Origami, Odium and Old Sins (Paper Crafts Club Mystery Book 7)

by Emily Selby

  Another shake of his head. 'She never talked to me about her job. She just said it was good, and she liked it. I knew where she worked, but she didn't want me to contact her.'

  Interesting.

  'So, how did you find her?'

  'She sent me a letter, on the hotel paper,' he replied and pulled a folded envelop from his inside pocket. He pulled a sheet of paper from it. 'It is in English, look!' he pushed the paper into Katie's hand.

  Katie unfolded the paper. Just a few lines, written in the same, neat handwriting she saw on the note by Amanda's body, and so many times before in the hotel register.

  'I'm well. The job is okay. Please don't worry about me. I need more time. Amanda."

  Katie cleared her throat, but the dreaded lump kept growing.

  'I don't really know what to say.' She folded the letter and returned it to him. 'One of the officers who lead this case should be here soon. Please, show him the letter. I'll get you more water.'

  'Yes, please,' he said hastily and handed her the empty cup. She crossed to the door. A sudden thought popped in her mind. 'Did you hear any noise while you were waiting outside?' she asked looking at him.

  'I'm not sure. There was something but not too loud. The door was closed, and I was outside,' he reminded her.

  'Did you see anyone or anything suspicious between coming back at about one o’clock and discovering the body?'

  He flinched. The corners of his mouth arched downwards, but he must have stifled the sob. Only the ... white van.'

  'Did the van came before or after the noise?'

  According to the repairmen's report and Amanda's understanding this should have happened after the shot, but she preferred to cross-check her information.

  Mr Rychter closed his eyes. 'I think it was after that. The van parked near to the back door shortly before I went in there again.'

  Rychter’s information aligned with the repairmen's report.

  Katie heard the bang of a closing door - probably Chris or Jack coming back. She pushed the handle. 'I'll go and check if one of the officers is back.'

  She walked back into the staffroom, bumping into Jack.

  'Here you are,' he whispered and brushed his lips against her forehead.

  Katie's heart flipped. She let the wave of warm tingling spread over her face, savouring the moment.

  'Good to see you back,' she replied, huskily. 'I've missed you,' she said quietly in case Rychter could hear them. 'Amanda's husband is waiting for you.'

  'Yes, thank you,' he murmured, cupping her chin with his hand. 'I'll catch up with you later,' he added and disappeared behind the door to the reception.

  Katie exhaled slowly, getting her own emotions under control. She would catch up with Jack a little later, no doubt, but her investigation had just taken a new twist.

  A husband, a life in a foreign country, marital troubles or simply homesickness - this could explain, "the woman without a past" syndrome, but did it explain her death? Back in her own country, working in a busy hotel, but still isolated and lonely...

  Was this the reason she shot herself? If she did shoot herself.

  12

  Back in her office, Katie's mind swirled with dozens of questions and half-baked theories. Among them, the hypothesis that the recent relationship woes, plus prolonged social isolation, even when back in her home country had pushed Amanda to take her own life. She might have been depressed and hidden it very well. Katie read about "high functioning" people with depression. These people, because they were able to function well and had no close friends or family to see what was happening outside work, no one realised they were struggling with depression until it was too late.

  Amanda didn't have much of a life outside work, no close friends, her mother lived at the other end of the world, and her husband - well... For whatever reason Amanda hadn’t wanted to keep in touch with him.

  How bizarre ... but then, not so much, assuming Amanda was depressed.

  Katie paced her little office. She'd probably have to accept this explanation in the end. Maybe Jack would dig up a little more useful information from Mr Rychter. At this stage, Katie couldn't get any further ahead. She needed a distraction to help her snap out of this vicious cycle of doubt, so she could concentrate on her work.

  The conversation with Mr Rychter, reminded her of her own Polish friend - Zuza, the barmaid at The Royal Oak pub and a fellow paper crafter. Following the murder of Zuza’s boyfriend, Zac, she stayed in Sunnyvale for a few months, but she had been itching to move. No wonder - it must have been hard living with the constant reminder of Zac's death and its circumstances. Rumour said that after the months of searching, Zuza had finally found an interesting job and was planning to leave Sunnyvale.

