Effie wasn’t sure what was going on and wondered if maybe she should be doing something else rather than sitting down to watch a film. ‘Is it going to take long because—’ Effie was interrupted by her father’s voice. She turned to watch the TV screen. There was her dad. She felt like time had stopped. ‘Dad?’ A much younger version of her father was looking at her from the television. His hair was longer than she remembered and he was holding a microphone.
‘It was my mam and dad’s wedding anniversary,’ said Robbie leaning towards her and whispering.
‘Uh-huh.’ Effie couldn’t take her eyes off the screen.
Her dad smiled into the wobbly video camera. ‘And this one is for my little girl: Effie,’ he said. A sob caught in her throat. She watched as a tiny version of herself, probably only about three or four years old, ran to her daddy who scooped her up into his arms and kissed her cheek. The music started and her dad started to sing ‘Wherever I Lay My Hat That’s My Home’. Effie couldn’t look away. It was like a portal to the past. To hear his voice and see his face meant so much to her.
The song ended and he passed the microphone to Robbie’s mother who started talking, but Effie was fixed on the figure of her dad carrying her off to one side. She noticed how her chubby fingers were gripping him tightly and she could almost feel how good that sensation was. That feeling of love and safety. And then he was gone and it was just Robbie’s mam talking about cake. Robbie stopped the video.
‘Robbie,’ said Effie. ‘That’s amazing.’ She tried to wipe away the tears but there were a lot of them. Robbie passed her a tissue, which she gratefully took. ‘How did you find this?’
‘My mam mentioned about him singing at their anniversary do years ago so I had a dig around and found this. There’s a place in Glasgow where they can copy videos onto files, so we’ll do that and then you can listen to your dad anywhere and anytime you want to.’
‘Robbie, I don’t know what to say.’
‘You don’t need to say anything. It’s just nice to be able to help people. Well, you especially. You know I think you’re great, don’t you?’
Effie blew her nose. She didn’t feel great. She felt all puffy-eyed and mixed up. She was happy to see her dad but sad too for what she’d lost. She was lucky to have a friend like Robbie. ‘You’re great too,’ she said.
Robbie looked at the floor, seeming a lot less like his confident policeman self. ‘Do you think maybe sometime in the future we could be greattogether?’
It took Effie by surprise but the notion made her a little giddy. ‘I think maybe we could.’
36
Liv had paid the mechanic and hastily wrapped the gifts she’d managed to grab at the few shops they’d visited in the only remaining wrapping paper she could find. Vivid pink Christmas trees would not have been her first choice, but it was all they had. She’d brought them inside while everyone else was in the kitchen discussing the Lizzie outburst and Liv had wrapped them in her room. With an armful of presents she pushed the library door open with her bum.
‘Can I help you with those?’ asked Robbie, already intercepting the two gifts about to tumble from the top of the pile.
‘Thanks,’ said Liv, heading for the Christmas tree. The fake presents were already under the tree so Liv tried to hide hers behind them, which was hard thanks to the bright pink Christmas trees. She didn’t want the embarrassment of the others seeing them and then feeling bad because they hadn’t got her something. That wasn’t why she was doing it.
Robbie hovered nearby. ‘I think I owe you an apology.’
Liv stuck her head out from under the Christmas tree. ‘For handcuffing and arresting me?’
‘Yep, really sorry. The evidence seemed indisputable. My mistake and an important learn for the future.’
‘It’s cool. Think about the story I’ll have to tell my mum when I get home.’ She grinned at him.
‘I suppose that’s one way of looking at it. Thank you for being so gracious,’ he said.
‘No worries. At least that’s one mystery solved,’ she said as she tried to reposition one rather heavy fake present. What had Effie been wrapping up?
‘Mystery solved?’ Robbie crouched down to join her at tree-base level. ‘What do you mean?’
‘The hotel sign.’
‘I saw that it had been cleaned but I didn’t know by whom. Was it the perpetrator come back to undo the crime? Did you see who it was?’ Robbie’s questions were coming thick and fast.
‘Hold on,’ said Liv, waving a hand at him. ‘I cleaned the sign because I thought it would be a nice thing to do.’
‘But you didn’t graffiti it – we’ve established that.’ He was peering at her strangely. Far lessPoirotand moreDr Whoweeping angel. ‘Do you know who did deface the sign?’ he asked.
‘I think it’s more important to focus on the fact that that mystery is solved and to focus on the one that isn’t. Could you hold this like that for a second?’ she asked as she leaned what felt like a chopping board at a strategic angle.
‘What mystery isn’t solved?’ asked Robbie.
‘The ghosting. Actually I have a few ideas about who it might be but what with all the shenanigans earlier I was distracted and forgot to ask Lizzie outright, but my money is totally on it being her. Some sort of strange revenge thing.’
