“What do you intend to do with us?” It was Lottie who spoke.
Alice picked up her mobile phone from a foot stool and proceeded to send someone a text message. “You’re both going for a swim.” She put down the phone and from a cupboard took several plastic carrier bags. “But before that I need you to wear these bags on your heads.”
“But we’ll suffocate.” Hetty was aghast.
“That’s the general idea,” laughed Alice, “but don’t worry, I’ll make a better job of it this time because there’s no rush. I can’t believe that damn woman survived. Still, practise makes perfect.”
“You’re bonkers. You’ll never get away with it.”
“Oh yes I will.” She unwound the scarf from Lottie’s neck, “You don’t need this anymore.”
Lottie rubbed her throat with her bound hands to relieve the pain.
“So let me get this right,” said Hetty, her eyes fixed on the knife back in Alice’s hand, “You plan to suffocate us with those bags and then chuck us in the sea.”
“No, don’t be silly,” scoffed Alice, “the sea’s too difficult to reach from here and I don’t really like walking over sand and shingle anyway especially if it’s wet.”
Hetty was confused. “So where are we going for a swim as you so cruelly put it?”
“The boating lake in Helston. We’ll go after dark when there’s nobody about.” She looked at the cuckoo clock, “What time does Lidl close?”
“What! Are you planning to go shopping after you’ve disposed of us?”
“Of course not. I just want to know what time it closes so I know when there will be no-one there.”
“Four,” whispered Lottie.
“Four! Don’t be daft they don’t close that early.”
“They do on a Sunday,” snapped Hetty.
“Of course, yes, it’s Sunday, that’s perfect then because they should be locking up and going home very soon. I didn’t really want a late night so I might as well get things moving as soon as possible.” Alice laid down the knife and hummed as she sorted through the carrier bags, “
“One more question,” said Hetty, playing for time, “How on earth do you propose to carry two corpses out to your car? We’ll be dead weights.”
Alice laughed and shook her finger at Hetty. “Dead weights. I like it.”
“I wasn’t being funny and you haven’t answered my question.”
“You can’t go in my car because I don’t drive.”
Hetty felt a glimmer of hope. “So how will you get us to the boating lake?”
“My accomplice will help me.”
“Your accomplice!” Hetty’s glimmer of hope vanished.
Lottie tried to keep calm. “And who might she be?”
“He,” snapped Alice, “my accomplice is a man.”
Hetty gasped as the chance of escape lessened.
Lottie, however, was keen to know more. “So who is this man?”
“My son.” Alice spoke with pride.
“Your son! But you said you couldn’t have children.” Hetty was confused.
“No, I didn’t.”
“Yes you did,” said the sisters in unison.
Alice shook her head. “No, I said we couldn’t have children, not I. It was my husband who was infertile.”
As she spoke they heard a car pull up outside and a door slam followed by loud footsteps running up the garden path. Whoever the footsteps belonged to then opened the front door and entered the house without knocking.
“What’s wrong, Auntie?” Norman was breathless as he ran into the room. He stopped dead when he saw the sisters bound in sticky tape. “Hetty, Lottie. What on earth’s going on?”
“They know I tried to kill Bridget, Biddy or whatever her name is so I need you to help me to dispose of them.”
Norman’s face turned white. “You did what?” He flopped down in the fireside chair.
“I tried to kill Bridget, Biddy or whatever her name is,” Alice waved the knife as she repeated her claim, “I can’t believe the damn woman survived.”
Norman shook his head. “I don’t believe you. I mean how? Why?”
“How? It was easy. After all I have lots of time on my hands and so I put it to good use and started going over to Pentrillick on a regular basis wearing all sorts of different disguises, not that anyone would have recognised me. I must admit it’s been really handy having lots of wigs and clothes to choose from, all of which I’ve picked up in Helston’s charity shops over the years but then I always have liked dressing up.”
“But you don’t drive,” Norman interrupted, “so how did you get to Pentrillick?”
“On the bus of course. I used my bus pass.”
“But if you were in disguise and used your bus pass surely the driver would have noticed you didn’t look like your photo on the card,” reasoned Lottie.
Alice tutted. “Don’t be daft. As long as you look to be in your sixties or older they don’t check. And if he had said anything I’d just say I’d dyed my hair. Now, where was I?”
