Page 47 of Skullduggery
I certainly hoped not, for Hugo’s sake. ‘Well,’ I said lightly, ‘at least that’ll solve the mystery of what happened to her. And we’ve got days yet before Rose vanishes for good, so they won’t be sawing her up yet.’
‘Do you think that they killed her?’ Otis asked worriedly.
‘I’m keeping an open mind. But until any evidence presents itself to the contrary, they deserve the benefit of the doubt.’
Innocent until proven guilty. I’d never met Hugo’s mum and dad but I found it hard to believe they’d have the motive or the desire to kill off their neighbour and hide her body. Call me naïve, but it seemed unlikely.
Neither Otis nor Hester said anything. I turned around and glanced at them. They were pulling faces at each other and gesturing pointedly. ‘What?’ I asked, faintly exasperated.
Hester arched a mocking grin in my direction. ‘You can tell the truth, Daisy.’
‘Yeah,’ Otis said. ‘We won’t judge you.’
‘No.’ Hester shook her head. ‘Wewilljudge you. But you don’t have to lie.’
I gazed at them. ‘I’m not going to Pemberville Castle first because I want to see Hugo as a kid. I have a carefully laid plan. I’ve considered this a great deal, and it’s the sensible thing to do.’
‘Yup.’ Otis grinned broadly.
‘Sure thing, Daisy,’ Hester added.
‘It’s true!’ Mostly true.
‘Uh-huh.’
‘Yep.’
I turned away. ‘Come on.’
They snickered loudly. Vargas had been right on one count: minions weren’t what they used to be.
When I turnedonto the long driveway and Pemberville Castle and its grounds finally came into sight, a flicker of relief warmed my insides. It looked exactly the same now as it would in thirty years, and that familiarity was comforting. The hedges lining the road were pruned in the same manner, the apple trees in the orchard to the east displayed the same blossom, and the castle didn’t look any different, even though I knew that Hugo had carried out a lot of necessary repairs.
Other than the row of unfamiliar – and very expensive – cars parked outside the castle, the main difference was that Duchess wouldn’t be lurking beneath the bridge that crossed the old moat. I’d miss her presence; in fact, when I reached thebridge I paused for a moment to acknowledge her. Strangely, it seemed the right thing to do. I didn’t linger for long, though.
With my shoulders pulled back and my chin high, I walked to the massive oak front door and rang the heavy bell. ‘You’ve got this, Daisy,’ I muttered under my breath.
I didn’t have to wait for long. Within half a minute, the door creaked open and I was looking into the smiling face of a woman in her fifties. She was wearing a long apron that almost reached her ankles. I gazed into her twinkling eyes and, for one stupid moment, thought I was looking at Hugo’s mother until I realised she was far too old and was probably a member of staff.
‘Good morning,’ I said briskly, hoping that my charity-shop suit and business-like tone would make her think I was some sort of professional. ‘My name is Gertrude Van Winkle. I am from the Royal Elvish Institute and I have an appointment with Lord and Lady Pemberville. I’m slightly early. I do hope that’s alright.’
The woman’s eyes slid from me to Otis and Hester. Thankfully, both brownies decided to play along.
‘Kimberley Kardashian,’ Hester said, with a mid-air curtsey.
Otis bowed. ‘Mark Zuckerberg. We are Ms Van Winkle’s assistants.’
The woman blinked. ‘I don’t have any record of an appointment.’
I let a tiny frown cross my face. ‘Kim,’ I said, addressing Hester, ‘you did call yesterday to confirm, didn’t you?’
Hester looked momentarily panic-stricken. ‘I … uh … I…’
I tutted loudly. ‘We’ve come a long way for this.’
The woman took pity on us. ‘Not to worry. The Pembervilles are in a meeting at the moment, but I expect they’ll be finished soon. You’re welcome to wait inside while I see if they’ve got time to talk to you.’
‘That’s very kind of you,’ I told her, making sure to glare pointedly at Hester at the same time.
