Read Online Butterfly Grave (Murder Notebooks) by Anne Cassidy - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Anne Cassidy
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they’d just been thrown there. She picked all of it up, some papers falling away. She dropped everything on the duvet while she retrieved the papers from the floor. When she placed those alongside the wallet she saw that it had fallen open. On one half of it was a photograph. She was startled to see her own face.
Joshua carried a photo of her in his wallet.
She picked it up and saw that the photo was in one of the plastic pouches used for credit cards. She turned it over and there was Joshua’s handwriting. Rosie, Camden Market . She remembered during their shopping trip earlier in the week Joshua had taken pictures with his phone. He must have cropped whatever shot it was to get this tiny image of her. And she wasn’t even smiling. Her face had a quizzical look and her fringe was too long, dipping into her eyes. She was wearing the blue earrings so it must have been taken after he’d bought them for her.
She was surprised.
No, she was touched that he carried her picture with him.
Placing the wallet on the bedside table she remembered about the silver SUV. What was she going to do with the information? If she told Joshua it would only add to his worries. Skeggsie was due round soon. She’d wait until he was on his own and tell him. She replaced the notebook in Joshua’s coat pocket.
Downstairs she went straight for the kettle. Joshua was sitting at the kitchen table reading things from his phone.
‘You know what?’ he said.
‘What?’ she said brightly, determined to start the day on a positive note.
She got some bread out and put a slice into the toaster.
‘I’ve got this theory. I think Stu was in touch with Dad. Maybe the whole five years or maybe just part of it. Maybe once Dad was somewhere safe he contacted Stu telling him to keep the truth from me and Stu did that.’
Rose had her back to Joshua. She wanted to tell him to stop, to slow down, to forget the theories and just deal with his uncle’s accident.
‘I think that maybe Stu had some way of getting in touch with Dad; a number to ring, a PO box to write to. Maybe he realised he was getting in a financial mess and asked him to meet him on Cullercoats Cliff. That’s why he parked round the corner because he knew that any meeting with Dad had to be completely secret.’
‘Why did he ask Greg Tyler to meet him there if he was meeting Brendan?’
‘He was meeting Dad earlier, maybe eight thirty, and then he arranged for Greg to come later.’
‘But would he do that if seeing Brendan was such a secret?’
‘Rose, this is supposition. I’m just playing with ideas here. There’s no need to squash it before I’ve even got it all out.’
‘Sorry.’
‘So he meets Dad and asks him for money and that’s why they row. Or something.’
‘And then?’
‘And then Dad goes off.’
‘And Greg Tyler? You think they met? You think he was telling the truth?’
‘Maybe. No. I’m not sure.’
‘If Stu wanted money, why not contact Brendan? Money can be moved by phone.’
‘Ah,’ Joshua smiled, on surer footing now. ‘There’s no way that Dad’s going to transfer money from one bank account to another. There’s a trail there that could lead back to him.’
‘That’s if Stuart was calling out Bren and not Ben, or Den, or Len.’
‘Like I said it’s just a theory.’
Joshua closed his eyes. He looked irritated.
‘Don’t talk to me about this,’ Rose said sharply, ‘if you don’t want me to have an open and honest conversation with you. I’m not some kid you have to get annoyed at.’
‘This isn’t about you, Rose.’
‘I know. I haven’t talked about me . I’m trying to respond to what you said!’
Rose left her toast on the plate and walked out of the room. She felt incensed. It wasn’t about her . She hadn’t meant it that way! She walked up and down the hall for a few moments until she calmed down. Then she turned to go back to the kitchen but suddenly couldn’t face sitting with Joshua, going round and
Joshua carried a photo of her in his wallet.
She picked it up and saw that the photo was in one of the plastic pouches used for credit cards. She turned it over and there was Joshua’s handwriting. Rosie, Camden Market . She remembered during their shopping trip earlier in the week Joshua had taken pictures with his phone. He must have cropped whatever shot it was to get this tiny image of her. And she wasn’t even smiling. Her face had a quizzical look and her fringe was too long, dipping into her eyes. She was wearing the blue earrings so it must have been taken after he’d bought them for her.
She was surprised.
No, she was touched that he carried her picture with him.
Placing the wallet on the bedside table she remembered about the silver SUV. What was she going to do with the information? If she told Joshua it would only add to his worries. Skeggsie was due round soon. She’d wait until he was on his own and tell him. She replaced the notebook in Joshua’s coat pocket.
Downstairs she went straight for the kettle. Joshua was sitting at the kitchen table reading things from his phone.
‘You know what?’ he said.
‘What?’ she said brightly, determined to start the day on a positive note.
She got some bread out and put a slice into the toaster.
‘I’ve got this theory. I think Stu was in touch with Dad. Maybe the whole five years or maybe just part of it. Maybe once Dad was somewhere safe he contacted Stu telling him to keep the truth from me and Stu did that.’
Rose had her back to Joshua. She wanted to tell him to stop, to slow down, to forget the theories and just deal with his uncle’s accident.
‘I think that maybe Stu had some way of getting in touch with Dad; a number to ring, a PO box to write to. Maybe he realised he was getting in a financial mess and asked him to meet him on Cullercoats Cliff. That’s why he parked round the corner because he knew that any meeting with Dad had to be completely secret.’
‘Why did he ask Greg Tyler to meet him there if he was meeting Brendan?’
‘He was meeting Dad earlier, maybe eight thirty, and then he arranged for Greg to come later.’
‘But would he do that if seeing Brendan was such a secret?’
‘Rose, this is supposition. I’m just playing with ideas here. There’s no need to squash it before I’ve even got it all out.’
‘Sorry.’
‘So he meets Dad and asks him for money and that’s why they row. Or something.’
‘And then?’
‘And then Dad goes off.’
‘And Greg Tyler? You think they met? You think he was telling the truth?’
‘Maybe. No. I’m not sure.’
‘If Stu wanted money, why not contact Brendan? Money can be moved by phone.’
‘Ah,’ Joshua smiled, on surer footing now. ‘There’s no way that Dad’s going to transfer money from one bank account to another. There’s a trail there that could lead back to him.’
‘That’s if Stuart was calling out Bren and not Ben, or Den, or Len.’
‘Like I said it’s just a theory.’
Joshua closed his eyes. He looked irritated.
‘Don’t talk to me about this,’ Rose said sharply, ‘if you don’t want me to have an open and honest conversation with you. I’m not some kid you have to get annoyed at.’
‘This isn’t about you, Rose.’
‘I know. I haven’t talked about me . I’m trying to respond to what you said!’
Rose left her toast on the plate and walked out of the room. She felt incensed. It wasn’t about her . She hadn’t meant it that way! She walked up and down the hall for a few moments until she calmed down. Then she turned to go back to the kitchen but suddenly couldn’t face sitting with Joshua, going round and
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