Cloche and Dagger by Jenn McKinlay

Author:Jenn McKinlay
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Penguin Group US
Published: 2013-08-05T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 24

“Have you heard from your cousin?” Andre asked. His voice was gentle, as if he suspected the answer but was hopeful that I might have better news for him.

“No,” I said.

The worry in my voice must have been evident because Fee gave me a reassuring pat on the shoulder and said, “Don’t worry. She’ll turn up. She always does.”

As if by silent agreement, the topic was changed.

“All right, Fee,” Nick said. “Let’s hear your story.”

“I’m only twenty-one,” she said with a laugh. “I don’t have a story.”

“Sure you do,” Andre said. “It’s just a short one.”

Fee blew the long pink curl that liked to hang over her right eye out of her face.

“Well, I was born and raised in Notting Hill,” she said. “My grandparents on both sides of the family came here back in the sixties from the West Indies. Mom and Dad met at university, got married and had five children.”

“Five!” Nick squeaked. “God bless them.”

“I’m the fifth,” Fee said.

“Is your family still in the area?” I asked. I had already learned that Fee had grown up here, but it had been such a crazy week, I hadn’t really gotten a chance to ask about the rest of her family.

“My two sisters live in the States, but both of my brothers are here.” She made an annoyed face, and I took it to mean that her older brothers were a bit too much in her business. “But they all come home for carnival in August, during the bank holiday weekend, yeah?”

“I love carnival,” Nick gushed.

“This year I am staking out my spot and taking even more pictures,” Andre said. His eyes were alight with eagerness.

“Which means you will be absolutely no fun,” Nick said. “Scarlett and Fee, you have to be my dates for carnival. Promise?”

I hadn’t been to carnival in years. It’s the biggest street party in Europe, with colorful costumes, jerk chicken and plantains, and steel-band music. It is impossible not to have a great time during carnival. Now that I was living here, I couldn’t wait.

“Absolutely,” I agreed.

“Me, too,” Fee said and clapped her hands together. “And my brothers can’t give me a hard time if I’m with a dentist and my boss.”

“Excellent, it’s a date,” Nick announced and raised his glass. We shared a toast and I tried to convince myself that at least by carnival, which was four months away, Viv would surely have returned.

• • •

It was late when everyone left. A peek out of the front door showed that the coast was clear. The reporters had decided not to rough-sleep it on my doorstep for which I was grateful.

I locked up the shop and climbed the stairs to our flat above. I crashed on the couch and tried to watch Snog, Marry, Avoid?, a British makeover show where they seek out bimbos and give them class, but I couldn’t concentrate and the people on the show annoyed me with how ridiculous they were, and honestly they reminded me a bit too much of the rat bastard’s big-boobed wife.

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