Page 48 of Murder in the Winter Woods
Wilma chipped in, from her position behind the till: ‘You know, I think I might have seen a guitar when I was looking for items for our Feel-Good Christmas display. Or maybe it was a banjo. Would a banjo do?’
‘No, I’m really looking for a guitar. A specific guitar. It would have been donated a while ago. I’m not sure if it was even to this charity shop. But it doesn’t look like you’ve got it – or if you had it, it’s been sold.’
‘Not necessarily…We do keep some larger items in the storeroom at the back and we rotate the stock from time to time,’ said Diane. ‘I’ll have a look out the back.’
‘Okay, thanks. I’d be much obliged.’
‘Look on the top shelf; it might be there,’ Wilma called after her.
Diane disappeared into the storeroom. There were a few grunts, a thump and a twang, and she emerged triumphant with a guitar in hand. ‘Is this what you’re looking for?’
‘It is! This here is my first guitar.’ The man’s face broke into a smile, revealing a snaggle of stained teeth. He took the instrument from Diane, and stroked it lovingly. ‘I got it when Iwas thirteen. We had plenty of adventures together, I can tell you.’
Julia could believe it. The guitar looked as weathered as its owner, its body peppered with scrapes and dings, and old stickers peeling off.
‘What a piece of luck! My cousin helped Mum clean out the attic when she got sick. He got rid of a lot of my mum’s old things, said they’d gone to a charity shop. I reckoned my old guitar must have gone with them. It was a very long shot, but here it is.’
‘You’re lucky it’s still here,’ said Diane. ‘Musical instruments are quite popular with the young. Guitars and drums, mostly. Everyone wants to be a rock star when they’re twelve.’
‘Lucky indeed.’ He held the guitar in a loose embrace, with a tenderness that made Julia feel a little sad, and then played a chord. ‘Needs new strings, of course. But I’ll get the old girl back into shape. New beginnings, hey? A fresh start and a good dollop of luck, that’s what we need.’
Wilma, who was still at the till, piped up: ‘If you don’t mind me asking, was your mum Mrs Payne?’
‘She was.’
‘My condolences. I knew her a little, she was a lovely lady.’
‘She was. I didn’t see her as much as I’d have liked these last years. I wish…’ He shrugged, letting his wish linger unexpressed, and then sighed as if to express the hopelessness of wishes.
‘Ah, well,’ said Julia, trying to be comforting. ‘It’s not easy keeping in touch. Everyone is so busy, and everyone is spread all over the country. The world, even. My daughter’s in Hong Kong.’
‘I wasn’t so far, but still, it’s quite a journey and I was either working on a job, or waiting for a job. And the train tickets these days, they cost a fortune. And with one thing and another…You know how it is.’
It sounded as if he’d had a rather precarious life, poor chap. Julia nodded. ‘I do know. It’s not easy to find the time or the money. I’m sure you did your best.’
‘Are you planning on staying in Berrywick, then?’ asked Diane. She was rather nosy, which could be handy, because she unearthed a lot of information Julia was interested in, without Julia having to be nosy herself.
‘I’ll be here for a while. It’s a pretty village, isn’t it? Relaxing. Weather’s better than Scotland, too.’ Julia’s ears pricked up at the word ‘Scotland’ as they all looked out the window, where the view didn’t exactly support his point. It was raining again, and the occasional person scuttled by under an umbrella. ‘I’ve got Mum’s flat. It’s a nice, comfortable spot. And her little car. I feel like I could make a fresh start here.’
‘And do you have friends here, still?’ asked Diane.
‘I do, I looked up a couple of them, and it was good to reconnect, although sadly, two of them have passed away recently. You will have heard about the accidents, I’m sure.’ He frowned at the thought.
‘Lewis and Matthew were your friends? I’m so sorry for your loss, and so soon after your mum. Too terrible, what happened to them,’ said Wilma.
‘Terrible,’ said Julia, distractedly. She had a strong suspicion that she knew exactly who it was that was standing in Second Chances. ‘So sorry for your loss.’
‘Thank you. Very sad. Our other mate’s still around, doing well. His brother, too. In fact, he’s got me in on the ground floor of a good investment.’
There was absolutely no doubt about it. This man was none other than Ken, the disappointed band member.
‘This investment requires vision, and it’s the early adopters who make the big returns,’ he continued. That sentence sounded as if it had come straight out of Anthony Ardmore’s mouth.Which presumably it had, when Anthony was punting his investment scheme. ‘So things are looking up on that score, at least.’
‘I hope it goes well for you,’ said Julia, who was less than certain of a positive outcome. In fact, she felt sure that this investment was either completely bogus, or illegal. She was tempted to say so, but decided against it. That was the work of the police, once they had figured it all out. Instead, she said, ‘I’m Julia, by the way. Julia Bird.’
‘Ken. Ken Payne,’ he said, confirming Julia’s suspicions. ‘How much is the guitar?’
‘Ah, there’s no charge,’ said Wilma, from her spot behind the counter. ‘After all, it’s yours. You enjoy it, now, you hear? It’s what your mum would’ve wanted.’
