Just Like the Other Girls - Claire Douglas Page 0,95

neighbour’s black cat brushes against her legs and she bends down to stroke it. His name is Barney and he reminds her of Mittens. She feels a pang in her heart at the thought of the little cat she had loved so much, even after all this time. For years afterwards Kathryn searched for that cat whenever she was outside, or a passenger in the car, hoping to catch sight of her bushy tail or her white paws, but she never found her.

The house is silent when she lets herself in. She suspects Willow is still asleep. She takes off her shoes and runs upstairs to her mother’s room. She’s still in bed although her eyes are open and she’s staring at the ceiling. She turns to Kathryn standing in the doorway. ‘About time. I’ve been awake for ages.’

‘You could get yourself out of bed, Mother. You’re not an invalid,’ Kathryn says, trying to keep the irritation out of her voice.

‘I’ve been plagued with migraines this week.’ She places a palm to her forehead to illustrate the point. ‘I feel very woozy.’

‘Maybe I should call a doctor.’

‘You know I hate doctors.’

Kathryn bites back a retort as she helps Elspeth wash and dress. When they go down to breakfast Aggie is already there, bustling around the kitchen, mashing avocado and spooning it onto toast. It’s too early for Kathryn to eat, but she nibbles at the toast while Elspeth and Aggie chat away inanely to each other.

‘This was Una’s favourite breakfast,’ says Elspeth, out of the blue. It’s the first time Kathryn has heard her mother mention Una for weeks. ‘She was such a lovely girl, wasn’t she, Aggie? So pretty, so sweet. And so talented. She was helping me crochet that blanket. My hands aren’t as agile as they once were.’

That fucking blanket. Kathryn hadn’t heard the end of it: ‘Una has such a delicate touch, she’s so talented and kind,’ her mother had cooed at the time. When Una died, Kathryn had taken the half-finished blanket and stuffed it into the back of her wardrobe. Her mother hasn’t mentioned it until now.

‘It’s so sad what happened to her.’ As Elspeth says it she darts a look at Kathryn. She knows exactly what she’s doing, thinks Kathryn. She’s trying to wind me up, make me jealous, and I’m not going to bite. It was what she had done with Viola when they were young. Not at first. But when her mother realized they were never going to get along she’d enjoyed playing them off against each other, wanting each girl to fight for her approval, especially after Huw died. Most of the time it just made Viola rebel. But not always.

‘There’s been some gossip,’ says Aggie, her face grim. ‘You know, locally. Sandra at church the other day was asking me about it.’

‘Well, I’d expect nothing less,’ says Elspeth. ‘I’ve had the police here asking questions.’

This is news to Kathryn. ‘When? When have the police been here?’

Elspeth waves her bejewelled hand in Kathryn’s direction. ‘Oh, nothing to get your knickers in a twist about. But it doesn’t look good, does it?’ This is directed at Aggie. ‘Three of my staff have died while living here.’

‘Yes,’ agrees Aggie. ‘But all in completely different circumstances. And, technically, Jemima had already left.’

‘I know. And the police don’t think there’s anything suspicious. They asked about a bag. Someone – it must have been Una before she died – reported to the police that Jemima’s bag was found in our cellar.’

Kathryn puts down her knife and fork. Any appetite she might have had suddenly leaves her. She notices that Aggie is avoiding eye contact with her.

‘I told them they had to be mistaken. Jemima took all her stuff with her when she walked out,’ continues Elspeth. She stops talking to swallow a mouthful of food. Aggie waits patiently for her to continue. She’s standing at the sink holding a mug of coffee, a grey apron tied around her large middle. ‘And they seemed satisfied with that.’

‘Does Willow know about the others?’ asks Aggie.

Did Una tell Aggie about the bag? Kathryn wonders. That would explain why Aggie has been behaving oddly around her lately.

‘Absolutely not,’ says Elspeth, firmly. ‘And I want it to stay that way. I don’t want her to worry or to feel unsafe here.’

Aggie shakes her chins. ‘I’ve not said a thing. And it’s not like anything bad happened in the house. It’s all out of your control.’ She takes a noisy slurp