The Locked Room (Ruth Galloway #14)(90)

Leah is back at work, helping Nelson through the latest interactive nightmare devised by Jo, something called Teams. Leah is still living at the refuge but hopes to get her own place soon. Nelson is trying to force through several initiatives about domestic violence. If Jo is surprised at this sudden interest in community policing, she doesn’t say so. On the other hand, she hasn’t stopped reminding Nelson that it could be time to retire. ‘After the shooting last year and whatever happened at Tombland, you deserve a rest.’ Jo clearly hasn’t bought the story about Nelson tripping over and banging his head. ‘I’m fine,’ Nelson told her, ‘never better.’

Joe McMahon is transferring to Birmingham. Nelson mentally sends the university his best wishes and hopes that Joe will not feel the need to keep in touch. Eileen has gone home. She sent Nelson a postcard thanking him for his help and saying that she hoped to be back in Norfolk next year. Eileen, like Nelson’s mother, is clearly a fan of postcards. This one, rather tactlessly, showed an artist’s impression of the Grey Lady, midway through a wall.

Laura is in the kitchen, preparing a welcome-home meal. Bruno is with Nelson, restlessly pacing the parquet floor, toenails clicking. Suddenly the dog’s ears seem to become even more pointed. He barks and goes to the door. Nelson can’t hear anything, but he knows that the dog has sensed something, a change in the space-time continuum perhaps. Minutes later, Michelle’s car pulls into the drive. After a day of waiting, suddenly Nelson is not ready. Bruno whimpers excitedly but Nelson waits in the sitting room until the very last moment, until he hears Michelle’s key in the lock and Georgie’s shout of ‘My Doggy!’ Or maybe it’s ‘My Daddy’. Nelson’s not sure. He comes into the hall and swings his son into the air. At least this bit is easy, he thinks. It’s never been difficult to summon his love for his children.

Laura is hugging her mother. ‘I’m so glad you’re back. We’ve missed you so much.’ Nelson meets Michelle’s eyes. She looks tired from the drive, but he’s struck, once again, by her beauty. Surely, she’s more beautiful now, at fifty-one, than she was at twenty-one when he first saw her in the Blackpool rock shop. Laura envelops George in a hug. Bruno runs up and down the stairs in a frenzy of welcome.

‘Hallo, love,’ says Nelson.

‘Hallo, Harry,’ says Michelle.

Nelson kisses her cheek and they get through the next few minutes somehow, talking about the drive and the children, against a background of Bruno’s barks and George’s squeals of joy.

It’s only later that Michelle says, ‘Harry, we need to talk.’





Extract from Whittaker the Time-Travelling Cat The grass was so long that the girl didn’t notice the cat at first. It was only when he spoke to her that she stopped and stared.


‘Be careful where you’re walking,’ said the cat.

‘I’m sorry,’ said the girl. ‘But I’ve never met a talking cat before.’

‘Apology accepted,’ said the cat, who was bright ginger with a long tail and very green eyes.

‘I’m Whittaker,’ said the cat.

‘I’m Laura,’ said the girl. ‘Why don’t you tell me how come you can talk?’

‘I’m very busy,’ said Whittaker, ‘but I suppose I could spare you a few minutes. Have you got any tuna?’

‘No,’ said Laura, ‘but I could get some.’

When Whittaker had eaten his tuna he told Laura that he was born in the Garden of Eden but decided that trees were boring and that he wanted to see the world. He lived in the Tower of Babel and that’s where he learnt to speak every language on earth. Then he was one of the cats on Noah’s Ark. Whittaker lived in a pyramid for a while and was worshipped by the Egyptians. But Whittaker didn’t like being a god and stowed away on a ship to Rome. He became friends with the Emperor, a nice man who was very fond of his horse and went to Britain with him. The Romans had a fight with Boudicca who had red hair and a chariot. In Norfolk Whittaker made friends with a druid and he taught him cat language although the druid never became really good at it. Whittaker stayed in England because he liked rain and he lived in a henge which is lots of wooden sticks in a circle. When that got too cold he moved in with someone called Mother Julian who lived in a garden next to a church. She was very wise and said all shall be well. Whittaker was excellent at catching rats but there was still a plague. He helped rescue other cats during the Fire of London. He was Queen Victoria’s favourite pet and he was the cat in Dick Whittington.

‘You’ve done so many amazing things,’ said Laura. ‘What are you doing here?’

‘This is my most difficult mission of all,’ said Whittaker. ‘Do you want to hear about it?’



Headlines from the Cathbad Chronicles on 20 April 2020: Sunrise: 5.53 a.m.

Sunset: 8.07 p.m.

High tide: 12 a.m. (flood warning for Wells)

Education secretary Gavin Williamson said that he didn’t know when schools would reopen.

The government has lost a boat full of equipment for hospitals.

Thing ate a cuttlefish on the beach.

Cathbad came home.

All shall be well and all shall be well and all manner of thing shall be well.





ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS