One Way Ticket (11 page)

“We haven’t quite finished yet, Miss
Meadows,” I told her. “You don’t know if Tina had fallen out with anyone?”

She remained standing. “Of course not,
I’ve told you I didn’t know her very well. I can’t tell you anything about
someone I didn’t know, can I? Now, I’ve answered your questions, you’ll have to
go.”

Defeated, we went to the backdoor and put
our shoes back on.

“I don’t know why you’re bothering
innocent people like me when you should be out talking to the men she used to
run around with. And their wives,” Elsie Meadows moaned to us.

I looked up from a fight to get my heel in
the back of my still strapped shoe. “Any names in particular?”

“Why don’t you start with that Roger Bale?
I saw the two of them in the White Hart more than once. Very friendly they
looked too.”

“Anyone called Paul?”

“Why should I know anyone called Paul? And
you can go out the back way, thank you,” she insisted as soon as we stood up,
ready to leave, shepherding us back out through a patio door and across the
small back yard.

“Thank you for−” was as far as Addi
got before the back gate slammed shut on us.

“What a nice lady,” I told him. “Amazing
that no one’s decided to kill her.” You had to wonder what could have happened
in her life to turn her into such a horrible human being?

We worked our way past an overgrown bush I
was surprised Elsie Meadows hadn’t chopped down and made our way back to the
car. Addi was surprisingly quiet.

“It’s not Roger Bale’s week, is it?” I said.

Nothing.

“Shall we go and interview him?” I asked.

Still nothing. Perhaps coming across Elsie
Meadows had upset him.

“What’s the matter with you?”

“It’s not your place to ask the
questions.”

“You asked for my help,” I flared up.
After I’d given up so much of my work time too. How ungrateful.

“It doesn’t look good for the admin staff
to question people.”

“You’ll have to get over it. How am I meant
to help you otherwise?”

He gave me an unhappy look and we drove to
our next destination in silence.

13
My Heart Will Go On

Roger Bale wasn’t at home. One
of his neighbours came out and told us it was Mr Bale’s afternoon for helping
at the animal shelter.

“That’s the kind of neighbour Tina
needed,” I pointed out as we got back in the car. “One of those and she could
even have still been alive today. Better than a burglar alarm, they are.”

Addi ignored me until we pulled up at a
large field. Or it would have been a field if there had been any grass in it.
The recent rainfall hadn’t allayed the drought much here and the ground still
looked parched and mostly bare.

Can I just say, I hadn’t realised I was
going to fall in love that day? Perhaps it was a result of Susan Robinson’s son
starting my poor abused heart all a-fluttering again, jumpstarting it back to
life, because, up until then, I hadn’t realised it was even capable of love any
more. Perhaps it was being on this island, in the bright sunshine (some days
anyway) and holiday atmosphere. I only wish cupid could give some warning when
he’s about to strike. I guess that’s just the way it happens sometimes -
suddenly, at first sight.

 One look was all it took for me, one
glimpse of that rich, shiny brown hair falling into deep brown eyes, hypnotic
almost in their gaze, and I was hopelessly lost. I stood transfixed as he gave
me the once over. I must have passed because he took a step closer. I did the
same. An overwhelming urge to touch him came over me and I was delighted when
he let me put my arms around him and rest my head against his neck.

“Ew, Jennifer, they’re full of fleas,”
Addi warned.

I didn’t care, this was the most beautiful
donkey I’d ever seen. I snuggled into his downy fur. What were a few fleas in
comparison with this bliss?

“Frankie likes you,” a man’s voice came
from behind us.

“It’s mutual,” I told the small, sprightly
looking, sixty-something man who’d appeared. Frankie nuzzled my pockets,
presumably hunting for food, as I continued to stroke his neck.

“We’re looking for Roger Bale,” Addi told
him.

The man smiled. “Well, you’re in luck, ‘cos
that’s me. What can I do for you?”

I took in his open, cheerful face before
he started rubbing Frankie’s muzzle and a wave of jealousy ran over me.

Addi flashed his badge and started the
questions again. It was a lot more pleasant with Frankie to help pass the time,
and Roger was a lot more likable than the other people we’d questioned so far.

“I met Tina here, she used to help out
sometimes. She was a nice woman, kind. We were only friends though, I don’t
think I was her type, she certainly wasn’t mine.”

“What was her type?” I asked, not moving
my attention from Frankie.

“Rough and ready chaps. They were more her
thing I think. Have you spoken to Simon Richards?”

“Simon Richards?”

“Yes, she mentioned him a couple of times.
He’s got a bit of a temper.”

“Haven’t had a bit of a falling out with
him, have you, by any chance?” I asked.

Roger turned to me in surprise. “He spread
a load of gossip about me. How did you know?”

“Just a lucky guess.”

