If the journey from Elm Street to Kennedy’s house hadn’t gone through the town’s centre, Astrid wouldn’t have seen the fire at the bookshop. It also meant she got there before the emergency services, parking the car fifty yards from the shop and sprinting towards the inferno. The heat forced her back, so she stumbled into a bench opposite the boarded-up bakery. The smoke drifted into her lungs as she stood, causing her to bend and cough out her guts as she fumbled for her mobile. She used one hand to push the hair from her eyes while the other dialled Evie’s number. She let it ring as she peered into the bright red and yellow eating the darkness surrounding it.
The phone went to voicemail. Astrid fought her way through the smoke to get to the bookshop. The flames reached into the sky with fiery fingers clawing into the coffee shop next door. Luckily there was a gap between them, and there was no wind to spread the destruction further down the street.
Only when she scanned the area did she realise Jack Kennedy’s car was parked opposite his shop.
He must have driven here after I left his house.
She ignored her instincts and moved closer to the blaze. If Kennedy was in there, he wasn’t getting out. But what if Evie was with him? She gripped her phone, fighting through the smoke until she saw the devastation inside: the fire had consumed the front of the shop as hundreds of books perished in flames. She dialled the number and waited, her heart frozen as the heat threatened to overwhelm her. It went to voicemail again as the sirens screamed in the distance.
Astrid was at a loss for what to do when she heard the coughing behind her. The glass cracked in the window as she searched for the origin of the noise. The phone clung to her fingers, the sound of Evie’s voice repeating from the voicemail. She peered through the smoke and the gloom to see feet sticking out from underneath Kennedy’s car.
She rushed forward and crouched down, her free hand reaching for Evie and pulling her out and on to the pavement. The fire crackled in the air behind her as she forced Evie up and dragged her across the street. They coughed in stereo as the younger woman twitched into life in her arms. As they stumbled over the kerb, Astrid popped her against a wall.
‘Are you okay, Evie?’
She rubbed at her eyes, her lips quivering as she spoke. ‘I will be in a second.’
Then she twisted her head away from Astrid and threw up. The sirens grew closer, and Astrid knew they had to be somewhere else before they arrived. She let Evie drag everything from her guts, and then she pulled her up.
‘Come on, let’s get out of here.’
Evie was unsteady on her feet as she rubbed bits of vomit from her mouth. ‘Shouldn’t we wait for the police?’
‘And say what?’
Evie’s eyes burnt as red as the flames across the street. ‘Jack drugged me and then started the blaze.’
Astrid ushered her to the car. ‘You can tell me all about it on the way to his house.’ Evie didn’t protest as they drove away thirty seconds before the fire trucks arrived.
‘Why not tell the cops what he did?’
‘Because I need a word with Kennedy first. Once the police get their hands on Kennedy, there’ll be no chance to speak to him.’
Evie glanced at her reflection in the window as they drove. ‘Do you want to ask him why he tried to kill me?’
The empty road encouraged her to drive faster. ‘That and what he knows about the murders in your basement.’
Evie’s voice shook as she spoke. ‘You think he’s connected to that?’
Astrid shrugged. ‘Perhaps. It seems a bit of a coincidence he tried to kill you a few days after the Glick murders.’ She turned right, aware they weren’t far from Kennedy’s house. ‘Tell me what happened after I left you two together.’
So Evie did, her voice calm until she got to her and Kennedy in the bookshop.
‘He must have put tranquilisers in my beer. After seven years inside Shady Acres, I know how my body feels when I take them. Thankfully, my time under medication in the home means I’m used to higher dosages than what he gave me. It was still strong enough I couldn’t control myself, but it didn’t knock me out. That’s why I saw what he did when I was helpless on the floor.’
‘He set the place on fire?’
‘Only after he dumped me into a pile of magazines. He took the cigarettes from my pocket and put one in my hand. Then he lit the paper he’d poured the beer over. I watched him do it all, but couldn’t move. Not until he left. Somehow, I dragged myself across the floor and outside as the blaze engulfed the building.’
Astrid parked the car fifty yards from Kennedy’s home. ‘Why do you think he did it?’
Confusion crept over Evie’s face. ‘I don’t know, but, since you mentioned it, perhaps he knows something about the murders in our house. You said before it had to be someone who had a grudge against my family, so maybe it’s him.’
‘But you’re not sure what that might be?’
She shook her head. ‘Yesterday was the first time I’d ever met him. I’ve only been in contact with him through email for a few months.’
