09 Solace House by Joy Ellis

Author:Joy Ellis
Language: eng
Format: azw3
ISBN: 9781804055588
Publisher: Joffe Books
Published: 2022-10-06T23:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

There was no MasterChef-style vegetarian special on the menu for tonight. Ralph had grabbed a couple of ready meals from the supermarket, which they nuked as soon as Marie got in.

‘Do you know, Marie, I’ve been busier here with you than I am at work! I’ve rushed around like a loon all day today — and this was my holiday, I’ll have you know.’

‘And you haven’t finished yet either.’ She told him about their planned nocturnal excursion across the fen to try and spot a dirty silver car.

‘Obbo? Oh, just what I wanted. And here was me imagining a long soak in the bath and an early night.’ He stuck his tongue out at her. ‘Fat chance!’

She grinned at him. ‘I’ll make it worth your while — later.’

‘Then eat up. We have work to do.’ They laughed.

‘So, tell me all about Ivy Pettifer,’ Marie said.

‘I can’t wait, actually. I had a real stroke of luck there.’ He looked at her over a forkful of macaroni cheese. ‘You’re going to love this, although there is a grim ending.’

‘Then get on with it,’ she demanded. ‘Or are you being deliberately exasperating?’

‘Oh, all right, but believe me, this could tick off a lot of unanswered questions for you. Okay. The brief background is that I found an old couple mentioned in an online local newspaper who had recently celebrated their diamond wedding anniversary. Their names were Albert and Beryl Carling and in brackets was her maiden name — Pettifer. So, I took a drive out to where they now live, a warden-controlled housing development about three miles from Amberley Fen.’

‘The Church Walk Estate?’

‘That’s the one. They have a nice little bungalow there. They are well into their eighties, Marie, but you’d never believe it. They’re not particularly mobile anymore, but they’re both bright as buttons up here.’ He tapped his head. ‘And Beryl’s memory is extraordinary. She told me that they had embarked on a bit of genealogy to keep their brains active and had started with her because she remembered this dark family secret, a massive skeleton in the Pettifer cupboard. She said that the more she thought about it, the more memories surfaced from her childhood. In the end and after a long chat with another elderly relative of hers, she came up with a pretty comprehensive account of what they had been told.’ Marie was now well interested and listened intently, wondering what was to come.

‘She agreed that such things become distorted over time, but because it was a member of their own family and her parents and grandparents were deeply ashamed that a Pettifer could behave as she did, it wasn’t ever embellished or dramatised. She described quite vividly the sombre voices of her parents when they spoke about Ivy. I’m certain that what she told me has more than a grain of truth in it.’

‘And the story?’ asked Marie.

‘Being the eldest girl in a large family, Ivy Pettifer had a lot of pressure put on her. From

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