Not with a murderer amongst them.
Chapter Five
Woolworths was a treasure trove of a department store. Its lines included everything from clothes to books to CDs to Sandy’s favourite, an incredible pick and mix selection. On the rare times she came to Marsden, that’s what she spent her money on. The large pear drops were her favourite, but they were heavy, so she allowed herself a few and then added chocolate coated raisins, spaceships filled with tangy candy powder, milk bottles and always a jelly snake.
“I’m just…” Sandy began as she saw the pick and mix rack in front of them.
Coral tutted. “We came in here for bras, not sweets!”
Sandy felt her cheeks flush. There was no need for Coral to be so loud, they were right next to each other.
She grabbed a paper bag and began to add her usual selection of sweets, adding some fizzy cola bottles for good measure.
“Stick a few jelly babies in and I’ll give you some money,” Coral suggested.
They paid for the sweets downstairs and each snuck one sweet each as they walked up the stairs to the clothing floor. Coral chose a heavy pear drop which wasn’t entirely fair, as Sandy didn’t like the jelly babies that Coral had asked for, but she said nothing.
“Think we should get some of these?” Coral asked with a high-pitched laugh. She held up a pack of brightly coloured plastic bangles. All of the girls at school wore them. Some of them had hundreds trailing up the length of their arms, in neon oranges and pinks and greens. Apparently, depending on who Sandy listened to, if a boy snapped one of the bands, the girl had to kiss him, or more.
“Absolutely not!” Sandy exclaimed. She didn’t know what her sister was thinking sometimes. “Put them back.”
Coral descended into laughter. “I’m only teasing, Sand.”
Sandy shook her head to signal that the conversation was over. She’d actually quite liked the bangles until she’d heard the full story behind them.
A crackle came from overhead and then the tannoy came to life.
“All persons are required to move to the second-floor hall immediately. All persons are required to move to the second-floor hall immediately. Thank you.”
“What’s that about?” Sandy asked.
Coral groaned dramatically - so close to her much-anticipated bra shopping and yet so far - and they filed down the stairs and out of Woolworths with the rest of the shoppers. People were moving towards the far end of the centre, back towards the crime scene, and through a set of double doors that were usually reserved for staff only.
“What’s that?” Sandy asked. Immediately inside the double doors was a large contraption that each person had to walk through.
“Metal detector,” Coral explained. Sandy gave her a blank look. “It’s to stop the staff stealing.”
“Oh,” Sandy said. “Stealing what?”
“Anything really. Stealing from where they work.”
“People do that?”
Coral nodded. “Look, there’s Ted. He looks shifty.”
Sandy followed the direction of her sister’s gaze. Ted Burton stood near the front of the queue, hands intertwined across his middle. His stance was relaxed but his skin somehow managed to look ashen, despite his tan.
“I wonder why they’re moving us,” Sandy said.
“It makes sense. Better to have everyone in one space. The upstairs is a big hall. Sharon Major wanted to use it for events. Book tours and things, ya know.”
“So we’ll be in a room with the killer?” Sandy asked. A shudder ran through her.
“Well, yeah, but everyone will be together. It’ll be safer.”
Sandy swallowed. She wished their dad was with them, even as she knew that he’d be of little use. He’d be at the bookies, that was her guess. If he was winning, he’d offer them a Chinese when they got home. Sandy could practically taste the king prawn chow mein she’d order, if this was any other day. But, of course, it wasn’t any other day. The only news that penetrated the bookies was the odds of a horse winning. Her father would have no idea they were camped out with a killer.
The incessant beep of the metal detector rang out and Sandy and Coral both peered through the crowd to see a teenage boy, hands raised in exclamation as he disappeared off up the stairs.
“Do we know him?” Sandy asked.
“Yep,” Coral said. “James Gridley. He’s in Year 11.”
“Gridley?” Sandy asked. “I never knew his name.”
