by Gina Blaxill
‘Guess it does look like we’re on a date,’ Sophie said as we walked away. ‘They don’t get how things are.’
She was talking as if I knew what she meant. Suddenly I wasn’t sure I did. ‘And how is that?’
Sophie shot me a surprised look. ‘You know – mates.’
‘Duh,’ I found myself saying. My reaction was totally at odds with what my heart was saying. ‘What do they know anyway? I want a girl who’s shorter than me, obviously – else I’ll develop a complex.’
‘Yeah, and you’ve enough of mine to deal with.’ Sophie nudged me, and I smiled. As we whirled on carousels and shot at plastic ducks and frittered coins on arcade machines I came to the realization that this ‘just mates’ thing wasn’t working for me. If I was honest, it hadn’t been for a while.
The problem was what to do about it.
I still wasn’t sure now and it was almost a year on. During the months I hadn’t seen Sophie it had been easy to forget about all that, trick myself into believing it didn’t mean anything. But we had spent enough time together this week for me to be pretty sure those feelings hadn’t gone away.
Sophie snorted with laughter. Bond had just sent one of his foes flying out of the back of the helicopter, with a typically cheesy one-liner.
‘Hey.’ She glanced across. ‘You didn’t laugh. You OK?’
‘Uh-huh,’ I said, with a big fake smile.
Sophie made a face at me. ‘Don’t look OK.’
I considered telling her. But what good would it do? The thought that I might be interested in her as more than a mate hadn’t even crossed her mind. And I still didn’t understand why she’d cut me out of her life for so many months. Who was to say she wouldn’t do the same again?
SOPHIE
When I woke up the next morning I wasn’t sure where I was. I could feel soft pillows around my head and smell sweetness in the air. As I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes, it came back to me. I was in Reece’s house, and I’d slept better than I had in a long while. I took my time showering, trying out each of the shower gels in the en suite, posh brands, which, to my approval, were all free from animal testing.
I got out, wrapping myself in a huge fluffy towel that matched the light green tiles, and found myself thinking about Reece’s invitation to stay. It definitely showed he was happy to be friends again – generally Reece didn’t do things he didn’t want to, and he wasn’t nice to people he didn’t like either.
I heard a knock on the door.
‘I am making you Oat So Simple,’ came Reece’s voice. ‘Your presence is required in the kitchen in five minutes.’
‘Ten!’ I shouted. Quickly I rubbed myself down and pulled on the denim shorts I’d been wearing most of the summer and a lightweight top. After a bit of make-up and a quick hair brush I made my way downstairs. Reece was watching two bowls spin around in the microwave.
‘Perfect timing,’ he said without looking up. ‘The Oat So Simple is nearly fully formed and Mum and the poddling have just hit the shops. Wanna go down the cricket pitch later? I’m playing in a T20.’
‘Sure,’ I said, taking a seat and pouring myself some apple juice. ‘It’s been too long since I saw you in action.’
The microwave pinged. Reece took out the bowls, brought them to the table and immediately started swathing his in golden syrup. I opened the local paper. It felt cosy and normal. Aiden and his car could have been a million miles away.
When Reece and I arrived at Berkeley, there was already a decent crowd milling around, mostly enthusiastic parents and petulant-looking siblings, though there were a couple of girls I guessed might be girlfriends. I found a decent spot by the pavilion and sat down, dumping my bag on the seat next to me. I spotted a couple of Reece’s friends, but they were too busy limbering up to pay any attention to me.
Reece’s team lost the toss and were made to bowl. Reece turned and made a face at me – he was more of a batsman. I waved and gave him a big grin.
About ten overs into the game I heard ringing inside my bag. For a moment it puzzled me – it wasn’t a sound I recognized. Then I remembered that Reece had given me his phone to look after before the match began. I took it out. The screen said, ‘Mum Calling’.
‘Hi, Effie,’ I said. ‘It’s Sophie. Reece is playing in a match right now.’
‘Oh. Of course, I forgot.’ She sounded flustered. A feeling of unease rose inside me. ‘Sophie, listen, could you get Reece to come home as soon as possible, please? I wouldn’t normally ask, not when he’s playing, but I need him. We’ve been burgled!’
