The Chrysalid Conspiracy

by A. J. Reynolds

  “Why the flower shop?” chimed in Claire.

  “Because that’s where I live,” said Amelia with exaggerated patience.

  “What, with the woman in the…”

  “Where do you live?” cut in Rayn, and Claire was beginning to get the idea she wasn’t dealing with idiots.

  “Sorry, I talk too much sometimes,” she said.

  “Sometimes,” said Carrieanne. “More like all the time. We live on Church Lane. Where would you expect?”

  “My bedroom looks directly out into the grave yard,” added Claire. “I’m going to have to become a psychiatrist just to stay sane.”

  They were all laughing when their father came down the steps. The change in the two sisters was immediate. They became less animated and more docile. It was, as Rayn remarked later, ‘As if the lights in their eyes went out’.

  “Sorry,” apologised the Vicar, “I needed to see the secretary. She’s taking this very badly, poor woman,” he sighed. Then, with a smile, he added, “It’s nice to see you getting on so well.”

  Rayn and Claire eyed each other, they both knew these were early days. When they got to the car, Amelia and Rayn began to get an insight into the man himself.

  “Amelia, in the front, please. Claire, in the middle.” It wasn’t a request.

  “Oh dad, it’s always me. Why?” Claire’s voice had lost that aggressive tone and was almost a whine.

  “Because you are the smallest and I say so,” replied her father in a ‘no-nonsense’ manner.

  “But it’s stupid. We take up the same amount of room, no matter who sits where.”

  “Claire. Sit in the back. Now!” He pronounced each word with exaggerated precision.

  “Oh, all right then. But you’re argument is mathematically flawed.”

  “Claire! Sit down and shut up!” Almost shouting, he was trying to keep his temper in front of his ‘guests’.

  Rayn was startled by this exchange and was just about to offer to take the offending seat when Claire gave her an enormous wink. Carrieanne had her hand over her face concealing a broad grin. It was a wind-up. Rayn felt herself warming to these two. Mischief by stealth, and he didn’t even know he was a victim. Brilliant!

  Amelia had been taking all this in as she climbed into the car. As she did her seat belt up, she pondered the wisdom of antagonising the driver before the journey.

  “Would you like me to take that bag off you, Amelia? It looks heavy.”

  Amelia said she was fine, but she had the uneasy feeling he knew exactly what her bag was concealing.

  After a while Carrieanne spoke up. “Dad, Amelia said I can have a first-hand interview. I’ve got a genuine scoop.” She was really excited.

  “Really?” said her father, then almost as an afterthought added, “I’d like to read it when it’s done.” Amelia’s stomach twinged at this, but Carrieanne continued. “You’ll have to buy a paper, then.”

  “What? No discount for parents?”

  “No way!” Carrieanne said firmly.

  “What about the church then? Surely you can donate a copy?”

  “Sorry, dad. If God wants a copy he can buy his own. We need the money.”

  The four girls erupted into a fit of laughter, but the vicar remained silent. He really doesn’t like to lose, not even within his own family, thought Amelia.

  Rayn put her head back. She was feeling quite claustrophobic, squeezed as she was against the door with her school bag on her lap. She was thinking about the strange conversation she’d just heard. It hadn’t made sense and was completely alien to her.

  Her own mother would have been over the moon had it been her that had pulled off a ‘scoop’, but her delight would have been for her daughter, not the scoop itself. At no time did the vicar make any mention of his daughter’s success or excitement. No verbal ‘pat on the back’. The contents of the interview itself were all that interested him. It all seemed a bit odd. No wonder they enjoyed winding him up, she concluded.

  Amelia turned to Carrieanne. “Can you come over at about seven? After my Mums physio has left?”

  Carrieanne’s face wasn’t hopeful. She looked in the rear view mirror, trying to catch her father’s eye. “I don’t know. Would it be all right, dad? Just this once?” she asked.

  The vicar of Tetherington found himself in what was, for him, an unusual position. He was afraid to agree to this interview as it may be taken as a sign of weakness by his children; yet, on the other hand, it fitted in with his plans, and the opportunity was too good to miss. “I suppose it will be okay. Just this once. But don’t be late home,” he said reluctantly.

