Strictly Murder (40 page)

I followed her along the path. Somehow I knew that our destination would be the old bomb crater. On the far side of the rim a large log had been placed on the stumps of two long-felled trees. Only when we were seated on this makeshift bench did Kimberley Hughes tell her story.

"First of all, as far as I know, Charlotte is alive and well, though I haven't had any contact with her for over a year."

"You've been in touch all this time?"

"Oh yes. I've always known, roughly, where she was. You have to understand that Charlotte had a very unhappy home life, her father was abusive, her mother too drunk to interfere or put a stop to it. She was desperate to get away."

"Really? From what I read they seemed like an ideal family."

She pondered this for a moment before she went on.

"They certainly convinced the police that they were doting parents and, with hindsight, they probably were very shocked at Charlotte vanishing like that. They convinced the press too," she added, scathingly. "But that year,1990, in the May I think it was, Charlotte met a lad and fell in love. Well," she laughed, "it's what you do when you're fourteen isn't it?"

She stopped for a moment, her eyes unfocused and far away as she remembered her youth. I waited for her to resume.

"Anyway, this boy lived with his family on a canal boat."

Of course! That's how she got away unseen by anyone. I kicked myself for not having thought of it, especially given my recent too-close encounter with the canal's watery depths.

"How old was the boy? Did his family …"

"He was sixteen," she interrupted, "and, yes his family knew of Charlotte's situation and were happy to take her and hide her if necessary. She asked for my help and swore me to secrecy."

I nodded.

"On the day she supposedly disappeared, we arranged for Charlotte to come for tea. Afterwards, I said we were going for a walk, but we actually got the bus to Crofterton. There's a stop close to a canal bridge about two miles from here and that's where Charlotte joined Adam. When I got home, about six thirty …"

"Six thirty? I thought she went at eight."

"Yes, it was all part of the plan. I called out to Mum that we were back, made a lot of noise and pretended to talk to Charlotte as if she was with me. Then, at eight o'clock, I opened the door and closed it again and told my Mum that Charlotte had just gone. That way the police and her parents would think she had disappeared much later and be looking in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"So, you took most of the risk."

She shrugged.

"I didn't mind. She was my friend and I wanted to help."

I mulled all this over. How wrong I had been about the case and how prescient of KD. I must remember to tell her.

"And Charlotte? Did she get a happy ending?" I asked.

Her face softened as she smiled and looked away from me, down into the crater.

"Yes, she stayed with Adam, married him two years later and had two kids a few years after that. They bought their own boat with help from his parents and are still together, as far as I know, still cruising the canals of England and Wales."

"I'm glad," I said. "And I'm glad you've told me."

"What will you do now that I have?"

She licked at her lips, holding her breath, a tiny flicker of fear in her eyes for the first time.

"Nothing," I assured her, suddenly realising she'd never asked why I had placed the ad. Why I wanted to know and was asking questions about the affair now, after twenty years had passed. Maybe the need to unburden herself had overridden such considerations.

"Nothing? You're sure?"

"Well, there's a retired policeman I know who'd appreciate the truth but he won't lose any sleep if he remains in ignorance. He told me his sergeant always said you knew far more than you were telling."

"The woman?"

I nodded.

"Yes, I suspected as much. In the end I just played dumb. I knew they'd never find her without my help."

I rose from the log.

"Thanks again for telling me. It will go as far as my boss, the writer, but no further. I promise."

"Thank you."

She smiled as we shook hands.

"I'm pleased I've told you. Twenty years is a long time to keep a secret."

I thought of the other Charlotte in Northworthy and silently agreed with her. Both Charlottes and Jaynee Johnson had been granted a form of justice, I reckoned. In the end that may be the most that any of us can ever hope for.

The End

Thank you for reading
Strictly Murder
and I hope you have enjoyed it.

Coming Soon:

Organized Murder. The second in the Verity Long series, coming late 2012

Scouting for Murder. The third Verity Long outing, due Summer 2013

Also Available:

Chamaeleon: The Secret Spy - fantasy adventure for children aged 9 to 90. Out now on Amazon.

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Chamaeleon 2: The Dragon Key. Out now on Amazon.

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