“Going to Pentrillick on the bus,” Hetty prompted.
“Ah, yes. Right, while in Pentrillick I watched to see what Irene and her daughter got up to. Surveillance I think they call it. You should try it, it’s good fun. I watched from the churchyard to establish where they were staying and then went and hid in the back garden of their cottage. While there I saw them put the house key under a big flower pot. I was over the moon as it meant I’d be able to get inside the house and have a good poke round. So when I heard them drive off I went indoors and saw a necklace lying on a bedside cabinet. I knew it belonged to Irene because there was a picture of her mother, Geraldine, inside looking just as I remember her, so I took it. But I’m not a thief because I knew she’d get it back after Biddy was found.”
“You broke into Sea View Cottage and had a good poke round!” Hetty gasped, “And you call me nosy.”
“Well, don’t stop there,” said Norman, noting Alice appeared to have come to the end of her explanation, “what did you do next?”
“That’s obvious, isn’t it?”
“No.”
“Humph! Of course it is. I waited for the opportunity to get Bridget alone and I knew it wouldn’t be difficult because I’d been watching her, too, you see, and knew that she and her husband Jed or whatever he’s called went to the pub most nights during which Biddy frequently went out for a fag.”
“Biddy’s husband isn’t Jed, he’s Geoff,” corrected Lottie.
“Well whatever. I’m not very good at remembering names.”
“So what happened?” Norman urged.
“After seeing their routine my plan was simple. It being, I’d follow them to the pub on my chosen night, wait for Biddy to come out for a fag and then strike. As it was I didn’t have to wait that long because minutes after I got there to begin my surveillance outside the hotel, I saw her come out alone and go for a walk through the village where to my delight she took a stroll along the beach. It was getting dark and there was no-one about because it was a windy old night. When on the beach I quickly hid behind one of the boats and changed the blonde wig and baseball cap I was wearing for the dark curly wig. I then changed my dark blue hoodie for a light coloured jacket and popped on some glasses I own which are very similar to the ones Irene wears. In the jacket pocket was the necklace and all these I had in a carrier bag.”
Alice’s account was interrupted when the cuckoo emerged from behind his door and announced that it was four o’clock. She patiently waited until he was safely back inside before she continued.
“Right, where was I? Yes, I remember, I’d just changed my clothes. Anyway, after that I left the blonde wig, baseball cap and blue hoodie behind the boat and then walked along the beach with the now empty carrier bag. I then crept up behind Biddy and popped it over her head. It was a piece of cake because she’s a right little squirt. Anyway, when she stopped struggling I pulled out Irene’s necklace and forced it in her hand making su
re it was wrapped round her fingers so it wouldn’t get washed away when the tide reached her. I then changed back into the blonde wig, baseball cap, and blue hoodie and put the light jacket and accessories back in the carrier bag, left her on the beach and caught the bus home knowing if anyone had seen me from the windows in the buildings alongside the beach they would describe the attacker as being dark haired and wearing a light coat. To my delight the tide was coming in fast so I knew she was in for an imminent dip.” She pointed to Hetty and Lottie, “Just like these two ladies here will be in an hour or two.”
“But fortunately I found Biddy before the tide got her,” said Hetty, smugly, “so your efforts didn’t quite go to plan, did they?”
Alice turned red with rage. “So it was you found her! I might have known. You’re such a busybody.”
“Did you send the silly messages too?” Norman asked.
“Of course I did and they weren’t silly.”
“Humph! That’s a matter of opinion,” scoffed Hetty.
“They were silly, very silly and you’re a hypocrite,” said Lottie, “After all murder is one of the seven deadly sins as well as greed.”
“Absolutely,” chortled Hetty, “and a much more serious one too.”
Alice dropped the knife on the floor, seized an empty vase which stood on the sideboard and quickly raised it over Hetty’s head. Norman promptly sprang to his feet, grabbed the vase, tossed it into the fireside chair he had vacated, kicked the carrier bags away from his aunt and with trembling hands picked up the knife.
“Don’t stab them,” shouted Alice, her arms raised in horror, “it’ll make a mess on the carpet.”
Ignoring his aunt, Norman cut the sticky tape that bound the sisters’ wrists and ankles and set them free. He then phoned the police.