Having pictured the house turned upside down, when we got to Reece’s I was surprised. If it hadn’t been for Effie’s call and the police car outside, you wouldn’t know that the house had been burgled.
‘Pretty crap burglars!’ Reece exclaimed, walking into the sitting room. ‘Flat-screen telly – still there! New computer – still there!’
‘Reece!’ Effie hurried through from the kitchen, a tearful-looking Neve behind her. A police officer followed. ‘I’m so glad you’re here; I can’t cope with this by myself. I came back from Waitrose and found the conservatory window smashed! Sergeant Hill here thinks I might have disturbed whoever it was – they didn’t have the chance to take much – but all the same. Burgled! In the middle of the day!’
I looked around. ‘Do we know what they took?’
‘Your mother’s still working that out,’ Sergeant Hill said. ‘Most of the intruder’s efforts seem to have been concentrated upstairs.’
‘She’s not my mother,’ I said quickly. ‘I’m Reece’s friend.’
‘Have they messed with my stuff?’ Reece asked, narrowing his eyes.
Effie reached out and gently pulled Neve away from him. ‘I’m afraid so. You’re not going to be too happy . . .’
Reece ran upstairs, dumping his cricket bag en route. I followed him. As I stepped on to the landing I heard an angry howl.
Reece’s room was a mess. The drawers had been emptied and were lying on their sides, his iPod had been snatched from it’s dock and his bedclothes were pulled across the floor. He didn’t seem bothered by this. He was kneeling by the overturned bookshelf, cradling some old books that I realized were his dad’s annuals. Some of the pages were ripped and a couple of covers had come off. Reece looked utterly crushed.
‘Oh, Reece!’ I went over and hugged him. Reece didn’t need to say how much the books meant to him – tracking the annuals down had been something Reece and his dad had done together, travelling to second-hand bookshops and searching eBay. Reece had once said that these annuals brought back the good memories of his dad more vividly than anything else.
‘Bastards!’ Reece said. ‘Didn’t even nick them. Just tossed them on the floor like they were dumb old books that didn’t mean anything.’
‘The police will find the person who did this.’
Reece snorted. ‘Oh yeah? You got much faith in the police at the moment, Soph?’
I didn’t have any answer to that. After a while I managed to coax him into checking what else had been taken.
Surprisingly, the only things that seemed to have gone were his iPod and a watch that looked more expensive than it was.
‘It’s possible the burglar was looking around to see what was here,’ Hill said. We were back in the kitchen, sitting around the table with cups of tea. Reece hadn’t touched his. I could feel him seething beside me. ‘That’s quite common,’ he continued. ‘They take a putty imprint from your spare keys, then return with a vehicle to transport the big stuff – TVs and suchlike.’
‘We’ll have to change the locks,’ Effie said. She looked at me. ‘The bedrooms have been done too – did they take any of your things, Sophie?’
It took me a second to realize what she meant. I’d been so upset for Reece that it hadn’t even occurred to me to check the spare room.
‘Better have a look,’ I said, getting up.
I was fully expecting to find the room as I’d left it. To my as
tonishment, it was just as bad as Reece’s. What kind of burglar does the spare room? I thought, opening the wardrobe. My clothes were all there. Next I checked the bedside table. My sewing – check, make-up bag – check. The necklace and earrings I’d taken off last night and not had time to put on this morning were gone. Weird – I would have thought it was obvious they were just cheapies. Wait . . . Edith. Where was Edith? I looked in the drawer where I’d put her, but she wasn’t there. I tried to remember if I’d used her last night – no, I definitely hadn’t. Surely the burglar hadn’t nicked an old laptop! I sifted through the room, looking in increasingly ridiculous places, but Edith was gone.
I returned downstairs.
‘They took Edith,’ I said.
‘Edith?’ Hill looked alert. His face fell somewhat when I explained Edith was a laptop.
‘She’s not anything special,’ I said. ‘My cousin gave her to me. If the burglar wanted a decent computer, he should have taken Reece’s or the one in the sitting room.’
‘They’re desktops,’ Reece said. ‘Much heavier.’
‘Yeah, but Edith’s ancient.’
