There was so much to do. All the things Vince had put off prior to the funeral were on a long list to take care of today and he didn’t mind.
Stay busy.
He began making pancakes. Flour. Eggs. Milk. Measure. Mix. Rest.
Melanie had already showered and was in her room. Good little girl getting herself up each day, showering, keeping her room tidy. He’d been forever reminding Susie to do the same until she’d gone to high school and suddenly cared about how she looked.
He stuck his head out of the kitchen. ‘Breakfast in ten, Melly.’
There was a muffled response which he hoped was acknowledgement.
Yesterday they’d played board games and watched television and eaten fruit and chocolate from baskets sent by Liz and other people. There’d been a lasagne on the doorstep when they’d got home after the funeral with a note from Lyndall.
Susie’s old favourite.
Lyndall didn’t do funerals. Hadn’t attended Marion’s, who was her friend. Told him once she couldn’t face them anymore. Not after everything she’d lost. He hadn’t asked what she meant, and she hadn’t volunteered any further information. Despite being neighbours for years, her background was a mystery. For the first time, he was curious.
‘Ooh, pancakes!’ Melanie peered into the bowl. ‘Can I help?’
‘Um… sure. What do you want to do?’
‘Flip them.’
About to say no, he’d do the cooking part, he stopped himself. Marion always encouraged Susie to help whether with cooking or stacking timber. She’d been a pragmatic woman who wanted her daughter to have a range of skills. After she died and Vince tried to take on every aspect of life without her, it was Susie who stubbornly kept doing her chores and adding to them so there was equity in the house. It wasn’t how he’d been raised and sometimes he still heard his father’s voice in his head reminding him to protect his women. Not that he’d ever considered anyone in his life to be ‘his.’ Different times.
‘May I?’ Melanie asked.
‘Have you flipped them before?’
‘Mm. Yes and no. Mummy helped. I might need a little bit of help still.’
He smiled. ‘I’m right here if so. Do you know how much butter needs to go in first?’
With a nod, Melanie went to the sink and washed her hands.
After a couple of minor mishaps, they each settled at the table with plates of pancakes with fresh cream and more of the fruit from Liz.
‘Is she your friend?’ Melanie finally stopped eating after somehow fitting in more pancakes than Vince. ‘The lady police officer?’
‘Lizzie? I guess she is.’
‘Then why doesn’t she visit you?’
‘She did the other night. You were fast asleep.’
‘Oh.’ Melanie tilted her head. ‘Lyndall is nice. Is she your friend?’
He bought himself a minute to think about the answer by collecting the plates. ‘Another hot chocolate?’
‘I’m full to the brim.’ She patted her stomach. ‘So is she?’
Curious little thing, aren’t you?
‘We’ve been neighbours for a long time. She and your grandmother were close friends and she even used to look after your mum sometimes, when she was your age.’
‘Can we visit her soon?’
‘Sure. Maybe not today though. I have to do some paperwork and we might go food shopping a bit later.’
Melanie jumped to her feet and started putting the remaining fruit into the fridge. ‘I’m going to do some more drawings and give them to Lyndall when we see her. Maybe one of the little kitten.’
‘Great idea, Mel.’
Anything to distract her from asking more questions about Lyndall. He’d have no idea how to answer.
After paying a stack of bills which would keep Susie’s house insured and with power for a bit longer, Vince turned to the bigger problem at hand.
He reread the letter from the principal at Melanie’s school.
Two points stood out.
The length of time the account had been left unpaid, and the mention of David’s business being in trouble.
After checking Melanie was nowhere in earshot, he phoned the school. It went through to a voicemail, and he left his number. School holidays were on for another week or so. He found the email address on the letter and began to type a message, interrupted when the phone rang.
‘Mr Carter? This is Mrs Joyce McCoy from Melanie’s school, returning your call.’ The voice on the other end was crisp and polite.
‘Thanks for the call. I forgot it was holidays.’
‘I’m working in my office and normally let the messages go but given the situation… what a dreadful shock about Susan and David. I’m terribly sorry for your loss.’
‘Yeah. Thanks.’
‘And how is Melanie faring?’
‘One day at a time. Her broken arm isn’t giving her any trouble. The reason for the call is that I’ve collected the mail and have your letter and invoice.’
There was silence.
‘It was a bit of a shock to see how much is owing to the school,’ he said.
