Page 51 of She Saw What He Did

‘What?’ asked Ellen, surprised.

His expression serious, he said.

‘Well, this guy, right, that was killed. He had a gun. We’ve never found it, have we? Which means only one thing and that is that the murderer has it and he could still be on the island.’

‘Lots of people have guns on the island,’ said Ellen.

Scott nodded.

‘Yeah, but they’re for shooting rabbits and whatever aren’t they? Not for shooting people.’

Ellen smiled.

‘I think the killer is well gone, Scott. We’ve had our excitement.’

Scott lifted his legs onto the desk and sighed.

‘Let’s hope you’re right,’ he said.

*

Sparrow drove slowly past the Miller’s cottage for the second time. The Audi had gone now. Jared Miller had left for work. The cottage was smaller than it had looked on Google Earth. The front garden was nice and neat. Middle-class living, Sparrow thought. A 4x4 sat on the driveway. He pulled the Ford Fiesta to a stop on the corner of the next road. He didn’t care who saw the car. It wasn’t taxed or insured and didn’t have an MOT which was exactly as Sparrow liked it. He’d paid cash and driven it away. No trace. He’d torch it when everything was over. They couldn’t trace it back to him. He could just see the garden from here. Somewhere inside the house was his box. He pulled the skeleton keys from his pocket in readiness. He didn’t want to be fumbling about when the time came. He’d wait here all day if he had to. It was warm in the car and he opened a window. An hour passed, and his legs began to cramp. A dustcart turned into the street and Sparrow cursed when they blocked his view. A couple of people passed and looked at him suspiciously. He was considering moving the car when the woman came out of the house with a child. He watched expectantly. If they got into the car then it meant they would be gone for a while but if they started to walk it probably meant he only had a short time. The woman opened the car door and lifted the child into it. His heart soared. He’d have a fair bit of time to search for the box. The woman looked up the road and her eyes fastened on the Fiesta.

‘Shit,’ he muttered and quickly started the car. He’d drive around and then come back. Hopefully she was taking the kid to nursery. He’d discovered the kid was registered at a local one. That would give him a good forty-five minutes, even longer if she decided to do some shopping. Five minutes later he drove back. The 4x4 had gone and the alarm wasn’t flashing. He smiled. This should be a doddle.

*

Abby

‘Can I take my treasure box?’ Sam asks excitedly. ‘It’s show and tell today.’

I hesitate.

‘Can you take something else this time?’ I ask gently. ‘That box is very precious.’

I don’t know why I’m so reluctant to let her take the box out of the house. I have an odd presentiment every time I look at it. I can’t explain it. I’ve thought several times of phoning Ellen Burden and mentioning it. She seems kind and understanding. What would I say? The geocache we found on Laslow Island bothers me, but I don’t know why. Clearly there’s nothing in it. It’s far too small to contain an explosive and besides, how does it open? She would no doubt want to take it and have it prised open. Sam would be inconsolable with loss and there would probably be nothing inside. The murder investigation seemed to be going nowhere even though the body was found. No one had come forward. It just didn’t make sense. Some days I wonder if I dreamt the whole thing.

‘Please,’ Sam cries, rushing into the living room, almost tripping over her toys that lay scattered on the floor. I must tidy up tomorrow. Voices boom from the television and I switch it off. Sam grabs the box and hugs it.

‘Okay,’ I say. ‘Be very careful though and don’t lose it.’

‘I’ll never lose it,’ she smiles.

There’s a sudden crash from outside and I jump. My legs tremble beneath me as I hurry to the window. It’s the dustmen. Of course, it’s Tuesday. I exhale and close my eyes. I can’t live like this. I’m forever looking behind me and constantly checking doors are locked. I keep trying to convince myself that the box isn’t connected to the murder. There’s no reason to think it is. It’s all in my mind. I’ve barely slept since we’ve been back. I’ll have a hot relaxing bath tonight and an early night. My phone bleeps. It’s Jared, right on time. He’s taken to calling me as soon as he arrives at work, again at lunchtime and usually at three. It’s a habit I know we need to break.

‘Everything alright?’

It’s the same question every day.

‘Everything is fine,’ I say.

I couldn’t help wondering how long it would be.

*

Sparrow pulled up his hood and covered his eyes with sunglasses. She’d gone. The house would be empty. He rang the doorbell. He had an excuse should someone answer the door. Nobody did. He looked around before walking to the back of the cottage. A shiny red swing gently swayed in the summer breeze. He stepped over the snake-like water hose and made for the back door, his ears pricked for any sound. Somewhere in the distance was hammering. Someone doing home improvements, thought Sparrow. He looked through the kitchen window and then pulled out the skeleton keys. After scanning the garden one last time, he let himself in. The kitchen was tidy. A half-drunk cup of coffee sat in the sink. Sparrow pulled on his gloves. The noticeboard on the fridge door caught his attention. He peered closer at the entry for the coming Friday. Cleaner 10 a.m. Meeting with editor in Truro. Daphne looking after Sam, nursery and then activity.

He licked his lips and stepped into the living room. Where would they keep the box? His fear that they had thrown it away was something he couldn’t allow himself to dwell on. Unlike the kitchen the living room was a mess. He stepped over the toys and walked to the window. A quick check told him everything was clear. She would be a while. It was as he turned back that he saw the drawing on the table. Brightly coloured and slightly smudged, but he could see quite clearly the picture was of the box. The drawing was titled ‘Sam’s Favourite’. He grinned and muttered, ‘you and me both little girl,’ before turning his attention to the toys on the floor. He spent some time going through them, but the box wasn’t there. He looked at the toy box in the corner and rummaged through that. The box wasn’t there either. He went through it a second time just to be sure.

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