by Anita Waller
She popped everything, including the envelope, on a tray and carried it through to the lounge, placing it on the side table. A quick top up of wood on the fire, a sorting out of which page she was on in her book, and she settled back onto the sofa.
She read her book while munching her way through the tasty late-night snack, and as she went to pick up the glass of wine to wash down the crumbly biscuits she was reminded of the envelope. It simply said Doris on the front, in a hand she didn’t recognise.
She picked it up with a smile. She tried to guess which of her Christmas loving friends would have been out hand-delivering her cards at this time of night, eager for the festive season to get under way. Maybe Frances? She hadn’t known her long, only since moving into Little Mouse Cottage, but they chatted most days as she lived three doors away and their paths were always crossing. In addition Doris didn’t know what her handwriting was like… Yes, Doris Lester, she thought, those qualifications and courses are paying off.
Except they weren’t.
It wasn’t a Christmas card. The words on the front said I miss you and inside it said so much. It was signed Ewan, and underneath his name he had written Please don’t freeze me out. I would love to see you again.
She felt a chill run through her as she read the words, and leaned forward to throw it on the fire. At that point the fear dropped away and she stopped. She put the card back into the envelope, and slipped it into her bag. Her two colleagues needed to see it; this was a result of a Connection case, and as such they had to be made aware of it.
She was more concerned that Ewan had been outside her door, a mere ten or twelve feet away from her, and she hadn’t sensed it, known it. She moved at speed into the hall and slid home the bolt. She echoed that with the back door, and went around the downstairs, closing all the curtains, lowering all the roller blinds. She finally felt secure.
Doris sank back down onto the sofa, drank half the glass of wine, and picked up her phone.
‘Hi, Kat. You busy?’
‘Not really. Sue’s here, and I’m making us some food. She’s in the lounge with Carl, and they’re nattering away as if they’ve known each other forever. Something wrong?’
‘Not sure. Will you be in the office tomorrow? I know you wanted to keep work to a minimum with Sue being here, but I thought I’d check…’
Kat had known Doris for long enough to sense problems. ‘I’ll be in. I’ll ask Sue if she can babysit Martha. I gave Mum and Dad a few days off because Sue was here so they’re not available. They’ve swanned off to the Lake District for a break. If Sue has something planned I’ll bring Martha with me. Are you okay?’
‘I’m fine. It’s something I need to discuss with both of you – and Martha if she’s going to be there.’
‘I’ll see you tomorrow then. Nan… if there’s an issue…’
‘I’m fine, Kat. Honestly. Night, God bless. Oh, I’m not ringing Mouse tonight. I know she’ll be there in the morning, she’ll have to put this Manchester plan aside for half an hour.’
They disconnected and Kat took drinks into the lounge, a troubled expression all over her face.
‘Problem?’ Carl asked.
‘Not sure,’ she admitted. She placed the tray on the coffee table and handed out the glasses of wine. ‘That was Nan. She wanted to know if I’d be in the office tomorrow. Something’s wrong, I know it is. I’m sorry, Sue, I’ll have to deal with this before we can go anywhere.’
‘What about Martha?’ Sue asked. ‘I’d love to take her out, but that’s up to you. If there’s a problem at Connection, you can stay as long as you need without worrying about anything.’
‘You’re sure you’ll be okay with her?’ Kat looked troubled.
‘Of course I will. I’ve even mastered the pushchair. I’ll probably take her down into Bakewell, we’ll have a walk through the park. As long as I have food for her, and nappies, we’ll be fine. This will be my thank you, Kat, for all you’ve done for me.’
Kat smiled. ‘I haven’t done anything that wasn’t done willingly. You’re welcome here anytime, you know that. And next time you must stay with us, not in some hotel. I’ll pack a bag for her, and thank you so much. I need to be in work for around nine…’
‘Kat, stop worrying,’ Sue said. ‘I’ll be here for around half past eight, you can give me full instructions then. I’m really looking forward to this, it’s so much more than I could have wished for.’