“I think that’s it,” Coral said. “He’s one of the class clowns from what I can gather. Why? Has Sandy got a crush?”
Sandy rolled her eyes. If she was going to have a crush it wouldn’t be on a class clown, that’s for sure. It would be on the Year 11 boy who spent every lunch break in the library and already had a hint of facial hair. He’d smiled at her once as she walked past to restock shelves. She’d volunteered in the library for the last year, enjoying the perks it offered: she got to skip PE so she could eat her lunch before the actual lunch break, she didn’t have to go outside in the long, cold months, and she got to spend an hour every day surrounded by books. She loved the smell of them and the weight of them in her hands. She loved to pretend that she was a sophisticated older woman, in her 20s perhaps, and that the library was a bookshop that she owned. And she definitely loved the way that older boy had looked up through his blond curtains and, while surrounded by books she had probably touched at some point, smiled at her.
“Well? You have, haven’t you!” Coral teased.
“No, I haven’t,” Sandy said. “Gridley’s was the craft shop, remember? I just wondered if he was one of those Gridleys.”
“Oh,” Coral said, disappointed. “No idea on that, sorry.”
The line moved forward, slowly, and the two of them kept a surreptitious eye on Ted Burton. He reached up towards his neck and pulled the collar of his shirt away from his skin.
Sandy and Coral filed past him and up the stairs, emerging into a large, empty hall. Some people stood in small groups, anxious voices pondered over murder theories. Others had sat against the wall. At least two people appeared to be asleep.
“Let’s sit down for a minute,” Coral suggested. They found a gap against the wall and sat down, then scanned the crowd for familiar faces. Dorie stood near the middle of the room, holding court. A group of people hung on her every word. She wasn’t just a gossip; her information was good. She was an authority on pretty much everything.
“Shall we move closer and try to listen?” Sandy suggested.
Coral shook her head. “We’ve already quizzed her. It’s Ted we need.”
“I’d like to talk to that Gridley boy,” Sandy said. “See if he was connected to the shop. It might have just moved?”
Coral shrugged. “Feel free, he’s over there.”
Sandy looked across to the opposite wall, where James Gridley sat slumped over. His eyes were closed but whenever someone walked by, he opened them a little.
“Maybe later,” Sandy said. She wasn’t sure that she could find the courage to approach an older boy. If he thought she was weird for doing it, she’d be the laughing stock when word spread through the school.
“Suit yourself,” Coral said.
One of the security guards from the stage appeared then. He dragged a wooden box across the room. The movement brought the crowd to silence.
Ted Burton walked a few paces behind the guard and climbed on to the box so that he was elevated above the crowd. He cleared his throat. Up close, and without a script, he was less confident, but surely that was to be expected.
“Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls,” he mumbled. “Thank you for your co-operation. We are still awaiting police assistance and I apologise for the delay. Unfortunately, it appears we’re not the only emergency they have to deal with today. I remain in contact with them and they have advised that we all remain in one place, hence us moving here. We are all to remain in this hall until the police arrive. We have medics here with us, you
’ll be able to find them as they’re wearing orange tabards. Medics, please raise your hands.”
A smattering of six hands went up from various points of the room.
“The centre staff are moving water supplies up to here, please do help yourself as needed. It’s important to stay hydrated. Does anyone have any questions?”
“I’ve got to tell my childminder I’ll be back late. I know you said no phone calls but I have to…” a woman called, not waiting for Ted to select her to speak.
“Of course,” he said. “Anyone who needs to make a call, you can. I would ask that you don’t discuss what’s happened here as that may hamper the police investigation.”
Coral looked at Sandy. “You want to ring dad?”
Sandy considered the question. As tempting as the thought of hearing his voice was, she shook her head. She had a growing sense that she and Coral needed to see this through, on their own.
Chapter Six
They found Ted in a far corner of the hall, a mobile phone pressed to his ear, and loitered as close as they could to try and catch some of his conversation. His whispers were barely audible. Whoever he was talking to had good hearing as the hall was echoing with every murmur of conversation.