‘Because of your writing?’
‘Yes, but it can’t be about that, surely?’
‘Let’s go and ask him.’
Astrid led the way, not hesitating as she pushed the unlocked front door open, ready for any attack.
Unless he decides to shoot me. I should have told Evie to stay in the car.
But twice she’d left her alone, and both times she’d been attacked. She wouldn’t do it again.
The living room was empty, as was the rest of the ground floor. After she’d checked upstairs, she found Evie stuffing bunches of papers into a bag containing a laptop and the things she’d brought from Shady Acres. Astrid assumed the computer was Kennedy’s.
Evie stared at her.
‘Anything interesting upstairs?’
Astrid shook her head. ‘Nope. What have you got there?’
‘His laptop and pages from his desk.’ She nodded towards the bureau behind them. ‘There might be something useful here.’
‘Okay. Let’s go before the coppers arrive. Nobody knows he brought us here or his connection to you since you left the care home.’
‘We’re still not going to the police?’
‘Not yet. You need some rest, and my brain needs recharging before we decide on the next move.’
Evie clutched the bag to her chest. ‘So where are we going to stay?’
Astrid smiled at her. ‘Don’t worry. I have just the place for you.’
She parked the car fifty yards from the hotel and looked at Evie.
‘Do you have something in your bag to hide your face, like a hat? After what happened last time, I don’t want anyone to know you’re here.’
Evie dug deep into her bag and pulled out a hooded top. ‘Will this do?’
‘Perfect,’ Astrid said. ‘Wait here until I check reception.’
She got out of the car and walked into the hotel. A young man sat there, smiling when he saw her. She didn’t return the pleasantry.
‘We thought you weren’t coming back.’ His voice was like a motorbike tearing across a dirt track.
Astrid slapped her room key on to the desk. ‘Did they fix the busted flush?’
His thick glasses slid down to the end of his nose, so he prodded them up. ‘What busted flush?’
She pushed the keys towards him. ‘I told one of your colleagues the toilet in my room wouldn’t flush and to get it fixed. Are you saying they haven’t done it?’
Her anger was genuine, but not about this phantom dodgy toilet. It was an accumulation of making zero progress in the investigation and worrying about how close Evie had come to dying in that fire.
He pulled out a book and rifled through the last few pages. ‘Nobody has mentioned it here, Ms Snow, I promise.’ He grabbed her keys. ‘I’ll go and have a look.’
He stepped around the desk and up the stairs. She leant towards the front door and waved at Evie in the car. She watched her get out, her head covered by the hood, and sprint into the hotel.
‘Is everything okay?’ Evie said in muffled tones.
‘Wait here. When you hear my voice, come up in the elevator.’
She nodded as Astrid went to catch up with the young man. She took the steps two at a time and was there as he opened the door.
‘You could have waited downstairs, Ms Snow, while I sort this out.’
She shook her head. ‘I’m fine here.’
They entered together and he headed into the bathroom. The noise of a working flush meant he’d be leaving straight away. There was a massive smile on his face as he spoke.
‘They must have fixed it without reporting it in the book. I’m sorry about that, but everything should be okay now. Is there anything else you need?’ He pushed the glasses up his nose again.
‘No, that’s great, thanks.’ She ushered him out of the room and watched him walk to the stairs. As he reached the top, she ran towards him.
Confusion spread across his face. ‘Was there something else?’
She held out her hand. ‘You forgot to return my key.’
He let out a nervous laugh, dug into his pocket, and handed it to her. ‘Here you go.’
She took it and he headed downstairs. As he disappeared from her view, the lift opened behind her. As she turned, a hooded Evie stepped out.
‘Come on,’ Astrid said, ‘let’s get you safe.’
Evie staggered into the room and flopped on to the bed without removing the hood. She gripped the bag as Astrid locked the door and sat next to her. Evie’s breath came in slow, sharp movements. Astrid eased the bag from her and pulled the hood from her head. The poor woman smelt of smoke and looked exhausted. Astrid took her hands and lifted her into a sitting position.
‘We need some rest. You take the bed and I’ll have the sofa.’ She moved the bag onto the floor. ‘We’ll go through Kennedy’s stuff in the morning.’
Evie didn’t protest and crawled under the covers fully clothed. Astrid left her like that and went to the chair. She wasn’t tired and needed something to occupy her mind. The blank wall attracted her attention, her eyes focusing on the peeling paintwork as she imagined all the actors in this drama as pins she could play with.
And right at the centre were the Church siblings.