‘But you’re her nan. Of course I’d have encouraged you getting to know her better. And I’m sure you’ll get along like a house on fire tomorrow. Can you have her back for around five, so I can bath her and settle her for bedtime at seven.’
‘Not a minute later,’ Sue promised.
Chapter Thirty-Four
There was tentative sunshine next morning. Sue loaded the pushchair into the boot, and watched as Carl transferred the baby seat from his own car to hers. She tucked the overflowing baby bag in beside the pram, then took Martha from an anxious Kat, who was desperately trying not to show how she felt.
With both the baby and her strapped in, Sue gave a wave and pulled out of the driveway and onto the road leading down through Eyam.
Carl put his arm around Kat and pulled her to him. ‘Stop worrying. They’ll both be absolutely fine, you know they will. You don’t get uptight every time your mum and dad take her, so there’s no need for it with Sue.’
‘But Martha knows Mum and Dad really well, probably better than she knows me. She’s only seen Sue a couple of times. Oh well.’ She shrugged. ‘There’s nothing I can do about it.’
She lifted her head and Carl kissed her. ‘Let’s go to work,’ she said, ‘and look forward to five o’clock tonight.’
Doris was already in the office when Kat arrived, with a full coffee pot waiting. She could see that Kat was out of sorts. ‘No Martha?’
‘No Martha. She’s out for the day with Sue.’
‘That explains the hangdog look. You’re not happy about it?’
‘I’m perfectly happy about Sue, it’s Martha. She doesn’t really know Sue, and I don’t want her to play up. I’m being stupid, aren’t I?’
‘You’re being a mum. Stop worrying. Sue got Leon through his early years without managing to kill him, and I imagine he was a good kid until he found out what money could do for you. But that part wasn’t down to Sue, that was all Leon. So trust her, they’ll have a brilliant day.’
Kat flapped her hand as if irritated with herself. ‘Oh, I know you’re right, my wise friend. I’ll put it to the back of my mind. Mouse here?’
‘Not yet. We’ll wait though, or I’ll be going through everything twice.’
They sat down at the reception desk, and Doris made some drinks. ‘Biscuit?’
‘No thanks, Nan. I’m trying to lose a bit of weight before Christmas so that I can binge a bit.’
‘Is that sensible?’
‘Eminently.’
‘Okay. You’ll not want the coffee and walnut cake I’ve made for you to take home then.’
‘Nan! That’s not fair. I’ll be fat as a pig by Christmas instead of sylphlike and gorgeous.’
Doris smiled. ‘I’ll take it back home with me…’
‘No! It’s fine. I’ll manage. And Carl will. We’ll cope.’
‘Good.’ Doris’s tone was dry. ‘I thought you might.’
The bell pinged as Mouse walked in, carrying a travel mug of coffee. ‘You’ve started without me?’
‘Only in the discussion of coffee and walnut cake,’ her nan said. ‘Are you going to say no to one as well?’
‘As if. I’ll have Kat’s also if she’s said no.’
‘Hey, I said yes!’
‘Okay. There’s one each for you, no more squabbling, children.’
Mouse paused at the door to her office. ‘Are we here at this ungodly hour for a reason?’
‘We are. I need to show you both something. Can we go in Kat’s room, and lock the outer door for a bit?’
Doris placed the white envelope in the middle of Kat’s desk. They all stared at it, Doris included.
‘It says Doris,’ Mouse said.
‘That’s because it was posted through my door last night. About half past eight I think, but I can’t be sure. Might have been a bit earlier. I fell asleep before going to pick it up. When I heard it come, I assumed it was a takeaway menu being delivered. When I did get to it, I thought it was an early Christmas card, although I didn’t recognise the handwriting.’
Kat reached forward and picked up the envelope. She slid out the card and read it. Without saying anything, she passed it to Mouse.
‘First of all I have to tell you that he doesn’t scare me,’ Doris said. ‘I was unnerved by his being outside my cottage and me being unaware of it, and yes, it’s kept me awake most of the night, but I’m more concerned that he might approach you two as well, and Kat isn’t a black belt.’