I told Sergeant Hill about the necklace and earrings. He scribbled everything down in his notebook, shaking his head.
‘Burglars usually go for the obvious,’ he said. ‘Cash, credit cards, jewellery and laptops. But considering he’s made off with very little of value, he’s created a great deal of mess.’
‘Am I allowed to clear up, or do I need to leave everything as it is?’ Effie asked.
‘Leave it for the moment, Mrs Osbourne – I’ve got some colleagues on the way to dust for fingerprints. In the meantime I’ll ask the neighbours if anyone saw anything.’
‘Try Mrs Thatchins across the road,’ Reece said viciously. ‘Nothing passes that nosey old bat by. She’ll love this.’ He looked at me. ‘So much for you coming here to avoid trouble, eh?’
We left Sergeant Hill with Effie and went into the dining room, one of the rooms that had been left untouched. We sat at the table, looking at each other helplessly. Neve, who seemed to want to be with Reece, came with us. Reece lifted her on to his lap and put his arms around her, murmuring something into her ear. Neve rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. It was a bit weird to see them in cuddle mode. Reece was usually so flippant about everything that when I was reminded that he had a soft side it unsettled me.
‘Amateurs.’ Reece broke the silence. ‘Almost insulting we didn’t get the real thing.’
‘D’you think they’ll be back?’ I mouthed. I didn’t want Neve to hear; poor kid was scared enough already. ‘Hill seemed to think they might.’
‘If they’ve any sense they will be. Funny they took your stuff though.’
‘The oddest thing is Edith,’ I said. ‘Why bother? I mean – seriously?’
‘Wonder if they got the wrong house? If I was a burglar, I’d’ve gone for the Carters’ next door. They’ve got a flipping Mercedes, plus they’re away on holiday. Nothing about this burglary makes sense.’
We ordered a takeaway for dinner – Effie said she was too upset to bother with cooking. At one point she said to Reece, ‘If only your dad was here!’
Reece’s response surprised me a little – he slung an arm around her shoulder and said, ‘I’m here. Before we go to bed tonight, Ill go round and lock up and check no one’s outside.
Suddenly I felt like I was intruding.
‘Would it be best if I left?’ I asked as Reece flattened the pizza boxes to put in the recycling bin.
‘Remember why you’re here in the first place?’ he said. ‘Aiden’s not going to stop stalking your house just cos we had the world’s crappest burglars round.’
I frowned. Reece’s words were making me think. When he came back from taking the boxes out, I said, ‘Reece . . . d’you think this maybe isn’t a coincidence?’
‘The burglary? What d’you mean?’
‘I’m just thinking that strange stuff has happened recently – specifically to, well, me – and as soon as I come here, this happens.’
‘Everything always has to be about you,’ Reece sighed, but he didn’t sound annoyed. ‘How could it be? They didn’t take anything important. Just a necklace and your cousin’s old laptop . . .’
Reece trailed off. For a moment neither of us spoke. I said, ‘D’you think . . . that possibly . . . Aiden did this?’
‘How would he know you were here? Unless he followed us over.’
‘He has been watching my house – he must have realized I wasn’t there. A friend’s is the most likely place I’d be.’
‘It’s not a totally far-out idea,’ Reece said after a long pause. ‘Maybe it was the laptop he wanted the whole time. Could be why he was hanging round yours, waiting for the right moment to break in, which I bet never came cos of all the people going in and out. Hey!’ His eyes glowed. ‘Did Edith have any of Danielle’s old files on her, Soph?’
I knew exactly what he was thinking; I felt a little jitter of excitement. ‘There were some old folders in My Documents. I looked at them ages ago – didn’t seem to be anything interesting, but I could have been wrong.’
‘Not that we’ll ever know now,’ Reece said glumly.
‘Oh, but we will. My files are all backed up!’
Reece’s face lit up. ‘You’re kidding. No one backs up their files these days!’
‘You mean you don’t – I’m more careful. Well, Julie is; way back before I arrived one of her foster-kids lost his coursework when the computer died, so now she backs up all our files. We’ve got an external hard drive. Everything on the laptop will be on that.
