The Unexpected Suspect by Cecilia Peartree

Author:Cecilia Peartree
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: mystery, scotland, families, computers, dna, cosy

They walked the familiar route down to the pub. Maybe some local historian of the future would make it into an official trail, and conduct groups along it on Sunday afternoons for five pounds a time. They could call it ‘The Old Pictish Trail’.

‘Snappy name,’ muttered Christopher to himself.

‘What?’

‘Nothing.’

Chapter 16 Visiting Amaryllis

‘OK to add your DNA to ScotDNAMatch?’ said the text that pinged on to Stewie’s phone. He frowned at it, puzzled.

‘What’s that?’ said Samantha, who was making sandwiches.

‘I don’t know.’

She came and looked at the screen. ‘Who’s it from?’

‘It’s somebody from the College,’ he said. ‘I don’t know what they’re talking about. I’ve just texted back ‘Yes’ anyway.’

She tutted. ‘You shouldn’t agree to things without knowing what it’s for.’

‘I don’t see what they could use my DNA for,’ said Stewie. ‘I was only in the project to make up the numbers. Jemima Douglas is using hers for family research, but I’m never going to bother with any of that.’

‘Not even if we have kids?’

He turned sharply to stare at her. ‘We aren’t, are we? You’re not….’

She laughed. ‘Not yet. I just thought, if we have kids we might want them to know something about their ancestors.’

‘No,’ said Stewie with feeling. ‘I don’t think any of mine are worth knowing about.’

He thought back to his Gran, who had been a bit better at looking after him than his parents had been, but still nothing to write home about. He had never known his Granddad, and he hadn’t met his Mum’s sister. She wasn’t even talked about in the family. He didn’t want to know anything about his Dad’s family. They couldn’t have been any good.

‘I suppose we might find there’s a curse on the whole family,’ he said bitterly. ‘That would explain a lot.’

After they had eaten the sandwiches, Sam said to him suddenly, ‘Do you think we should go round and see Amaryllis?’

‘I’d better go into work,’ said Stewie. ‘Miss Sharp’ll be wondering where I am.’

‘No, she won’t. I’ve told her you’ve got the measles.’

‘The measles? What did you have to say that for? I had the vaccination. I’ll never get the measles.’

She shrugged. ‘She isn’t to know that, is she? I thought you might take longer at the police station, and I didn’t want to tell her about that, so I said you’d be off until at least the end of the week.’

‘What if she sees me out walking about?’

‘We can go round the long way,’ said Sam.

He rolled his eyes. ‘What do you want to go and see Amaryllis for, anyway?’

‘I think she was a wee bit miffed when we wouldn’t go and stay there, and so maybe we should pop in to show there are no hard feelings.’

‘Of course there aren’t any hard feelings! She doesn’t even have any feelings!’

‘That’s a nasty thing to say. I thought you liked her.’

‘Of course I like her, but she isn’t one of those touchy-feely people. That’s one of the things I like.’

Samantha was silent for a moment, thinking.

We could take her something… Doughnuts.

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