The Breakdown(87)
20 Jul 23.33
Guess what? She told me over dinner she wants alarm Has already arranged for someone to call around Friday 20 Jul 23.33
Sorry! That was me going on about your isolated house Told her you needed alarm, didn’t think she’d actual y go ahead
20 Jul 23.34
If we get one, it will make things more difficult
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20 Jul 23.34
Not if you give me the code ?
*
27 Jul 08.39
Good morning!
27 Jul 08.40
Thought you might phone. Are you on way to rig?
27 Jul 08.41
No at industrial estate, waiting for alarm company to open 27 Jul 08.41
Why?
27 Jul 08.41
Going to order the alarm and make her think she did 27 Jul 08.42
How you going to do that?
27 Jul 8.42
By forging her signature on dummy contract 27 Jul 8.43
Can you?
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341
27 Jul 8.44
Piece of cake. Told you, I’m a good forger Alarm company about to open, will get back to you 27 Jul 10.46
On train to Aberdeen, have arranged to have alarm installed Saturday morning I need to be there but need her out, any ideas?
27 Jul 10.47
Will have a think
Safe journey
*
29 Jul 09.36
The silent cal s are real y spooking her!
Doesn’t want to stay by herself so I suggested she goes to hotel 29 Jul 09.36
Nice for some
29 Jul 09.37
You and me one day, I promise Works out well because she’ll be out of the way Saturday when alarm installed But need you to do something for me
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29 Jul 09.38
OK
29 Jul 09.38
Phone house later and leave message Pretend to be from alarm company confirming installation Friday 29 Jul 09.39
Don’t you mean Saturday?
29 Jul 09.39
No, Friday. Trust me, I know what I’m doing.
Make same call again tomorrow 29 Jul 09.40
OK
*
31 Jul 16.05
Hi, are you back from rig yet?
31 Jul 16.34
I am now. At house, about to leave for hotel Told her I found alarm man standing on doorstep Taking dummy contract to prove she ordered it The Breakdown
343
31 Jul 16.35
Hope she buys it
31 Jul 16.35
She will
31 Jul 19.13
She did
31 Jul 19.14
Must think she’s going mad!
31 Jul 19.14
Isn’t that the plan?
I leave the alarm company and drive to Castle Wells.
The shop assistant in the Baby Boutique is busy with a customer so I wait, trying to curb my impatience.
‘Don’t tell me,’ she says when she sees me standing there. ‘You’ve had second thoughts about keeping the pram.’
‘Not at all,’ I reassure her. ‘But there is something I’d like to know. When I came in yesterday you mentioned my friend would have shot you if you’d sent the wrong pram.’
‘That’s right.’ She nods.
‘So how did it happen?’ I ask. ‘I’m just curious, because it was completely unexpected. It just turned up out of the blue.’
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‘I did suggest having it delivered a bit nearer the time, because – well, anything can happen. But she wanted it delivered straight away.’
‘How did it come about? Did she say she wanted to
buy me a present and ask for suggestions?’
‘More or less. She came in a couple of minutes after you left and said she was a friend of yours. She asked if there was anything in particular you’d been looking at so I told her you’d already bought a sleep-suit and the young couple who were here said jokingly that you’d also liked the pram, and she said it was perfect and ordered it there and then.’ She looks at me anxiously. ‘I wondered if I’d spoken out of turn because she seemed shocked when I said we were expecting our babies at around the same time but she reassured me that you’d already told her you were pregnant, she was just surprised that you’d told me.’
‘The thing is, I was so excited about possibly being pregnant that I told two of my friends and I have no idea which one sent the pram because there wasn’t a note with it. Would you be able to tell me what her name was? I’d like to be able to thank her.’
‘Of course, if you hang on a sec I’ll check on the computer. If you can just remind me of your name?’
‘Cassandra Anderson.’
‘Ah yes, here it is. Oh, there’s no name. She didn’t fill that part in.’
‘Then do you remember what she looked like?’
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345
She thinks for a moment. ‘Let me see – tallish with dark
curly hair. I’m sorry, I suppose that’s not much help.’
‘No, on the contrary, I know exactly who it is. Great, now I’ll be able to thank her.’ I pause a moment. ‘By the way, do you remember speaking to my husband?’