  A catch-up with Zuza was well overdue.

  She rang her friend and, a couple of minutes later, she had a lunch date with Zuza set up for that afternoon.

  Having something else to focus on helped her get through some of the work she had planned for today, so her conscious was a little less guilty when she sneaked out for lunch.

  Zuza was waiting for her at the little table in the farther corner of the pub - quiet and perfect for a chat.

  'Is it true you found Amanda's body?' Zuza asked the moment Katie settled into her seat.

  Katie nodded and reached for the menu.

  'What happened?' Zuza pushed on.

  Katie gave her a brief account of the discovery.

  'Unbelievable. What got into her?' Zuza's eyes grew intense, and Katie sat up straighter.

  'No idea. Did you know her at all?' she asked.

  'Yeah, a little. I mean, probably as much as anyone else in this town,' Zuza replied, flicking her blond curls back.

  That was news!

  'How so?' Katie asked.

  'We used to work together for the same marketing agency years ago, back in Birmingham. We did the same hospitality course.'

  'Did you know she was married?'

  'Yes, I introduced them.'

  Katie opened her mouth and closed it. What a connection! She should definitely explore it.

  'Do you know he's here, her husband?'

  Zuza rolled her big blue eyes. 'I told him not to come. But he's desperate. Poor Waldi. He's a friend of a friend. He is-' she paused and looked away, setting her jaw. 'Never mind,' she added after a few seconds. She glanced at Katie again. 'They had their problems and Amanda wasn't happy in Poland. Waldi lives in a small town, very traditional, very backwards. His parents, particularly his father is very... how do I put it, traditional but in a bad way.'

  'Old-fashioned?' Katie prompted.

  'More.'

  'Conservative?'

  'Yes. His father is a head teacher and a politician of the ruling right-wing, conservative party. He is intolerant, very closed-minded, and religious. A practicing, orthodox catholic.'

  Katie tensed. That was a lot of information, and none of it sounded positive.

  'I think I can guess what you mean,' Katie said shifting in her seat. 'Not a very good environment for a foreigner to live. I don't even know if Amanda had any religion.'

  'She didn't ... I mean, she used to go to church when she was young, but then she stopped. She was baptised, but it was Church of England. Sorry, I know all this, because it was a problem for Waldi's family when he and Amanda decided to get married. I had to explain it all to him, so he could explain it to his family. I'm not sure how much he'd told them though.'

  'I can understand why she might have been so unhappy living there.'

  'And that was only a small part of it. The town was too small for her. She called it "What's-it-ville" or "Back-of-Beyond." But, honestly, I thought she'd get better back in England. She loved her job.'

  'Did you help her find it?'

  'No, it was all strange. We kept in touch very rarely, but I think I told her I was planning to move somewhere else and was looking for a job as a model again. Sorry,' Zuza paused and waved her hand. 'This is how we really met. We were
working for the same marketing agency, as models. I was doing my hospitality course and she was still not sure what to do. I talked her into enrolling into a course and sharing a flat with me.'

  'I see,' Katie said, fanning herself with the menu. She'd swear her brain was overheating. Zuza had a wealth of information about Amanda, including her past, but it was hard to keep track of it. Plus, Katie's internal warning system had kicked in, too. In her previous experience Zuza, although overall a good person, was somewhat prone to protecting her own back.

  'Okay, so how did she find the job at the hotel?'

  Zuza shrugged and signalled at her waitressing colleague. 'I think we should order. I recommend the chicken salad, it's fresh, really yummy.'

  Katie gave a court nod. 'The job,' she pushed.

  'Ah, the job. So, she called me one day and asked about the hotel and the owner. She wanted to know how old he was and if there were any rumours about him being a bit of a ladies' man. Is this how you call it?'

  'Yes, someone who likes flirting with women,' Katie explained. So, Amanda knew about McBride’s reputation?