  The Vicar pulled up outside the flower shop and Amelia said, “Why don’t you both come over?” she offered. “See you about seven then. Rayn will be ready, she’s the one your interviewing. She was first on the scene.”

  “Another fine mess you’ve got me into,” said Rayn as the girls drove off, quoting her favourite comedy duo.

  “Me! I don’t think we’ve had much control over the events of the day, do you?”

  “Maybe not, but you’ve got a lot of explaining to do, girl!” insisted Rayn.

  “Explain what?” retorted Amelia. “You saw the same as I did, make up your own mind about it.”

  “You know you really are a lousy liar. It doesn’t take an idiot to recognise there’s much more to this than you’re letting on. Now no more lies,” insisted Rayn. “You knew exactly what you we’re doing during that little drama when everyone else was running around like unfrocked politicians, and what about all that gobbledegook we were feeding the cops, not to mention the way that Vicar homed in on you as if he knew something we didn’t. No my girl, let’s get up to your bedroom and you can start telling. And no more of this stuff that comes out the back end of a bull, Capice?”

  “Okay Rayn, you win. I’ll tell you what I know but I warn you, you won’t understand it any more than I do.” Amelia looked into the shop through the windows. “Ah, it looks as if you’ll have to wait a bit longer, my friend. Your mother’s here.” Rayn managed a pointless but very satisfying expletive as they entered the shop.

  Chapter Seven

  “Ah,” said Bridie as the girls entered the shop. “You’re just in time for lunch. How are you feeling?” Her face showed real concern as she looked at them.

  Rayn gave her mum a hug as Lucy came in from the kitchen.

  “Amelia! Oh my love, it must have been awful,” she said.

  Amelia hugged her mother and hung on tight for a while. “I’ve had better days. If Rayn hadn’t been there I’d have come apart at the seams.”

  “Well, at least you’re both home safe and sound. The school secretary rang up to tell us what had happened and that the Vicar was bringing you home,” said Bridie. “She sounded really broken up about it all, poor woman.”

  “We think there was some extracurricular activity going on there,” said Amelia to her mother, “but we’re not sure.”

  “Really?” said Bridie, intrigued. “Do tell.”

  “Amelia! That’s not nice,” cut in Lucy, shocked by her daughter’s impropriety.

  Both women looked at each other. Lucy gave a grin and her palm-upwards shrug. Bridie laughed.

  “Oops!” she said.

  Just then, a young couple came into the shop and Lucy went to serve them. The woman was advising the man on which blossoms to buy for his mother’s birthday.

  The girls and Bridie moved into the kitchen where there was a selection of large filled baguettes on the table. “Help yourselves,” said her mother. “Lucy and I are having the salad ones.”

  Amelia turned pale. “I don’t think we can at the moment.” she said.”

  “You speak for yourself!” announced Rayn and, grabbing a cheese and tomatoe baguette started munching merrily on one end. “Just don’t serve up any meat for a while,” she added, to Bridie’s dismay.

  “You’re sick,” Amelia said to her. “By the way, where’s Molly today?”

  “You
r mum gave her the day off,” said Bridie. “Apparently her boys spent the weekend throwing up and she needed to take them to the clinic. Then she had all their bedding and things to wash. That poor kid deserves better.”

  “Oh, poor Molly. I should go over and give her a hand,” Amelia said.

  “Og snup shlu gurg,” choked Rayn. She swallowed and repeated. “No you don’t. You’ve got to tell me…er…em…”

  “Get ready for your interview,” Amelia finished quickly. “Of course, you’re right. I’d forgotten.” She explained briefly to Bridie about the Vicar’s children and how things had worked out. Her story was punctuated by Rayn questioning Amelia over whether she was going to eat the other baguette.

  The bell over the shop door went and Bridie went through to serve. “Thanks for filling in, Bridie,” called Amelia.

  “No problem,” came the reply.

  “Come on Rayn, we’d better get our clothes in the wash?” Amelia suggested. “It’ll get rid of the smell, and your other clothes are still up in my room from this morning.”

  “This morning? That seems a long time ago,” Rayn remarked.

