The Whitby Murders (A Yorkshire Murder Mystery) J. Ellis (distant reading TXT) 📖

Steph raised her eyebrows. ‘Oh? Why is that?’

Louise sighed. ‘Not sure I’ve done the right thing. I’m not sure why I’m here in Leeds.’

Steph noted Louise’s worried expression and pale face. She was definitely not in a good place.

‘Isn’t it because you’re not ready to go back to London and normal life yet?’ she said. ‘I think you still feel that there’s unfinished business with what happened, so staying up here in the north not too far from Whitby is a way of staying involved. Am I right?’

‘Yes, I suppose so. But I can’t really do anything, can I? I thought I could just stay here and somehow help you, Dad and the inspector to solve it all but that could take a long time and . . .’ She shook her head. ‘Oh, I don’t know. I’ve really not been thinking clearly at all.’

‘That’s not surprising considering what you’ve been through.’ Steph drank some of her coffee.

‘I ought to go back soon because there is something else. I’m really worried about Ben. He went through some really traumatic stuff, especially trying to save Andrea that day. He looked exhausted and shaky when he left Whitby.’

Steph looked at Louise with her head on one side. ‘Is there any reason why you’re especially concerned about him?’

Louise laughed. ‘You’re very sharp. Yes, I haven’t said anything yet to Mum or Dad, so please keep it to yourself, but I really like Ben and I think he’s fond of me. That’s as far as it’s gone at the moment.’

‘But you’re hoping it will go further?’

‘Yes, and I think it will, which is another reason for going back.’ Louise drank some coffee and nibbled at a brownie. ‘How about one of these?’ She offered the plate to Steph, who, in the absence of Oldroyd and Andy, took one eagerly. She was a bit fed up of setting a good example to those two, by policing their consumption of sugary treats. It was about time they developed some self-discipline.

She enjoyed the brownie and finished her coffee. ‘Look, take a day or two and then decide. I think you’ll benefit from the rest and I don’t think Ben will run off with someone else before you get back.’

Louise laughed. ‘No, you’re right. I could do a bit of shopping in Leeds and see a few old school friends. It will take my mind off things.’

‘Good,’ said Steph, getting up. ‘I’d better be off, much as I’d like to spend the morning chatting to you. I’ll pop in again before you go back. You’ve got my number, haven’t you, if you want to call me?’

‘Yes, Dad gave it to me.’

‘Great. Bye for now, then. Thanks for the coffee.’

‘Bye.’

Louise felt much better after Steph’s visit. She texted some of her old Leeds friends and made arrangements to see them, then she made a sandwich for lunch. She was about to go into Leeds when she heard the key turning and the front door opening. She thought her mother had come home but it turned out to be Mrs Adams, her mother’s cleaner, a cheerful, talkative and bustling woman in her fifties who lived in Hunslet.

She reacted with surprise when she saw Louise. ‘Oh! You gave me a shock there, love. I wasn’t expecting anyone to be in.’

‘I’m sorry. I’m just spending few days here with Mum.’

‘Well, it’s nice to see you again. I’ve heard about what happened over in Whitby. It must have been terrible for you, losing your friends like that. I don’t know what the world’s coming to. My Terry thinks there’s too many of these computer games; all violence and people shooting each other and stuff. Anyway, it’s nice to see you. I can’t believe I won’t be seeing Andrea again.’

‘Andrea? Do you mean Andrea Barnes? My friend?’

Mrs Adams was moving around as she was talking, getting cloths and buckets out of cupboards while Louise followed her around. ‘That’s right. I used to clean for her too. I worked for her aunt for donkey’s years and when she died Andrea kept me on, though I only went once a month. There was no one living there most of the time so it didn’t get dirty. It was just dust. It’s a lovely flat, isn’t it?’

‘Yes it is. I’d no idea you knew Andrea.’

‘Well, I can’t say I knew her well because, as I say, she was in London most of the time. I don’t think she knew what to do with the flat; whether to move back up here, rent it or sell it. I don’t think she could bear to sell it really, but I imagine the money would have come in handy.’

‘You’re right. I visited her there a few times. She kept it just like it was when her aunt lived there with all that beautiful artwork.’

Mrs Adams had started to clean the kitchen sink. ‘Yes, and I’ll tell you a funny story about that. I was due to go to the house the other day. I have my own key like I do here. Well, it was after what had happened and I thought, well, should I go or not? I decided I would. I didn’t want to see the place get really dusty. So I went and I have to say it felt really odd to be there knowing she was dead. I didn’t like it at all. And then I noticed something. When you go round a place, you get to know where everything is and if something’s been moved. A painting in the hall had been taken down.’

‘Yes, I went in there with my dad and we saw the shape on the wall where it had been hanging. Do you remember what it was?’ asked Louise.

‘Oh yes. I didn’t like it much. It was a funny picture of a man and woman. You know hugging, but when you looked closely, as I had to when I was dusting, it looked like the woman was biting the man on