After dropping Evie off at the police station, Astrid drove through the town centre. She slowed down as she went past Kennedy’s shell of a bookshop. The front bit was better than she’d expected, but beyond the logo of a stack of books above the door, she saw where the roof had started to collapse. It was amazing the fire hadn’t taken up the rest of the buildings, apart from the coffee shop next door. The owners appeared to have responded well and were offering mobile services a couple of units down in one of the boarded-up properties she’d seen yesterday.
She resisted the urge to visit them for a drink and made the drive to Elm Street. Once there, she parked outside the Church house, expecting to see ghoulish onlookers loitering everywhere, but the street was empty.
Astrid got out of the car, removed her phone and went through the list of residents she’d acquired from the internet. She’d be happy if she found half of the houses occupied, even happier if half again of the residents spoke to her. And she’d be ecstatic if she got something useful out of this. She hadn’t seen Adam’s lawyer when dropping Evie off, but she knew whoever she was, she had to be better than Adam defending himself.
She started on the Church side of the street. There was no response at the initial three houses, but she met one of the oldest people she’d ever encountered at the fourth. The woman was ageing, but fighting it with every cosmetic wonderment available to her. She’d dyed her hair jet black, the colour of it in stark contrast to the white pancake slapped over her face. It was as if Queen Elizabeth the First stood before her. Her false eyelashes flickered like butterflies as she attempted to force her stretched skin into a smile, her bright red lips quivering as she spoke.
‘How can I help you, dear?’
It looked as if the effort of speaking would make her fall over. Astrid put out her arm for support, and the old woman took it. Her gnarled fingers resembled the bark of a tree.
‘Do you have a few minutes to talk to me?’
‘Of course, dear. Come on in.’ She let go of Astrid and shuffled her legs to the side to turn around. Astrid kept a watchful eye to make sure she didn’t fall. ‘Close the door behind you.’
She did as instructed and stepped into the house. The place smelt as old as the woman appeared, a dusty aroma of damp and decay. It reminded Astrid of her grandparents’ home in England. Her parents only took her there once, but she never forgot how it reminded her of a hospital morgue.
The elderly lady used her feeble hands to cling to the wall and move into the living room. The first thing Astrid saw as she entered was a large orange phone which looked as if it hadn’t worked since the 1920s. The furniture was sparse and simple, a two-seater sofa and a single chair on either side of an ancient fireplace which was probably colder than the woman’s flesh. She slid into the seat as if her legs would never work again.
Astrid took the couch opposite, examining the severed heads of deer, foxes and bears covering the walls.
‘Is there a lot of hunting in these parts?’ She pictured the woods where the Glick girls had played.
The aged eyes peering at her sparked into life, the cackle of the old woman’s laugh making the dust bounce from the carpet.
‘Not for many years, dear. Not for animals, anyway.’
‘If not for animals, then what?’
Her bones creaked as she leant forward. ‘What’s your name, dear?’
She smiled at her. ‘I’m sorry. I’m Astrid Snow.’
‘You sound British, like those old actors from my favourite movies.’ Her eyes glazed over, and Astrid imagined she was reliving something from a long time ago. ‘Like David Niven, but as a woman.’ She laughed again. ‘Not that you look like him.’
‘Niven was a classic actor,’ Astrid said.
The woman’s eyes lit up like a bonfire, a radiance shining through the crap caked on her face. ‘My name is June, after a character in Stairway to Heaven. I wanted to meet a nice British officer in a uniform after watching that. Are you a British officer, Astrid Snow?’
‘No, June, I’m not. I’m just trying to help a friend out. That’s why I’m going door to door on this street, talking to your neighbours.’
‘It’s about the Glick girls, isn’t it?’ Astrid nodded. ‘Well, I’ll tell you what I told the police. I can hardly hear the TV unless I’m in front of it, and I never go to the door or the windows if I don’t have to. This is what happens to you when you get to be ninety-two years old.’
‘That’s an impressive age.’
June flashed an incomplete set of brownish teeth at her. ‘I’m aiming for one hundred. Then I’ll pop off to whatever is next. So what else do you want to ask me?’
‘Does anyone else come by your house that might have seen something, perhaps a nurse or a cleaner?’
June laughed again. ‘I wish. You’re the first visitor I’ve had in months. I might not let you go.’
‘You look after yourself and do your own shopping?’
