Astrid looked so much like her mother that she was not surprised Roxy had thought it had been an immaculate conception.
“I told Evelyn I was going to look into things,” Julia finally confessed, avoiding her friends’ eyes. “She was trying to contact Astrid through a crystal ball. She worked herself up into such a state. She’s going to suffer until somebody gets to the bottom of it.”
Johnny sighed, and Roxy cheered. She held out her hand while Johnny dug in his pocket to pull out a twenty-pound note. He slapped it into her palm before she tucked it into her bra.
“Johnny thought you might actually sit this one out,” Roxy said proudly with a wink. “I knew better.”
Before Julia could question her friends for placing bets on her, raised voices drifted in from the sitting room. After a final sip of wine, Julia pushed herself out of her chair and slipped through the door.
“What’s going on?” Julia asked as Barker and Jessie fought over something on the couch.
“Barker won’t let me watch what I want to watch!” Jessie cried, tugging on the remote control. “Get off!”
“I was watching the news,” Barker snapped back, tugging on the remote. “You weren’t even watching TV when I came in!”
“And now I want to!”
They both yanked on the remote control, neither of them letting go. Julia walked around the couch towards the television, reached behind it, and yanked the plug out of the wall.
“Now neither of you get to watch TV,” Julia snapped, standing in front of the dead screen with her arms crossed against her chest. “You’re far too old to be acting like this.”
“She’s not.”
“He’s ancient.”
“Can’t we all just get along?” Julia pleaded.
“No,” they replied in chorus.
Julia sighed and rubbed her temples at the side of her head. Without the retreat of her café, she had been forced to spend her days pacing around her tiny cottage, which might not have been so bad if Jessie and Barker did not erupt into an argument about something trivial every time they were in the same room.
“If you want the news, read the paper,” Julia said, picking up the latest copy of The Peridale Post from the coffee table and tossing it to Barker. “And Jessie, you can borrow my laptop and watch something online in your bedroom.”
“Whatever,” she mumbled, jumping up from the couch and pulling her hood over her hair. “I’m going to Dolly and Dom’s.”
Before Julia could stop her, the front door slammed, and a frosty silence fell on the cottage. Barker leaned back in his chair and exhaled, wincing hard as he rubbed his stubbly jaw.
“It’s been a stressful day,” he said with a heavy sigh . “I’m sorry.”
“It’s not me you need to apologise to,” Julia said softly. “It was her home before it was yours. You need to learn to live together in harmony.”
“Hopefully it won’t be for much longer,” Barker said. “I’ve got the builders checking out my cottage tomorrow, so I should have some quotes to figure out how much that mess is going to cost me to clear up.”
“Am I that bad to live with?” Julia asked, resting her weight on her left hip as she crossed her arms again. “I’m sorry I offered.”
“It’s not that,” Barker said, grabbing her hand and pulling her into his lap. “I feel like I’m getting under both of your feet. Even Mowgli hasn’t come near me since he’s noticed I’m here every day.”
Barker rested his finger under Julia’s chin before kissing her softly on the lips. She did like having him around more often, but she had not expected it to disrupt the harmony of the house so much.
“We’re going to go,” Roxy said. “Places to be.”
“Yeah,” Johnny mumbled. “Thanks for the cake.”
Julia pulled away from Barker and stood up. She brushed down her dress and smiled awkwardly at her friends as she showed them to the door.
“I left the yearbook for you,” Roxy said as she opened her handbag to drop something large wrapped in a napkin inside. “I hope you don’t mind, but I’m taking some carrot cake for Violet. She loves the stuff.”
Julia kissed them both on the cheeks and waved them off as they both climbed into a taxi. When Julia closed the door, she rested her head against the wood and inhaled, glad of the peace and quiet for a moment.
“I’m going to have a shower and get out of these clothes,” Barker said as he walked to the bathroom. “I’ve already sent a text to Jessie to apologise, and she’s – Oh, she’s just replied. Wow. I don’t know what this specific string of Emojis mean, but I don’t think it’s good.”
“She’ll adapt,” Julia said, kissing Barker once more. “It’s just been the two of us for so long now. She needs time.”
Barker sighed as he stuffed his phone into his pocket. He loosened his tie as he walked into the bathroom, locking the door behind him. The second Julia was alone, Mowgli trotted out from her bedroom with sleepy eyes. She scooped him up and took him into the kitchen to feed him.
