Meet Me at the Pier Head by Ruth Hamilton Read Free Book Online

happened. ‘She probably has photographic and
witness evidence, so it might become nasty. Nanny looked after us when we were small; now she cares for Ma, so she’ll be with her.’
    The pips sounded, and she fed more copper into the greedy box. ‘Just for a week or two. Liverpool’s quite a distance from Kent, and he won’t look for her there.’ There
was a pause. ‘Mr Quinn?’
    ‘I’d be proud and delighted to have Isadora Bellamy in my house,’ he said.
    Tia swallowed. ‘Don’t be delighted, please,’ she begged. ‘It has to be a secret.’
    He laughed. ‘I’m good at secrets, Miss Bellamy.’
    ‘I expect you have much to hide, Mr Quinn, with all those body parts. Just two more bodies, intact and probably disguised.’
    ‘OK. Don’t waste any more money. I shall see you soon.’
    ‘Thank you,’ she breathed before replacing the receiver. She gathered up her remaining pennies and returned to the car. His voice was so pleasant, and he seemed to have humour, which
was an absolute necessity in teaching. Body parts, indeed. She giggled as she started Evangeline, her precious MG, wondering whether Mr Quinn had named his car. Did Americans christen cars? Rumour
had it that Mr Ford’s company was about to launch a vehicle named after his son, Edsel.
    Why wasn’t Mr Quinn married, she wondered. He was handsome, capable – look how he’d made one house into two flats. He had a decent job, dressed well unless gardening, owned a
pleasant personality . . . Perhaps he preferred men, though she suspected not. Why did she suspect not? ‘No idea,’ she said aloud as she drove homeward.
    When she reached Bartle Hall, she ran straight up to Ma’s room. Ma was on the chaise, being ‘drunk’. ‘Hello, Tia,’ she slurred. ‘If you want your father,
he’s in his dressing room.’ She waved a hand towards the other door.
    Unfazed, Tia sat on a stool and whispered to her mother, ‘I’ll leave my address with Nanny. My landlord says you can come and stay, both of you. Get out of here before the nasty
stuff starts flying about.’
    Richard made an entrance. He glared at his wife, sniffed at his daughter, then stalked out like a disgusted pantomime dame. In his silky smoking jacket, he looked every inch the ageing,
never-quite-made-it thespian.
    Isadora sat up. ‘He didn’t finish what you started at dinner last night, then? Didn’t we all think he was going to argue with you?’
    Tia shrugged.
    Joan Reynolds came in, closing the door quietly. Tia hugged the woman who had cared for her, Delia and Juliet. ‘He’s up to something,’ Joan said. ‘Keep an eye on the car
and the van, because he knows about batteries and the rotor something or other, so he may disable them. He’s been staring at both.’
    ‘He wouldn’t,’ Tia gasped.
    Isadora disagreed. ‘I think he’s ready to give up on Juliet, but you and Cordelia remain in his sights. Look, he’ll be back to dress shortly, because he’s going up to
London to see his agent. Find Cordelia and take both vehicles to the village. He’ll be on the one o’clock train, and he won’t be back until this evening. He believes you and
Cordelia are home until the weekend is over, but you must leave this afternoon. Go on, shoo. Joan will help you pack when the coast is clear. By the way, don’t worry about Rose Cottage. Joan
and I will take care of all that.’
    Tia ran to get her sisters, explaining to them in a whisper that they had to save their engines from sabotage. They spilled out of the house and found that both vehicles remained in working
order. ‘Why is he like this?’ Juliet asked. ‘Why can’t he just let us get on with the lives we’ve chosen? So you have to leave today, both of you?’
    ‘Get in the van and shut up,’ Delia hissed quietly. ‘We return at one, pack the van, then yes, Tia and I must go.’
    ‘I can’t get time off,’ Juliet moaned. ‘I’m on a split duty tomorrow.’ She climbed into the van, and both