Page 65 of Autumn at the Oak Leaf Café
‘They’ve received too many complaints, that they can no longer ignore them.’
‘That’s great news. Hopefully something will actually get done about it.’
‘How was your day?’
Madeline just smiled. ‘Oh, okay, I suppose.’
The next morning, it didn’t take long to find what she was looking for. While weeding the verge around the front of the café, she found the broken heel of Janine’s shoe lying in the grass, covered by fallen leaves. The net, should she wish it, would soon close.
However, she was feeling a little more charitable than that.
She called and booked an urgent appointment. Luckily, Janine had an opening that afternoon.
‘Please come in,’ Janine told her, looking somewhat more flustered than before. Perhaps she had been watching the news.
Janine’s office looked different. The shelves, previously teeming with books and ornaments, had been cleared, just lines of dust remaining. Boxes stacked behind Janine’s desk revealed their overloaded contents, flaps open to reveal the hurriedly packed remains of a business.
‘Are you going somewhere?’ Madeline asked.
‘Yes, yes,’ Janine said. ‘My fiancée and I have decided to move overseas for a while.’
Madeline tried to maintain a normal level of surprise. ‘Oh, how exciting. May I ask where?’
‘Australia. Just for … the foreseeable future.’
‘Any particular reason?’
Janine shrugged. ‘I suppose neither of us are fans of the English weather. Particularly at this time of year.’
Outside the window, the distant treetops of Sycamore Park looked beautiful. Madeline just shrugged; she supposed some people were never happy.
‘Oh dear. I suppose I’ll have to find another therapist. Although, I think you managed to cure me pretty well.’
Janine looked like she wanted to be somewhere else. ‘That’s good, I suppose. Was there anything you specifically wanted to talk about?’
Madeline frowned. ‘Well, there was something. I had a weird dream the other night. It felt like I was looking through a camera angle from above the library doors, down at my café. And in my dream I saw a figure of a woman, and she was attacking my café in a fit of rage. And then—in my dream—I found a piece of the shoe used in the attack.’ She looked up at Janine, whose brow was beaded with sweat. ‘What do you think it could mean? Do you think … the figure in the dream could have been me?’
‘Ah, maybe, yes, who knows? Perhaps you … have issues?’
Madeline frowned. ‘And the weirdest thing is, that when I got to the café the next morning, there was actually a broken window.’ She smiled and gave a brief, dry chuckle. ‘How strange is that?’
‘Yes, very strange. Very strange indeed.’
‘Do you think I’m insane? I mean, I’m scared to look around, in case … I find the piece of the shoe. That would mean that what I dreamed was … real. Wouldn’t it?’
Janine just looked uncomfortable. She still hadn’t sat down.
‘By the way, how are the wedding plans going?’
‘Ah, so-so.’
‘I heard that the community centre on Porter Street looks lovely at this time of year. It might be perfect for a reception.’
Janine gave an absent frown. ‘There are rumours that it’s haunted.’
‘Oh, I wouldn’t worry about that. But maybe Australia would be much nicer.’
‘Yes, yes, maybe. So, was there anything else?’
