Still Death (A Lexie Wyatt murder mystery Book 1) Page 2

  At home, she attempted to put items away in some sort of order, so she’d remember where they were later. Tilly tried helping but got in the way.

  ‘Why don’t you go into the garden with Ruth and Fiona?’

  ‘I’m helping you.’

  Lexie bit back her initial reply and thanked Tilly for being so thoughtful.

  ‘Shall we unpack some more boxes?’ asked Tilly.

  The task wasn’t top of Lexie’s favourite list, but it needed to be done and Nathan would be busy setting up the new factory.

  Lexie dragged in some of the boxes and they started unpacking.

  Tilly put some pans in a cupboard and then turned around, holding her finger in the air as if making a rude gesture.

  ‘Mummy, I hurt my finger.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘I hurt my finger.’

  Lexie was kneeling on the floor, her top half manoeuvred into an awkward corner cupboard. The kitchen must have been designed by a man. ‘What did you say?’

  ‘I’m not telling you again.’ Tilly stomped off.

  Lexie extricated herself from the cupboard but Tilly had disappeared outside.

  She had unpacked three more boxes before sounds of shouting came from the garden.

  ‘Ruth and Fiona get away from the swing. Tilly, be careful or you’ll kick one of them.’

  As she sorted out the argument between the twins, Tilly asked her a question.

  ‘When are you going to work?’

  ‘I’m not sure.

  ‘If you go to work, Astrid can look after us. She doesn’t shout like you do.’

  ‘Want to go home to Astrid,’ said Ruth, and Fiona echoed the sentiment.

  Lexie wanted the same: to go back to her lovely house in London, her job, her life. But someone else lived in her house and she had been restructured out of her job.

  ‘Let’s go and do some exploring?’

  ‘Where?’ Tilly looked suspicious, as if she guessed this was a diversion.

  ‘Daddy said the land behind the back garden hedge belongs to the cottage.’

  ‘Can we go through the big gate?’ asked Ruth, her upset already forgotten.

  Their garden was mostly grass, surrounded by chest-high hedges and a fence. Lexie locked up the house, and then they went ’sploring, as Fiona called it.

  The girls ran ahead of Lexie as she wandered through the fruit trees beyond the gate. A grassy incline slowed the twins, and as Lexie came out of the trees she increased her pace to catch them up. They sat on a stone wall at the top of the hill and studied the view over Nettleford.

  The land on the other side of the wall looked well-tended. There was a wide expanse of grass with a goat tethered to a large tyre, and beyond that were a number of raised beds sprouting various shades of greenery. The house looked in far better condition than Cherry Tree Cottage.

  A woman and a young girl emerged from a shed near the house. Lexie squinted into the sunshine. The woman was around her age but shorter, with cropped brunette hair. Lexie was pretty sure it was Miriam, the woman from the previous night. The girl looked as if she’d be old enough to start school.

  As Miriam glanced towards them, Lexie waved. Miriam grabbed the child’s hand and tugged her across a gravel area into the house.

  Miriam hadn’t been talkative after the fire, and Lexie had assumed it was the shock and exertion, but to ignore them so obviously.

  ‘Mummy.’ Fiona tugged at Lexie’s T-shirt. ‘Did you bring our scooters?’

  ‘Yes, I think they’re in the garage.’

  They walked back down to the cottage and found the scooters for Fiona and Ruth, and Tilly’s bike. The girls played in the garden for a while and then begged to go further along the lane.

  There was a wide grass verge but no path. ‘You’ll have to be careful and stay on the grass.’

  The girls nodded their agreement to the terms, but within a few minutes of scooting on the grass they were ahead of Lexie and then moved onto the road.

  ‘Stay on the grass,’ Lexie shouted.

  ‘We go faster here,’ Ruth yelled back.

  ‘Get off the road. It’s for cars not little girls. Tilly, get them to wait for me.’

  Tilly went after them on her bike but whether the twins thought it was a game of chase, or the three of them were conspiring against her as if in some secret gang she wasn’t allowed to join, the distance between them lengthened. She jogged after them, cursing under her breath.

  As she rounded the corner, the three girls stood together staring at the burnt-out wreck of a garage. The smell of smoke still clung to the soot-blackened walls, and there was a gaping hole where the roof had been. All that remained of the shed was the concrete base.