 “We heard you were more than good friends
with Tina,” Addi told him. “You went out a lot together?”

“Oh no, there was nothing like that. Who’s
told you this?”

“So you’re saying there was nothing
between you and Tina?”

“We were friends, that’s all. Never
anything more than that.”

“Do you know a Paul that Tina was friends
with?”

Roger was still caressing Frankie’s nose.
I had to stop myself from telling him to leave my donkey alone.

“No, doesn’t ring a bell. Sorry.”

A few of the other donkeys came up to see
what the fuss was about. None of them were as cute as Frankie, although a few
came close. When they saw we hadn’t got any food, most of them turned away,
unimpressed. A couple of them distracted Roger though I was glad to see.

“If you think of anything useful, give me
a call,” Addi told Roger and handed him a card with his number. Then he turned
to me. “Ready?”

“What now?” Leave Frankie? Was he mad? I’d
only just gotten him away from Roger.

I clutched Frankie’s neck for a few
moments with Addi staring at me like I was insane, before letting go. I could
always come back and see him again. I gave him a farewell pat and promised to be
back soon.

“I don’t believe him,” Addi said, getting
in the car and pulling viciously at his seatbelt. “There was more to it than
‘just friends’”.

“It’s not Roger,” I told him as we drove
away.

“Why not?”

“Someone who cares for animals like that
is hardly going to strangle an old woman. Besides, I like him.”

Addi slowly shook his head. “I’ll see if I
can find any more information on him when we get back,” he said.

“We didn’t ask if he was married,” I said.

“No, we didn’t. I’ll look that up as well.
Could be interesting if there is a wife.”

“A wife would be a better suspect, I can’t
believe it’s him.”

Addi gave me a sour look. “Criminals can
often be very…what’s the word? Charming. That’s how they con people.”

“Well, I still don’t believe it’s him.”

As soon as we got back, Addi went off to
look up Roger Bale and I went off to look up the weather report again back home.

I was still chuckling when Addi arrived
back at my desk.

“I’ve found some information on Bale. He
was interviewed by the police once in England on suspicion of assault. They
couldn’t prove it so he was never charged. I’m going to bring him in for
questioning.”

“Oh no, really? I think your making a
mistake.”

“He’s already lied about how well he knew
Tina.”

“We don’t know that for certain, that’s
just according to Elsie Meadows and she’s an evil old hag.”

“I’m going to get him anyway.”

“Alright, but I’ve got a bad feeling about
this,” I told him as I stood up and moved to pull my jacket off the back of the
chair.

“No Jennifer, you stay here, I’ll take one
of the boys with me, just in case Bale gets violent.”

“Violent? Him?”

Addi held up his piece of paper. “He was
suspected of assault before.” I watched him walk away with disbelief.

When he came back, twenty minutes later,
he had a very subdued Roger Bale with him. Roger still managed to smile at me
as he was led into an interview room.

I waited with a bad feeling.

After forty long minutes, Addi emerged.

“Well?” I asked, intercepting him in the
corridor.

“I’ve put him under arrest. I’m going to
keep him in overnight.”

“What? Has he admitted something?”

“No. But it’s only a matter of time, isn’t
it?”

“Does he know Louise Allen?”

“He says not, but they always lie.”

He sauntered off looking happier than he
had in a while. I walked slowly back to my desk, picked up my things and left.

“Do you know Roger Bale?” I
asked Aunt June after I’d taken my shoes off and collapsed on the sofa at home.

“Roger Bale? Doesn’t ring a bell. Don’t
look at me like that, I don’t know everyone that lives here, especially since
the town expanded.”

Aunt June went back to her trashy
magazine. “Does he work at the animal sanctuary?” she asked a few seconds
later.

“Yes.”

“Well, I don’t know him really, I’ve met
him once, maybe twice, that’s all.”

“What did you think of him?”

“Seemed harmless enough.” She looked up
from her magazine. “Why?”

“Oh, his name just cropped up.”

“Cropped up how?”

“Oh, you know. By the way, about your
offer of going out with me sometimes.”

“Yes?”

“How about tonight?”

Aunt June’s eyebrows shot up. “It’s a bit
late notice.”

“Are you doing anything?”

“Well. No. I suppose it will be alright.
Where d’you want to go?”

“There’s somewhere I heard about. Just a
drink.”

Later, in the car, we were almost there
when my aunt started protesting.

“Oh no, Jennifer, we’re not going to the
White Hart pub?  That place is horrible.”

“I’m sure it’s fine, I’ve heard a lot
about it.”

“You’ve heard a lot about it because it’s
notorious. Let’s go to the Clover Leaf instead, that’s not far.”

“Trust me, Aunt June. This’ll be fine.”

“Just one drink. One drink and we leave,”
my aunt said, clutching the handbag on her lap. “I don’t want people to think I
frequent places like this.”

