Verity Vanishes by A B Morgan

Author:A B Morgan [Morgan, A B]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Hobeck Books
Published: 2022-07-25T16:00:00+00:00

26

TWO FOR THE PRICE OF ONE

Once back in the car, Roger patted and praised for being so well behaved, Peddyr drove out through the manor house gates and onto the road. Without consulting Sat-Nav-Suzie, he headed towards the village of Felmersham, finding a place to park by a bridge which crossed the river Ouse. ‘Time to walk and talk,’ he said. ‘Beef sandwiches after that. I’ll get the wellies and coats out of the boot.’

Connie had remained silent during the short journey, understanding her husband’s mood. Her meeting with Olivia Harkness had been unsatisfactory in many ways and she could see that Peddyr had experienced something similar when it came to Austin. Now was the time to join up some dots.

Standing behind the car, Peddyr stretched, put on his jacket, and repositioned his hat, waiting for Connie to put Roger on a lead and head through the gate onto a footpath which followed the river back towards Sharnbrook. The stone houses of the village made for a picturesque backdrop, but the day remained grey and uninspiring, the grass still frosty beneath their boots.

In the stillness Connie was the first to speak. ‘She sounded like a first class Phwaa-Phwaa to begin with, but then I confessed to being a plant-killer and eventually we made a joke out of it. An icebreaker if you like.’

She recounted how Watson had retreated silently once the two ladies began chatting, leaving her to it, but that she could sense his presence nearby, listening in. ‘Watson knows everything that goes on in that house. He’s the one we should interview,’ she said. ‘Anyway, Mrs Harkness said Isaac confessed on New Year’s Day and ruined his father’s hangover as well as his own.’

Woolly hat rammed low over his ears, Peddyr stopped walking. ‘So, when Isaac rang Vera that day, his father knew the secret?’

‘His father overheard the call. By all accounts Austin went ballistic, and with Isaac and his wife Natalie staying over for the annual party and fireworks there was a massive family row. More fireworks.’

She linked arms with Peddyr dragging him along. Walking and talking, doing, and thinking all at the same time came naturally to her, but her husband preferred to park himself somewhere while his brain whirred at full pelt – using up all available energy in the process. Connie squeezed his arm with hers. ‘Mild embarrassment at a socially unacceptable sister is not good enough reason for his extreme reaction to being told the news of a possible reunion. What did he say?’

‘He confessed to a top-notch motive for making his sister disappear.’

Once Connie had listened to his verbatim report on Austin’s story, she too was perturbed by what this could imply. ‘He certainly went to extreme lengths to stay hidden from his sister for all this time. I don’t think I’ve ever come across a child who had their name changed by Deed Poll to protect them from an evil younger sibling. No wonder he blew his top at Isaac for raking it all up.

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