Little Girls Tell Tales by Rachel Bennett

Author:Rachel Bennett [Bennett, Rachel]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Published: 2020-02-03T17:00:00+00:00

Chapter 18

Before we got back to Ramsey, the rain started again, drizzly at first, then increasing to a steady beat that drummed on the roof of the car. Dallin’s bad temper returned by the time we approached the campsite.

‘Tell you what, just drop me here,’ he said as I turned left next to The Raven. ‘I’ll wait out the rain in the pub.’

I pulled in and let him out of the car. He ran into The Raven with his shoulders hunched. I smiled at Cora, happy to be on our own again.

But it turned out we would have an unproductive afternoon as well. We called at Eloise’s house, but she wasn’t in, and neither were Nicole or Patrick. Next, we drove up through the winding roads to Lenny’s house. He lived on a narrow track near Blue Point beach, right on the exposed northern coast of the island. Here, wind and wave sloughed at the coastline, eroding the crumbling cliffs a centimetre at a time. The land was flat, the trees and bushes stunted by the salt air.

I didn’t expect to find Lenny home at that time of day, but to my surprise, his work van was parked on the driveway.

‘Bleak kinda place,’ Cora said as she got out of my car.

Scrubby gorseland surrounded the house. To our right was the sweep of the exposed coastline. The tide was out, leaving a thick band of dullish sand, dimpled with rocks and puddles, but when the sea came in it would crest up to the foot of the cliffs themselves. From where we stood, I could see the clifftop car park at Smeale, where a few hardy dog-walkers had parked to enjoy the view.

We knocked at Lenny’s door and stood shuffling our feet in the cold as we waited. Cora glanced at her watch.

‘Is he likely to be out, if he’s not taken his van?’ she asked.

I had no idea. Lenny might’ve had two cars – or a dozen cars – for all I knew. I knocked again and, when there was still no response, tried the door handle. It was unlocked.

‘Hello?’ I called into the hall. ‘Lenny? You around?’

No answer.

‘He must be out.’ I pulled the door closed.

Cora gave me an odd look. ‘With the door unlocked?’

‘Sure, why not?’ Beth had always forgotten to lock our house. On more than one occasion we’d gone out and left the back door wide open. The worst that’d ever happened was a farm cat had got in and eaten my tuna sandwich.

Cora opened the door. ‘Hello?’ she called, louder. She stepped into the hall.

‘Cora—’

‘What if he’s had a fall? Why else wouldn’t he come to the door?’

‘He could be on the loo. Or in the shower.’ There were a dozen sensible reasons to ignore visitors.

Cora went through the hall, peeking into each room as she passed. I hesitated at the front door for a moment longer before following her. If Lenny had turned up at my house, I reasoned, and I wasn’t answering the door, he’d be neighbourly enough to check I was alright.

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