I frown. My dad never mentioned knowing Quinn and Quinn seems to be an old friend of Mum’s. I remember that Mum and Dad had been arguing over the phone. One time, Dad didn’t call us all the next night because of it. ‘What was my dad doing in your garden?’
He shrugs. ‘I don’t know. Mum probably roped him into fixing something. One of our fence panels had been broken. Maybe it was that. Anyway, it doesn’t matter. What matters is your dad could have been a part of a conversation where Ray’s driving was talked about. He’s not off the hook yet.’
I disagree. It does matter. I’d like to know what Dad was up to when he was angry with Mum. My shoulders drop. I agree with Harry about one thing. We’re not off the hook for only moving here recently, and Dad left the apartment to buy our food last night. Cora was crying and Mum was trying to do something on her laptop, so she asked me to put Cora to bed. I remember lying next to her cot in their bed while Mum tapped away, then I fell asleep – but not for long. I gasp. Dad could have posted the letters then, and Mum could have too. I keep that information to myself. ‘Could Ray have sent the letter to himself to frame my parents?’ I saw the way he looked at Mum. It was as if he knew her.
‘Ray doesn’t like newcomers, especially people from down south. He thinks they buy up all the houses and push prices up. I’ve heard him ranting to the neighbours about it.’
‘So, he has a motive?’ Motive, I feel like a detective and it is quite thrilling. I get why Harry is finding this exciting. He also hasn’t double-blinked once since we’ve been talking.
‘We’re not ruling anyone out.’ Harry pauses and looks at the board. ‘Were there any more letters from the poisoner? I think I saw Tessa holding some paper up.’
I nod, but I don’t want to tell him what was in the other one. The greasiness of the pizza isn’t sitting well in my stomach as I rethink those words. I let out a tiny burp and taste pepperoni, which makes me feel even yuckier.
‘Who was her letter to and what did it say?’ He grabs another piece of paper and writes her name on the top, then marks it as Exhibit two. ‘What did the letter say? Did she tell you?’
‘Err, I can’t remember. Something about her husband not being into her.’ I don’t want to say that the poisoner wrote that Tessa’s husband would rather have sex with my mum and the f word was used. ‘That was it.’
He writes that down and pins it to the wall. ‘I think my mum had one but I don’t know what it says yet. She was holding what could have been a note earlier. I’ll have to see if I can find it when she comes home.’
‘When who comes home?’ Quinn walks through the door, making me flinch. She saunters in like a ghost and I wonder how much she heard. She walks over to Harry and ruffles his hair, and I can’t help but wonder if something happened between her and my dad.
‘Err, nothing. We were just talking about the letters, weren’t we, Morgan?’
I nod. ‘I think I should get back home, see if there’s any news on my dad.’
‘There is.’ Quinn smiles. ‘Your dad’s on his way home.’
I can’t wait to see him. ‘Thanks, Mrs…’ I don’t know what to call her. Back home I call Mai’s mum by her first name. Are things different here? Have I just put my foot in it? Harry hasn’t even mentioned his dad, and I don’t see any sign of a man in the house, or another woman – not anyone. Is she a Miss or a Ms?
‘Quinn. Call me Quinn, and you’re welcome to stay as long as you like.’ She glances up at our handiwork. ‘Be careful though. Those messages were nasty and I don’t want you getting into any trouble, okay?’
Harry blinks hard a couple of times now his concentration has been interrupted.
‘Don’t become obsessed, Harry. You have schoolwork to do.’
‘Mum?’
‘What?’
‘Did you have a note?’
Quinn’s perfectly formed brows furrow. ‘No, sweetheart.’
‘I saw you with something that looked like a note earlier.’
‘Oh that, it was just a flyer for a new café in Whitby.’ She holds her breath for a few seconds, bites her bottom lip and looks like she’s about to carry on talking, but she just nods. ‘It was just a flyer.’
Harry starts blinking a little more erratically, and Diggerty runs into the room and jumps on us. I stroke the dog and stand. An atmosphere is brewing between them so I think it’s time I should go home, and besides, I want to see Dad. ‘I’ll err, we’ll hang out again soon, Harry. Maybe we can get the bus to school together on Monday, that’s if you’re at St Daniel’s High.’ I realise I haven’t even asked him where he goes to school.
‘He is,’ Quinn says, ‘and I’m happy to drive you in too, Morgan. We leave at eight fifteen every morning. It would be a pleasure.’
‘Okay, thanks, Quinn.’
We leave the snug and walk back through their huge open-plan kitchen-diner with twelve-seat dining table and a huge sofa setup, until we reach the double-sized front door. He watches as I walk along his long, meandering drive.
Security lights click on with every step until I reach the end. I glance at the post box and look around at all the houses. I can only see the upstairs over the topiaries. Ray stands in the window, staring at me. The moonlight catches the fluttering of an upstairs curtain. The woman next door to us must have been at her window, watching. I step into the lane and glance back in the direction of the woods. The tall trees beyond the houses sway and thrash with the breeze. I shudder as I think of the girl who went missing and I can’t help wondering what happened to her. People don’t just disappear.
The urge to run away takes over so I dart across the lane. I stop and listen to the rumbling of a vehicle in the distance. Vehicle lights flash against one of the houses before the car properly turns onto Clover Lane and I see that it’s a taxi. The driver pulls up and my dad gets out.
