The Chrysalid Conspiracy (13 page)

“Really?” said Bridie, intrigued. “Do tell.”

“Amelia! That’s not nice,” cut in Lucy, shocked by her daughter’s impropriety.

Both women looked at each other. Lucy gave a grin and her palm-upwards shrug. Bridie laughed.

“Oops!” she said.

Just then, a young couple came into the shop and Lucy went to serve them. The woman was advising the man on which blossoms to buy for his mother’s birthday.

The girls and Bridie moved into the kitchen where there was a selection of large filled baguettes on the table. “Help yourselves,” said her mother. “Lucy and I are having the salad ones.”

Amelia turned pale. “I don’t think we can at the moment.” she said.”

“You speak for yourself!” announced Rayn and, grabbing a cheese and tomatoe baguette started munching merrily on one end. “Just don’t serve up any meat for a while,” she added, to Bridie’s dismay.

“You’re sick,” Amelia said to her. “By the way, where’s Molly today?”

“Your mum gave her the day off,” said Bridie. “Apparently her boys spent the weekend throwing up and she needed to take them to the clinic. Then she had all their bedding and things to wash. That poor kid deserves better.”

“Oh, poor Molly. I should go over and give her a hand,” Amelia said.

“Og snup shlu gurg,” choked Rayn. She swallowed and repeated. “No you don’t. You’ve got to tell me…er…em…”

“Get ready for your interview,” Amelia finished quickly. “Of course, you’re right. I’d forgotten.” She explained briefly to Bridie about the Vicar’s children and how things had worked out. Her story was punctuated by Rayn questioning Amelia over whether she was going to eat the other baguette.

The bell over the shop door went and Bridie went through to serve. “Thanks for filling in, Bridie,” called Amelia.

“No problem,” came the reply.

“Come on Rayn, we’d better get our clothes in the wash?” Amelia suggested. “It’ll get rid of the smell, and your other clothes are still up in my room from this morning.”

“This morning? That seems a long time ago,” Rayn remarked.

She went up to change and Amelia went through to speak to her mother.

Lucy had finished with her customers, who were loaded down with arms full of flowers. “That woman didn’t have a clue what she as talking about,” she said. “I had to lie like crazy to make her look good.”

“Well, it obviously worked,” she replied. “They bought plenty.”

“No, that’s not the point.”

“It’s not? You could have fooled me,” said Amelia

“What I meant was, it’s not me,” Lucy complained. “I’m not that sort of person. I hate it when I do that. I’m not tough enough. It would be so nice if motivation wasn’t dictated by profit. To me life means more than the ‘Expanding Economy’, and the ‘Gross Domestic Product’.”

Amelia had a lump in her throat when she replied. “I know you’re not, Mum. But I love you anyway.” She gave her a kiss on the cheek. “Rayn and I need a shower, then we want to go upstairs and talk through the day, you know, try and exorcise the horror. It might work.”

“Okay, my love. I’ll be here if you need me. Good luck.” As Amelia turned away, Lucy called after her. “Oh, I nearly forgot. Bridie said she’ll help out on Saturday. Your birthday is back on.”

“Yes!” Amelia shouted. She ran over to Bridie and threw her arms around her, almost knocking her over. “Thankyouthankyou thankyou,” she said. Bridie’s customers looked on with bemused smiles.

Having taken their turns in the shower and with their clothes thrumming comfortably in the washing machine the two girls retreated to Amelia’s bedroom. Dressed in her tracksuit she remarked, “I really must wash this some time,”

“I agree,” said Rayn. “That thing must have its own eco system.” Both girls laughed.

“But the trouble is,” Amelia went on, “it’s only a cheap one and it goes out of shape when it’s washed. It takes ages to wear back in and it’s very uncomfortable around the nether regions. By the way, my birthday is back on. Guess who’s standing in?”

Rayn was lying on Amelia’s bed. She sat up slowly, not speaking. Amelia, disappointed at the lack of response, continued. “Your mum, that’s who, isn’t that great?”

“That’s very nice, Amelia. But the next person who interrupts is going to end up looking like Melkins did the last time I saw him.”

“Why do you have to be so gory?” Amelia scolded.

“Gory!” Rayn snapped back. “At least I threw up. You were as cold as ice, as if you were in a well-rehearsed play. What the hell is going on?”

Amelia slumped into the swivel chair by her computer desk.