After clearing the wine and cakes from the dining room, Julia made herself a refreshing cup of peppermint and liquorice tea before sitting at her counter to pour over the yearbook.
She turned to the double page spread of formal school portraits, finding Astrid’s under ‘Head Girl’, which was next to Aiden’s ‘Head Boy’ spot at the top of the page. She traced her finger across the pale girl’s face and sighed.
“How did you end up in that basement?”
Chapter Seven
Julia spent the next morning scrubbing her entire cottage clean. When every surface sparkled, and the fumes of bleach were starting to get to her head, she rode her bike into the village for some fresh air. She passed her gran’s cottage just as she was closing the door behind her, wearing the most peculiar outfit.
“Some of the girls and I have joined a rambling club,” she exclaimed as she adjusted her waterproof coat. “I’m about to go on my first ramble.”
Dot fiddled with the two metal walking sticks, the metal water bottle and compass on her belt rattling together. Dot joined or started a different club every month, but this was one of only a few that had come with an outfit.
“You look prepared,” Julia said, suppressing a grin. “Rambling anywhere fun?”
“The countryside,” Dot snapped, wafting her hands in the direction of the sprawling green fields surrounding Peridale. “I don’t know, love. Between you and me, I’m already starting to regret joining, but Amy said it was fun. There was a good deal on this stuff in the catalogue, so it would have been rude to turn it down. When are you getting your car back?”
“I’m not sure,” Julia said, her heart fluttering at the thought of her poor crunched up Ford Anglia. “The man at the garage said it would take a while to find the right parts because she’s vintage.”
“Well, I hope it’s soon,” Dot said as she peeled back her raincoat to glance at her watch. “You look funny riding around the village on that thing. I must dash.”
“You look rather funny yourself,” Julia mumbled under her breath. “Have fun, Gran.”
“Oh, do you think you’ll be going past the doctors on your travels?” Dot asked as she unclipped her gate. “I need to pick up my repeat prescription for my blood pressure. I’m down to my last two pills.”
“I don’t think I –”
“Thanks, Julia!” Dot exclaimed as she plodded away, her various new accessories rattling and clanging. “You’re a star.”
Julia rolled her eyes as she remounted her bike. She headed the opposite way than her gran, avoiding looking in the direction of her café. She had called the police station again, just as she had every morning since discovering Astrid, but they were still being as vague as ever.
“You’ll know when we know,” the desk sergeant had said. “There’s no need to call every morning.”
Julia also avoided looking at Evelyn’s B&B as she rode past. It had only been a day since she had promised to look into things, but she had not discovered anything yet, despite spending the previous night digging through every internet article she could find on the disappearance.
By the time Julia reached the top of Mulberry Lane, her calves burned, so she was grateful when she saw the doctor’s surgery without a line of people outside it. She leaned her bike against the wall and walked into the small reception area.
A couple of people were sitting in the waiting area, nodding their acknowledgement to her, and a couple more began to whisper behind their hands. Julia did not need to overhear them to know what they were saying.
“I’m here to pick up Dorothy South’s prescription,” Julia said as she handed over her driving licence as identification. “I’m her granddaughter.”
The young woman behind the desk smiled politely as she glanced over the ID before quickly handing it back. She typed something into the computer before digging in a drawer under the desk for the signed repeat prescription. Julia accepted it gratefully and thanked the young woman before turning around to head for the door.
“Julia?” a voice called from one of the doctor’s offices on the side of the room. “What are you doing here?”
Julia turned to see Doctor Grace Black smiling at her from the doorframe of her office. Her black curls were tucked neatly into a bun at the back of her head, and she was wearing a stylish ruffled white blouse with pinstriped floor-length trousers that made her look exceptionally tall.
“I’m just picking up my gran’s prescription,” Julia said, holding up the green slip. “Don’t worry, I’m in good health.”
Grace looked down the line of people who were undoubtedly waiting to see her. She glanced at the small silver watch on her wrist before pushing forward a wide smile.
“Can I have a quick word?” Grace asked, smiling apologetically at the elderly woman in the chair nearest the door as she let out a loud huff. “I won’t take up too much of your time.”
Julia nodded before following Grace into her small office. It looked like a doctor’s office should, with various health warning posters cluttering the room, a desk with a chair on either side, an examination table with a retractable blue curtain in the corner, and a full-scale skeleton on a frame. Julia gulped at the sight of the bones, hoping they were not real. She had seen enough skeletons to last her a lifetime.