Read Online Without a Trace by Lesley Pearse - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Lesley Pearse
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they made their way up the muddy track. ‘For a start, he never asked me where I was at the time of Cassie’s death.’
‘No, he didn’t, did he?’ Molly said. ‘How odd! In fact, he ought to have taken you in for questioning, not just chatted with us both in the woods.’
‘Exactly! Hardly first-class detective work. But, as it happens, I have a cast-iron alibi. I was staying with some friends – a doctor and his wife – for two days before Coronation Day. I watched the ceremony on their television, along with some of their family. I only left there at five in the evening, and heard about Cassie in the Pied Horse last night.’
‘Well, that puts you in the clear then,’ she said.
‘Yes, but isn’t it awful to think that the prejudice there was about Cassie when she was alive is still there now she’s dead, and that any investigation will only be half-hearted?’
Molly hadn’t thought of that. She had always believed that the police would take the same care with every case they were trying to solve.
‘Maybe we can whip up a bit more concern, if not for Cassie, for Petal,’ Molly suggested. ‘I mean, most people thought she was a very cute little girl. I’m sure they’d want to know where she’s gone.’
Simon grimaced. ‘I’ve got a feeling, Molly, that you and I are the only people who give a jot about either of them. I’d love to be proved wrong, of course, but I don’t think I will be.’
CHAPTER FOUR
Two weeks on from Coronation Day Molly and her mother were stacking a delivery of canned goods in the stock room behind the shop and talking about the investigation into Cassie’s death and Petal’s disappearance, which appeared to have ground to a halt.
‘Maybe something new will be revealed at the inquest,’ Molly said.
‘Perhaps, and I hope they can release Cassie’s body for burial after that,’ Mary replied. ‘Thank goodness the vicar stepped in and agreed the cost of the funeral would be met by the church, as she had no known family.’
The first week after the tragedy, it had been the main subject of conversation in the village; even the Coronation, the wonder of television or Sir Edmund Hillary conquering Everest took second place. Most people had cast Petal’s father into the role of murderer. Without knowing anything about him, where he came from, or what he did for a living, suddenly he was the murdering child-snatcher and possibly responsible for every unsolved crime in the country.
That first week there were police everywhere. Door-to-door inquiries were made across a ten-mile radius of the village, and dozens of people with only the most tenuous link to Cassie were questioned. It seemed to Molly that Simon had been wrong in saying he didn’t think the police would make much of an effort to solve the crime.
The national newspapers had all taken up the story, and published pictures, urging people to come forward if they had seen Petal or knew anything at all about Cassie.
Then, suddenly, like a light being turned off, everyone lost interest.
The journalists who had been knocking on doors to try to get extra titbits of information, disappeared, and so did all the extra police brought in from Bristol.
To Molly, who was still grieving at the loss of her friend, this was an outrage. She couldn’t sleep at night for worrying about Petal, and she couldn’t understand how anyone could just forget a small child in danger.
She was particularly incensed by the indifferent attitude of the parents of children who were at school with Petal. She felt they should all be scared for the safety of their children, if nothing else.
‘Even the local police don’t seem to care much any more,’ she said bitterly. ‘George does, of course, but he’s far too junior to influence anyone higher up. He told me they didn’t get one lead about Cassie’s background from the pictures of her in the papers. As for Petal, all the sightings reported turned out to be false. But someone,
‘No, he didn’t, did he?’ Molly said. ‘How odd! In fact, he ought to have taken you in for questioning, not just chatted with us both in the woods.’
‘Exactly! Hardly first-class detective work. But, as it happens, I have a cast-iron alibi. I was staying with some friends – a doctor and his wife – for two days before Coronation Day. I watched the ceremony on their television, along with some of their family. I only left there at five in the evening, and heard about Cassie in the Pied Horse last night.’
‘Well, that puts you in the clear then,’ she said.
‘Yes, but isn’t it awful to think that the prejudice there was about Cassie when she was alive is still there now she’s dead, and that any investigation will only be half-hearted?’
Molly hadn’t thought of that. She had always believed that the police would take the same care with every case they were trying to solve.
‘Maybe we can whip up a bit more concern, if not for Cassie, for Petal,’ Molly suggested. ‘I mean, most people thought she was a very cute little girl. I’m sure they’d want to know where she’s gone.’
Simon grimaced. ‘I’ve got a feeling, Molly, that you and I are the only people who give a jot about either of them. I’d love to be proved wrong, of course, but I don’t think I will be.’
CHAPTER FOUR
Two weeks on from Coronation Day Molly and her mother were stacking a delivery of canned goods in the stock room behind the shop and talking about the investigation into Cassie’s death and Petal’s disappearance, which appeared to have ground to a halt.
‘Maybe something new will be revealed at the inquest,’ Molly said.
‘Perhaps, and I hope they can release Cassie’s body for burial after that,’ Mary replied. ‘Thank goodness the vicar stepped in and agreed the cost of the funeral would be met by the church, as she had no known family.’
The first week after the tragedy, it had been the main subject of conversation in the village; even the Coronation, the wonder of television or Sir Edmund Hillary conquering Everest took second place. Most people had cast Petal’s father into the role of murderer. Without knowing anything about him, where he came from, or what he did for a living, suddenly he was the murdering child-snatcher and possibly responsible for every unsolved crime in the country.
That first week there were police everywhere. Door-to-door inquiries were made across a ten-mile radius of the village, and dozens of people with only the most tenuous link to Cassie were questioned. It seemed to Molly that Simon had been wrong in saying he didn’t think the police would make much of an effort to solve the crime.
The national newspapers had all taken up the story, and published pictures, urging people to come forward if they had seen Petal or knew anything at all about Cassie.
Then, suddenly, like a light being turned off, everyone lost interest.
The journalists who had been knocking on doors to try to get extra titbits of information, disappeared, and so did all the extra police brought in from Bristol.
To Molly, who was still grieving at the loss of her friend, this was an outrage. She couldn’t sleep at night for worrying about Petal, and she couldn’t understand how anyone could just forget a small child in danger.
She was particularly incensed by the indifferent attitude of the parents of children who were at school with Petal. She felt they should all be scared for the safety of their children, if nothing else.
‘Even the local police don’t seem to care much any more,’ she said bitterly. ‘George does, of course, but he’s far too junior to influence anyone higher up. He told me they didn’t get one lead about Cassie’s background from the pictures of her in the papers. As for Petal, all the sightings reported turned out to be false. But someone,
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