‘Thanks for calling,’ I say. ‘I know you must be busy.’ I angle my body away from a sudden gust of wind. I can hardly hear what he’s saying. The rain beats down on my back.
‘… as a favour to Brenda but I don’t know how much I can tell you.’
‘Okay.’ I cup the phone to my ear so I can hear him better. ‘I’m trying to gather as much information as I can at this stage. If you’re free for a coffee at any point it would be great to pick your brains.’
‘I’m having a frantic day but could meet you for a quick drink after work.’
I tell him I’m grateful for any time he can spare and his voice is warmer when he says he’ll meet me at The Raven at 7 p.m.
My spirits are lighter as I put the phone down and head back to Bea’s but then I see Wesley coming towards me. Shit, I was hoping to avoid him.
He stops in front of me, blocking my path. I push my shoulders back. I won’t let him intimidate me. I’ve met enough of his type before.
‘Still hanging around then, like a bad smell,’ he says.
‘It looks that way.’ I fold my arms across my chest.
He sighs but his expression softens. ‘Look, I don’t want Liv upset, okay? She’s been through enough.’
I hesitate, thrown by the change in Wesley. I had pinned him down for a bit of a thug. But, with him standing in front of me, I wonder if he’s just a man who’s worried about his girlfriend. ‘I don’t want to upset her either,’ I say, trying to assure him, ‘but this podcast will shine a light on what happened here twenty years ago. It might even help jog someone’s memory. Wouldn’t you and Olivia and everyone else want to know what happened to Sally, Katie and Tamzin?’
He knits his dark brows together. We’re both getting soaked and a raindrop hangs from his fringe. ‘There’s lots you don’t understand about this town. Strange things happen here.’ He lowers his voice. ‘The forest is haunted and so is the Devil’s Corridor. The standing stones are said to be full of mystic energy. Do you know about ley lines?’
‘No, not really.’ I try not to look sceptical. ‘What are you trying to say? That their disappearance was something … What? Supernatural? Paranormal?’
He runs his hand through his rain-soaked hair. ‘Who knows? Look, I don’t care what you do. If you want to waste your time on this that’s your choice, but leave Liv out of it, okay? She’s been vilified enough by the people around here.’ He doesn’t wait for me to answer and I watch as he strides away, his hands in his pockets and his head bent against the rain.
I continue to the tearoom, thinking over my conversation with Wesley. Vilified? I wonder how. It can’t have been easy for her and I do understand why Wesley is so protective.
I can hear the cacophony of the lunchtime rush as soon as I climb the stairs and the smell of warm coffee and bacon engulfs me. Nearly every table is full and the waitresses are dashing around like magpies in their black-and-white uniforms. My heart sinks. I hesitate in the doorway trying to spot Izzy, and then there she is, crossing the room, her glossy dark brown ponytail swinging as she carries a tray full of empty plates. I wave to get her attention and she comes over.
‘Hello again,’ she says pleasantly. ‘Back so soon? There’s a table over in the corner but I’d grab it quick.’
‘Actually, I was here to speak to you but you look really busy.’
She frowns. ‘Oh, I see. About your podcast? So you know I’m Sally’s sister?’ I nod and she chews her lip, her eyes darting about the room before landing back on me. ‘Give me a card and I’ll ring you.’
I grab one of my business cards from my wallet and leave it on the tray she’s carrying. ‘Thanks so much. I really appreciate it. I’m here until Friday but would love to speak to you as soon as possible.’
She smiles at me again, but more uncertainly this time, then moves away towards the kitchen. I just hope she calls.
I have no choice but to go back to the cabin for now so I head down the high street towards the car park. The rain has seeped through my wool coat and my trousers are wet and heavy from the knee down. I long to change into something more comfortable – I feel cold to the bone. It was a mistake wearing work clothes instead of jeans, wellies and a raincoat. I’d wanted to look professional, to be taken more seriously. Ha, like that happened. I realize I’ve laughed out loud as a woman walking towards me shoots me a strange look. She’s pushing one of those tartan shopping bags on wheels and I recognize her from the tearoom earlier. I smile at her now and as she passes she stops and grabs my arm. Her grip is surprisingly strong. ‘Ain’t you that journalist?’
‘That’s right. My name’s Jenna Halliday.’
She lets go of my arm and blinks at me. Her hair is tobacco-stained yellow and her face is hard, her mouth thin. She doesn’t offer me her name. ‘I lived here when it happened,’ she says. ‘Next door to that Tamzin Cole and her parents. Weird lot. Loud. Common, you know?’
I keep my face impassive.
‘That Tamzin had a string of boyfriends. Wouldn’t surprise me if she’d run off with one of them.’
‘What about Sally and Katie?’
She draws her lips together like she’s taking a drag of an imaginary cigarette. ‘Didn’t know much about those two. But think the lot of them were up to no good. Fancy running away like that and not telling your parents. It ain’t right.’
‘Maybe they didn’t run away.’
She laughs mirthlessly. ‘And what happened to them, then? They were abducted by aliens, like some folk around ’ere like to think? What a load of tosh. That Olivia Rutherford knows exactly what happened, mark my words. She was in on it too. She’d be with them now, I reckon, if it hadn’t been for that accident. She plays the whole butter-wouldn’t-melt routine down to a T, that one. Just like her mother. Stuck up. Haven’t got time for the pair of them.’
It doesn’t sound like this woman has time for anyone. She’s obviously a gossip with no concrete information. Still, she might be good for the podcast. I ask her if she’d like to be interviewed but she looks horrified. ‘No, thank you. You’re wasting your time here anyway, if you want my opinion.’
‘Why do you think they ran away?’ I ask, to keep her talking.
‘Well, I can’t speak for the other two, but Tamzin Cole’s parents rowed like cats and dogs. Think the husband ran off with another woman before Tamzin went missing. Oh, but the shouting I used to hear coming through the walls. It turned the air blue, all their cursing. It wasn’t a particularly happy home. Maybe Tamzin wanted a new start, away from the lot of them.’
‘Do the Coles still live in Stafferbury?’
She shakes her head. ‘They moved away in the end. Don’t know where. Good riddance, I say. Anyway, got to get on. Can’t stand around here all day gossiping. My Stan’s waiting in the car and I still need to buy bread. Oh, my name’s Rita.’ She grimaces at me showing large front teeth, then seizes the handle of her trolley and wanders off towards the other end of the high street where there is a small Co-op on the corner.