Page 61 of Sun, Sea & Strawberry Shortcake
‘I’ll speak to the police if you like.’
‘Will you? Great. Oh, here’s Bee and Jodie. Will you tellthem where I’ve gone?’
He nods. ‘Go, before Norma gets away. I’ll come and see youlater. I know where you live.’
‘I should hope you do.’ I grin at him. ‘After being parkedvirtually outside our cottage all week long!’
He grimaces, looking guilty, and I laugh. ‘Right. I’m going.Can you tell the police it was me who called them, but I’m chasing a suspect?’
‘Yes. Now, go! And take care. Don’t do anything risky.’
I hurry after Norma, but with the village taken over bysummer solstice revellers, it’s tricky keeping her in my sights, and more thanonce, I lose her. Finally spotting her leaning on the promenade wall staringout to sea, I linger there myself, a few yards away, pretending to look at myphone.
‘Hi, there.’
I turn at a familiar voice. It’s Jon. And at once it occursto me that he’s just the person to comfort Bee and Jodie. So I quickly tell himwhat happened and he thanks me and heads off to find them. I watch him go,thinking what a lovely guy he is, and wondering if Bee will ever give in andallow him back into her life.
When I turn back, Norma glances over in my direction and Icatch her eye.
Recognising me as a friend of Bee’s, her face falls and shescuttles away immediately. I hurry after her but she manages to give me theslip, crossing the road and vanishing into a side street, swallowed up by allthe people milling about.
Could Norma really have abducted Jodie, to scare them intoleaving the village? It seemed a bit extreme. But her reaction to me just thenwas suspicious, to say the least. She couldn’t get away from me fast enough andthe whole of her body language was yellingguilty! (Or so it seemed tome.)
But if itwasNorma, did she really have time tochange out of the plague doctor costume, before returning to search for thekeys she dropped when she was making her getaway?
I stand outside a card shop, people brushing past me,feeling suddenly at a loss.
Hudson would know what to do next.
I need his help. Because with Jodie’s abduction, this‘mystery’ has suddenly become a great deal more serious than a few threateningletters and a face at the window.
We need to track down the plague doctor. And fast. Becauseit’s clear it will stop at nothing to get rid of Bee and Jodie...
CHAPTERTWENTY-NINE
Hudson isn’t at the cottage. So I run next door,expecting him to be there with his laptop, working with Joanna.
But when she appears, the startled look on her face (in mypanic, I probably rapped a bit too hard on the door) tells me he’s not there,either.
‘Ruby?’
‘Do you know where Hudson is? I need to talk to him.’
She frowns. ‘No. I’ve no idea. Are you all right, Ruby?’
‘Yes. I mean, no. Not really. Bee’s daughter was abducted bysomeone in a plague doctor costume, but they got away and we need to findthem!’ I’m aware I’m talking at high speed but I’m scared for Bee and Jodie. ‘Ineed to help them but I don’t know what to do next. That’s why I need to findHudson. He’ll know what to do.’
‘Hey, hey, calm down,’ she soothes. ‘Why don’t you come infor a minute? I’ll make you a cup of chamomile tea and we can phone Hudson andget him round here, okay?’
I nod gratefully, following her through to the kitchen.‘Thanks, Joanna.’
‘No problem.’ She frowns. ‘That sounds terrible. Someone infancy dress abducted Bee’s daughter?’
I nod. ‘It was very scary. Although thankfully, that man inthe black car who’s been lurking in the lane turned out to be the hero of theday.’
‘Really?’ She looks amazed. ‘In my opinion, he has villainstamped all over him.’
‘No, no. He actually saved Jodie.’ I shiver, remembering. ‘Idread to think what would have happened if he hadn’t arrived at that moment.’