‘I don’t need a black belt to knee him in the balls.’
Doris laughed. ‘I know you don’t, sweetheart, but why should you have to? His connection is to me, not you two, but you do need to be on your guard. I was going to handle this myself, but realise that would be silly. You two need to know he’s been in touch, so that you can be on your toes all the time.’
‘What’s your next move, Nan?’ Mouse spoke quietly, the anger showing in her face.
‘I thought I would email him, spell it out in words of one syllable that I don’t have any contact knowingly with men who hit women, and ask that he doesn’t get in touch with me again. That’s the first salvo. If he does get in touch again, if an email comes back where he’s still wanting to see me, instead of him throwing in the towel and backing off, then I’ll go down the legal route of injunctions and anything else I can find. Maybe even ask Tessa what they can do, if anything. He’s not actually committed a crime, I suppose.’
Mouse turned to face Kat. ‘That man at church who changed the locks on your house after Leon went in… can we get him in here? We need better security on that front door, the sort where whoever is coming in has to press a buzzer, and we release the door from the reception desk. If it can be super-efficient and have a card scanner on it, the three of us can get in easily, but nobody else can. What do you think? We have to give Nan more protection. And it’s not only about Ewan Barker, it could be anybody entering that door.’
‘On it,’ Kat said. ‘I’ll tell George exactly what we want. Let’s hope he can do it quickly. I’ll walk over and see him when we’ve finished.’
‘What did you do, Nan, after you’d opened it?’ Mouse was clearly worried.
‘I checked everything was locked and bolted, dropped the blinds, closed the curtains. Basically I battened down the hatches, finished my wine and took my book to bed.’
‘Did you put a chair under your door handle in the bedroom?’
Doris grinned. ‘I did. I know it was silly, but I thought if I felt totally safe I would sleep. I didn’t, but that was partly because I’d slept for an hour or so during the evening. My mind wouldn’t close down. I was trying to work out how to stop him, but came up with nothing. I finally dropped off about six, and my alarm woke me at half past seven, so if I nod off today, leave me,’ she added with a laugh.
‘Nan.’ Mouse sounded serious. ‘Stay with me tonight, please. No arguments, no saying you’ll be fine, no quoting black belt at me. I insist you stay in the flat where it’s secure.’
Doris smiled. ‘Already decided. The holdall is by the side of my desk.’
Kat called in at the small grocery shop and bought some flowers, then headed towards the churchyard. She went unerringly to Craig Adams’ grave, took out the babywipes and wiped down the headstone. She offered up a prayer, and arranged the flowers in the small vase she had taken down. The flowers didn’t last long when laid as a bunch across the headstone, so now she stood them in water.
She always felt she should apologise to the young man; Leon had killed him for a two hundred pound debt, and Kat knew she would take care of Craig’s final resting place for the rest of her life. His mother, without a car of her own, could only visit sporadically, and Kat had promised he would always have flowers.
She stood for a moment then walked away, heading towards the church. She slipped inside and knelt in prayer. Doris was at the forefront of her conversation with God.
Fifteen minutes later, Kat was knocking on the bright red door of George Mears’ cottage, almost the last house in the village.
‘Kat! What a lovely surprise. You coming in?’
‘If you’re not busy, George, I will please.’
‘I’m cleaning out the hamster cage. You okay with hamsters?’
She laughed. ‘I have absolutely no idea. I’ve never been that close to one. What sort is it? Will it eat me?’
‘Shouldn’t think so, it’s about six inches long, head to tail. Eats seeds, not Kats,’ he joked.
He led her into the lounge and she saw the hamster in an empty cage that was at the side of what presumably was its usual home.
‘Wow. It’s quite strange. I hope Martha never wants one, it’s a bit too much like a little rat. I’ll stick with Tibby. You got five minutes for a chat?’
‘I’ve got as long as you need. What’s wrong?’
She explained what they wanted, but didn’t mention anything of Ewan Barker, saying that they preferred to have clients ask for permission to enter, rather than them walking in.
