The Magus of Hay(63)
‘Mr Winterson, about Kelly, could you do us a favour? There’s things I need to know, questions I need to ask, but I don’t want to distress your mother by asking them in front of her.’
‘You want me to get Kelly out yere?’
‘Exactly. Thank you.’
Kelly James was in a baggy white YFC hoodie, looking even younger than Tamsin, golden curls like a baby.
Conspicuously pregnant, eyes aglow with tears.
‘I just did what she told me. I was only trying to help. It’s all my fault…’
‘We could all say that, Kelly. Just… take your time. When exactly did you call Tamsin?’
‘Must’ve been about half-six?’
‘And what did you tell her?’
‘Told her I’d seen this woman. Near Mr Hambling’s house? She’d asked me if I seen the woman again, could I let her know.’
‘When was this? When you saw the woman.’
‘After I came home from work. Four? I go home early now, what with…’
She’d lowered her voice, covering the bump with both hands, like she didn’t want the baby to hear and develop a prenatal anxiety problem.
‘Where do you work?’
‘In Hay. I work for my Uncle Geoff, he’s an accountant? When I get home, I’ve been going for a walk, with the dog. Get some… fresh air and exercise.’
‘And you went up by Mr Hambling’s house.’
‘Not that far. I don’t go that far. I went by the church, as far as the ole castle. The mound, earthwork jobbie? And that’s where I seen her. Standing on the mound. Really still. Like some monument.’
‘And this was definitely the woman you’d seen before, going to Mr Hambling’s place.’
‘With a cardboard box. Groceries type of thing. Bottles sticking out.’
‘What’s she look like?’
‘Tallish. Posh-looking. Fairish hair, up in a scrunch at the back. You could tell she was posh, the way she walked. Head in the air kind of thing. She had classy boots on.’
‘She see you?’
‘Dunno. Mabbe. I was a bit excited, see, so I just like turned round and walked back with the dog, and I could see this car on the church car park?’
‘What sort?’
‘Audi. Dunno what model, but it was red. Well, I hadn’t got the mobile with me, I was only out for a short walk, so I just kept saying the number over and over again so I wouldn’t forget it, and then I went home and called Tamsin. It was her day off, so she’s at home, and she said she’d come right away.’
‘So she took down the number.’
‘Yeah.’
‘Tell me exactly what she said.’
‘She said, “I’ll report it,” and then she said “I’ll come out.” And I’m like, “What do you want me to do?” And she said, “Nothing. You stay there.” She said, “I’ll ring you later.”’
‘And then what happened?’
‘I don’t know. I just… did what she said. Nothing.’
‘You didn’t see the red car again? Or the woman?’
Kelly shook her head.
‘You can’t see the road from our house. I’m like, Oh please don’t come down before Tamsin gets yere. In my head, kind of thing. And then when I didn’t hear anything after about an hour I thought I’d better go up there again, and there was no sign of anybody. And I waited another… don’t know how long, and I rang her mum.’ Kelly started to cry. ‘Left it too long, didn’t I?’
‘You’d no reason to think there was anything wrong,’ Bliss said. ‘Did you?’
He looked back at the house. Two faces at the bright window now. He hated this. Motioned Kelly further away from the house, under a Dutch barn with a tractor and trailer in it.
‘Who did Tamsin say she was going to report it to?’
‘Just said she was gonner report it.’
‘Right,’ Bliss said. ‘This car number. I don’t suppose you remember it do you?’
‘I put it down. Soon as I got in. Put it in my phone.’
‘Good girl—’
Kelly was fumbling out her smart phone.
‘She’s gonner be all right? Is she? It was just one… posh woman. If it’d been a bloke… but it wasn’t.’
‘She’s probably doing a bit of investigating, Kelly. Things she wasn’t sure she could tell you about.’
‘Did she not phone you?’
Kelly’s shoulders shaking.
‘I’m sure she intends to,’ Bliss said. ‘She probably just… hasn’t had a chance.’
When the duty sergeant at Gaol Street, Gerry Rowbotham, came back, they were parked in a roadside picnic place past Hardwicke Church, just before the junction. Like a courting couple, Bliss thought bitterly.