Black Cherry Betrayal by Agatha Frost

Author:Agatha Frost [Frost, Agatha]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pink Tree Publishing LTD
Published: 2020-06-08T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Ten

“They added this second entrance at a later date,” Diane explained as they walked through the side entrance of the park. “I think that was about 1875. Wall used to run right up.”

They shimmied around the side of the bollard, coming out on the other side of the fountain. The longer and warmer days of spring showed in the park. The children’s area was full of kids laughing and playing, with parents watching adoringly around the edges. Groups of teenagers lingered here and there, but with the flowers and trees around them, they didn’t seem as threatening as they did when loitering around the square. Dog walkers nodded and smiled at each other, and some even stopped to chat.

Over the years, many a person had commented that Starfall Park was a happy place, and Claire was obliged to agree.

“What about the observatory?” Claire stopped and shielded her eyes to look up at the dome atop the dark stone building at the peak of the hill. “I’ve always been curious. I heard it used to be open to the public.”

“Built in 1904 by Opal’s grandfather after the death of her grandmother,” Diane explained, stopping and then doubling back to join Claire. “According to Opal, he became obsessed with the idea that his deceased wife was amongst the stars, and he drove himself mad trying to find her.” She pointed up to a large oak tree on the corner; the path bent around it. “Hanged himself in that tree there in 1920. That’s when Opal’s father inherited.”

“That’s horrible!” Claire gasped. “How have I never heard about it?”

“Family hushed it up,” she whispered, tapping her nose. “And I expect you to honour that.”

“Of course.”

“Well, Opal’s father kept the observatory shackled up until his death,” Diane continued with a sigh. “Timothy, Opal’s late husband, thought the building should make them money, so he opened it to members of the park. But then Timothy, just like Opal’s grandfather, fell in love with the stars, and he no longer wanted to share that pleasure with others.”

“Did it turn him mad too?”

“Oh, no, dear.” Diane chuckled, setting off again. “He died quite peacefully in his bed in 2001, at the age of eighty-three. Lung cancer got him in the end, but he was up there stargazing just days before his death. Smoked Cuban cigars like they were going out of fashion. You can still smell the smoke in the books on a hot day.”

Diane passed the bag of food to Claire before fishing her keys from her pocket. She slotted the key into the lock but paused before opening the door, turning to look back at the observatory through the wall of trees that barely shielded the house.

“It’s a shame it never gets used.” Diane’s gaze lingered for a moment longer before she pushed open the door. “The observatory is how Starfall got its name. Before it, when the park belonged to the family and was the gardens of the house, it was referred to as the Oak Estate.

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