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Finisterre where the Copperfields lived was a quiet residential suburb where small business owners and tradesmen lived in large older houses with gardens front and back, and off-street parking that left the roadsides clear. There were mature trees to shelter under from the burning summer sun, mainly European trees such as oak and chestnut and liquid amber that turned brilliant colours in the autumn. There were also trees native to New Zealand, kowhai with its golden flowers beloved of birds, korokio, familiar to the world as corokia, titoki, puriri, horopito the lacebark and tree fuchsia which brought the birds, and entwining clematis with gorgeous scented flowers. It was a pleasant area where houses were well-kept, churches still drew small flocks to worship, a family area where children were growing up but where school enrolments were declining as families aged.
It was difficult to remain anonymous, to slip into properties without being seen, but Charlotte Hoar managed to do so by going jogging. Very early in the morning Charlotte slipped around the side of Louise’s house in Allnatt Street. The dog Tess wagged her tail at the sight of a friend who brought treats. Tess was kept inside a dog motel, a kennel with an attached run where she had some toys and some freedom to move about within the attached cage. Tess was often let off in the morning by Frank as he left for the building site, returning to the dog motel when little Alexander fed her. Whenever Charlotte sneaked into the house, she gave Tess some doggy treats.
“Good dog,” she said as she fed Tess on a doggy treat from the local supermarket. Tess wagged her tail and took the bar into her kennel to savour it. Her wagging tail thumped against the wooden sides of the kennel, startling Charlotte for a moment. But there was no disturbance, nobody came.
It was just after dawn, so Charlotte knew she would have to hurry if she wanted to get away before Frank came into the yard to pee on the lemon tree before letting Tess have a run.
Charlotte moved quietly to the porch at the back door. The porch had a glass door that was never locked, a back door which she assumed was locked, and a laundry door which was always a little ajar, a convenience that allowed the utility room door to be pushed open by Louise or Kezia when they carried in an armful of washing. The laundry was just a box-like room with a window, a laundry tub, a washing machine and a dryer, and a large store cupboard.
Charlotte had several times watched Alexander open the cupboard and use a scoop to fill Tess’s dish with biscuits from the bag on a low shelf. Alexander never saw her. He was too fixated on his task to notice Charlotte in her black clothing standing behind a shrub.
Two weeks ago, Charlotte had been with Louise when she put a new bag of Friskies dog biscuits in the cupboard after Louise had come home from work. From the car port, Louise had seen Charlotte at the gate of the house and had called out, “Charlotte, how nice to see you. Do come in and have a coffee.”
“Just passing by,” said Charlotte. It was day time so the hoodie and the black pants had been replaced by a dark blue tracksuit. “Been for a bit of a run. Yes, I’d love a coffee. Here, let me help with that.”
Louise was carrying a big bag of dog biscuits.
“No problem. Had to leave these by the carport,” said Louise. “I could manage to take the shopping in, but the biscuits are just too much.”
Charlotte followed Louise down the path to the back porch, and into the laundry.
“You are just so lucky to have a room like this,” said Charlotte. “My washing machine is in the kitchen, would you believe.”
Louise opened the cupboard door, took out the old bag of biscuits and put what was left in the bag into a dish. Louise replaced the old bag with her new bag, which she opened by pulling a tape at the top. She put both her hands into the bag and lifted up the small coloured biscuits.
“Pretty, aren’t they?” she said to Charlotte. “I wonder which colour Tess will like best?”
“I like the red ones,” said Charlotte.
“Yellow bin,” said Louise, taking the now empty bag and folding it in half. She was referring to the colour of the lid of the rubbish bin that sat against the outside wall, the bin in which she would place the empty bag. “Dustbin day tomorrow.”
The next morning just as the birds began to sing and dew hung like gems from the golden kowhai blooms, Charlotte returned with a paper bag full of Pindone pellets. She slipped into the laundry where Louise kept the dog biscuits for Alexander to give to Tess. Opening the top of the bag, she poured in the green pellets from her paper bag. Then she lifted the biscuits and let them fall from her hands as she stirred in her poisonous gift. She thought the little green biscuits looked pretty among the yellow and blue and black and brown triangular, square and round shapes of the standard mixture. They looked good enough to eat. Especially if you were a hungry little boy. For a moment Charlotte had qualms about what she was doing, but it shouldn’t matter. If Alexander ate some, they shouldn’t do any harm. The poison was for rabbits not for humans. It would kill a rabbit but would only make a dog sick. Worry about the pet and the children’s reaction and the expense of the vet; two strikes for the price of one.
‘This is a neat trick,’ Charlotte said to herself. ‘Maybe she’ll get the message – leave my man anlone.’