“Girls!” Ted exclaimed as he finished his call and turned towards them. The skin underneath his eyes was almost translucent, crinkled like crepe-paper. “Are you okay?”
Coral nodded and gave Ted her most winning smile. “We know you’re super busy and important. We’ve wanted to be brave enough for ages to talk to you.”
Ted eyed them warily for a moment then returned to his public persona and offered them a broad smile. “You can always speak to me, ladies. I’m a public servant. My time is yours. How can I help?”
“Well, it’s just that I’d like to work for the council, maybe even become Mayor… when I leave school.” Coral said. Sandy wondered if her sister’s focus should be fiction writing rather than journalism since she found it so easy to tell tall tales.
“A worthy ambition,” Ted said. He stuck his hands in his trouser pockets and surveyed the crowd. Most people had grown bored of standing and were sat on the floor. A spattering of chairs had been found for the older people, carried up the stairs by Ted and some of the shop staff. Dorie Slaughter had noisily refused to sit down for fears of creasing her skirt and was one of the few who remained standing.
“What’s it like?” Coral asked.
“Well, it’s like any job I guess,” Ted began. “Lots of fairly dull work behind the scenes. Moments of excitement. Some great achievements here and there, but each win takes lots of work. And it’s long hours.”
“How did you get into it?” Sandy asked.
Ted squirmed a little. “Accidentally,” he admitted. “I did work experience in the council offices and never really left. I enjoyed the work. The people were nice. And it’s a pretty secure job. That was drilled into me by my parents, getting a secure job.”
“Being the Mayor’s assistant must be pretty exciting,” Sandy pushed.
Ted laughed until his laugh transformed into a hacking cough. He bent double until the moment had passed, then stood upright, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “Sorry, sorry.”
“Are you ill?” Coral asked.
“No, no. I’m fine. You were saying?”
“Being the assistant…” Sandy reminded him.
“Ah, yeah. Mainly dull, to be honest. Lots of running around doing errands, that kind of thing. It’s a support role, like any kind of assistant or secretary.”
“Your memo wasn’t very supportive,” Coral said. Her sudden attack stunned Sandy and Ted, who opened his eyes wide. “Sorry, I heard someone mention it earlier. It must be hard to disagree like that.”
“Not really,” Ted said with a shrug and a glance across the crowd, then flashed them a wink. “People disagree all the time. Now, having your disagreement leak to the press? That’s the unhelpful bit.”
Coral flushed as if she personally had leaked the memo. “Yeah, I bet.”
“Really, girls, if you want to follow in my footsteps the best thing would be to get involved with the community. Go to events. Start events! And if you do want to come along for work experience, give me a call,” he reached into the inside pocket of his blazer and pulled out two thick, glossy business cards. In turn, he handed one to each of them and was then consumed with another coughing fit.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Coral asked as Sandy studied the impressive business card. She found it hard to believe that council budgets stretched to such grand stationery.
“I might just get some water.”
“Oh, here,” Sandy said. She held her own bottle out towards him. “I haven’t opened it.”
Ted took a deep swig, his Adam’s apple jutting out as he swallowed.
“So, you’ll be Mayor now?” Coral asked.
“It’s a possibility,” Ted said. “I can’t really discuss it. It’s not appropriate…”
“Oh, yeah, sure. Sorry, I’m just interested in how it all works. We can’t just be without a Mayor, surely?”
“The role of Mayor isn’t usually as large a role as Sharon Major made it,” Ted said, selecting each word carefully. “She isn’t the MP, remember. Or wasn’t. Mayor is really designed as more of a supportive role, a ceremonial role in some cases.”
“But she changed so much. Marsden’s like a different town.” Coral said. Her schoolgirl cover had slipped and she’d revealed her passionate future journalist side.
“You really are quite interested in all this, huh?” Ted said, lips pursed.
