Amanda Cadabra and The Hidden Depths by Holly Bell (good book recommendations TXT) 📗

as if he’d been listening on the end of a speaking tube, and ushered the inspector into the fresh air. Trelawney returned to his car, drove a short distance then pulled over. He got out his phone.

‘Constable Nikolaides? … I’d like you to check something for me … Call the KOMA retreat in Thailand and get what confirmation you can of the date Veronica Loftleigh-Gibbs arrived there, and whether she left at any time, or could have left at any time during the period between her arrival date and her departure, the day before yesterday … No, that’s all … Thank you, Constable.’

Chapter 22

Consultation

Trelawney pulled over once more, seeing the name on the screen with unthinking relief.

‘Miss Cadabra.’

‘Inspector?’

‘How can I help you?’

‘I’ve just remembered something Claire said. I don’t know if it might be relevant.’

‘It might. Actually, you’re the very person I would like to … consult. May I drop in?’

‘Yes, of course. Oh, I’m seeing Jonathan tomorrow at noon, by the way.’

‘Excellent.’

‘I’m home for lunch now. I’ll put the kettle on for your arrival.’

‘I’ll be about 40 minutes.’

‘I’ll be ready!’

I can call it an interview as much as I like, Thomas reflected honestly. But I am consulting Miss Cadabra. I probably rely on her far too much. My father’s probably right. She is, however, a valuable resource, he concluded to comfort himself.

And more comfort there was to be had. In the cosy cottage with the wood fire warding off the February chill, Miss Cadabra had a welcoming smile for him. Here came the tea tray, oven heated pasties for lunch and his favourite biscuits to follow, all partaken of in the embrace of the armchair near the hearth. Even the objectionable grey furry sleeping dragon of a cat on the sofa could not spoil the atmosphere.

Registering facial expressions was not Amanda’s greatest gift. Still, she could not help but observe the inspector’s appreciative sip of his tea and the soft sigh as he relaxed back in his seat.

‘Have you been through the mill, Inspector?’ she asked kindly.

‘Rather. No worse than I’ve been before, mind you. Thank you for asking. But first, what was the recollection you had for me?’

‘Well, nothing much, really. It’s just that I was thinking about Samantha, and then her father and how, well … you remember back when there was all that business about the Centre?’

‘Vividly.’

She laughed. ‘Well at the time, Claire said that maybe Samantha wasn’t really as she appeared to be. That maybe she’d never had the opportunity to discover what or who she really was. Claire said Sam had been caught between two wealthy, divorced parents bidding outrageous stakes for her affection. She’d been so indulged she never had to think for herself. And Claire was of the opinion that she was just imitating her similarly clueless friends. You can ask Claire. She knew Sam a bit.’

‘Ah, thank you.’

‘I also, at the time, overhead a conversation between Damian and his friends.’

‘Yes?’

‘Well, I just had the impression that he was trying to say that Samantha hadn’t always been like that, I mean like she’d turned out. Isn’t it so often the case that children can appear quite happy and normal and then it all goes sort of pear-shaped when the parents fall out? After all, it does happen, doesn’t it?’

‘It does indeed, Miss Cadabra. I was most fortunate in the way my own parents dealt with it. I was well aware of how much better things were for all of us after they separated and divorced.’

Amanda was surprised at how forthcoming he was being. But then he’d mentioned this before.

‘In other cases, though,’ she responded, ‘children are immensely troubled when things are unhappy at home and do go off the rails out of … oh all sort of things.’

‘True. Did you ever meet Samantha’s mother?’

‘No. I’m sorry.’

‘I wouldn’t be. I shouldn’t say so. But I’ve just come from her establishment,’ he admitted.

‘Inspector, I have to say I’m not surprised. Damian seems to have been as kind and loving a father as … he was allowed to be. Very busy, yes, but I do think he genuinely cared about his daughter. Was even at a loss as to how to help her. I don’t think Samantha was taking the lead as to her behaviour and attitude from him.’

‘From whom then, would be your guess?’

‘Her friends, Claire thought. Or I, suppose, her mother. But without having met her …’

‘Hm. Do you know any of Samantha’s friends?’

‘Only Pamela, who’s a sweetie, or seems to be. And Simon Lawley, who appears to be harmless enough. Certainly, neither of them behaved like Samantha. Whatever influence there was not coming from them, I would say.’

‘Hm’

‘Oh, wait! I completely forgot! Yes. But this must be off the record. Strictly off the record. This person refuses to go to the police and told me only on the understanding that she would not be involved. I need your word, Inspector.’

‘Very well, Miss Cadabra. A confidential informant of sorts.’

‘If you please.’

‘You have my word.’

‘In that case … someone who knew Samantha told me two things. One was that her parents had made Sam cut up her credit cards. They were paying her uni fees, living expenses and giving her an allowance. But it was still nothing like the funds she had had access to before. Sam wanted more money. She told … this lady that she had some sort of scheme in mind. It was to do with the “mid-life crisis brigade.” That’s what the lady said Sam called her father, Damian, and his friends.’

‘Thank you, Miss Cadabra. That is very helpful.’ She waited while he wrote in his police notebook. Finally, Amanda asked tentatively,

‘May I ask — and I do understand if you can’t tell me, Inspector — what is the mother like?’

‘She reminded me of a crow,’ he replied frankly.

‘A raven?’ asked Amanda suddenly.

‘Yes.’

‘Harbinger of doom.’

Trelawney looked up at that. They were evocative words.

‘The woman is certainly as tough as a beak,’ he commented. ‘There was guilt there,