Down the Rabbit Hole

by Evelyn Amber

  He took longer than she hoped to reply, and her heart started to beat faster. It was so loud she was sure he would hear it.

  “Somewhere fancier,” she probed. “I don’t have many excuses to venture out.”

  “Adventurous?” he asked. “I like it. Did you have anywhere in mind?”

  “There’s a nice place half an hour from here,” she said, looking at her frantic handwriting, putting the paper right up to her eyes. “I’ve been a few times. The Beach Way.”

  “It looks like a nice place,” Thomas said. “I drove past it on my way here. Any ideas what I should order? Believe it or not, sea food isn’t something I’ve tried many times.”

  “Why don’t we leave the surprises for when we meet?” she replied in her most flirtatious manner.

  “Good idea,” he said. “What time should I pick you up?”

  “Oh,” she said. “You don’t need to pick me up.”

  “But I insist,” he replied. “I’m nothing if not a gentleman.”

  “As true as that may be,” she grimaced, “I have some errands to run. I don’t mind making my own way.”

  “It’s no problem,” Thomas persisted. “It’s a beautiful day for a drive.”

  Of course he would want to drive her; she should have expected that. She racked her brain for an excuse but making decisions on the spot was not one of her strong points. Alice had no intention of meeting up with him, but she needed him out of the way if she wanted to speak to Barry alone. She couldn’t risk Thomas showing up.

  “Alice?”

  “Sorry,” she replied, pretending to cough. “I’m not sure this is a twenty-four-hour bug actually.”

  “Oh,” Thomas replied, a hint of disappointment in his tone. “Another time maybe?”

  “No!” Alice shouted. “I feel fine, but I wouldn’t want to pass it on in the car. Enclosed spaces, and all that.”

  “I could always open the windows?”

  “True,” she said through gritted teeth, “but I don’t want to take that chance. If I passed it on, I’d feel terrible.”

  “Hmm,” Thomas replied. “Well, if you’re sure. What time would you like?”

  “I was thinking three?”

  “Three sounds great.”

  “See you then,” Alice said. “The Beach Way at three.”

  “I look forward to it.”

  “Me too,” Alice said as she put the phone down.

  Thomas had been a tougher cookie to crack than she had expected. She cringed as she replayed the conversation in her mind, hoping he fell for the ridiculous excuse of enclosed spaces. She hated toying with people’s emotions, but if he was guilty, it was for the greater good.

  “And now we wait,” she said to herself as she sat back on her couch.

  She switched the television on, not caring what channel she landed on. She had another hour to wait and then she could put her plan into action. She told herself this was all for Minnie, but a small part was excited at the prospect of being a sleuth. She watched the news, half-heartedly paying attention. She glanced at the clock every few minutes, growing more nervous as the time crept closer. She looked at the clock for the final time and it was ten minutes to three. She knew that Thomas was too much of a gentleman to be late. He was probably already waiting for her at the restaurant.

  Knowing she didn’t have any time to waste, she left her cottage. The sun was shining, and as Thomas had said, it was a beautiful day. She crossed her fingers for it to stay this way. Her heart almost stopped when she saw Gordon stepping out of his car. Out of all days, why today? She locked her cottage door before walking down the stone path.

  “I heard about the break-in last night,” he said, lighting a cigarette. “Nasty business.”

  “I thought you had given up?”

  “Had, being the key word,” he grunted, exhaling a huge cloud of grey smoke. “I need something. Lucas is driving me crazy! He’s uncontrollable and won’t listen to a word I tell him. I was wondering if you could let him live with you? I thought he’d be fine with me. I thought having a dad figure might straighten him out.”

  Alice didn’t have time to waste, but when it came to her son, she couldn’t turn her back. She waved the cloud of smoke out of her face and looked at him.

  “Why don’t you use one of those vape things?” she teased. “I’ve heard they’re all the rage amongst the youngsters, and considering what you wear these days, it will match.”

