Faith - Lesley Pearse [164]
His curiosity satisfied, Stuart was about to close the file when he thought of looking up Jackie. Sure enough, she had a card under D for Davies, and there was a long list of items, all of them marked down as sold. But when he looked closer he saw that the last few items were brought in just a month before she died. Curiously the money owing to her was paid out in early July, some six weeks after her death.
He was puzzled for a moment, but then, thinking Belle might have collected the money, he flicked through to H and Howell. To his astonishment there was an even longer list of items here, going on to three different cards. The first few items brought in had the same date as the day the money had been paid out for Jackie’s things. From then on there were many different dates, right up till just a couple of weeks ago. And she still had some items outstanding that hadn’t been sold. One of these was a size 10 green trouser suit.
He shut the file quickly, and went over to the clothes racks. They were arranged in sizes and within seconds he’d found the suit. He might never have seen Jackie wearing it, but he knew it was hers by the vivid emerald-green that she so often chose. Furthermore, Belle was probably a size 12 or even a 14.
The doorbell rang when he was still holding the suit by the hanger. He looked round and saw it was Angie. ‘No one came in,’ he said to cover his guilt. ‘I was just looking at the clothes. This one made me think of Jackie – she wore this colour a lot.’
‘I think it could well be hers. Though her sister didn’t admit it when she brought it in,’ Angie replied, barely glancing at it. ‘I should have sent it to a charity shop some time ago, I normally only keep things for two months, but I’ve hung on to that one because it’s such a beautiful, expensive suit.’
Stuart was about to pursue the matter of Belle being a customer but Angie disappeared into a room at the back of the shop. When she returned she put some change into the till, then looked back at him. ‘While I was at the bank I gave what you’ve said some thought,’ she said crisply. ‘I really can’t help in any way. Everything I had to say in Laura’s defence, I said in court. There was nothing left out. I gave as good an account of her private life, and her public one too, as it was possible to give. But it turned out that I didn’t know her anywhere near as well as I thought I did. I never even knew she had a child who died.’
That surprised Stuart. ‘Maybe it was too painful for her to speak about?’ he suggested.
She gave him a long, cool stare. ‘We were here in this shop together day after day for several years,’ she said. ‘I thought we were close friends, and as such I would have expected her to open up about something as shattering and recent as that. Then there were Meggie and Ivy, they rang here quite often, but she said they were friends, not her sisters. After the trial I found myself doubting almost everything she did tell me, and although I tried to stay strong about her, in the end I found that I couldn’t.’
‘It must’ve been hard for you.’ Stuart could tell by her expression and her body language that even a charm offensive wasn’t going to bring her round. ‘I certainly didn’t come here to harangue you further. I know there were compelling reasons why she resorted to subterfuge, I also know she didn’t kill Jackie Davies; my only difficulty is finding the proof.’
‘She is a lucky girl having you on her side.’ Angie’s face softened. ‘I really do hope you find that proof. But I must get on now, I’ve a great deal of sorting out to do.’
‘Does Belle Howell often come in here with clothes?’ he asked.
Again she gave him a stern look. ‘I really can’t discuss my customers with you,’ she said.
‘I didn’t expect you to,’ he retorted. ‘It just struck me as odd that she would come such a long way to the shop which has such strong connections with her sister’s