  'I asked around and the opinion I got wasn't that bad, so I told her. She seemed disappointed by that. I asked her why, but she just said, "Oh, never mind, I'll try anyway." Next thing I knew, she was here and got the job.'

  'Did she ever complain about the owner being inappropriate towards her?'

  'No. And she was happy with the job, as I said.' Zuza lifted her head. 'Hey Anna,' she greeted the waitress. 'We'd like to order lunch.'

  Katie followed suite, and the fascinating conversation had to wait. After they both placed their orders, Katie was keen to dig deeper.

  'Why did you introduce Amanda to your friend's friend? I thought she wouldn't have difficulty finding suitors.'

  'Oh,' Zuza waved her hand. 'There were always a lot of men around her, but she didn't care much for it. She needed someone to look after her, he needed a wife. So, I put them in touch and they liked each other enough to get married.'

  Katie stiffened her shoulders. Her jaw dropped. She didn't expect this kind of arrangement.

  'Like a marriage of convenience?' Katie asked.

  'Yes, exactly,' Zuza replied, furrowing her smooth forehead.

  'Mr Rychter seems quite upset about Amanda's death though.'

  A flinch crossed Zuza's perfectly oval face. 'He ... needs her,' she said carefully.

  'What for?'

  Zuza shifted in her chair, lowering her eyes.

  'He needs her to be his wife, be by his side and support him, of course,' Zuza explained quickly, staring at the tabletop. 'He's going through a stressful time - trying to get a job in a bigger school, bigger town. His father... he doesn't really get on with him. And both his parents are insisting that Waldi and Amanda have children. For them, a marriage is not complete without children.'

  'Ah, that's quite a ... traditional view,' Katie said cautiously. 'Amanda struck me as quite a modern, independent woman. Why did she even get into this arrangement?'

  Zuza shrugged. 'She needed some stability. Her life wasn't very happy, from what she told me. She didn't talk much about her past.'

  'No, she didn't,' Katie added, not sure which of those potentially interesting threads to pursue first. 'What did she need stability for? Money?'

  'Waldi didn't have money, which was one of the problems. But he gave her stability and safety.'

  'What did she need money for?'

  Zuza shrugged again. 'No idea... For clothes. Pretty, girly things. Maybe to travel.'

  Katie took a deep breath. A lot of things didn't add up. The fact was, Amanda didn't have much in terms of material possessions, particularly no pretty things. She always assumed it was because Amanda had no desire for anything like that. But maybe Zuza was right? It was the lack of money rather than desire... On the other hand, she could buy cheaper yet still pretty things.

  'Travel?' Katie said more to herself than to Zuza. 'I never heard Amanda talk about travelling.'

  Unless, she meant escaping.

  'I'm not sure. She had travelled a little. I guess she wanted to do more. She rarely talked about herself. None of us did. That agency where we worked-' Zuza said and paused. She wriggled in her chair again, glancing over Katie's head. 'Girls there didn't really talk about themselves too much. The less people knew about you, the better. You don't really make friends there. I liked Amanda, she was a good person. We got on well, so we became sort of friends, but we weren’t very close. Amanda and I both just saved up some money and left.'

  'I see,' Katie said simply. There was probably no point exploring this trail, unless Hamish was someone Amanda met while working there.

  Anna brought their food and drinks and, for a moment, they got busy with it.

  'Did she ever mention anyone called Hamish?' Katie asked when the waitress was gone.

  'Hamish? No, but hang on,' Zuza replied, stabbing a big lettuce leaf with her fork. 'I've heard that name before recently. Do you spell it with an H at the beginning?'

  Katie reached for her cutlery.

  'Yes,' she replied. 'Why are you asking?'

  'Because now when we're preparing takeaway coffee, we are supposed to write people's names on the cups. One guy ordered a coffee a couple of days ago and he gave me that name. He tried to chat me up. I normally don't talk to guys, so I wanted to ignore him, but I needed to get his name right.'

  Of course, most men who came to the pub would want to chat Zuza up. She was beautiful.

  'He told me how to spell it and told me it was a popular name in New Zealand where he was from.'

