from her door and put it on that snowman’s head? And give Rudolph a nasty case of piles?’
She laughs loudly at that. ‘I didn’t think of it like that. But yes, guilty, your honour. I also did the graffiti on the village hall wall. I found some of Becca’s paints from when she was little. It was washable stuff, so I knew it would come off easily.’
‘You devil. I saw you going out once in your big baggy coat and your black wig. I thought you were a man, to be honest, you looked so big and bulky.’
‘That would be the four jumpers I wore under my over-sized coat, as a disguise. Just in case anyone spotted me.’
‘Ah! That explains a lot. I didn’t realise you were off to terrorise Maud.’ I grin at her. ‘If I’d known, I might well have joined you! Hey, by the way, why did you lock me in the barn that time? That was you, wasn’t it?’
She looks guilty for the first time. ‘Sorry about that. I heard Marmalade yowl and when I looked out, you were disappearing into the barn and I panicked. I locked you in, then I straight away realised what a stupid thing I’d done, so I unlocked it again and scuttled back indoors again.’
‘Ronan didn’t really believe me. The barn was open again by the time he arrived, so I guess it’s not surprising.’
Her eyes twinkle. ‘I quite enjoyed painting that message on the village hall.’
I smile, remembering. ‘Bill posters will be prosecuted. You added, Bill Posters is an innocent man. That made me chuckle.’
‘I was so mad when the council closed the village hall down. It left a real hole in the community. I suppose the graffiti was sort of my protest.’
‘I’ve heard that a lot. That people miss all the events that used to be held there, like the annual Christmas Revue.’
She nods. ‘I used to go to quite a few classes and events there, and it was such a sociable place to be, meeting up with friends every week. But after it closed, people just sort of drifted away. I swear if that place had still been open when Maggie and I had our fall-out, I’d have talked to someone about it, and found a way to resolve things somehow.’ She sighs. ‘As it was, I just went into myself and refused to come out again…’
‘Well, you’re “out” now and there’s people in the village who want to help you stay out.’
An anxious look crosses her face. ‘I’m not rushing right back to my old life, Carrie. No way!’
‘I know. Don’t worry. You don’t need to rush anywhere.’
‘People will look at me, thinking I’m crazy. And maybe I am.’
‘Of course you’re not crazy.’
‘Yes, but I can’t just walk into the village store, cool as you like, as if I was only in there the day before, can I? Everyone will want to know where I’ve been.’
I nod, thinking about this. ‘So maybe you keep to your story.’ I shrug. ‘You’ve been to your sister’s in Portsmouth. Why would anyone question it?’
Something occurs to me. ‘By the way, what about the knife in the barn?’
She looks at me, puzzled.
‘There was a bloody knife lying on the table. It really freaked me out.’
Her brow clears. ‘Oh, that. Yes. Marmalade likes bringing me gifts. Mostly mice. And some of them, poor things, are injured but still alive. I’ve found using a knife to be the quickest, most humane way to put them out of their misery.’
‘Right.’
She frowns. ‘Oh, Carrie, how can I face people after all this time? I’m terrified.’
I press her arm. ‘Don’t worry. It’ll be fine. But first, how about we get the rest of these bags out? We’ve got plenty of time to work out a plan…’
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
The walk over to Maggie and Becca’s cottage, to the east of the village, is lovely.
The freezing spell that’s gripped the country over the past week or so is finally loosening it’s hold and it’s much milder today. And after talking to Reenie this morning and helping her take out her bin (a promising step forward for her), I decided to walk over to see Becca and Maggie this afternoon. Becca needs to know her grandma wants to see her, and as for Maggie…I’m hoping I might be able to persuade her to at least talk to Reenie.
Their cottage is just half a mile out of Silverbells, up a little track off the main road, but it takes longer