‘I can do that for you. And you’ll want three cards for you to gain admittance? Is that right?’
‘It is. How soon can you do it?’
‘Tomorrow morning? Will somebody be there?’
‘Yes. It’ll probably be Doris and Beth, not me.’
‘No problem. If I’m not able to locate one today, I’ll keep you informed.’
She stood. ‘Thank you so much, George. Can you make your invoice out to Connection, and not to me. I’ll leave you to finish off your hamster cleaning. Does it have a name?’
‘He does. He’s called Hector.’
‘Bye, Hector,’ Kat called as she left the house.
It was a fair walk as she headed back down through the village, and although it was cold, she enjoyed the exercise. Her mind was on Martha and Sue, and she hoped they were having a lovely day. She didn’t notice Ewan Barker’s small red Fiesta that was parked on a side road, with a clear view of Connection ahead.
Mouse was in her own office, continuing with the paperwork that was an essential part of the business she hoped to dazzle with the following week. Doris was in reception, unable to concentrate on work. She was sitting reading her book when Kat walked through the door.
‘Perfect morning,’ she said. ‘I took some flowers to Craig’s grave, then went for a quarter of an hour in church. I needed some peace. Finally walked up to George’s cottage where I met a hamster called Hector, but more importantly he’s coming tomorrow morning to fit the new system for us. If he can’t track one down that quickly, he’ll let me know.’
‘He’s got a hamster who’s coming to fit the new lock system. Wow, I’m impressed.’
‘Okay, maybe that didn’t come out quite right.’
‘I like hamsters,’ Doris said. ‘We should have one in the office, like a mascot.’
‘Can we make do with a goldfish? I’m sure they’re a lot less trouble, and they don’t look like little rats. George seemed to be going to an awful lot of trouble cleaning the cage out. Nah, a fish is so much easier.’
Chapter Thirty-Five
Tessa and Hannah spent their morning repeating every question they had asked Steve Barksworth first time around. He could tell them nothing new, other than giving three names of clergy who would vouch for him having been at Sheffield Cathedral from two o’clock until late at night.
It was a relief that they had the names; no trips to see a bishop were needed. They had spoken to one vicar, Reverend Ashton, as they attempted to find out if Barksworth’s alibi was solid. Ashton had ratified what Steve
had told them, but they needed more confirmation than one other person. Now they had Reverend Kieran Michaels, and Reverend Isaac Reece.
They had also spoken to Ruby Barksworth, who had corroborated her husband’s words, but added the rider that they could believe her above everybody else, because she would dearly like to see him squirm as he was charged with Orla’s murder. However, she had added, he simply didn’t do it. He hadn’t been there at the time they were saying were the crucial hours.
They got back in the car and Hannah turned to Tessa. ‘One unhappy woman, yes?’
‘Oh yes, I think Steve Barksworth should be grateful she’s bedbound and relies on him to get her through each day, because if she was fighting fit, he would be out of a marriage, and a job. She was positively vitriolic, wasn’t she. Did you feel like that about David?’
‘No, but that was different. I’d stopped loving David. She hasn’t stopped loving Steve Barksworth. She’s hurting and can’t hold that hurt in.’
Tessa sighed. ‘You’re probably right. We’re a funny lot, aren’t we, human beings.’
Hannah grinned and started the car. ‘Hope? For the Carr siblings?’
‘No, we have to interview them at work, I think. They’ll not be home for about four hours. Let’s go and get some lunch, then head for Emily Carr first.’
Emily stared at the two police officers, a blank expression on her face. ‘But I’ve told you all I know. What more can you possibly want?’
‘We’re rechecking everything. Can you get somebody to cover for you, please?’
‘Actually, it’s inconvenient. My relief is on her lunch break.’
‘Okay. Close everything down as you would when you go home at night. Get your coat, we’ll take you to headquarters.’ Tessa’s tone brooked no arguments, and Emily stared at her.
‘I’ll see if Lindsey is on the premises.’