‘Under normal circumstances it wouldn’t have got this far,’ she said. ‘But the family had been very generous in the past helping another student stay in the school… David was adamant he’d be able to pay the full invoice no later than a fortnight ago.’
‘Did he tell you what was wrong in his business?’
‘I shouldn’t be speaking about our confidential conversations.’
Vince rolled his eyes.
‘Mrs McCoy, I’m Susie’s father. I have Melanie living with me and am trying to piece together why David would say his business was in trouble because there is no sign of that being the case.’
She drew her breathe in audibly. ‘How very odd.’
Why the lies, David?
‘Mr Carter, I’d rather speak about this in person. Are you able to meet with me?’
‘Of course. Melanie loves the school. I want to make sure she can continue.’
‘We’ll talk about your options. It will need to be tomorrow or the day after.’
They arranged a time and terminated the call.
Vince deleted the email he’d been writing. David and Susie had paid off the mortgage on their house at the beginning of the year. No more repayments. More disposable income each pay period and there was a solid record of a decent salary being drawn. So why tell a school that the business was struggling? Where was the extra money going?
While he had the emails open he searched David’s name. Lots of mentions in Susie’s emails and he couldn’t bear to read them. Not just yet.
‘Can we go shopping now?’
He jumped. How had Melanie snuck up so quietly?
‘I’m sorry to frighten you.’ She put her hand on his arm and her smile faded. ‘I’ve only got socks on my feet so you mustn’t have heard.’
‘You could never frighten me, sweetie. My mind was elsewhere, and you walk very softly. And yes, we can go shopping now. If I can arrange it, would you like to visit Lyndall after lunch?’
Her smile came back in full force and she jumped up and down.
‘All right. You find some shoes and I’ll phone her now and ask.’
Vince sat at David’s desk in the office in Susie’s house. He only ever thought about it in terms of belonging to Susie, but it had been their joint home. No point pretending otherwise. He was waiting on the phone while his lawyer spoke to theirs. He knew he could look through anything here and nobody would find out but taking David’s business property home with him might create a problem later on.
‘Vince? Sorry to keep you. Look, as long as you keep a record of what you take from the house then there’s nothing to stop you. Pickering hasn’t presented proof of ownership of the laptop. It was worth checking but as we’ve applied for you to administer the estate all you are doing is planning ahead.’
‘Thanks, Sally. After the break-in here it worried me there might be another go.’
‘Fair call. While I’ve got you, their lawyer mentioned they’ve received a letter from Pickering’s lawyer about the company. He wants to buy out David’s share.’
‘No,’ Vince snapped.
Sally chuckled. ‘Once the dust settles and Melanie is permanently in your care, they can’t do anything without your approval. But in my opinion as your legal counsel, let them make an offer. If it’s fair then Melanie will have money in a trust fund for her future use and more importantly for you, I imagine, is breaking off all contact with them.’
‘They’re her godparents.’
‘Which will be the only role they’ll be able to play in Melanie’s life. Nothing legal to bind her to them. You’ll decide if there is any further contact.’
That appealed to Vince. After the call finished, he opened the suitcase he’d already collected from the hallway cupboard and began to fill it. Files, the laptop, speed sticks, a tape recorder, phone, and a leather-bound diary. There was plenty of space left so he collected more clothes from Melanie’s room.
Before he left he went into Susie’s bedroom.
Somehow it was easier than before. Easier, since he’d told himself he was only here for Melanie’s benefit rather than intruding in his daughter’s home. Any flutters of grief got stomped on the minute they appeared.
There were precious photographs on her bedside table of Melanie at different ages and he took those. On the chance there might be something Melanie needed from the safe, he tapped in the combination Susie always used. It didn’t work. He tried others—his birthdate, hers, David’s, Melanie’s. Nothing.
Had Pickering been in here the other day?
He sent a text to Liz.
Back in the office Vince gazed at the filing cabinet. In the past, David was anal about locking it. He once joked that he locked up his keys.
But the filing cabinet wasn’t locked.
And there were gaps where whole files were missing.
His phone beeped with a message.
He frowned. Liz reminded him of better days. And the worst days. But she was the only one taking him seriously, apart from Terry to a degree.
Melanie wanted to get to know her.
A way to trap a killer.
Thank goodness they’d shopped earlier. Plenty of options to throw in the oven. Vince realised he was smiling.