There were yellow ribbons tied to all the lampposts. I found it strangely moving, a sign that the community was holding Mina in its thoughts. Yellow’s usually a cheerful colour, isn’t it? I crocheted a yellow and purple baby blanket when I was expecting my Evie. I’ve still got it and it always makes me smile.
As I rounded the corner, I saw a couple of people outside the café taking photographs and someone up a stepladder. I did a double-take when I realised it was Mrs Hammond, scrubbing at the shutters with a sponge and a bucket of soapy water. I screwed my eyes up, trying to make sense of the painted words she was trying to get rid of, then got a sick feeling in my stomach as I realised they said, ‘PEDO SCUM’.
It was true, then, I thought. A man being questioned or even arrested. It was Den.
I walked right up to the photographers. ‘Haven’t you got anything better to do?’
They brought their cameras away from their faces.
‘Just doing our job, love. If we don’t take pictures, someone else will.’
‘Well, you’ve got them now, so why don’t you clear off?’
They looked at each other and shrugged, then, to my surprise, slung their bags over their shoulders and walked away. Got their shots already, I supposed, or perhaps they still had a shred of decency. I went and stood at the bottom of the stepladder and called up, ‘Mrs Hammond? Mrs Hammond!’
She paused and dashed a stray strand of hair out of her eyes. ‘We’re closed today,’ she said, flatly.
The sponge in her hand was stained bright red, but the ‘P’ from ‘PEDO’ was still there, just smudged a bit.
‘Have you got another sponge?’ I said. ‘I’m no good on ladders, but I can have a go at the bottom bit.’
Her expression softened. ‘It’s okay. You don’t need to do that.’
‘I know, but I’m offering. I’ve been cleaning up mess all my life. I’m not frightened of a bit of elbow grease.’
She smiled sadly and picked her way down the ladder. ‘I’ll fetch another bucket,’ she said, ‘and a hard brush. Maybe that’ll be better.’
She wasn’t gone for long. She came back with some strong cleaning spray, a second bucket of water and a small stiff brush. ‘I wanted to get rid of this before Den gets back. I don’t want him to see it.’
‘Understandable. Is he the one they’re questioning?’
‘Yes.’
‘I’m so sorry.’
‘Do you have children, Mrs Cartright?’
‘A girl,’ I said, hardly missing a beat. ‘And do call me Kath.’
She smiled. ‘Linda,’ she said.
I picked up the spray and started tackling the ‘M’, while Linda climbed back up the ladder. We had a go at the whole thing, but after twenty minutes we ended up with a blurry mess which was still legible, and I was jiggered.
‘Come on, love,’ I shouted up at her. ‘Let’s have a cuppa.’
She nodded to me and we packed up. She tipped the paint-stained water down the nearest drain and carried the stepladder into the café. ‘It’s only on one side of the shutter,’ I said. ‘It won’t show when the café’s open.’
‘If it opens,’ she said, gloomily. ‘Who’ll want to eat here now? Mud sticks.’
She locked the front door and led me through the empty café to some stairs at the back.
The flat itself was more spacious than you might imagine. I sat at the table in a nice kitchen diner, while she made tea for us and put some little cakes on a plate.
‘I shouldn’t really,’ I said. ‘I’m not meant to have sugar.’
And then she did a lovely thing. She reached into the fruit basket on the kitchen worktop, picked up a mango, peeled it and cut slices onto a plate.
‘I’ve never had mango,’ I said.
‘Ah, you’re missing a treat! Try it.’
The fruit was shiny with juice. She handed me a fork. I speared the smallest bit I could find and nibbled the end. It was delicious, earthy and sweet. She raised her eyebrows in enquiry.
‘Gorgeous,’ I said, and I helped myself to some more, although I suspected it had as much sugar in it as a Mr Kipling’s Country Slice.
She set a pot of tea down, along with two china cups and saucers. It was all rather fancy.
‘This is nice,’ I said, then immediately regretted it, because I was only here due to things being so awful for her. She took my words at face value, though.
‘Yes,’ she said. ‘It is. I don’t get many visitors.’
‘You and me both. Surely this place is busy, though?’
‘I’m mostly up here. I do book-keeping for people, including us. I leave running the café to Den and Tony and that isn’t as busy as it used to be. People would rather go to a Costa or a Starbucks these days.’