  “I’m going to ignore that,” Gordon said, tightening his lips. “You need to take him, Alice. Just for a while.”

  “Has he agreed to this?” she asked. “Because he thinks I’m the devil incarnate.”

  “If the boot fits,” he replied as he sucked on his cigarette. “But he might not have a choice. I’m at my wits end. His mood swings are worse than any girl I’ve met. He stays out all night without so much as a phone call. He doesn’t listen to a word I say. He’s rude and sulky. I came home the other day and my house was a pigsty.”

  “Can we talk about this another time?” she asked, eager to get away. “I have somewhere I need to be.”

  “Seeing that posh fella?” Gordon asked, a hint of jealousy in his voice. “I saw him visit yesterday. Is that why you’re all dressed up?”

  She looked down at herself, confused. She hadn’t picked anything different than what she would normally wear.

  “Is he more important than your son?” he persisted.

  Gordon was pulling at her heart strings, and it was working. She’d planned to talk to Lucas when he was ready because she didn’t want to push him away. Gordon’s approach had always been tough love, but hers was the opposite.

  “That’s a little rich,” Alice snapped. “Nothing is more important than my children, you know that. It’s just not a good time.”

  Alice tried to manoeuvre around him, but he stood his ground. She wanted to rectify things with Lucas more than anything, but she also needed to get rid of Gordon.

  “Why don’t both of you come to mine?” Alice relented. “I think this involves him too. Seven?”

  She pushed past him, waving away the cloud of smoke, and set off before he had chance to protest. She glanced back at him, the cigarette still hanging from his lips. He narrowed his eyes on her and waved his arms in the air.

  “Impossible woman!” he shouted, obviously intending for her to hear.

  Leaving Gordon to get back in his car, she walked as fast as she could through Ashbrook. By the time she arrived at Barry’s, it was only a little after three. If Thomas was a gentleman and waited around for her, she still had enough time. She dug her hand in her bag and grazed her finger over a pair of scissors she’d brought for protection. She had no intention to use them, and she hoped it wouldn’t come to that, but she would rather have them and not need them than the other way around.

  She knocked loudly and waited for Barry. When she heard nothing, she knocked a second time even louder. Still, she heard nothing. She knocked one more time for luck and strained her ears, but there was no movement. She raised her hand to the handle and let it hover for a few moments.

  “You aren’t getting away that easily,” she whispered to herself, high on adrenaline. She’d come this far and was not going to turn back.

  She tried her luck and pushed down on the handle. To her relief, the door swung open. She stepped over the threshold and any bravery she’d possessed left her body in microseconds. A recognisable feeling of unease ran through her, but she pressed on.

  “Barry?” she shouted. “It’s Alice. I need to talk to you.”

  No one answered and something deep in her gut told her to turn around and not stop until she was locked safely back in her house. She turned away and almost obeyed, but she was here for a reason. She took her phone from her bag and noticed a missed call from Thomas.

  “Sorry, Thomas,” she whispered to herself.

  She found the voice recorder app and switched it on before placing it back in her bag. Her plan was to get Barry to co
nfess or at least spill what he knew. She would let the police do their job after that.

  She crept down the hallway as her heartrate pounded. She heard the crackle of a television programme filtering through the open door. Once again, she felt like something wasn’t right.

  “Barry?” she repeated as she turned into the front room.

  What she came face to face with was the last things she’d expected. Barry was facing the television, but he wasn’t watching it. He sat lifeless in his armchair, his mouth sagging to the side as his eyelids drooped heavily over his eyes. She covered her mouth as bile rose to her throat, she tried to swallow but it didn’t subside. She ran to the bin just in time, emptying the contents of her stomach. Once she was sure it had passed, she wiped her hand across her mouth and tried to stand as straight as her body would let her.

  Turning slowly to Barry, she stepped as close she dared. Something shiny protruded from his chest, glittering in the sliver of light that peeked through the closed curtains. She got closer, confirming what she already knew it was; it was the bookmark Thomas had given her. She hadn’t even noticed it had gone missing along with the book.