‘Brilliant! Thank you, Julie’s paranoia! And hey –’ Reece grinned briefly – ‘who knows, maybe this is going to tell us more about Danielle? Who needs the police, eh? Let’s go – oh, wait, crap. Can’t.’
He didn’t need to say that tonight his place was here. I understood; it wouldn’t be appreciated – in fact it would be downright hurtful – if Reece went running off with me when his mum and sister were scared.
‘I suppose it can wait till tomorrow,’ I said, trying not to look disappointed.
The next day we set off back to Julie’s, talking the whole way about what might be on Danielle’s files. Reece seemed less enthusiastic now, but he was a bit tired and not quite awake – Neve had been scared about burglars in the night and had kept him up. It was silly of me to feel nervous, but as not looking wasn’t an option, I’d just have to deal with whatever we found. Not that there would be anything. Danielle wouldn’t have got involved in anything upsetting to me. But if Aiden had stolen Edith, this proved there was something to my suspicion that there was more to Dani’s death than we knew.
The house was noisy when we arrived. Julie stuck her head around the living-room door.
‘Hello, you two,’ she said. ‘Nice time away?’
I nodded. I should have mentioned the burglary, but confiding in Julie wasn’t really a priority. ‘All OK here?’
‘Nothing interesting.’ Julie waved her hand dismissively. ‘We went to see that new film at the Vue – you know, the one about the talking piano. Not recommended; even the kids were bored. You seem brighter.’
‘It’s cos of my brightening company,’ Reece said. ‘I’m the alternative to Prozac.’
Julie raised an eyebrow; she’s always taken Reece with a very large pinch of salt. ‘Well, you keep being brightening company. This girl could do with cheering up.’
After checking what we were doing for the rest of the day and whether I was coming back tonight (I said yes, mostly because I felt I’d outstayed my welcome at Reece’s), Julie went back to playing a board game with the kids. I couldn’t help feeling glad she was so laid back – as long as she knew where I was, who I was with and that I was OK, she didn’t usually ask awkward questions. She had clearly decided that the police interview was history.
I explained to Julie that I was borrowing the external hard drive and promised to bring it back late
r. Then it was back to Reece’s – the computer at Julie’s was too public. Once we were in his room, we linked up the drive to Reece’s computer. I located my files, and, with a rising sense of anticipation, opened the folder where I’d stored Danielle’s stuff.
‘Sure this is it?’ Reece said. There were about eight files, mostly Word documents.
‘She got a new desktop just before she died.’ I clicked on the first, but it was just a letter to a rail company asking them to refund a ticket. We looked through the others. A job application, a birthday card made for a friend, some copy-pasted information about travelling to Spain. Nothing I could imagine being worth Aiden nicking Edith for. Frustrated, I threw my empty Coke can across the room. It missed the bin and rolled under Reece’s bed.
‘Waste of time!’
‘Maybe there were files on the laptop that weren’t in My Documents,’ said Reece.
I shook my head.
‘I’d have spotted them.’
‘Hey, cheer up. There are still two files we haven’t opened.’
‘Yes, but one of them is titled “Thank you letter” and the other one I can’t open. It’s got a weird file extension.’
Reece clicked on the thank-you letter – as I’d predicted it wasn’t worth reading – but I could tell his mind was elsewhere. He hovered the cursor over the last file.
‘You won’t get anywhere with it,’ I said. ‘Dunno what it is.’
‘Oh, I know what it is,’ Reece said. Just trying to remember where . . . aha!’
Mystified, I watched him get up and rifle through the drawers by his bed. Out of the bottom one he withdrew an iPhone.
‘That’s not yours, is it?’ I said.
‘Yeah, but I bought myself a new one for my birthday. This is its predecessor.’ Reece waved the phone, looking pleased with himself. ‘That file, Soph, is an iPhone backup!’
I stared at him blankly. ‘What do you mean?’
He rolled his eyes at me. ‘God, it’s like you’re stuck in the Dark Ages! OK, so iPhones access the Internet, take photos, store emails and messages and so on. You can configure it so that if you connect it to a computer, the iPhone backs up everything on it. Looks to me like that’s what Danielle did. If we load that file on to this old phone – we’re in!’