Chapter Twenty-Four
It was after seven when Hetty and Lottie arrived home and so they had to bring in the washing by torchlight. While Lottie shook each item and placed it on the clothes horse, Hetty looked in the fridge for something to eat.
“I don’t know about your thoughts, Lottie, but I don’t seem to have much of an appetite at the moment. In fact I think a large glass of wine sounds a much better option. How about you?”
“I think that sounds a great idea but we’ll have to go to the pub because we finished off the last bottle here a couple of days ago.”
“Even better.”
“And before we go I’ll ring Bill and get him to meet us there. I’m sure he and Sandra would like to hear the full details of today’s little adventure and best to hear it from us rather than a distorted rendition from someone else.” Lottie picked up the clothes horse and took it into the sitting room where she placed it a safe distance from the log burning stove.
When they arrived at the Crown and Anchor they found all were eager to hear of the day’s activities. Bill, Sandra and the twins were already there having been primed up by Lottie’s phone call. Norman was not present but appeared soon after with Jackie; he looked forlorn. Zac was also in and playing pool with Luke Burleigh; Emma was watching and at the same time giving Natalie a brief outline of the day’s events as learned from Zac.
“Come, come over here,” Hetty rose from her seat and took Norman’s hand, “you look in need of a few friends.”
“I’ve got Jackie and she’s a brick despite her young age.”
Hetty stroked Jackie’s hand. “Yes, of course.”
“Can I get you both a drink?” Bill asked.
Norman nodded. “Thank you, that’s very kind. A pint of Strongbow, please.”
“And I’d like a lager,” said Jackie.
“How are you feeling?” Lottie asked as Bill went to the bar.
“Confused, relieved, bewildered and even a little angry.”
“Relieved,” repeated Lottie, “why relieved?”
“Because now Irene will be freed and quite quickly I should imagine, so she’ll be able to attend her mother’s funeral on Wednesday without a police escort. I was dreading that.”
“Of course. With all that’s been going on I’d forgotten the funeral.”
“And how is Alice?” Hetty was almost afraid to ask.
“She seems fine. When they took her away she was like a child. So different to how she’d behaved earlier. It was almost like witnessing the antics of a female version of Doctor Jekyll and Mr Hyde.”
“I must admit I was surprised by her change of character too. She was so nice when we first got to her cottage and seemed genuinely pleased to see us.” Hetty hesitated before she continued, “I don’t know whether you can help, Norman, but there’s something bothering me. You see, when she told us she had an accomplice who would help dispose of our bodies she referred to him as her son.”
“Yes, she said the same thing to me the other day. I called her Auntie and she said I’m not your auntie I’m your mother. Poor soul I think she’s muddled and put it down to the letter she received from Mum recently. It’s all been too much for her.”
“You’ve seen the letter then?”
“Oh, yes, she showed it to me after you and the police had seen it.”
“So why did she refer to you as her son?” Lottie asked, “It doesn’t make sense.”
“It doesn’t,” From his pocket Norman took a sheet of paper and unfolded it. “This is my birth certificate. I have it with me because I intended to show it to Aunt Alice when next we met to put the records straight. See, it clearly states that my parents are Joseph Percival Williams and Evelyn Florence Williams.” He handed the certificate to Hetty.
“So why would she say otherwise?”
Norman shrugged his shoulders. “As I said, I just think she was muddled. Something went haywire in her brain. Must be something like that for her to have tried to kill Biddy Barnes.”
The following day Hetty was still puzzling over the relationship between Norman and Alice. “I’m going to pop along to the care home, Lottie. Would you like to come with me?”
“To visit Charlie?”
Hetty shook her head. “No, actually it’s Nellie I want to see but we can see Charlie as well.”
Lottie frowned. “You think Nellie might be able to shed some light on the day of Norman’s birth then?”
“Yes, she seems the obvious person to ask.”
When they arrived at the care home they were greeted by Natalie. “Charlie’s in the residents’ lounge sitting in his usual place.”
“Well actually we’d like to see Nellie first if that’s alright.”
Natalie’s shoulders slumped. “Okay but you mustn’t stay long. She’s in her room and not very well at the moment. One of the visitors yesterday evening carelessly told the residents about the arrest of Alice who several of them knew, Nellie included. For some reason she’s taken it really bad and is too weak to get up.”