She turned to face Rayn. “I really don’t know,” she replied. “It’s all so confusing. I’ve already told you what happened up to the…thing.” She went on to relay her meeting with Miss Collins.

“She told me that no one must know I have that book, and practically ordered me to lie if I had to. I told her that you knew and she said that you and your mother might be the only ones I can trust. Then it got really scary. She said that there were things she couldn’t tell me and that my mother and I may be our last hope. Whatever that may mean.”

“Oh,” Amelia continued, “she told me to be very, very careful.”

“Well, that could account for all that gobbledygook with the police, but not much else.” said Rayn.

“I’ve been over and over it but it doesn’t make any sense,” moaned Amelia.

Rayn took a deep breath. “There is one little sequence that could do with some airing,” she said. “It concerns you.”

“Me?” Amelia gasped, then her shoulders dropped and she continued, this time more calmly. “Very well, if we’re going to get anywhere we’ll have to be straight with each other I guess. Go ahead.”

“Okay,” said Rayn. “Why did you tell the police that I got to the professor’s body first?”

Amelia thought for a moment before answering. “I was protecting Miss Collins. She’d already told them that.”

“And why would she do that? If she didn’t know, she could have said so. That makes it a deliberate lie, doesn’t it?”

“I don’t know; I suppose so,” Amelia replied.

“She’d already asked you to lie.” Rayn continued. “You had no choice. It looks like a nice piece of misdirection to me.”

“What do you mean?” asked Amelia.

“To divert you from the centre of their enquiries. Basically, to take the heat off you. Of course, once you’d taken that first step you couldn’t turn back. Pretty clever, really. That’s when things got hairy.”

“I thought you were brilliant,” said Amelia. “How do you do it?”

“I’ve heard my mum talk us out of trouble many times. Travellers are always guilty by assumption.” Rayn stopped and took a deep breath. “This is awkward,” she said. “I haven’t known you for long, just a few days, but I’m pretty sure you’re not into weird stuff like magic or fantasy. Or even the paranormal, are you?”

“No. My life is my mum, the shop and my studies, which fortunately, come easy to me. There’s not much time for anything else. My training takes up any spare time. It all sounds pathetic, really, when it’s laid out like that.”

“So how come you were running before we heard the window break?” responded Rayn, ignoring the self-analysis. “It was almost as if you knew something was going to happen.”

“I don’t know, honestly. I just can’t remember,” said Amelia.

Rayn wasn’t impressed. “Look, I can beat you any day at that distance, but not when you jump the gun. So think, girl. I think it’s a little bit important, don’t you?”

Amelia sat still for a moment. “What were we talking about, just before it happened?” she asked.

“The professor had just told you to be careful,” Rayn prompted.

“Yes, and I heard the cello!” Amelia burst out.

Rayn was thinking her friend may be in need of a straitjacket as she asked, “Would you run that by me again, please? A cello?”

Amelia quickly explained her mother’s ideas about film music. Just the bare bones of it – she’d already decided not to tell Rayn about her suspicions of the relationship between her mother and George.

“Amelia, I didn’t hear anything. But we were by the music rooms. It may have been somebody practising.”

“Oh,” said Amelia, somewhere between relief and disappointment. Undeterred she ploughed on. “Anyway, the next thing I remember is helping you back into school. You were covered in blood and breakfast.”

“Don’t remind me,” replied Rayn. “But it doesn’t explain how you knew where to run to, not to mention your weird behaviour when I got there,”

“What do you mean? What weird behaviour?” Amelia was frowning and becoming irritated.

“Okay, don’t get mad,” said Rayn.

“I’m not getting mad!”

“Yes you are.”

“No I’m not!”

“Look, we’re just trying to figure things out here,” said Rayn, trying to remain calm. “Why are you getting rattled?”

“I am not getting rattled,” shouted Amelia. “Stop picking on me.”

“I’m not. We’re just trying to understand what’s happening, Amelia.” Rayn was shouting now.

“You seem to think this is entirely my fault,” wailed Amelia.

“Don’t be so stupid!” Rayn shouted back. “Somehow this is centred around that flaming book of yours.”

“What would you know!” demanded Amelia, and raged out of the room, confused, frightened and very indignant.

In an effort to calm down, Amelia went into the kitchen where Bridie was making tea.

“Your mother certainly drinks a lot of tea.” she said. Amelia didn’t say anything. “You all right?” Bridie asked.