  ‘Hello, dear, are you the lady from Cherry Tree Cottage?’ said a soft voice.

  Lexie looked past the garage and ruined shed to where an elderly lady stood in the shade of a tree.

  ‘Yes, I’m Lexie.’

  ‘And I’m Tilly.’

  Lexie made a shooshing noise and tapped Tilly on the shoulder, but the woman smiled.

  ‘Nice to meet you, Tilly, and your Mum. My name is Evelyn.’

  ‘Did the fire do this?’ asked Tilly.

  ‘Yes, it’s made a mess, hasn’t it? Helen and Gareth, friends of mine, came around this morning and did some clearing up for me.’ Evelyn had such a slight frame, she reminded Lexie of a bird.

  ‘I’m sorry Nathan and I didn’t do much last night. At least I didn’t.’

  ‘Nonsense, you stopped the fire getting worse and called the fire brigade. I’m grateful you were driving past. My house is up through the garden so it probably wouldn’t have caught fire, but you can never tell. Would you like to come in for a drink?’

  ‘Yes, please,’ said Tilly, as if the invitation had been directed at her.

  Lexie hoped they’d behave and not wreck Evelyn’s place.

  The house was cool and peaceful, and Lexie was relieved to see Evelyn didn’t have too many ornaments displayed.

  ‘I don’t have juice or anything like that for the children.’

  ‘They’re fine with milk.’

  Evelyn couldn’t manage the tray, her fingers showed signs of arthritis, but she led them through to the living room while Lexie carried in the drinks and plate of biscuits. She had suggested they stayed in the kitchen, but Evelyn shook her head. ‘I know what it’s like to have children around.’

  Lexie wasn’t so sure Evelyn would remember the full horror of children. Cups of milk and biscuits could make a lot of mess.

  ‘Did they figure out what started the fire?’

  ‘The officer checked as much as he could last night and told me he’d arrange for someone to investigate. It made me wonder whether they thought it was deliberate rather than an accident.’

  ‘That doesn’t sound too good.’

  ‘No. I don’t keep much out there now. A man comes to look after the garden, but he brings his own tools.’

  ‘We seem a bit far from town for teenagers to come along and create mischief.’

  Evelyn nodded her agreement. ‘It is a bit of a worry. Nothing like this has ever happened before, but perhaps it was just an accident.’

  The drink and chocolate biscuits kept the children occupied while Lexie and Evelyn talked.

  Evelyn was calm and peaceful, inspiring a spirit of confidences, and Lexie found herself telling the older woman about losing her job when the company was sold.

  ‘At the same time, Nathan had a great opportunity. The company he works for builds parts for planes and he was asked to come here and manage their new factory.’ She gave a shaky laugh. ‘I’m happy for him, but I miss going to work.’

  ‘I understand, dear.’

  Evelyn did appear to understand. If she tried to talk to Nathan about how she felt, he was defensive, thinking she was trying to get at him.

  ‘I’m sorry about hogging all the conversation.’

  ‘Not at all,’ said Evelyn. ‘I love the company. My
son works in London. He writes for a newspaper.’

  ‘That sounds interesting.’

  ‘Patrick travels a lot. He tells me not to worry, but I do.’ Evelyn glanced at the three little girls eating biscuits. ‘You can’t help it when you’re a mother. Some of the things he writes about are dangerous.’

  ‘That must be difficult. I know how I’d feel if Nathan were doing something like that.’ It seemed inadequate, and Lexie wondered if there was more behind Evelyn’s words.

  Evelyn picked at the material of her floral dress. ‘I shouldn’t worry you, dear. I’m sure you’ve got enough problems of your own.’

  Tilly glanced away from the half-empty plate. ‘Mummy, can we watch Digby and Dougal?’ She pointed towards Evelyn’s clock on the mantelpiece. ‘It’s on in a minute.’

  ‘Of course,’ said Evelyn. ‘Could you switch on the television, Lexie? I think I overdid it this morning. Time was when I could walk miles, but I don’t think I’ll see those days again.’

  Lexie switched on the television and the girls sprawled out on the floor.

  ‘Is there something in particular you’re worried about? If Patrick’s a journalist he probably visits some dangerous places?’

