AllFreeNovel
Share Us
‘I thought we might go to see a church,’ says Ruth.
Kate mimes total despair and boredom. Flint, who is as usual overflowing onto the keyboard, looks up with interest.
‘St Mary’s, Houghton-on-the-Hill,’ says Ruth. ‘I went there with Cathbad once. He was fascinated by the place.’
Kate cottons on immediately. Her spine, which had become liquid and forced her to collapse onto the sofa, straightens.
‘Do you think Cathbad might be there?’
‘It’s worth a try.’
Nelson, Tanya, Bradley and Lucy gather round the laptop. Nelson notices that Lucy gets a black notebook out. Nelson sees Tanya noticing it too and producing her own, much grander, log book.
The screen fills with grainy CCTV footage. There is Emily’s familiar bouncy hair, her St Jude’s sweatshirt with the words ‘Em Hockey’ on the back. She walks away from Ely station with a determined stride. Seconds later a camera outside a church shows her crossing the road towards Jubilee Gardens. The last shot shows her looking in the window of Topping’s bookshop.
‘Pity there’s so little footage,’ says Nelson. ‘There would be many more cameras now. What can Cathbad have seen to make him go rogue?’
‘The bookshop?’ Tony’s face appears again. ‘Topping’s is great. It’s like they’ve got every book in the world.’
‘Bully for them,’ says Nelson, thinking of Leo Ballard’s study. ‘Why would a bookshop make Cathbad go off like that? Did he suddenly remember that he’d forgotten to spend his Christmas book token?’
‘Of course, we don’t know that this CCTV has anything to do with Cathbad’s disappearance,’ says Tanya.
Nelson reins himself back from full sarcasm mode. ‘That’s true enough,’ he says, ‘but Cathbad obviously went to Tony’s with the sole intention of viewing it. Judy must have told him Tony was isolating at home. And, after Cathbad watched the video, he left and hasn’t been seen since.’
‘I’ve put a description out to all units,’ says Tanya. Nelson can just imagine how this would read:Long hair, purple cloak, liable to talk about the Great Web. Where the hell is the troublesome druid? After nearly killing them all with worry last year, he’s at it again. When they find him, Nelson will roast him on his own personal sacrificial bonfire.
‘Good work,’ says Nelson. ‘I’m going to ask Judy if she knows what all this Ely stuff means. Bradley, you carry on trying to trace Ballard’s car. Tanya, start organising house-to-house. Lucy, you help her.’
‘Yes, boss,’ says Lucy. ‘DCI Nelson, I mean.’
‘Boss is fine. Do you call Cloughie boss?’
‘Yes,’ says Lucy. ‘He says it reminds him of a mafia film.’
‘He would. Now let’s get on. I don’t want anyone else disappearing.’
Tony can’t help feeling rather responsible. He didn’t immediately tell Nelson about Cathbad’s visit, partly because he didn’t think it was that important and partly because he knew that he should have been isolating. But, when he’d seen Cathbad at the door, he hadn’t been able to resist the chance for a chat. Cathbad has been to China and usually loves the chance to talk to Tony about the country and its customs (to be honest, Cathbad knows rather more about these than Tony). But, yesterday, Cathbad had seemed rather subdued. Tony told him about the pinging so Cathbad kept his mask on but his eyes above it looked troubled. He’d watched the video footage carefully, thanked Tony and left. Tony hadn’t asked him where he was going and he hadn’t watched him leave. Some detective you are, he tells himself.
To make amends, Tony starts work early and doesn’t take a social media break. His focus today is the Webster family. He writes their names down, having read somewhere that handwriting (as opposed to typing) stimulates brain and memory.
Peter Webster– died 2010.
Arabella Webster– in a home, dementia.
Freya Webster– lives in London, married, no children.
Gaia Webster– sister.
Tony looks at this last name for a few seconds and then goes to his first port of call, Facebook. There’s no Gaia Webster but, after scrolling through a few names, he finds a Gaia Fernandez, who is about the right age. Tony looks at the picture of the striking woman with the Brunhilda hairstyle. Then he clicks on her ‘about’ info.
Studied at St Jude’s College, Cambridge.
Chapter 21
It’s very strange, sitting in Cathbad’s kitchen without its resident druid, chef and house husband. Judy doesn’t fill it in the same way. Both she and Thing keep looking towards the door as if they hope Cathbad will miraculously appear. Nelson tries to stop himself doing it too but it’s hard.
Michael and Miranda are out at piano and ballet lessons. ‘I thought we should try to carry on as normal,’ says Judy. Thing looks at her sadly.
