The Borrowdale Body by Rebecca Tope

Author:Rebecca Tope
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Allison & Busby
Published: 2024-07-15T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Thirteen

Ben and Bonnie drifted somewhat aimlessly around the centre of Carlisle for an hour or so, ending up lunching in a small pub. Ben had done his absolute best all morning to set aside any thought of the Borrowdale murder, giving all his attention to the present moment, browsing charity shops and encouraging his girlfriend to chatter about anything that came to mind.

Except hardly anything did come to mind, except Simmy, the shop and Christopher’s troubles. ‘I should be working,’ she sighed.

‘You were due a day off. Look – we can go and see the river. Or we could drive out to those woods we passed on the way. There’s some great country round here.’

Bonnie sighed again. The attractions of ‘great country’ made less impression on her than they did on Ben. Where he saw evidence of former times and forgotten human activity, she only saw mundane stretches of trees and hedges, ponds and fences. She was content to let him explain how almost all of it had been affected, if not actually created, by mankind, but she had heard it all before, and no longer found it exciting.

‘Yes, I know,’ she had started to say, on recent excursions. ‘You told me that before.’

Now, she said, ‘I think we should just sit in a park and talk about murder. This isn’t working, let’s face it. Avoiding it, I mean.’

He held her gaze. ‘Are you sure? I wanted to give you a break – a change from all that stuff. We’ve had far too much of it already.’

‘It’s what we do, though, isn’t it? I can’t just duck out of it because it might hurt my feelings. That would be cowardly. Besides, this time it’s got nothing to do with me – there is no way I can get sucked in again, like the last one. It’s very sweet of you to try and protect me, but I’m a big girl now. Look at me – I’ve just eaten a whole scotch egg!’

Two years earlier, such a level of food intake would have been unthinkable. She had somehow survived on the most minimal diet, afflicted by a teenage anorexia that almost killed her. Corinne and Ben between them had pulled her through the darkness to this point where she could consume nourishment at a level almost approaching normality.

He laughed. ‘Still not exactly big, but I know what you mean.’

She smiled. ‘So let’s find somewhere sunny to sit. You can even phone Simmy, if you like.’

‘Actually,’ he was quite shamefaced, ‘she did call me not long ago, when you were in the loo. I told her we were having a break from murder, and she’d have to wait till tomorrow. I thought—’

‘Yes, I know what you thought. It doesn’t happen very often, but you got me wrong. As I’ve just been saying.’ She drained her glass of lemonade and lime. ‘So what did she say? Simmy, I mean.’

‘She’s seen Moxon. He told her a whole lot of things, I think. I wouldn’t let her say much.

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