  The blood had leaked through his shirt in a huge patch surrounding the metal. If his face wasn’t enough proof, the irreversible injury was. She scrambled for her phone and dialled 999. Once she had calmed down enough to be able to speak in distinguishable sentences, she explained everything, telling them where Thomas was and to hurry.

  She dropped her phone and fell backwards, sliding down the wall. She had wanted to put an end to the horrible nightmare she’d somehow become wrapped in, but this wasn’t how she’d planned for it to unfold.

  14

  A police officer waved their hand in Alice’s face, but she didn’t respond.

  “Let me try,” Justin’s said.

  Alice hadn’t moved from the living room floor when the police had arrived. She didn’t know if she’d been sat there for minutes or hours.

  “Mum?” Justin cooed softly, kneeling in front of her. “The police need to ask you some questions.”

  She looked at him, but his words made no sense to her. She just stared at Barry’s lifeless body, unable to comprehend what was happening around her.

  “She’s in shock,” the officer announced matter-of-factly, hooping his fingers through the loops of his pants. “I’ve seen it repeatedly. She’ll be fine soon.”

  “When have you ever seen it?” mocked a small redheaded officer.

  “Well,” he mumbled. “I’ve watched The Bill.”

  “You’re full of rubbish,” she chortled. “When you’ve worked in the city, you’ll understand what real shock is. The things I saw back in Liverpool would make your toes curl.”

  “Are you really doing this now?” Justin said, shooting them both heated looks. “A man has just died and you’re making jokes?”

  “The Bill was good,” Alice whispered. “It used to be my favourite TV show.”

  “She talks,” Justin sang as he hugged her. “I thought we’d lost you there for a second.”

  Alice looked back at Barry, his face blocked by the surrounding police officers. The seriousness of the situation hit her.

  “I need some air,” she muttered.

  Justin gripped her arms and helped her up. Once she’d regained some sense of balance, she hurried out of the suffocating house.

  “Make sure she doesn’t go far,” one of the police officers yelled as Justin followed her. “We need to question her.”

  Once outside, she doubled over, her hands on her knees. She clenched her eyes and breathed in deeply, letting the fresh air wash over her. Justin stood next to her and rubbed her back soothingly.

  She took one last breath before standing up straight. She looked at her son and knotted her face into something that she hoped resembled a smile.

  “You must think I’m such a drama queen.”

  “Where do you think we get it from?” Justin said. “But jokes aside, considering what you’ve just seen, I think dramatics can be forgiven.”

  Justin looked behind him and pulled Alice to the side to make way for the white-suited forensic team. Alice thought about Barry, sat alone in his chair. In all the time she’d known him, she’d never heard him speak of family. Would anyone even grief for the man?

  “What were you doing here?” Justin asked as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder. “I thought you were staying in bed today?”

  “No questions right now,” she said, rubbing her temples. “I’m going to get enough of that from the police.”

  “Fine,” he said, “but later, you’re going to tell me everything.”

  “I can’t wait,” she replied sarcastically.

  The police officer that had made the ill-timed joke walked towards her, opening a small note book. Alice presumed from his greying hair and the small wrinkles around his deep brown eyes that he couldn’t be much younger than her. From his tall and slim build to his dark stubble, she would have found him attractive under different circumstances.

  “If you don’t mind,” he said, directing his gaze at Justin. “We would like to question…”

  “Alice,” he said, moving towards her protectively. “Alice Taylor.”

  “We would like to question Alice,” he said, “alone.”

  Justin looked at her, not moving from her side. She could feel the tension starting to build already and the last thing she needed was an argument.

  “We could always take her to the station,” the officer threatened.

  “It’s okay.” She smiled at Justin. “Go back to the shop. Once I’m done here, I’ll come by.”

