by Emily Selby
Miriam Fisher, one of the owners, approached them with their order. She greeted Katie and Trish with a smile and opened her mouth to ask something. But Trish snapped her head away and sat, drumming her fingers on the table. Miriam shot Katie a curious look. Katie smiled trying to convey her complete unawareness of her companion's unusual behaviour. Miriam shrugged and arranged their plates and cups on the table.
'Anything else?'
'No, thank you,' Katie said.
It was a good idea for them to meet at the busy time of lunch. The last thing she and Trish needed was the chief Sunnyvale gossiper to hang around.
Katie looked away to avoid eye contact with Miriam.
Miriam stood still for a few more seconds. 'I'd better be going,' she said eventually and rushed away.
'Thank goodness she's gone. Every time she looks at me, I can see all my sins going back to high school.'
'Did you know her back then?'
'I used to go out with Nathan, her son. It was just for a few months. I think she didn't like me. I was probably not traditional enough for her.' Trish gave a sharp laugh.
'To be honest I can't imagine you being a wife of a lawyer. You're a bit too... wild.'
'Me wild?' She tossed her hair back. 'I'm tamed.'
Katie was pleased to see a smile on Trish's face.
'You're probably too wild for Sunnyvale,' she said.
'I can see you're trying to get the message across,' Trish said, her green eyes drilling through Katie. 'You want me out of here, don't you?'
'Not if you want to stay,' Katie replied. 'But I can see you're not happy. You've been restless. You never sit down. At club meetings, you move around, shift from one craft to the other. When was the last time you finished a project?'
'Oh, I did finish those origami animals I was making for the church fete. Did they all say that?'
Katie cast her mind back. 'At least some of them. They were cute. We've not been able to take stock of what was left unfortunately.'
'I've heard the police are back in the crafts room. What are they looking for?'
Katie looked away. Yet another of those situations where she had to carefully choose which she could share with other people.
'You can't tell me, can you?'
At least she made it easier. Even though a few days ago she still considered Trish blunt, today she really appreciated her honestly and directness.
'I don't know much, but I'm not sure if I'm authorised to share it.'
'No problem. I really appreciate that I can be open with you without you judging me.'
'And vice versa.'
'Your soup is getting cold,' Katie said.
'And your sandwiches are getting warmer.' Trish chuckled. 'Let's tuck in.'
While they ate in silence, Katie considered her next question. Would it be okay to bluntly ask Trish if she thought Rob capable of murder? There was only one way to find out.
'Do you think Rob is capable of murder?'
'This is exactly what I've been asking myself for a few days now. When he first disappeared, people started suggesting he was involved in the murder. I didn't believe it, but since Alex came back, I've been really thinking about it.'
'And so?'
She shrugged. 'Rob is a nice guy, but he's also quite lazy. Murdering someone requires a lot of thinking, planning and great execution. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying Rob is not capable of planning and executing, but I'm not sure if he could have done it. And, we need to remember that he's capable of killing animals, of course.'
Katie considered this. 'Has he ever hurt anyone?' she probed.
'Apart from getting into an occasional fight in the pub? I don't know. You think you know a person but then something happens, and you begin to question everything.'
'Are you questioning your knowledge of Rob?'
'Yes, and myself. Having said that, he's changed. And it bothers me a lot. I first realised he was no longer Mr Nice Guy, the boy next door, a few months ago. We had a really bizarre conversation. I can't remember any longer what triggered or who started it, but we ended up talking about hiding things and having secrets. Back then I thought him incapable of having secrets or hiding anything from me. How wrong was I!'
Katie touched Trish's hand. It had been a hard time for her.
'Every time I go back to that conversation, I keep thinking maybe he is somewhere here. We're looking for him but can't find him because he's hiding in plain sight. This was what the conversation was about. Rob asked me what I would do if I had a secret or something to hide.'
'You told him about hiding in plain sight?'
