Aliens, Apples and Murder by Darrell Pitt

Author:Darrell Pitt [Pitt, Darrell]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Cape Carson Publishing
Published: 2022-09-24T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fifteen

The following day I was out of bed early and ready to continue contacting the remaining group members. I rang Kim to see if she was able to join me.

‘You’re in luck,’ she said. ‘Adrian and I were going on a picnic, but he’s been called into work.’

‘I’ll meet you at Sandy’s?’

‘Sure.’

Soon, I was nestled into one of the booths at Sandy’s as the owner handed me my first jumbo double-shot caramel latte for the day.

‘That should wake you up,’ she said.

I took a long sip from the cup. ‘Yep,’ I said as the caffeine took hold. ‘I’m awake.’

‘By the way, do you know the rock and roll festival is definitely a goer? The council’s given approval, and our committee is working through the details.’

‘Fantastic. When’s it happening?’

‘Early summer.’

‘I’ll come to one of your committee meetings and get some info.’

Kim came rushing in the door. ‘Hey Rosie!’ she said brightly. ‘Is it a beautiful day or what?’

Sandy and I exchanged glances. Although sunshine was predicted for the afternoon, the morning was overcast, and scattered showers threatened.

‘She’s in love,’ I explained.

‘Ha!’ Sandy said as she hurried off to make Kim’s coffee. ‘That explains everything!’

Kim sat opposite. ‘So,’ she said, lowering her voice. ‘What do you think of Adrian?’

‘He seems nice.’

‘When you say nice, do you mean really nice or moderately nice or a bit nice—’

I laughed. ‘Adrian’s fantastic!’ I assured her. ‘The most amazing new boyfriend anyone’s ever had in the history of the human race!’

‘Do you really think so?’ Kim’s coffee arrived, and she took a long sip. ‘He’s very polite and kind. Adrian’s been living with his mum because she’s unwell. He also helps out at the hospital bookshop.’

‘You don’t need to convince me,’ I said, shaking my head. ‘Now, are you ready to do some investigating?’

‘Absolutely!’

Half an hour later, we were standing outside the home of Asher Vorback. It was a Japanese-inspired place, flat-roofed with curving gutters. Cherry blossoms dotted a front yard clad in white pebbles and enclosed by bamboo fencing. A water feature gurgled adjacent to the house.

We knocked on the door and waited. It only took a moment for a balding, short man with a round face to answer. We quickly explained the purpose of our visit.

‘The death of Hailey Lawrence?’ he said. ‘Why are you digging up old dirt on that?’

‘Hailey’s sister, Rita, has asked us to investigate,’ Kim explained.

‘There’s not much I can say—’

I spoke up. ‘Other members of Plastic Apple have spoken to us,’ I said. ‘It’s important to hear your side of the story.’

He raised an eyebrow. ‘What have they been saying?’

‘It’s probably best if we speak inside.’

Asher reluctantly invited us in, asking that we take our shoes off at the door and that we leave Trixie outside. He owned a cat who didn’t get along with dogs.

Inside, minimalism was the order of the day, and the layout of everything had been carefully designed. A single artwork of a snow-covered mountain top sat precisely in the middle of a wall. The coffee table in the living room was bare, and everything was fastidiously clean.

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