  Evelyn smoothed out the material of her dress, but immediately began pleating it again, as if trying to still some internal agitation. ‘I’ve not been well and that might cloud my objectivity when it comes to worrying about Patrick.’

  ‘I’m sure that’s not true.’

  Evelyn took a breath and pulled back her shoulders. ‘Caroline, Patrick’s girlfriend, was killed in a hit and run accident.’

  ‘Killed! No wonder you’re worried about him. He must be distraught.’

  ‘That’s not what I meant. There was a witness to the accident.’ Evelyn’s lip quivered, and Lexie leaned forward to pat her hand. ‘The witness identified Patrick as the driver.’

  ‘Oh my goodness.’

  ‘He didn’t do it. Patrick didn’t know anything about the accident. He rang me the next day and I had to tell him about Caroline.’

  ‘That must have been awful.’

  Tilly got up from the floor. ‘Can I go to the toilet?’

  Evelyn swallowed her distress and told Tilly where to find the bathroom. Lexie asked Tilly if she’d be okay on her own.

  Tilly gave her a look as if she had just asked the most ridiculous question. ‘Course.’

  Lexie turned back to Evelyn but the mood of confidence had gone.

  ‘Have you spoken to Patrick since then?’

  Evelyn shook her head. ‘No one knows where he is. I told Helen, and she said she would ring the police to find out what’s happening. I keep hoping Patrick will contact me.’

  This Helen person appeared to have things under control. Lexie stood and patted Evelyn’s narrow shoulder. ‘I’ll just go and check on Tilly.’

  She knocked lightly on the closed bathroom door. ‘You okay?’

  ‘Yes.’

  Lexie glanced around the hallway which was only a little smaller than the living room. Opposite her, a staircase led up to a mezzanine floor with a sturdy wood rail running across the width of the house. The high ceiling boasted an enormous darkened beam.

  Next to the front door was a tall window panel with five panes of glass. The bottom four were frosted, letting through rippling slivers of sunshine and shadows, but the top pane was a rectangle of normal glass.

  ‘Did you wash your hands?’ she asked Tilly.

  ‘Yes.’ Tilly rushed past, eager to see the rest of her programme.

  Lexie followed her back into the lounge and sat down. ‘Is there anything you’d like me to do about Patrick?’

  ‘Thank you for offering, but there isn’t really anything we can do until I hear from him.’

  They talked until the programme finished, but when the twins got up and glanced around as if looking for toys, Lexie thought it was time she took them home.

  ‘I could come back later when Nathan’s home.’

  ‘Don’t worry, dear. I’m sure it’s all a mistake, and Patrick and the police will sort it out. Helen said she’d ring me as soon as she found out anything.’ Evelyn didn’t look as though she believed what she said, but she tapped the phone on the coffee table next to her. ‘I’ll be fine.’

  3

  Later that afternoon, Lexie took the three girls out to find the local school. She had tried ringing, but no one answered.

  When she found the school, Lexie parked a little way down the road as there wasn’t any parking in the grounds. They walked through the school gates and past a playground area with climbing frames and swings. The school office was tiny, vastly different to the one at Primrose Hill where she’d originally enrolled Tilly. And it was empty. Fiona wandered into the corridor to look at some children’s pictures on the wall.

  ‘Come back.’

  Fiona ignored her and carried on down the corridor. Lexie hurried after her, knowing if she wasn’t quick enough Ruth would disappear in the opposite direction.

  A middle-aged lady, smart in a skirt and tailored jacket, came out of a room further along the corridor. ‘Can I help you?’

  Lexie straightened, suddenly aware of how she must look; her hands automatically went to her hair. The twins had been fighting when she got out of the shower and she hadn’t had a chance to tame her curls with product. She couldn’t remember if she’d even put on any moisturiser.

  ‘Hello, I’m Lexie Wyatt. We’ve just moved to Nettleford. My daughter Tilly will be five soon and I’m here to register her for school.’

  ‘Good to meet you. I’m Mrs Devlan, the headmistress. I hope you’re settling in.’ She bent down and spoke to Fiona. ‘Do you like the pictures?’ She held Fiona’s hand as they came back up the corridor together.