'Yeah, and now I keep thinking that maybe we're looking for Rob in all the wrong places. Maybe he never left Sunnyvale, Maybe he's somewhere here.'
'Where could he be?'
'Don't know. Living in somebody's cellar? Hiding in a shed somewhere? Lying buried in somebody's plot...'
Katie gasped. 'You don't think he's dead, do you?'
'I wouldn't be surprised. Actually, I think he's more capable of getting himself killed as a result of being involved into something silly, rather than being the killer on the run from the police.'
Katie squeezed Trisha's hand. 'Let's hope this is not the case. Let's hope he emerges from whatever telecom network blind spot he's staying in.'
Trish let out a heavy sigh. She stared at her plate. 'I vote we finish our lunch,' she said and picked up the spoon again.
During the rest of their lunch, Katie couldn't stop thinking about some of the comments Trish made.
'Trish, I’ve got one question.'
'Fire away.'
'I know you said Rob played a lot of video games, do you think he knows much about computers?'
'Funny you should ask. The inspector just asked me the same question. Have you talked to him about it?'
Katie shook ahead. 'No, it's just me thinking. So?'
'Rob bought a new laptop a few months ago. It was a gaming laptop, very expensive. I got mad when he bought it. We had a big argument about it. Besides that, Rob had a bog-standard laptop and an old PC.'
'Has he ever come with you to the crafts room?'
Trish stared at her, her mouth gaping. She blinked. 'What?'
Katie shifted in her chair. How should she ask this question? 'I was just wondering if he's been to the crafts room. Maybe on the day when you were working on one of your origami animals? Or the day when you left the back exercises leaflet.'
'I left the booklet a few months ago. I thought it was the best place to put it up for anyone to see it. Now, I know how wrong I was...'
'Talk about hiding in plain sight...'
Trish smiled weakly. 'To answer your question. He definitely has. He's dropped me off at meetings and taken my car off for little spins a few times.'
'Did he know how to get the key?'
'Yes. He picked up the key for me from Miriam a few times. To be honest, I'm pretty sure every time I had to borrow the key for whatever reason I sent Rob instead. She liked him, unlike me.'
Katie nodded slowly. It struck her that Trish used past tenses when speaking of Rob.
Trish stood, pulled her jacket off the back of the chair and slung it over her shoulder. She grabbed her handbag.
'I've got to run. I've got a yoga class starting at 1.30. Do you want to join in?'
'I'd love to,' Katie said but remembered her promise made to Michelle. 'Oh, maybe not today. I offered to help Michelle. Thank you for the lunch.'
'My pleasure. No sarcasm in it,' she added. 'Can I just ask you one question. Why did you ask me about Rob's access to the crafts room?'
'I'm sorry, I can't comment on it.'
'Just as I thought. This was exactly the same and Inspector Heaton gave me.'
Oh dear.
Was she on the right track? She watched Trish walking out, processing the information she'd just gathered. It was nice to know that her logic had taken her in the same direction as Jack. It made her feel warm and fuzzy on the inside. It would be nice to hear fro
m him. She'd love Jack to see that she was capable of logical thinking as well as hunches. After all she only had her intuitions to rely on. Actually, it was a good idea. She could show him that if you follow your hunches, you might find evidence. Best, if she could do it in a witty way, because... well… Because...
Oh! Pull yourself together, Katie!
Fighting back the dreamy image of a certain nerdy-but-dishy inspector, Katie squeezed her eyes shut and snap-opened them again. She rolled her shoulders back and forth to shake off the growing tension between her shoulder blades.
Back to the murder investigation!
Rob had been to the crafts room and had access to the key. He could easily have made a copy of the key. He might have left the note inside the exercise booklet. Hiding it in plain sight. Had Rob been coming to the crafts room to do whatever on the secret browser? What was the browser's name again? Oh, Tor...