  He nodded and left the police to do their job, but not before shooting the officer a scrutinising look. The police officer glared at him until he had disappeared around the corner.

  “I’m Detective Livesey,” he said, holding out his hand.

  Alice took it limply, letting him shake her hand.

  For the next forty-five minutes, he questioned her gruellingly, only pausing when he got a radio call to let him know they’d caught Thomas. He repeated the same questions over and over, but she could only give the same responses. She knew he was trying to trip her up, but she had nothing to hide. It was a tactic she’d experienced less than a fortnight ago.

  “We’ve arrested the man in question,” he said. “This is off-record, but I’m curious. How did you know where he was?”

  “We were supposed to go on a date,” she confessed.

  She knew it put her in the frame, but she didn’t want to tangle herself in anymore lies.

  “I see,” he said, placing the notebook in his chest pocket. “We may need to bring you in for further questioning. Just a friendly suggestion, don’t leave town anytime soon.”

  “I don’t plan to,” she replied dryly.

  The way he looked at her made her feel like a criminal, and he probably thought she was guilty. She couldn’t even blame him. From anyone else’s perspective, it didn’t look great.

  She’d promised Justin that she would go straight to his shop, but there was someone else who needed to know what had just happened. It might not have been the ending they’d hoped for, but it was an ending nonetheless.

  She rifled through her bag for her phone but came up empty. She cursed herself when she remembered where she’d left it. She walked towards the tape, but with the police still hovering around, she didn’t dare cross it. She stood on her tip toes and leaned over, hoping to spot her phone.

  “That’s still a crime scene,” Detective Livesey cried, appearing out of nowhere. “Contaminating a crime scene comes with a hefty fine.”

  “I wasn’t going to go in,” she said, pushing forward her best smile. “I left my phone.”

  Detective Livesey tutted before producing it from his pocket.

  “For someone who claims to be innocent, you aren’t helping yourself,” he said, gripping her hand and placing the phone in it. “It’s been a long day, so if you scram now, I won’t mention it.�
�

  Alice thanked him and hurried out of the garden. She waited until she was out of his line of sight before ringing Minnie. She tried to call several times, but each time it went straight to her answerphone, which wasn’t uncommon for her best friend. She was lucky if she got a text reply the same day. She headed for Minnie’s home instead of the bookshop, deciding it would be better for the news to come straight from the horse’s mouth instead of hearing it from the gossips who were likely to fabricate things. Justin would forgive her.

  She hurried through the town, avoiding looking at anyone until she reached Minnie’s cottage. She rushed up to the door, but she paused. She could hear Minnie moving inside, but she was instantly taken back to the morning she’d discovered Trevor’s body. With Barry now dead, she felt like her ordinary, quiet life had been flipped on its head. She gulped down her fear and reached for the door handle, knowing she needed to be strong.

  “Who is it?” Minnie’s frantic voice called from the front room followed by more shuffling.

  “It’s just me,” Alice called down the hallway. “I need to tell you something, and it can’t wait.”

  Walking back down the hallway again made her skin crawl, and she wondered if Trevor’s murder would forever taint the building.

  “Don’t come in!” Minnie cried. “I’m getting changed!”

  “It’s nothing I haven’t seen before.” She laughed, turning the corner. “Just throw a blanket over yourself. I tried to call but–”

  Minnie had her back to Alice and she was packing frantically; she was fully dressed. She turned, looking like a deer caught in a monster truck’s headlights.

  “A-Alice,” she stuttered.

  “What are you doing?” Alice questioned, her eyes darting to the bulging suitcase at Minnie’s feet. “Going somewhere?”

  “No,” Minnie replied automatically, her laugh a little too robotic. “I’m just sorting through a few things. Spring cleaning and all that.”

  Alice’s eye homed in on a small splatter of what she really hoped wasn’t blood on the sleeve of Minnie’s cardigan.

  “Ketchup,” Minnie said, following her gaze. “You know how messy it gets at the café.”