  ‘That was naughty running off,’ Lexie said to Fiona.

  Mrs Devlan smiled at Tilly. ‘I expect you’re looking forward to your birthday?’

  Tilly nodded, and Mrs Devlan glanced at Lexie. ‘We’re a small school and like to start the children at the beginning of the term in which they’ll be five, which means Tilly could start next week if you’d like.’

  Yes, Lexie did like. She’d be happy for Tilly to start the following day but didn’t voice her thoughts. She followed Mrs Devlan into the office, trying to turn her huge smile into a more serious expression.

  ‘Here are some forms we need you to complete.’ The headmistress gave them to Lexie, along with a ballpoint pen. ‘Tilly, while your mum is busy, would you like to come and meet your new teacher?’

  Tilly took the headmistress’s hand and the two disappeared, Mrs Devlan’s heels clicking on the floor tiles.

  The twins crawled under the desk and climbed onto the office chair.

  ‘Don’t touch anything.’ Lexie studied the forms. If she could find a pre-school for Fiona and Ruth, she might get some control over her life, maybe even find a job.

  When she heard Tilly and the headmistress coming back, Lexie pulled the twins from behind the desk and tried to straighten her ruffled hair.

  ‘I’ve met my teacher, Mummy.’ Tilly looked excited, a wide grin on her face.

  Lexie hadn’t thought about Tilly being eager to go to school; she’d expected tears.

  ‘Her name’s Miss Barnes and she’s very pretty, just like Astrid.’

  Great, Miss Barnes and Astrid were pretty, so what did that make her? Lexie smiled at Tilly. ‘Good, I’m glad you like her.’

  The streets around the school had been empty when they arrived, but now cars were parked along the road and groups of women waited by the gate.

  As they walked back to the car, Tilly talked non-stop about her new teacher.

  ‘Miss Barnes has such a smiley face and lovely long hair. You should grow your hair like hers.’

  If she grew her hair longer than jaw length, she’d just end up with a bigger tangled mess. She ought to be pleased Tilly was happy about going to school.

  At the car, she patted her pockets for the car
keys. Bloody hell, she must have dropped them somewhere.

  ‘Excuse me. Do these belong to you?’ The woman had a perky smile and an accent that would assure her of an invitation to a royal garden party, but she looked comfortably casual in jeans and a t-shirt. She held out Lexie’s keys.

  ‘Oh, thank you so much. I’m Lexie. We’ve only been in Nettleford a few days. I was enrolling Tilly at school.’ The words came in a confused rush.

  ‘I’m Helen, and this is Jake.’ She indicated the young boy holding her hand. ‘We’re waiting for my daughter, Rachel.’

  ‘Mum,’ a voice screeched, and Helen turned.

  ‘Hello, sweetie, how was school?’

  Rachel downloaded her day’s news in a torrent and then turned to Tilly. ‘You came into our class just now with Mrs Devlan.’

  ‘So you’re going to be in the same class, that’s lovely,’ said Helen. She turned to Lexie. ‘Do you live close by?’

  ‘Woodside Lane.’

  ‘I’ve a friend who lives along there. I’m only a couple of minutes away from here. Would you like to come round for a drink and the girls can get to know each other.’

  ‘That would be great.’ She’d got Tilly enrolled in school and met a couple of people. Life was looking brighter.

  Lexie followed Helen back to her home, a few streets away in a cul-de-sac of modern houses. Tilly went off to Rachel’s bedroom, the two of them talking about school and Miss Barnes. The twins sat on the living room floor and commandeered Jake’s cars. After watching for a moment, Jake joined them.

  ‘How are you settling in?’ asked Helen.

  ‘Still unpacking boxes. We were in our place in London for seven years and have collected heaps of stuff since having the girls.’

  ‘We moved here from London as well. Gareth got tired of the rat race and wanted to start his own business, and we wanted more space for the children. Fancy a coffee or tea?’

  The twins and Jake were immersed in a game of cars, so Lexie followed Helen into the kitchen.

  ‘Coffee would be fine, thanks.’ Helen’s kitchen was beautifully modern and Lexie sighed, thinking of the antiquated fittings and oven in Cherry Tree Cottage.

  Helen made the coffee and handed Lexie one of the mugs as Ruth came into the kitchen.