“Not really,” Amelia said wearily. “Rayn and I have just fallen out.”

Bridie looked dismayed. “Oh dear. What about? Anything important?”

“Don’t know, really,” Amelia answered. “We were just talking and the next thing we were shouting at each other.”

“I’m sure you can talk it through, can’t you?”

“Don’t know. She’s so stubborn,” protested Amelia.

“She’s stubborn? I like that! You’re both the same. She’s no more stubborn than you are.” Bridie’s eyes softened and she moved closer to Amelia. “Look,” she continued, searching for the words to express her feelings. “Your friendship means a lot to Rayn. I’ve seen her blossom since you’ve met. It means a lot to me, too. She’s been a solitary child. Not going to school. Moving around all the time and no roots or friends, mixing with people who live on the fringes of society. It’s my fault I suppose, it’s as if we’ve been living next door to the world all these years. My biggest fear has always been how she would react when she met the neighbours. I’m so glad she met you first.”

Amelia was astonished at the sincerity in Bridie’s voice and she didn’t know what to say. Bridie, sensing her embarrassment, continued with a smile. “Hey, differences of opinion are bound crop up now and then, even amongst the best of friends. It’s what makes us who we are. Take her a cup of tea and find a compromise. Don’t forget, under that wisecracking bravado, she’s spaghetti.”

Amelia made her way carefully back up to her room. She found Rayn gazing out of the window at the river. Handing her the tea she saw the poor girl was near to tears. Amelia put her arm around her friend’s shoulders and they looked at the view together.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” murmured Amelia.

“Oh Amelia, I’m so sorry.” Rayn responded in a quiet, shaky voice.

Amelia tightened her grip and gave her a hug. “No. Don’t apologise. We were both right and both wrong. Your mum says differences of opinion are what make us individuals. It’s who we are, I guess. Let’s enjoy them and not end up in a slanging match.”

Rayn relaxed and the colour returned to her face.

“Now,” said Amelia, “let’s drink this tea before it goes cold and by the way, there’s one thing in which I can prove you are wrong.”

Alarmed, Rayn turned to her. “What’s that then?” she said, regaining her interest.

“You can’t beat me over that distance, only in your dreams.”

“You’re on!” snapped a newly invigorated Rayn. “And I’m going to beat an apology out of you as well.” Both girls laughed and they put up they’re hypothetical swords. The rift was healed.

“What we have to do to carry on with this, if you want to, is take out our personal feelings,” said Rayn.

“Yes, we must go on with it. Do you have any ideas?” asked Amelia.

“Well, while you were downstairs making tea – which tastes just like by mums, by the way…”

“Guilty of deception, your honour,” grinned Amelia. Rayn carried on.

“I thought perhaps we could try the ‘third person’ method. How about we treat this as if it’s happening to someone else? You know, like detectives.”

“That sounds great,” agreed Amelia. “That way we’ll be more detached.”

“Exactly,” said Rayn. “Then I can say ‘she’s an idiot’ instead of ‘you’re an idiot’.”

“Em, it’s a good idea, but it could still get you a third party smack in the mouth.”

Rayn laughed and jumped up. She thrust her fist in the air and spoke in a deep voice, pretending to be a gallant knight. “I don’t believe in what you say, but I’ll defend to the death your right to say it.”

“Who said that?” Amelia asked through her laughter.

“Voltaire, French philosopher.” Rayne replied. “Although I read somewhere he died of old age, so he couldn’t have done much defending.” She was massaging her knuckles where she had punched the ceiling. A small cloud of plaster dust caught the light as it drifted slowly to the floor and nestled into the carpet.

“Time’s getting on,” said Amelia. “Where were we?”

“Okay then,” Rayn started off. “There are these two girls, friends of ours who’ve got themselves mixed up in a mystery. The trouble is I don’t know how to describe what I saw when I got round that corner, and I don’t mean the professor; I mean you. It was bizarre.”

“No.” Amelia jumped in. “Don’t forget, you were trying to get
her
to explain, it’s not us, you weren’t there.” Amelia reminded her. “Now, tell me what she saw, I’m a bit hazy.”

“Well, I can’t tell you but I can show you,” said Rayn, cautiously. She slipped to the floor and took up the stance she had seen Amelia perform. She crouched down, with one knee on the floor.

“I… er…
She
may have fallen at the shock of seeing…you know what,” suggested Amelia.