‘Do you know when she’ll be in?’
She looks at her watch. ‘Should be here any minute. She’s late this morning. Some family emergency.’
Family emergency? I wonder what that could be. Elspeth was fine when I left her. But what if something’s happened while I’ve been out? It’s taken longer than I anticipated to get here because I ran into Peter.
I explain why I’m here and Daisy’s pretty face falls. ‘I really don’t think I should be giving you that sort of thing without Kathryn’s permission,’ she says, her full lips turning down at the sides.
‘But they’re for Kathryn’s mum, who owns this place.’
She shrugs in a what-can-I-do? kind of way.
‘I’ll wait,’ I say stubbornly.
Daisy nods. ‘Do you want a cup of tea, then?’
I’ve still got my lukewarm takeaway coffee so I refuse but I follow her to the end of the gallery while she makes one for herself.
The place is spacious. Everything is white – the desks, the walls – I’m assuming to highlight the artwork. The collection is varied – some paintings are bold and modernistic, others more traditional. While Daisy is boiling the kettle I take a closer look, blanching at the price tags. ‘Not busy today?’ I say, noting how empty the shop is.
‘It comes in fits and starts.’ She walks out of the back room nursing a mug. ‘Come and sit down if you want.’
She leads me to a large desk by the door. She takes the chair behind it and I sit in one opposite that is meant for customers. She chats away, asking how I’m enjoying working for Elspeth, and saying how awful it was that Una died. ‘She seemed really sweet, too,’ she says, sipping her tea thoughtfully. ‘And I liked Jemima. I never met the first one, though. I’ve only been working here six months.’ She leans across the desk. ‘Do you know if the police are investigating? I mean, it’s weird, don’t you think? All three girls dying like that.’
I try to look unconcerned. ‘It’s a coincidence, that’s all.’
Daisy isn’t convinced. ‘It’s like the house is cursed. You should be careful.’
‘Lucky, then, that I don’t believe in curses!’
She looks affronted and sits back in her chair. She doesn’t say anything for a few seconds, and then, ‘My boyfriend used to work there. Says there was always a funny atmosphere about the place. Sinister, you know?’
I put my coffee cup on the desk. ‘You should be careful what you’re saying. That’s your boss you’re talking about. And, for the record, I don’t know what your boyfriend means. It’s a lovely house. Elspeth has been nothing but kind to me.’ I don’t know why I’m sticking up for Elspeth, but Daisy is getting on my nerves.
Her large eyes widen even further. ‘Oh, I didn’t mean anything by it.’
Just then the door opens and Kathryn walks in. She has an air of harassment about her and is fumbling in her handbag. Her usually neat hair is a fuzzy halo around her head and her mascara has smudged. If I didn’t know better I’d think she’d been crying.
Surprise registers on her face when she sees me. ‘Oh, hi, Willow. What are you doing here?’
I stand up and explain about the books.
‘The books?’ She looks flustered. ‘I … To be honest, I’m not sure where they are.’
‘Oh.’
‘Tell Mother I’ll pop over with them later.’
‘Okay.’
She bestows a thin-lipped smile on me. ‘Sorry you had a wasted journey.’
It’s my cue to leave. I say thank you and exit the shop, feeling even more confused. It’s obvious she’s lying. But why?
31
Courtney
Courtney’s feet ache. It’s been a long day in the salon with some very tricky customers, particularly Felicity Alpine, with her thick mane of hair that wouldn’t be tamed no matter how hard Courtney tried. Felicity was never happy with it, yet she always came back and always requested Courtney. Usually, after a visit from Felicity, Courtney would ring Una and they would laugh about her and her wild hair, her plummy accent and condescending manner. The chasm that Una has left in Courtney’s life gapes even wider when it dawns on her, as it does every time she has the urge to call her best friend, that she’ll never talk to Una again.
She stops at the newsagent’s on the way to the bus stop to get some sweets. Una used to laugh at her love of anything chewy. Sometimes Courtney ordered the old-school sweets from the internet so she could feast on a Wham bar or a packet of Refreshers. She buys some wine gums, not her favourite but they’ll have to do, and pops one into her mouth as she boards the bus.
It’s packed tonight and she’s lucky to get a seat. If she had to stand up, after being on her feet all day, she’d scream. There is a waft of BO coming from the man crammed in next to her as he plays Angry Birds on his mobile. The journey tonight is never-ending, the only positive being that the days are slowly drawing out and it’s still light when the bus reaches her stop.
As she’s walking back to her flat her mobile buzzes in the pocket of her biker jacket. The number is unknown but she answers it anyway, expecting it to be a call centre, so she’s surprised when the man on the other end introduces himself to her as Peter Freeman. He begins to explain who he is but she cuts him off: ‘I know who you are.’
He asks her if she’d meet him tonight for a drink as he’s driving back to London later. Her heart sinks at the prospect of having to make the journey back into the centre of town, but she can’t let this opportunity pass.
He must sense her hesitation because he adds, ‘Or I can see you somewhere near where you live? I’m happy to meet anywhere.’