She fished her mobile from her handbag and tapped her search terms into her browser. Given what Jack told her already, she was not surprised to see some results suggesting that people used Tor for crime. But she was too scared to click on only any of the links. Fortunately, there was always her favourite site for all sorts of questions and answers. She clicked through to Quora and read a couple of posts. It made the little hairs on the nape of her neck stand up. By the time she’d finished the fourth thread she was sweating profusely. She didn't realise so much nastiness was possible and actually existed.
In this context, getting to her trial cleaning day on time and convincing her potential client to give her the job, seemed easy and safe.
It was time to go.
24
Mrs Weatherspoon seemed impressed by Katie's attitude and skills. She let her do some light cleaning and they agreed on a one hour per week every Friday. Katie could do it shortly after work, and she still had time to pick up Julia.
On her way to school, while passing in front of the one-storey, police building, Katie spotted two familiar figures exiting the station. She slowed down and pulled to the other side of the road. She jerked her head to check.
Yes, it was Olivia and Alex! Was she released? And he was walking away free, too?
She waited for them to disappear from the corner before jumping out of the car and running towards the double door, through the empty reception and straight into the staffroom.
She was correct. Jack was there, pulling on his jacket, getting ready to leave.
'You let her out?' she snapped. 'What changed your mind?'
'And good afternoon to you too, Katie,' Jack said a little cooler than she would want.
'Oh, hello Katie,' Celia swung in her chair and flashed her perfect teeth in a happy smile. She must have been working Chris' shift, the one they'd swapped.
'Why did you let her out?' she pushed Jack for answers.
'I've had good reasons, believe me,' he said in the same manner. 'I'm sorry, I have to go.'
He walked out, leaving Katie stunned. She didn't know what freaked her out more: the fact that Jack changed his mind about Olivia so abruptly, or his treatment of Katie right then.
'Not very keen to share, is he?' Celia said casually.
Katie's heart was pumping adrenaline coursing through her body. She felt betrayed, but too vulnerable to share it with Celia. She wished it were Chris sitting in her place right now.
Celia glared at her for a while. 'Can I help you with anything?' she asked eventually.
Katie shivered. 'No, I was just surprised to see Olivia and Alex walking out. What's changed his mind?'
Celia shrugged. 'No idea. Although, the recent interview with one of your friends might have helped.'
Katie's heart accelerated even faster. She felt giddy again. She lent on the table.
'Which one of my friends? Michelle?'
'No, the fitness fanatic.'
'Oh,' Katie sighed with relief. 'Trish. She's not really my friend but never mind. So, is the missing boyfriend your top suspect then?'
'Apparently so. The DI's gone to get a warrant to search his possessions.'
'To search Trish's flat or his mother's house?'
Celia flicked her curls backwards. Katie couldn't help noticing that although her curls were tied back, Celia was still wearing a little makeup.
'I have no idea,' she replied in a way that Katie realised it was pointless asking Celia any more questions. So, she just turned and marched out of the office. She drove home trying very hard not to think about the sudden change in Jack's behaviour. There was certainly a simple and innocent explanation for it. Such as ongoing stress. Or not being able to find the murderer. It was nothing to do with her.
Katie pulled in front of Julia's school, climbed out and slammed the door. She wasn't going to think about it anymore. She had a life to live.
Back home with Julia, Katie went through the motions. She helped her daughter do her homework, so it was out of the way. She promised Julia to work on her newest crafts project, which was a birthday card from one of her friends. They poured over some ideas Julia captured on the Internet. Katie also pulled a couple of books off the shelves. They spend the evening discussing possible designs, and Julia even offered to help with cooking. It seemed to be a really nice evening, until Katie's phone rang again.
'They're here, ripping through the house,' Trish cried when Katie answered the phone.
'The police? They're searching your house?' Katie asked.
'Yes,' Trish replied sobbing. 'I'm scared, Katie.'
'But it's not about you, Trish. It's about Rob. Can you hear me? It is not about you. There's nothing to be scared of.'
'But there is. I think I misjudged him. Rob, I mean. I always thought he was a simple guy, a nice, good boy, but I think I’ve made a huge mistake.’