“What’s so wrong with it?”

“You get a bad crowd there.”

My directions led us to a grubby looking, low
building with a large neon sign. I parked the car on the piece of rough land
next door and we went in.

The inside décor wasn’t much to crow
about, unless you rate wood panelling and plastic fish. “See what I mean,” my
aunt said. The place was surprisingly busy for 7 o’clock on a Wednesday night.

“Yes?” the middle aged man with an
impressive beer belly behind the bar asked us rather sourly as we approached.

I ordered Aunt June a gin and tonic and
got a coke for myself. “Busy this evening,” I commented, trying to get a
conversation going.

“The boxing’s on,” the man told me, nodding
at a large tv screen on the far wall, and barely looking at me. A group of men
were standing around it transfixed. Aunt June was already inveigling herself
amongst them.

I took our drinks over and tried to look
like I belonged there.

“Good match, is it?” I asked an elderly
man at the back of the group.

“Alright,” he muttered, not taking his
eyes off the screen. I was beginning to see my aunt’s point, they weren’t
exactly a friendly lot here.

I pushed my way through the group to join
Aunt June who was already talking to a couple of men.

“Oh Jennifer, these are two friends of
mine, I haven’t seen them in ages.

I needed something friendly yet innocuous
to get the conversational ball rolling. “Come here often?” I heard myself
asking.

“I help out behind the bar sometimes,” one
of them answered.

We managed some more small talk whilst
watching two men try to mash the hell out of each other on screen, me trying
not to wince with each blow, Aunt June cheering them on.

After what I felt was a suitable interval,
I went for a big money question. “Roger Bale in tonight?” I congratulated myself
on achieving the right air of innocence as I pretended to look around, knowing
he couldn’t be here.

“Roger? Nah, haven’t seen him in here
since Tina died,” the man who’d introduced himself as Stig told me.

“Used to come in with Tina, didn’t he?”

“A fair bit.”

“I know Aunt June didn’t approve of them,”
I lied, dropping my voice, “but they were just friends really, weren’t they?”

Stig smirked at me. “If that’s Roger’s
story.”

This wasn’t helping Roger at all. “Tina
hung around with Simon Richards as well, didn’t she?” I asked.

“Who?”

Oh dear. “Welsh bloke. Big. Arsenal fan.”

“Big Arsenal fan?” Stig asked, one eye still
on the fight.

“That as well. Do you know him?”

“Nope.”

Aunt June waved her empty glass at me. “Alright,
I know I promised we’d go now.”

“No, I’m asking you if you want another
drink,” she said.

“I thought you wanted to leave.”

“Leave? In the middle of a fight? You are
silly sometimes.”

Stupid me. I went to get another round
whilst my aunt discussed the benefits of boxing left handed with her friends.

After two more drinks, I had to persuade
my aunt it was time to go home.

“But another match’s starting,” she
protested.

“I’ve got to wash my hair,” I lied.

“Oh, alright.”

She said goodbye to her friends and
reluctantly followed me out. “You can be a spoilsport sometimes.”

“You didn’t want to come earlier.”

“I didn’t know Ted and Stig were going to be
here. Did you find anything out?”

“Pardon?”

“Your questions. About Tina. I’m not an
idiot, Jennifer.”

“No. Well, I just wanted to check a couple
of things.” A couple of things that had just proved the case against Roger
further.

“Did Addi know you were coming here
tonight?”

“No.”

“I think you should be careful,
interfering with his case.”

“He asked for my help.”

“Did he give permission for you to go off
questioning people on your own?”

I didn’t answer. She was starting to sound
like my mother again.

There was no need for Addi to even know
we’d been there. That’s what I was hoping anyway. Unfortunately, real life
always seems to turn out a little differently.

“You look like you’ve lost a pound and
found a penny,” I commented when Addi appeared in my office the next morning.

“What?” he asked, sucking in his stomach.
“You think I’ve lost weight?”

“It’s a saying,” I tried to explain.
“Yes,” I lied, when he looked disappointed.

He lost the frown he’d been wearing and
almost smiled. “Thanks, I needed that.”

“What’s happened?”

“Roger Bale’s alibi checked out after all.
He was in a staff meeting at the animal sanctuary the afternoon Tina was
killed. I’ve had to let him go.”

“You never said anything about an alibi! I
bought four rounds too,” I blurted out.

“What?”

I recovered quickly. “Nothing. That’s good
news really, isn’t it?”

“Good? How?”

“I knew it wasn’t him.”

“But now I don’t have a suspect. The chief
was really impressed last night when I told him I had someone under arrest.”

“We’ll find another one. You’re still looking
for Louise Allen, aren’t you?”

“I haven’t even gotten the form to request
the phone number yet.”

“We’ll have to think of something else.”