Page 54 of Murder in the Winter Woods
Julia reached the house that had belonged to Ken’s mum, and was now his. It was a sweet little place, tiny, with two square windows looking out at her like two eyes either side of the noseof a front door. The windows and doors were painted a sparkling white against the brick.
With Jake trotting happily beside her, she made her way up a short path through a carefully planted, well-established garden. The garden path was in need of the attention of a rake and a broom. Picking her way past the leaves and twigs that eddied in the chilly breeze circling her ankles, Julia wondered if perhaps Ken was not as meticulous as his mum had been in the upkeep and maintenance department. Judging by the rest of the garden, and the outside of the house, she had not been the sort to let the path go unswept.
Jake surged forward as they reached the doorstep, and made a lunge for a paper plate of muffins that had been left on the doormat. ‘Oh no, you don’t,’ Julia said, tugging at his lead just in time. She was, in fact, rather tempted to eat one herself – they were beautifully golden and perfectly risen, each with a slice of banana baked into the top. She resisted the temptation, picked up the plate and rang the doorbell.
She waited no more than a minute before the door opened and Ken appeared with tousled hair and the uncertain expression of a man desperately trying to place a familiar person.
‘It’s Julia,’ she said. ‘We met on Friday at Second Chances. When you came in for the guitar?’
‘Oh yes, of course!’ He looked relieved.
‘I brought you something,’ she said.
He looked down and took the plate of muffins. ‘Gosh, people have been so kind. How nice of you to make muffins.’
‘Oh, no, I didn’t make those. That wasn’t…I brought you a book.’ She reached for the tote bag over her shoulder.
‘Please come in out of the cold,’ he said, stepping backwards. ‘The dog is welcome. The old cat died a week before Mum.’
He closed the door behind her. It was blessedly calm and a little warmer out of the wind. ‘I’m sorry about the cat, and about your mum. I won’t stay,’ Julia said. ‘I just wanted to give you a book that we found at the shop. I think it belongs to you.’
As she pulled the book from her bag and handed it to him, his face lit up in recognition and pleasure. ‘I don’t believe it! I learned every song in this book off by heart. Hours and hours, I spent with it.’
‘We thought it must be yours. Your name’s inside.’
He flipped it open and smiled at the bubble writing. ‘Mum kept it all these years,’ he said, in a soft tone. ‘Thank you for bringing it to me, that’s very kind of you. Would you like tea?’
‘We have to be getting back home, but some other time, that would be nice, thank you.’
‘Right you are.’
‘Oh Ken, there is something else I wanted to ask you about. It’s Anthony Ardmore, and his investment.’
‘Ah yes, I’m in on it. It’s going to be huge.’
‘So he says. I went to see him about it. It certainly is…innovative.’
‘Right. Exactly, so you understand. Are you going to buy in on the next round?’
‘Not personally. I was there to support my friends. Hester and Coral, I’m sure you know them – in fact, they are your partners in the syndicate now.’
‘Oh, them.’ Ken did not sound enthusiastic. The ‘them’ was said with what could only be described as a sneer.
‘The women were keen to get their money out, given the circumstances.’
‘So they tell me. They were just here, the lawyers explained to them how the syndicate worked in terms of the contracts. I told them the same thing I told Matthew and Lewis, may they rest in peace. We three signed up with Anthony after a good lunch, andthen the two of them got cold feet. It seems they just didn’t have the stomach for investing at this kind of level. But I do.’
Ken said this as if he, himself, had extensive experience in such matters. ‘No way was I pulling out,’ he said. ‘I’m sorry, but I finally got in on something big, the opportunity to make some proper money. I wasn’t going to let them ruin my chances. Not this time. They messed things up with the band, all of them. All those years ago, we had success in the palm of our hands.’ He held his hand out, fingers curled up, as if he were cradling something precious. ‘You know what I could have been today? I’ve spent a lifetime thinking about that.’
He looked so sad and desperate, Julia felt sorry for him. Imagine, still smarting over a forty-year-old brush with fame.
There was a long moment’s silence, and then Ken said calmly, ‘They’re not going to ruin this for me too. I’m sorry for what happened to Lewis and Matthew, I really am. But I need this break. I need it. And those widows aren’t going to change my mind.’
‘I can see you’re quite determined, Ken.’
‘I am. They’ll thank me in the end, when they’re rich.’
‘Well, good luck with it,’ Julia said, turning towards the front door. ‘I hope it works out well for all of you.’
