Footsteps entered the room but came to a stop a few paces away. When Leonard looked up from the table, the person standing there, the person pointing a sawn-off shotgun at his head, was not Adrian.
“You couldn’t leave well alone, could you?” came the voice. “You had to pry. You had to keep digging.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Intuition
All the way along the route to the superstore, Adrian had been smiling to himself. If anyone were to ask any of his workmates about his annoying habits, they would mention his obsessiveness about keys and locks and security in general. The fact that he had left them on the table spoke volumes about how much of a distraction Lenny Day had become, and how much he had let his usual unwavering guard down.
He found a spot in the retail park near the front of the superstore. To optimise his time, he decided to walk across the main road to the Chinese restaurant and place his order. Then, while the kitchen prepared his food, he would head back to the superstore and stock up with drinks and breakfast items. If the weather stayed clear and sunny for the whole weekend, he would treat Lenny to breakfast in the morning, served on his new terrace.
Fortunately, probably due to the early hour, the Chinese restaurant was empty, and after placing his order and paying, he strode across to the superstore. He stocked up with breakfast items, then headed for the alcohol aisle, preparing to pick out beers and wine for their meal. Rounding a corner, he almost bumped into another shopper carrying a basket. Without looking up, the woman moved to one side and began to pass by Adrian, until he realised he knew the person.
“Freya. How are you?”
Startled at being addressed, Freya recovered quickly and managed a smile. She wore rather unflattering baggy tracksuit bottoms in grey cotton, with a large woollen sweater in oatmeal, the sleeve cuffs pulled down over her hands as though trying to keep them warm.
“As good as can be expected. Where’s Leonard?”
“He’s back home, putting finishing touches to the house.”
“On his own?” asked Freya, her eyes widening for a moment.
“Yes,” said Adrian, smirking. “Don’t worry, he’s a big boy. I volunteered to come out and do the shopping. We’re having a takeaway tonight from the shop across the road.”
“That’s nice,” she replied, about to turn away. “Anyway, I’d better—”
“We found some of Luke’s personal belongings, by the way. Hidden away in an old dresser concealed in the wall.”
“Did you?” she asked, turning back, suddenly interested. “And?”
“Nothing out of the ordinary. An old camera and tripod stand, some books and old Polaroids.” Freya looked away and smiled, nodding. “Nice, actually. Lots with your friends when you were younger. One included a good-looking, blond-haired guy. Standing by a tractor wheel. I don’t suppose you remember who that was?”
From Freya’s expression, Adrian could tell she was not impressed.
“Tim something. Can’t remember his last name. Danish. He hung around us sometimes that year. Thought he was God’s gift. Too loud, too brash for my liking. But he got on really well with the boys. And Pippa, of course. Well, she pretty much threw herself at anyone back then. Tim worked for Megan’s mum and dad behind the bar over the summer. He went off to London after that.”
“Wasn’t that the same year your dad passed away?”
“Yes.” She sighed, a wistfulness filling her eyes. “I try not to think about it.”
“I talked to PC Morgan. He said your dad drowned. An accident. I’m really sorry.”
Freya seemed to deflate.
“All so senseless, so preventable. Fixing a fence on the steep side of the duck pond. Nobody knew Dad couldn’t swim. How ridiculous is that? Not that the pond was usually deep. Water rarely came up to the waist, according to Geraint Hughes, the farmer, but we’d had heavy rains that year. Still find it difficult to conceive. They had the pond drained and filled in after that. Never forgave himself, Hughes, God rest his soul.”
“And then Howard disappeared the year after.”
Freya appeared confused.
“Sorry? Disappeared? Howie left, he didn’t disappear. He’d always planned to go travelling after he turned twenty-one. We all knew that, Gran as well as Dad.”
“But people said he just upped and vanished.”
This comment got a reaction—a sharp shake of the head followed by a loud huff of disapproval.
“Which people?”