  She went up to change and Amelia went through to speak to her mother.

  Lucy had finished with her customers, who were loaded down with arms full of flowers. “That woman didn’t have a clue what she as talking about,” she said. “I had to lie like crazy to make her look good.”

  “Well, it obviously worked,” she replied. “They bought plenty.”

  “No, that’s not the point.”

  “It’s not? You could have fooled me,” said Amelia

  “What I meant was, it’s not me,” Lucy complained. “I’m not that sort of person. I hate it when I do that. I’m not tough enough. It would be so nice if motivation wasn’t dictated by profit. To me life means more than the ‘Expanding Economy’, and the ‘Gross Domestic Product’.”

  Amelia had a lump in her throat when she replied. “I know you’re not, Mum. But I love you anyway.” She gave her a kiss on the cheek. “Rayn and I need a shower, then we want to go upstairs and talk through the day, you know, try and exorcise the horror. It might work.”

  “Okay, my love. I’ll be here if you need me. Good luck.” As Amelia turned away, Lucy called after her. “Oh, I nearly forgot. Bridie said she’ll help out on Saturday. Your birthday is back on.”

  “Yes!” Amelia shouted. She ran over to Bridie and threw her arms around her, almost knocking her over. “Thankyouthankyou thankyou,” she said. Bridie’s customers looked on with bemused smiles.

  Having taken their turns in the shower and with their clothes thrumming comfortably in the washing machine the two girls retreated to Amelia’s bedroom. Dressed in her tracksuit she remarked, “I really must wash this some time,”

  “I agree,” said Rayn. “That thing must have its own eco system.” Both girls laughed.

  “But the trouble is,” Amelia went on, “it’s only a cheap one and it goes out of shape when it’s washed. It takes ages to wear back in and it’s very uncomfortable around the nether regions. By the way, my birthday is back on. Guess who’s standing in?”

  Rayn was lying on Amelia’s bed. She sat up slowly, not speaking. Amelia, disappointed at the lack of response, continued. “Your mum, that’s who, isn’t that great?”

  “That’s very nice, Amelia. But the next person who interrupts is going to end up looking like Melkins did the last time I saw him.”

  “Why do you have to be so gory?” Amelia scolded.

  “Gory!” Rayn snapped back. “At least I threw up. You were as cold as ice, as if you were in a well-rehearsed play. What the hell is going on?”

  Amelia slumped into the swivel chair by her computer desk.

  She turned to face Rayn. “I really don’t know,” she replied. “It’s all so confusing. I’ve already told you what happened up to the…thing.” She went on to relay her meeting with Miss Collins.

  “She told me that no one must know I have that book, and practically ordered me to lie if I had to. I told her that you knew and she said that you and your mother might be the only ones I can trust. Then it got really scary. She said that there were things she couldn’t tell me and that my mother and I may be our last hope. Whatever that may mean.”

  “Oh,” Amelia continued, “she told me to be very, very careful.”

  “Well, that could account for all that gobbledygook with the police, but not much else.” said Rayn.

  “I’ve been over and over it but it doesn’t make any sense,” moaned Amelia.

  Rayn took a deep breath. “There is one little sequence that could do with some airing,” she said. “It concerns you.”

  “Me?” Amelia gasped, then her shoulders dropped and she continued, this time more calmly. “Very well, if we’re going to get anywhere we’ll have to be straight with each other I guess. Go ahead.”

  “Okay,” said Rayn. “Why did you tell the police that I got to the professor’s body first?”

  Amelia thought for a moment before answering. “I was protecting Miss Collins. She’d already told them that.”

  “And why would she do that? If she didn’t know, she could have said so. That makes it a deliberate lie, doesn’t it?”

  “I don’t know; I suppose so,” Amelia replied.

  “She’d already asked you to lie.” Rayn continued. “You had no choice. It looks like a nice piece of misdirection to me.”

  “What do you mean?” asked Amelia.

  “To divert you from the centre of their enquiries. Basically, to take the heat off you. Of course, once you’d taken that first step you couldn’t turn back. Pretty clever, really. That’s when things got hairy.”

