The next day I am drying the dishes after tea. They think I’m better now, so I have to join in with the chores again. I don’t mind really. I was sick of sitting doing nothing and it was making me feel guilty.
There’s a knock at the door, then Pam comes into the kitchen and says there’s a man to see me. The girls let out an, ‘Ooooooohh.’ I ignore them, put down the tea towel and go to the front door where Detective Walker is stood waiting for me. I see behind him that his car is parked at the end of our path.
‘Hullo, Detective,’ I say.
‘Hi, Lesley,’ he says, ‘I got your message, and we were driving home when I suddenly remembered, so …’
He gestures to the car as he says ‘we’, so I ask who’s in the car.
‘Oh that’s my fiancée, Lizzie.’ He waves at the car and a woman waves back. ‘D’you want me to come in, or …?’
‘They’ll all listen to us if you come in.’
‘We could sit here?’
‘They’ll listen to us here, too. Chores are just about to finish so they’ll be out in a minute. Shall we go for a wee walk?’ I suggest.
He looks at the car then back to me. ‘Yes, yes that sounds like a good idea, I’ll just tell Lizzie.’
‘You could tell her where the tearoom is – we could meet her there,’ I suggest.
‘Yes, yes, another good idea, that’s what I’ll do.’
He goes to the car window and Lizzie rolls it down and I get a good look at her. She’s pretty. She’s wearing a light brown cardigan and her hair is dark and tied back.
When he speaks to her she nods and gets out of the car. He gives her some money and points her in the direction of the tearoom.
He watches her walk away, then comes back to me. ‘So, how can I help you?’ he asks, as we set off walking.
‘Lizzie’s very pretty. Is she a lot younger than you? Have you been married before?’
‘What’s this got to do with Morag?’
‘Nothing, sorry, she just seems a lot younger than you.’
‘Can we stick to why I’m here, please?’
‘Aye, sorry. I was thinking, whoever killed Jane and Sally and Jonesy, they have to live here. They have to be on the grounds.’
‘And why is that?’
‘Because if someone was on the grounds all three times, who’s no usually here, it would be obvious because people would want to know whit they were doin’.’
‘Good point.’
‘So it’s someone who’s always around. And it’s someone who hates women.’
‘Why do you say that?’
‘Well, why else would you do it if you didnae hate women?’
‘I see.’
‘So who lives on the grounds and hates women?’
‘I don’t know.’
‘The caretaker.’
I feel bad saying this as Mr Sharples was very nice to me. I feel like I am betraying him but it’s more important that we are safe.
‘I see, and why do you say that?’
‘He’s no married, is he? Who’s no married at that age? And why is he no married?’
I don’t know.’
‘Cos he’s ugly. He’s ugly and there are all these young girls around and none of them will look at him because he’s so hideous and he gets angry and he thinks, I’ll teach them a lesson. That could be what happened with Jane and Sally.’
‘Right …’ Detective Walker’s gaze is fixed on the trees. ‘You think he had a different reason for killing Morag Jones, then?’
‘Jonesy was younger than the others. But mibbie she told him how ugly he was, or, or mibbie she worked out it was him whit done it and confronted him, and he saw her behind the cottage and took the opportunity to keep her quiet for good. Think about it. He can go anywhere in the grounds and it wouldn’t be suspicious, he’s strong enough to have done it.’
I look at Detective Walker to see if he thinks I might be right. I don’t think he does, as he grimaces and rubs his cheek.
‘I’m sure we interviewed Mr Sharples quite early on, Lesley. But I’ll go through the notes.’
‘Mibbie he lied?’
‘Yes, maybe, maybe.’
‘He’s got a reason, and he’s got the chance to do it. How many people have the reason and the chance?’
‘Hmmm …’
I’ve held back the last bit of information, but Detective Walker still doesn’t seem convinced, so I hit him with it. ‘And he’s a mental.’
‘A mental?’
‘Aye, he’s a lunatic, getting treated at Dykebar, that’s where all the lunatics go.’
‘And how do you know this?
‘Saw it, didn’t I. In his garage, I saw a letter.’
‘You’ve been going through his private property?’
‘Had to, sir. They havenae found who did it yet; some-one’s got to do it.’
‘Lesley, I can assure you we have many men investigating this back at the station.’
‘Aye, you’ve got many men, but none of them have found anyone, so mibbie someone else should try. After all, the next person he’s gonnae kill isnae going to be one of yous lot, is it? It’ll be someone like me, or even me. I cannae just sit about and wait for it to happen, I’ve got to do something.’
The detective looks at me for a moment. ‘It’s a good point, Lesley, I can’t argue with it, but you shouldn’t have done that. There are rules.’
‘Aye, but what good are rules if we are all deid?’
‘I understand what you are saying, but we have spoken to all the men who live and work at the Homes, they were the first people we looked at, and if there was anything suspicious we would have investigated further.’
‘Right …’
‘But I’ll tell you what,’ he says, ‘when I’m back at the station tomorrow morning I will read the file on Mr Sharples and see if there is anything in what you have said, a new angle.’
‘Angle?’
‘Yes, you know, a different way of looking at it.’
‘Why is that an angle?’
‘Well, Lesley, when you have a problem like the one we have here it pays to look at things from a number of different positions, or angles, to see if it looks different when viewed from another place. See that bush over there?’
‘Aye.’
‘Well that bush will look different to us when we’re standing here to if we were over there,’ he said, pointing at the junction, ‘and it’s the same with a problem or a case.’
‘I see. All right. Thank you, sir.’
‘And I’ll come back and let you know what I find.’
Our walk is now leading us towards the tearoom.
‘Detective Walker,’ I say.
‘Yes?’
‘Why did you no get engaged until now?’
‘I guess I hadn’t met the right woman.’
‘And is Lizzie the right woman?
‘I think so, yes.’
‘She’s very pretty.’
‘I think she is, yes.’
‘Does she like going out with a policeman?’
‘I hope so.’
‘Are you having a baby, sir?’
‘I’m sorry?’
‘Are you havin’ a baby, is that why you’re getting married?’
‘Why do you say that?’
‘Because that’s why a lot of people get married. And she touched her stomach when she got out of the car.’
‘You are a perceptive girl, Lesley, if a nosey one. You will make a fine detective one day, I think.’
‘Oh, I don’t want to be a detective; I want to be a scientist.’
‘Well, good for you, Lesley, good for you. You’ll need to study hard to be one of those.’
‘I will, sir, and congratulations.’
‘I think it’s time you went back, don’t you?’
‘Are you going to walk me back?’
‘Err …’
‘There’s a dangerous man on the loose.’
‘All right, then yes, and I’ll pick up the car.’
He walks me back to Cottage 5 and I ask him how long he has been a detective and if he likes it. His answers are: three years, after being a normal policeman for two years; and yes, he does like it. But he says sometimes it isn’t very nice, you see some very unpleasant things, and sometimes have to give people very bad news.
When we get to his car I say goodbye and walk up to the cottage. I sit on the step to watch him drive off to pick up Lizzie from the tearoom.
I don’t tell the girls what I have told Detective Walker; if they know they might let it slip and Mr Sharples would find out. But I start to worry that I don’t want them to go anywhere near him or his hut, so when the lights go out and we’re all lying in bed, I tell them I think Mr Sharples is creepy, and I’m not going to go anywhere near him until they have caught the murderer. That way I haven’t accused him of doing anything, but I have said enough so the girls will keep an eye out for him.
I go to sleep thinking about Lizzie. I wonder if she will get into trouble for being pregnant and not being married. I’m never going to get pregnant without being married; that’s how I ended up here in the first place.