Coral nodded. She was interested and knowledgeable, just not for the reason he thought. Her thoughts were focused on her name on a byline, not her name in public office.
“Sharon Major did a lot of things that went beyond her role. I can tell you that as it’s well documented. Some of the things she did were highly inappropriate.”
“Such as?” Coral asked. Her eyes gleamed with excited anticipation for whatever Ted was about to share.
“I really can’t say any more about that,” Ted said. He looked at his watch and Sandy felt certain he was about to create an excuse to end their conversation.
“It’s a shame,” she said on impulse. “I mean, we only know what a Mayor should do based on her example.”
Ted took a deep breath and looked at the floor, then murmured, “And that is the problem with people abusing power.”
“Huh?” Sandy asked. She leaned in towards him but Ted didn’t repeat his words. A speck of fake snow clung to his right shoe and he frowned at the sight of it, then bent to swipe at it with an outstretched ring finger.
“Ugh,” he groaned, and then landed on the floor with a dull thud. Coral and Sandy turned to each other and then each let out a scream.
“Help!” Sandy shouted as Coral dropped to the floor and looked at Ted’s unconscious frame. The guards from the stage were by their side within moments, followed by a medic.
“Is he dead?” Coral shrieked, her composure gone as the adults took charge. The medic dropped to the floor and Sandy averted her eyes.
“He’s fine. Fainted, I think,” the medic said. “Ted, can you hear me?”
“He has tablets,” one of the guards said. He bent down and shouted to Ted as if he had lost his hearing and not his consciousness. “Ted? You take your pills, buddy?”
“You know him?” the medic asked.
“Sure,” the guard said. “I do security for all the Mayor’s events.”
On the floor, Ted began to stir. The medic cautioned him to move slowly, and gradually he shifted into a sitting position. Trails of sweat ran down his face and his eyes seemed to struggle to focus.
“Is he okay?” Coral asked, mouth open.
“I told you not to lift the damn chairs,” the guard said. He’d sat on the floor next to Ted and watched him carefully.
The adults did what adults seemed best at in Sandy’s opinion. They forgot that Sandy and Co
ral were there as they fussed over Ted and chatted amongst themselves. Sandy met her sister’s eyes and shrugged. Clearly, their interrogation of Ted was done. They were kidding themselves thinking they could get to the bottom of a real murder.
Someone had managed to break the oversized candy cane from Santa’s Grotto, dragged it across the centre to the stage, and beat Sharon Major to death. That much was obvious. Getting past the basic facts was just beyond them.
They should leave it to the professionals.
Sandy slumped down to the floor and propped her chin in her hands, deflated.
“What’s wrong?” Coral asked as she sat down beside her. “You look miserable.”
Sandy didn’t reply. She thought back to the scene on the stage and gasped.
“What?” Coral asked.
“The candy cane,” Sandy blurted out. “It’s huge.”
“Yeah?” Coral asked, brow furrowed.
“Look at the state of him,” Sandy whispered with a glance towards Ted Burton. “He’s collapsed after carrying a plastic chair.”
Coral still gazed at her, clueless.
“Whoever did this is strong!” Sandy exclaimed with a struggle to keep her voice low. “It’s not Ted, there’s no way he could chop that candy cane down and beat someone with it.”
Coral gasped and covered her mouth. The medic and guard paid them no attention, still focused on Ted Burton.
“You’re right,” she said with a frown. “And I’m out of ideas.
Chapter Seven
The upstairs hall had no windows and the heat from the shops below rose to the second floor, gradually shifting from cozy to stifling. Women began to remove scarves and an elderly man across the room used his folded newspaper as a fan. The tinny tunes of festive muzak filled the air and the young, reedy man sat next to Sandy hummed along with every new song, hopelessly out of tune.
“This is miserable,” Sandy admitted after a while. The crowd had grown quiet after Ted Burton’s fainting spell, and although he’d addressed them and assured everyone he was absolutely fine, an air of discomfort remained.
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