“Trying to get inside the cult by bringing Lena back to her parents. He was obsessed with becoming a member. I had no idea he was gang-related.” Alex let out a big, heavy sigh.
One of the closed doors to the bedrooms opened and Alex had to steady himself when he saw who came out of it.
Indy was wearing jeans and a vest top, her glasses weren’t to be seen and several strips of her hair were dyed purple and blue.
Alex looked from Indy to Drew and back again.
“It is certainly nothing like what you’re thinking now.” Her tone was pissed off librarian.
“I didn’t think you two could be in the same space for more than ten minutes without one of you spontaneously combusting with anger at the other.” He put his hand on Abby’s back. “This is Indy. Indy, this is Abby. Collectively, these two together are known as The Entertainment.”
Indy snorted. “I’m here to get a look at Severton. Take some photos for my memory book.”
“She’s got a new software toy to play with. I’d advise against asking as she’ll bore you for about half an hour.”
Indy didn’t rise, just shook her head. “There’s a decently deep river not far from here where I could dispose of your body. The only reason I’m choosing not to do it is because you have the sweetest daughter and she actually likes her daddy. Keep that in mind.”
Drew laughed which only made Indy glare more.
Alex shook his head.
“Anyway. I think Nicky Bamford is the man who followed Abby home.” Indy went to the fridge and pulled out a beer. “I managed to get the film from the nearby cameras that night and ran this comparison software I’ve been working on. It’s a match. But, Loneghan raised his head from whatever hole he’s hiding under at the moment to let us know that Garrison’s back in Manchester. So be careful.”
Alex watched as she weighed up Abby.
“We probably shouldn’t be passing this information over while your girlfriend’s standing here. But I’m thinking she might know stuff that we could use.” Indy still watched Abby.
Alex felt the muscles in her back tense.
“I’ve told everything I know to Alex. I spoke to Lena a month or two ago. Just to ask her about what it was like living at the manor and if there were ever people who stayed there that weren’t part of the church. I work with Lena – it was part of just a chat.” She shrugged and stepped away from him. “I feel shitty because I was trying to find out more…”
“Why so long after you moved here?” Indy asked. “If you came to Severton to find out what happened to Matilda, why wait?”
“Because it felt wrong to just keep digging and I felt bad about asking. It felt obvious – like I was trying to find out something specific.” She sounded downcast. “And I was worried that people would get suspicious of me if I asked too much.”
Indy nodded. “Where were you when you asked Lena about the manor?”
“We were walking from the Post Office to Scott’s bar. I had a shift and she was meeting friends for a drink.”
“Who was near you?”
Abby shook her head. “I have no idea. You don’t think like that in Severton.”
Indy nodded. “Cool. I think that you were overheard or seen together.”
“You don’t think the person following me was after the takings?”
Alex knew she’d not believed that but she had hoped it was the case. “Abs, it’s gone down as that because there wasn’t any evidence for it being connected with Alfie Fletcher or Felley Manor. Even if there had been a stronger connection to either one of them, it wouldn’t have been investigated.”
She nodded. “I get it.”
Indy pulled another beer from the fridge and passed it to Abby. “But that’s what we do now: we find the connections. We find what is actually going on up there and we find your sister. And in the meantime, we enjoy this festival.”
A small pair of whirlwinds blew through the door, their chatter too quick to be understood by anyone other than themselves.
“Daddy!” One of the whirlwinds spun into Drew’s arms. “Sadie says we can move to Severton and live with her! Can we, Daddy? I could go to proper school and not have a tutor anymore!”
Alex put a hand on Abby’s back and started to guide her towards the door. They didn’t need to be around for this fallout.