She lifted a gnarled finger. ‘I get everything off the internet. What a marvellous invention it is. I wish I’d had it when I was younger. I wouldn’t have settled for the first man I met then, I can tell you.’
‘What did you mean when you said there were hunters here that didn’t only go after animals?’
June’s grin was so big, Astrid thought her teeth would fall out as they rattled along with her laugh. ‘You’re a woman of the world, Astrid Snow; I see it in your eyes. You know what I meant.’
‘You meant people preying on other people.’
She flicked her fingers in the air. ‘I’m talking about men preying on children and men preying on women. It happens here, and everywhere else. There’s no cultural or racial or religious or genetic reason to it. It’s all in their heads.’ She tapped at her skull. ‘My father was like that, so was my husband and his friends. And do you know why it is?’
‘No, June.’
Her grin made her look older than ninety-two. ‘I don’t believe you, Astrid. They do it because they think we’re laughing at them. And that’s why Adam Church killed those girls, because somebody somewhere laughed at him.’
‘Did you see the sisters go into his house?’
‘No.’
‘Did someone tell you they went into his house?’
‘No. It’s only what I read on the internet.’
Astrid sighed and stood. ‘I’ll let myself out, June.’
She turned and left before the woman could move. As she stepped outside, she wondered if there was any point in continuing. If even a ninety-two-year-old recluse thought Adam was guilty, what chance was there of proving his innocence?
She visited the rest of the homes on that side of the street, with no reply from any of them. As she crossed the road, a dog howled and a cat screeched somewhere beyond the cold concrete. It sounded as if they were each chasing their tails, something she could identify with. The first nine houses provided her with only silence, and with the three places she got a response from, it was all hard stares and a few choice curse words.
She approached the last house with a heavy heart. It was the place opposite the Church home, the one with a clear view from one set of windows to another. As she knocked on the door, she considered what had June said about predators and their prey.
What am I missing?
There was no answer after two minutes of waiting. She was about to give up when, from behind her, came the sound of a vehicle pulling up. She turned to see a blonde woman in her twenties get out of the car. She clutched a rucksack to her chest like a birthday present. The car drove off without Astrid seeing who was inside.
The blonde stared at Astrid, her eyes as wide as a frog’s. She dropped the bag to the ground and looked as if she was about to faint. Astrid stepped towards her.
‘Do you live here?’
The bag rolled on to the road. Astrid reached down and picked it up. It wasn’t heavy, but she felt something rattling around inside. The woman stumbled forward and grasped for the bag.
‘This… this… is my parents’ house.’
There was panic in her eyes which Astrid recognised from trauma victims. She passed the bag to her.
‘Are you okay?’
The blonde lurched past her, fumbling into her pocket and removing house keys. ‘I’m fine, thanks. It’s been a difficult few days around here.’ She rushed up the steps and struggled to get the key in the lock.
‘Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?’ Astrid said.
The house keys dropped to the ground, bounced down the steps and landed at Astrid’s feet. She picked them up and strode next to the nervous woman. She held them out as the blonde faced her.
‘Questions about what?’ She took the keys in trembling hands.
‘About what happened at your neighbour’s a few days ago.’
The key clicked in the door and she pushed it open. ‘I told the police everything I know.’
‘So you know something?’
She stepped inside, still clutching the bag. ‘No, I mean, no, I didn’t see or hear anything.’
Astrid placed her fingers on the front door. If nothing else, she wanted to get a look around inside. The blonde stumbled back, her eyes moving at a thousand miles a minute.
‘I promise I’ll be quick. I only want to observe the Church house from here. Is that okay?’
The woman nodded. ‘As long as you leave soon because I don’t feel well.’
She closed the door. ‘Thank you. My name is Astrid Snow. Can I have a look around your living room?’
‘It’s through there.’ She pointed to Astrid’s left. ‘I’ll be right back.’ She turned and disappeared into another room.
Astrid marched inside and went to the window. She pulled the curtain aside and peered across the road. She examined the view, but found it impossible to see what was happening in the other house. She could understand why all the neighbours claimed they didn’t see anything.
Astrid turned away when the blonde returned.
‘Have you seen enough?’ she said.
Astrid took two steps towards her. ‘You’ve got blood on your leg.’
‘What?’
‘Are you sure you’re okay?’ She pointed at the mark. ‘Maybe I should call for a doctor.’
As she spoke, the woman fainted at her feet.