The Half Truth(86)

As she turned away, the sun emerged from behind a cloud. It streamed in through the window and the sun-catcher, spreading a shimmering sea of colours across the room. Sparkles of silver bounced off the mirror above the fireplace. The words Sasha had written on the postcard of Windermere came back to her.

And the sun’s rays reflected back from the water like gems of tears.

‘You look miles away.’

She turned at John’s voice and smiled at him. ‘Do I? Mind wandering, that’s all.’

‘Sure?’

She hesitated. So far she hadn’t mentioned the second postcard, more because she had forgotten about it than a deliberate omission. She thought about leaving it that way, but immediately corrected herself. No more secrets.

‘In the safe-deposit box … there was something else.’

John raised his eyebrows. ‘Do I want to know about this?’

‘It was a postcard.’

‘Another one? Any cryptic messages this time?’

‘Don’t joke.’ She scanned the room for her handbag, locating it on the armchair. She paused with her hand in her bag. ‘Where’s Dimitri?’

‘He’s now burying his ball in the sand pit. Apparently, I need to practise my goal-keeping skills as it makes it too easy for him.’ John gave a grin. ‘That will teach me to go easy on him.’

Tina laughed. ‘Nothing to do with you actually being rubbish in goal, then?’

‘Certainly not.’

The conversation came to a halt. Tina looked at John, his smile distracted her. He spoke first. ‘Are you going to stand there all day with your hand in your bag or is there something you wanted to show me. You know, like a postcard?’

‘Oh, what? Sorry. Yes, here.’ She retrieved the card and handed it over to John. ‘I’ve no idea what he means, but I was simply standing here and the light from the sun-catcher caught my eye and it reminded me of the postcard.’

John looked up at the window. ‘What’s the connection?’

‘The card, it’s of Lake Windermere. We went there on our honeymoon.’ She turned to the window as well. ‘We bought the sun-catcher in a little gift shop there.’

She watched John re-read the card. ‘And it doesn’t mean anything to you, what’s written here?’

Tina shook her head. ‘Nothing. Absolutely nothing.’

‘Gems of tears. That’s an odd expression. I don’t think I’ve heard that before.’

‘Neither have I, but sometimes words and expressions used to get a bit lost in translation with Sasha. He might have misquoted something he’d once heard or read.’

John looked thoughtful. He studied the card for a third time and then went over to the window. Tina watched him lift the sun-catcher down and inspect it thoroughly.

‘It’s only a cheap gift. It’s not worth anything,’ she said.

John seemed to spend a long time examining the glass trinket. He glanced up from under his eyelashes and raised an eyebrow.

‘What?’ said Tina.

John didn’t reply. He held the sun-catcher up to the window, the light once more streamed through the coloured glass. He turned it over and back again, then tucking the postcard under his arm he picked with his finger at the glass stones glued to the blue glass.

‘Has this ever been broken and repaired?’ he asked.

Tina came to stand beside him, looking over his shoulder as he ran his finger over the glass.

‘No, not that I’m aware of.’

‘And nothing looks different about it to how it looked when you first bought it?’

‘Not that I remember. We used to have it on the wall behind the counter at the deli. When I moved here I packed it away and forgot about it for a long time. It wasn’t until I was going through some boxes about a year ago that I found it and hung it up.’

John nodded. He read from the card again. ‘And the sun’s rays reflected back from the water like gems of tears.’ He looked at her. ‘You don’t get it, do you?’

‘No.’ She felt frustrated. ‘You obviously do, but then you are the detective.’

‘Gems of tears,’ said John. ‘What are gems?’

‘Precious stones.’

‘Such as …’

‘Diamonds, rubies, sapphires … come on, John.’

‘Tears. You cry when you are sad. Tears can look like little gemstones. I’m thinking diamonds.’ He ran his finger along the glittering stones glued to the sun catcher.

Tina’s hand shook as John passed it to her. ‘You think these are diamonds?’

‘Remember, I said that money was taken during the robbery?’ He paused while Tina nodded. ‘Well, initially it was thought that other items were stolen as well. Like jewellery and precious stones. However, they were never listed on the final report. The victims of the crime decided not to admit to having anything else stolen other than money. Probably because they had come by those things in a dubious manner themselves or had no proof of officially owning them.’