  “I thought you were brilliant,” said Amelia. “How do you do it?”

  “I’ve heard my mum talk us out of trouble many times. Travellers are always guilty by assumption.” Rayn stopped and took a deep breath. “This is awkward,” she said. “I haven’t known you for long, just a few days, but I’m pretty sure you’re not into weird stuff like magic or fantasy. Or even the paranormal, are you?”

  “No. My life is my mum, the shop and my studies, which fortunately, come easy to me. There’s not much time for anything else. My training takes up any spare time. It all sounds pathetic, really, when it’s laid out like that.”

  “So how come you were running before we heard the window break?” responded Rayn, ignoring the self-analysis. “It was almost as if you knew something was going to happen.”

  “I don’t know, honestly. I just can’t remember,” said Amelia.

  Rayn wasn’t impressed. “Look, I can beat you any day at that distance, but not when you jump the gun. So think, girl. I think it’s a little bit important, don’t you?”

  Amelia sat still for a moment. “What were we talking about, just before it happened?” she asked.

  “The professor had just told you to be careful,” Rayn prompted.

  “Yes, and I heard the cello!” Amelia burst out.

  Rayn was thinking her friend may be in need of a straitjacket as she asked, “Would you run that by me again, please? A cello?”

  Amelia quickly explained her mother’s ideas about film music. Just the bare bones of it – she’d already decided not to tell Rayn about her suspicions of the relationship between her mother and George.

  “Amelia, I didn’t hear anything. But we were by the music rooms. It may have been somebody practising.”

  “Oh,” said Amelia, somewhere between relief and disappointment. Undeterred she ploughed on. “Anyway, the next thing I remember is helping you back into school. You were covered in blood and breakfast.”

  “Don’t remind me,” replied Rayn. “But it doesn’t explain how you knew where to run to, not to mention your weird behaviour when I got there,”

  “What do you mean? What weird behaviour?” Amelia was frowning and becoming irritated.

  “Okay, don’t get mad,” said Rayn.

  “I’m not getting mad!”

  “Ye
s you are.”

  “No I’m not!”

  “Look, we’re just trying to figure things out here,” said Rayn, trying to remain calm. “Why are you getting rattled?”

  “I am not getting rattled,” shouted Amelia. “Stop picking on me.”

  “I’m not. We’re just trying to understand what’s happening, Amelia.” Rayn was shouting now.

  “You seem to think this is entirely my fault,” wailed Amelia.

  “Don’t be so stupid!” Rayn shouted back. “Somehow this is centred around that flaming book of yours.”

  “What would you know!” demanded Amelia, and raged out of the room, confused, frightened and very indignant.

  In an effort to calm down, Amelia went into the kitchen where Bridie was making tea.

  “Your mother certainly drinks a lot of tea.” she said. Amelia didn’t say anything. “You all right?” Bridie asked.

  “Not really,” Amelia said wearily. “Rayn and I have just fallen out.”

  Bridie looked dismayed. “Oh dear. What about? Anything important?”

  “Don’t know, really,” Amelia answered. “We were just talking and the next thing we were shouting at each other.”

  “I’m sure you can talk it through, can’t you?”

  “Don’t know. She’s so stubborn,” protested Amelia.

  “She’s stubborn? I like that! You’re both the same. She’s no more stubborn than you are.” Bridie’s eyes softened and she moved closer to Amelia. “Look,” she continued, searching for the words to express her feelings. “Your friendship means a lot to Rayn. I’ve seen her blossom since you’ve met. It means a lot to me, too. She’s been a solitary child. Not going to school. Moving around all the time and no roots or friends, mixing with people who live on the fringes of society. It’s my fault I suppose, it’s as if we’ve been living next door to the world all these years. My biggest fear has always been how she would react when she met the neighbours. I’m so glad she met you first.”

  Amelia was astonished at the sincerity in Bridie’s voice and she didn’t know what to say. Bridie, sensing her embarrassment, continued with a smile. “Hey, differences of opinion are bound crop up now and then, even amongst the best of friends. It’s what makes us who we are. Take her a cup of tea and find a compromise. Don’t forget, under that wisecracking bravado, she’s spaghetti.”