‘I’m sorry about that.’ I took another sliver of mango. ‘Maybe this Mina business will bring people together.’ I suddenly thought of the graffiti on the shutters and regretted opening my big mouth. Too late now, so I tried to dig myself out of the hole. ‘Sad if it takes something like this to help us talk to each other. I don’t mean just you and me, but all of us, the community round here.’
‘Oh, I agree. Sad if it pulls us further apart, though.’ She poured tea into the two cups. It was a beautifully rich, red-golden colour.
‘Do you have some milk?’ I asked.
‘Try it without first. See what you think.’
I did as she said. It was delicious, fragrant and refreshing. ‘Do you still want milk? I don’t mind if you do, honestly. I’m not a dictator.’
‘Maybe a drop. And a little bit of sugar. What tea is it?’
‘Assam. I get it from the Asian shop. We live on stuff from the cash-and-carry, have to nowadays with things being so tight, but I buy myself little treats now and again, with my own money. I keep a little back every week. Tony doesn’t know. Is that very bad of me? Nice to have something in the cupboard for special occasions.’
I felt rather honoured that I was considered special.
‘No harm in having little secrets,’ I said. ‘Or doing your own thing. I think it’s healthy.’
‘Definitely. I think I’d go mad if I didn’t have my knitting club and yoga class, Kath. Gets me out of the house, and we have a good chat and a laugh. Do you get out much?’
I think you’d describe the sound that came out of me as a hollow laugh. ‘No. Not anymore. I can go days without seeing anyone, Linda.’
‘You could come with me to the community centre.’
‘Maybe. I don’t know. I’m sorry you’ve had an awful day. There are some little shits around here, pardon my language. You wonder where the parents are, don’t you?’ I could have bitten my tongue off as soon as I said it, what with her son being questioned by the police as we spoke.
‘Probably at work, like Mina’s mother. Everyone’s just trying to hold things together round here, us included.’
‘Oh, I know all about that. I always worked round my Evie, though. After I lost my Ray, I did bits of cleaning when she was at school and took in sewing jobs and ironing for the evenings, so I could be there for her. I’m not saying it’s easy, but I never left her alone.’
She smiled. ‘Sewing? Do you knit as well? You could come and “stitch and bitch” with me on a Sunday. You’d fit right in. You’re like me. I took up book-keeping because I could work at home. I was always here for Den. It’s not the ideal place to bring up a family, but we did our best.’
I noticed the desk now, tucked into a corner of the room with shelves above it lined with lever arch files, all neat and tidy, everything in its place. I rather liked the cut of Linda’s jib.
‘Mind you,’ I said, ‘it was different times then. The estate was new and full of young families. We all left our doors open and had babies out on the walkways in their prams getting some fresh air. You don’t do that now, do you? Kids were in and out of each other’s houses and playing on the yard.’
‘There are still kids on that yard, but not little ones.’
‘Those teenagers? I think they’re mostly harmless. I had a nice chat with them on my way over. We’re not quite on “hug a hoodie” terms but they were polite enough. A lot of this tough stuff is all for show, isn’t it?’
Linda shook her head. ‘I don’t know, Kath. I don’t like walking around here after dark. I always keep my keys in my hand, not that I go out very much. And I worry if Den’s out. Young men are more likely to be victims of crime than us.’
‘Linda,’ I said, ‘are you worried that your Den had something to do with this?’
She was pouring another cup of tea and her hand didn’t waver, not even a little bit.
‘You know what it’s like, Kath. Den has been a constant worry to me. He wouldn’t hurt a child, though. I know him, Kath. He wouldn’t do this. I don’t know what happened to that little girl, but I do know Den’s got nothing to do with it.’
‘It’s been two days, Linda, and no sightings. I can’t understand why no one’s spotted her somewhere, the poor little scrap. People don’t just disappear, do they? You know, the more this goes on, the more I think someone’s taken her, but I wouldn’t be a hundred per cent surprised if Sandy knew who.’
Linda arched her eyebrows and put her cup down. ‘Really?’
‘She’s not as upset as you’d expect, Linda. Not behind closed doors. All that for the cameras, that was just crocodile tears, I reckon. She was asking about a reward this morning.’
‘Are you saying it’s all fake? She cooked something up with someone to keep Mina hidden away until they can claim a reward?’
I took another sip of tea. ‘I’m not saying anything, Linda. I’m not one to gossip, but I wouldn’t be surprised, that’s all.’