The Next Girl(Detective Gina Harte #1)(30)

‘Let’s celebrate O’Connor’s wife’s cupcakes and their role in creating our dedicated team,’ Gina replied.

Jacob kept his eyes on the road as he turned into Bell Terrace. ‘To cupcakes.’

He steered along the slightly curved road as Gina admired the trees lining the paths. Springtime would bring out their beautiful blossoms. As they neared Mrs McDonald’s house, Gina shivered. The houses were all decorated – one had a pretend Santa climbing up the wall and another had an outdoor tree covered in fairy lights. Would Deborah know it was Christmas? Gina knew Deborah’s heart would be savagely torn apart as she thought about her children waking up again without her on Christmas day.

She spotted number seventeen and saw an elderly woman standing at the window. ‘Let’s work on catching the bad guy,’ Gina said, as she crunched the rest of the sweet in her mouth.





Twenty





She grabbed a tissue from her pocket and blew her nose as the old lady fumbled with the locks on the door. After a moment, the door opened the length of the chain. ‘Can I see your credentials?’ Mrs McDonald croaked. Gina and Jacob pulled out their warrant cards and fed them through the gap. A shaky hand reached out and took them. ‘Oh, so you’re a DI, how wonderful,’ she said as she handed the cards back and slid the chain off.

‘That’s right. DI Harte and DS Driscoll. We’re just following up on your call to the station,’ Gina replied.

The door opened and a hunchbacked woman wearing several layers of clothing invited them in. ‘Come through to the sitting room,’ she said as she led them through the musty hallway into an unlit room. The clouds outside made it seem almost dark in the lounge. ‘Please sit.’

The old lady left the room as they sat on the two-seater cottage suite settee. Gina took out her notebook. ‘I hope I can see what I’m writing,’ she muttered. Jacob grinned, and they listened in silence as rain began to tap at the bay window. Gina stood and looked out. She had a clear view to the end of the road. A few doors down, there was a small path that cut through the houses and led to the library. ‘That could be the route he took. There’s no CCTV along the back of town. At night, it would’ve been dark and half of the street lamps are out of use due to lack of maintenance. If he – I’ll refer to the perp as a he – he did come here, I’d say he knows his way around. You don’t just stumble upon this road.’

‘Let’s see what she has to say first. This person passing may not have had anything to do with Baby Jenkins.’

‘Maybe not.’ Gina walked back over to the suite and sat next to Jacob.

Mrs McDonald returned with a tea tray and a plate of biscuits. She shuffled right up to them and placed the tray on the coffee table. ‘Please help yourself to tea. I would do it for you but I’d probably cover you with it. My hands aren’t too steady.’ Her hearing aid whistled and she fiddled with it for a moment. ‘Damn thing. Do you know, however many times I get this thing adjusted, it’s never comfortable?’

‘Mrs McDonald, would it be okay to turn on your light while we talk?’

The old lady peered over her glasses. ‘I don’t have a main light. My son is meant to fix it but he’s been busy. If you just reach behind you, you’ll be able to turn on the lamp.’ Gina reached around the back of the sofa and felt for a cable. Her hand waded through an entanglement of what felt like cobwebs until she reached the switch, and then she could finally see the room in all its peach and pastel glory. The décor had been the height of fashion during the early nineties.

‘That’s much better.’

‘I know. It is getting wetter,’ Mrs McDonald replied. Gina looked at Jacob; he smiled and looked away.

‘This tea is lovely, thank you,’ he said as he took a bite out of a garibaldi.

‘Mrs McDonald,’ said Gina loudly, ‘you called us with information relating to the appeal. Can you tell us what you saw on the evening of Friday the first of December?’

The old lady took a biscuit and bit into it. A smattering of crumbs fell into her lap. ‘I remember that night because it was the night of the storm. The water was running down the roads and the drains were bubbling over.’ She stopped talking and took another bite of her biscuit. Gina flinched as a plump black cat leaped from the dresser behind them into her lap. ‘It’s okay. He won’t hurt you. He just wants a bit of fuss, don’t you, Junior?’

Gina stroked the cat, but it jumped down and scurried off towards the kitchen. Gina glanced at her watch. She needed to be back soon for Hannah.

‘Go on.’

‘Where was I?’

‘The roads and drains were bubbling over,’ Jacob said as he stared at his notebook.

The old lady leaned forward and made eye contact. ‘I was looking out the window for Junior, as I wanted to go to bed. As I stated on the phone, I don’t know what time this was exactly, but it was between six thirty and eight, that’s the best I can remember.’ She cleared her throat. Gina took the opportunity to cough away the tickle in her throat at the same time.

‘Between six thirty and eight on Friday the first of December?’

‘That’s right. I was looking for Junior. I’ve already told you that, haven’t I?’