  New Zealand? Katie's heart accelerated. Amanda's mother was from New Zealand, and now Hamish. If it was the same person mentioned in the messages.

  'Do you remember what he looked like?' Katie asked, feeling her cheeks burning. 'Did he have a different accent?'

  'Yes,' Zuza exclaimed. 'That was what I noticed. I couldn't understand him, and I didn't want him to repeat things because I didn't want to talk to him for too long. Guys have all sorts of ideas, but he did have a different accent. He was also dressed, ehm... unusually. Wearing shorts and T-shirt and flip-flops.'

  An image of a beach-ready man appeared in Katie's mind.

  'Did he say anything else? Maybe something about having a friend here? What he was doing here?'

  'I didn't ask. As I said, I usually try to limit those necessary chats,' Zuza replied and shoved a forkful of salad into her mouth.

  Katie did the same. She chewed her food considering her next questions. Zuza was clearly a mine of useful information. If one knew what to look for.

  'I think I've seen him around couple more times in the pub,' Zuza added, having swallowed. 'He was here yesterday having lunch with another guy. They were sitting at the table, over there.' She pointed to a table by the window.

  Katie shifted her gaze. The table was busy with a bunch of men in overalls, probably workmen from a nearby building site.

  'Anything else related to Amanda and her death?' Katie asked, feeling a little dizzy with the amount of info to remember and pass onto Jack.

  'No. I'm just surprised, or even shocked that she killed herself.'

  'It baffles me, too. Do you think that her relationship problems could have been the cause?'

  'I'm not an expert, but Amanda wasn't the suicidal type. She was tough. How do you say it? A survivor. I think she's been through worse than what she was going through with Waldi, who is a good person. He has his ... things and may not be a ... perfect husband, but he respected her and looked after her.'

  'And if they couldn’t find a way forward, they could have always divorced,' Katie added.

  'No, divorce was not an option,' Zuza said firmly. 'Remember, a very old-fashioned catholic family? Let's just not talk about it,' she added suddenly, 'Okay?'

  'Okay,' Katie agreed, against her desire to continue.

  She had to talk to Jack before her head exploded.

  13

  Katie rushed out of the
Royal Oak with her head still spinning. Once she shut the door of her Nissan Micra, she fished her phone out of her handbag to discover a missed call from Angie?

  Katie pressed the "Call back" button.

  'Hi Angie, are you okay?' she asked the moment her friend answered.

  'I am. But someone broke into my flat when I was babysitting.'

  'Is anything missing?'

  'I don't think so.'

  Katie hesitated. Her head started to throb. Information overload!

  'How do you know someone broke into your flat, then?' Katie asked.

  'The door to Amanda's bedroom is open.'

  'And it wasn't?'

  'No. The Police locked it and took the key.'

  'And they-' Katie said and stopped. Of course, they wouldn't come into someone's house in the middle of the night without informing the tenant beforehand, or afterwards.

  'What about the main door?'

  'It was locked, just the way I left it, I think.'

  'How did the robbers get in?'

  'I think they used the window. It was open.'

  'Have you called the police?'

  Angie inhaled sharply and paused.

  Oh, not again, Angie ... her French friend, for whatever reason didn't like interacting with the governmental officials or public services.

  'You should do it now,' Katie said, firmly. 'I'll check on you later.'

  She ended the call. Maybe she’d been a little too abrupt, but she needed to slow down. To sit somewhere quietly and breathe without too much thinking. And, ah, yes! She probably needed some painkillers before the oncoming headache ruined her day.

  She also had to offload all the intelligence gathered today to someone who could make a better use of it, because, frankly, her brain was overheated and confused.

  Back to the police station it was then.

  A few minutes later, she walked into the familiar cosy atmosphere of the station. The staffroom smelled of freshly brewed coffee. Jack was sitting at his desk, poring over the laptop. Chris' desk stood empty.

  'Hi Jack, has Angie rung?'

  'Katie, just the person,' Jack beamed at her. 'Yes, your friend called and Chris is now there, checking the place.'