The Missing Party-Girl: A Rags-to-Riches Cozy Mystery Romance by Nhys Glover (read after .txt) 📗

what he looked like. Although not handsome, by any stretch of imagination, he had been youthful, and he had interesting features that were hard to forget. Hawkish nose, deep-set eyes, thick eyebrows, thin lips, and a thick shock of dark hair that never seemed to stay in place no matter how much Brylcreem he applied.

I felt oddly gifted to have the inside scoop on that first conversation between the couple. If Adie remembered correctly, Beckside Farm had belonged to Long’s family, but Minerva had gotten it in the divorce settlement. The fact that he and his family had owned her farm gave him added significance in Adie’s eyes, and she planned to research him and the farm one day when her time was her own.

For now, she went back to reading.

 

 

30th March

 

Georgie has definitely done another flit. She knows the rent is due tomorrow. If she doesn’t appear by then I don’t know what I’ll do. I hate to ask my parents, but it might be the only solution. I can pay them back when she finally does turn up. But I will have to find a way to explain my need for the money without revealing my den-mother’s lack of responsibility to my father. If Daddy ever got wind of the fact Georgie was not a reliable and mature individual, he’d march right up here and take me home.

I went into her room to see if I could find some indication of where she went. All I discovered was that her overnight bag and passport were missing. She did mention Roland was planning to go to the Riviera now the weather was improving. The past few days have been very warm for this time of year. But she gave no indication she planned to go with him. How inconsiderate of her! Really. What kind of friend leaves another in the lurch like this? If I don’t hear from her soon I will clear out her room and re-let it. That will teach her!

 

 

Then, two months later, the police arrived at their door. They’d re-let Georgie’s room by that stage and either sold off what they could of her belongings or divided what there was between them. The police interview was mentioned and Minerva’s guilt over not realizing something was wrong. But nothing new was mentioned.

Adie closed the journal with a sigh. Her eyes hurt from reading the feathery script for so long and the night had closed in without her being aware of it. She realized Jig had abandoned her to be with Cage.

“Adie!” Cage called to her from the front bedroom he’d been working on all day.

“Yeah?” she called back, wandering out of her room in his direction.

“You want to see what a mink coat actually looks like?” he called.

Surprise had Adie’s steps moving faster. “Of course. Have you found one?”

Cage appeared a moment later in the doorway with a bulky brown fur coat over one arm. Tentatively, Adie reached out to touch the fur, expecting to feel nothing but revulsion. What she actually felt was sensual delight. The fur was sleek and soft to the touch.

Cage offered her the fur, which she accepted as if it were a living thing. Her hand continued to smooth it down in much the way she smoothed down Jig’s long fur.

Jig himself was sniffing with great interest at the bottom of the coat.

“What do you think?” Cage asked, watching her carefully.

“I think it feels heavenly, if heavier than I expected. Which explains why mink coats cost so much. But it doesn’t change my opinion. How many minks died to make this coat? Ten, twenty? What’s it even doing here, anyway?”

Cage shrugged. I found it in a closet. After our conversation earlier, I thought you might be interested.

The temptation to put it on was too great. After all, the animals that died for the coat were long gone. Trying it on wouldn’t compromise her morals, would it? She wasn’t about to parade around in it in public.

When Cage saw what she was doing, he smiled knowingly, before helping her slip it up her arms and onto her shoulders. The weight was even more obvious once the coat was on. The warmth of it was a surprise. It was definitely warmer than anything she’d ever worn before.

She slid her hands into the pockets, striking a pose she hoped looked something like one a catwalk model might assume. Her fingers encountered a lace hanky and a piece of thin cardboard. Frowning, she removed the cardboard.

“Huh,” she exclaimed, her frown deepening. “It’s a return ticket from Victoria Station to Lewes, wherever that is. The date is March 23 1965.”

The date sounded familiar. She raced back to her bedroom for the journal. Jig, excited by the uncharacteristic movement, jumped and bounded along beside her. Cage followed more leisurely.

After quickly consulting the journal for what she was looking for, she exclaimed in triumph. “I knew that date was familiar. Georgie took off to visit her boyfriend in Sussex on that date. What’s the bet Lewes is in Sussex?”

Cage took the ticket from her hand and examined it closely. “You think this is Georgie’s coat and this was her ticket?”

Adie nodded energetically. “I do! Minerva was in awe of Georgie’s fur coat. She wanted one just like it. If Georgie left it behind, I can see Minerva claiming the coat and maybe the grooming set as her share of the spoils. But if there’s a ticket still in the pocket, I doubt Minerva ever actually wore it. Maybe she kept it and the brush set for sentimental reasons. I saw no white hairs in the brush, only red.”

Cage looked at the ticket again. “I get what you mean. If she wore it, she would have taken the stuff out of the pockets, and she would’ve looked at