Nellie turned her head towards the door as they knocked and then quietly entered her room; she attempted to smile as they walked towards her. “Have you come to see me?”
“Yes,” said Hetty, “and we hear you’re not feeling too good.”
“No, I’m alright it’s just well…never mind.”
“It’s a lovely morning,” said Lottie, looking from Nellie’s window which had a sea view.
“Yes, so Nat said. So what brings you to see me?”
“I’d like to be able to say it’s just to see how you are but that would be dishonest because I have to confess that we, I, have an ulterior motive.”
Nellie smiled. “That’s sounds sinister. Pull up a couple of chairs.”
Hetty and Lottie sat down one on either side of the single bed.
“You look very pale,” Lottie commented.
“Well, I do feel a bit fragile but it’s nothing to worry about.” She attempted to sit up and so Hetty and Lottie each took one of her arms, adjusted the pillows and made her comfortable.
“That’s better, thank you,” Nellie smiled, “So what’s the ulterior motive?”
“Well,” Hetty slowly
began, “I know all cases you’ve dealt with over the years are confidential but the well-being of a dear friend depends on what I need to ask you. Oh this is tricky, I’m trying to select my words with care but it’s not easy.”
Nellie leaned forwards and patted Hetty’s hand. “I’ve a sneaky feeling I know what it is, dear.”
“You do?”
“Would it by any chance be about a birth, many years ago in 1956?”
Hetty was taken back. “Yes.”
“I wondered how long it’d be before it came to light. Because of all the goings on, I mean.” She smiled, “It’s been the talk of the place for a while. The body of poor Geraldine Glover being found in an oven; the attempted murder on the beach and then someone came to visit last night and told us the latest news.”
Hetty nodded. “The latest news being Alice’s arrest.”
“Yes.”
“So, what can you tell us? We don’t want to confuse you.” Lottie was afraid Nellie might pass out.
“You won’t do that, dear. I may be frail and unsteady on my legs but my mind once I get into gear is as sharp as a needle. Anyway, I’ll tell you what I know and to be honest it’ll be a relief.” Nellie leaned back in the pillows. “I was born in 1933 and so was just twenty three back in 1956.”
“Yes, you’re the same age as Charlie. He showed us a photo of you all back in your schooldays.”
“That’s right it’s a lovely picture. My parents had a copy too and now I have it. Look,” She pointed to a framed picture standing on a chest of drawers and smiled, “Strange isn’t it? We were at school together and now we’re both up here together,” She paused and looked down at her hands, “I’m thinking how best to put this as I don’t want to sound indelicate, if you see what I mean.”
“No rush,” said Lottie, kindly, “not after all these years.”
“No, I suppose not. Anyway, Alice was fifteen when she discovered she was pregnant,” blurted Nellie, “and her parents were furious, especially her father who was very strict. At first they thought about sending her away but then they came up with what they thought to be a better idea. You see, their older daughter, Eve had recently married Joe Williams, the baker and so they thought if the baby could be passed off as being born to Eve they’d have the best of both worlds. The family reputation would be saved and the baby born, who would of course be their grandchild, could be treated as such. However, to pull it off they needed the help of us midwives. My superior was told of the situation and was the only other person who knew what was going on other than me. To keep our silence, Alice’s parents donated one hundred pounds to the village school and that was quite a bit of money back then. The plan worked well. I called in to see Alice regularly until we considered it was no longer possible to conceal the pregnancy. She then went away to a home up-country somewhere; a place where they took care of girls in her situation. Meanwhile, back in Pentrillick, Eve, with the aid of some padding, pretended to be an expectant mum and I called on her purely for show.” Nellie smiled, “We’d drink tea during those visits, and talk about television and film stars while eating saffron buns made by Joe. Anyway, it worked. After the baby was born, Alice came home and Eve and Joe showed off the new baby boy. No-one ever doubted who his real mother was because there was no reason to question it.” Nellie bit her lip, “I never breathed a word of what really happened to a soul. Alice saw quite a bit of her little boy as she helped look after him so that Eve could work in the shop. Then suddenly Eve left and took him with her and we never saw either of them again. Soon after Alice married and moved to Porthleven and I don’t think for a moment her husband ever knew that she had a son.”
The Old Bakehouse Page 19