‘By splitting up with him?’
‘No, I’m scared he’s going to come after me.’
‘Why would he do that?'
'Because I told the police on him?'
'Did you?'
'I don't know any more...' The sobbing intensified. Katie gestured Julia to keep stirring the sauce in the pan and stepped out into the hallway.
'Trish, can you hear me?' Katie said calmly. If she could only jump into her car and drive to Trish's place...
'Yes, I can. Sorry, Katie. I'm having a meltdown. It all the recent stress.'
'And now the search.'
'Uhm.'
'You said you're scared of him?'
'Yes.' Trish's voice trembled. 'I think he's indeed capable of harming people, even to the point of killing.'
'You need to tell the police.'
'What do I tell them?'
'What you just told me.'
'They'd just laugh at me.'
'Why would they? They never laugh at the life and death matters.'
'I don't think I'm being rational. Probably exaggerating. I've got no evidence Rob would come after me. Yet I still feel like this.'
'Hunches are like that. You just feel very strongly in your gut about something. You may not have evidence, but your gut knows better.'
Katie could definitely relate to this.
'That's how I feel. What shall I do?' Her voice broke into a sob again. Katie waited for the latest wave to ease.
'You need to talk to the police. Who's there with you?'
'Just me.'
'The police team?'
'Nobody I know. These are not our local cops, which freaks me out as well. Can you come over?'
'I'm sorry Trish. I really can't leave now, I've got Julia with me. But you can come over here if you like. We’re just about to have dinner. There’s enough for you. No smoking though. Not in my flat.'
'That'll be fine. Thank you! Hang on, I’ll check with them when they will be finished.'
Trish disconnected, and Katie popped back into the kitchen to check on the state of the dinner.
'Who was it, Mummy?'
'Trish from the Paper Crafts Club. I've invited her to dinner. Do you think there'll be enough for t
hree of us?'
Julia assessed the content of the pan. 'There's enough sauce, but we probably need a little more pasta.'
Katie let Julia measure water and pasta and she put a pot on the hob. A couple of minutes later Trish called back. She sounded calmer. Katie sneaked out of the kitchen.
'They've finished. They've seized his old PC, taken some of his clothes and a couple of other things. He doesn't really have much here. Most of it is in boxes at his mum's.'
'They haven't taken anything that belongs to you, have they?'
'They were only after things that Rob might have used. I think he might have used my laptop, so I volunteered that as well.'
'Ready to come over now?
'Yes, thank you!' A note of relief flooded Trish's tired voice. 'I'll be there in fifteen minutes.'
Katie tried to call Jack but had no reply. Maybe it was good. Otherwise, she would have shouted at him for causing so much stress to poor Trish. She'd talk to him about it tomorrow. Tonight, she had a friend in distress to support.
25
The following morning, Jack was not in the mood to talk.
He was in the office when she arrived and looked as though he'd been there for a while, pouring over a laptop.
'Morning, Jack,' she said.
'Hi,' he answered, glancing at her. His blue eyes looked watery behind his glasses. His shirt was crumpled. The dark shadow on his chin and cheeks suggested he might have not got home at all the night before.
She felt sorry for him.
'Would you like a coffee?'
'Nope. Thanks. Had enough of it.'
He turned back and started typing away. Not in the mood for talking, sadly. And definitely overworked.
'Can I help you with anything?' she ventured.
'No, thank you, Katie,' he replied without even lifting his head from the keyboard.
He must have been really busy. Or ignored her deliberately.
She bustled around the room, making a pot of coffee regardless. Once the morning shift arrived back in the office from the handover, they would be looking for a cup of life-instilling brew. She was going to carry on as if life was completely normal.
She wanted to hang around for a little longer, just in case she could help him with anything, and fish for some information on what happened the day before. She also wanted to find a better moment to tell him about Trish's worries, but Celia would be in soon, and she had to act fast.
