Chapter 16
Remedying the Situation
The following morning four women were up at the crack of dawn, packed their bags, and headed for the highway.
It was going to take over two hours to get to Swindon, Henry’s last known mail address.
All of them were anxious to hear back from Blair and Professor Kirkland to see if there was one last effort that could be made to clear Henry’s name. But it might be another twenty-four hours before they had any news.
Kathleen phoned Oliver to go over the details and confirm the alias that Henry was using. She pressed the speaker button so everyone could hear the conversation.
Oliver answered quickly. He was in a spry mood. “Good morning, Kathleen! What are you fine ladies up to today?”
Four voices called out, “Good morning, Oliver. We’re heading to Swindon.”
“Have you heard back from Blair and the professor?” Oliver asked.
“Not yet. Probably not for another twenty-four hours, but we wanted to be a tick ahead if everything went the way we hope,” Kathleen answered.
“The evidence is very clear. Henry’s fingerprints were only on the barrel of the gun, and the latent print matched the dodgy judge,” Oliver said with encouragement. “So tell me, are you planning to check every dairy in the Swindon area?”
“Oliver, you’ve known us for too long to question whether we would leave any stone unturned,” Kathleen said emphatically. “Clearly, we have no idea where he lives, but it can’t be too far from the post office, and the post office can’t be too far from where he works.”
Emily was looking at a close-up map of Swindon. “We’ll start at the post office and then work our way out.”
“Good luck. Be in touch. Mind as you go,” Oliver offered.
“Oliver, my thanks could never equal what you deserve,” Kathleen said as she turned onto the main highway heading south.
“Let’s hold off on the thanks until Henry’s back, and everything is done and dusted.”
“Right-o. Cheers!” Kathleen ended the call.
Emily and Ashley studied the map and took notes. “Cheese and crackers! There must be over a dozen dairies in the area,” Emily exclaimed.
“And we are assuming he lives or works near the post office. Would he have a car? Bicycle?” Ashley asked.
“Henry was always keen on riding a bike, so that would be my best guess,” Kathleen said from the driver’s seat.
“Let’s narrow it down to a ten-mile radius.” The twins were at work scouring the maps and writing down addresses and routes to follow.
Kathleen chose the quickest road, the M5. “Sorry it’s not the most scenic, but it’s faster.”
“We can hold off on the scenery until we accomplish our objective,” Jessica said, and patted Kathleen for reassurance.
Jessica watched the trees and pastures move past them quickly. Kathleen was inching just over the 70 mph/112 km speed limit.
“We have our route scheduled, starting with the closest and working our way out,” Emily stated. “Two dairies are within ten kilometers of the PO. Then it goes from seventeen to nineteen.”
“Do you suppose we should work from the outside in?” Ashley asked. “If he rides a bike, fifteen miles isn’t far. We should also look at what kind of housing is available between the post office and the dairy.”
“Hmmm … that might be a bit much. He could be renting a room. I don’t think he would let an apartment. Too much paperwork. Most folks who have an extra room would rather take the brass under the table. No questions asked.”
“Sounds like the States,” Jessica remarked.
“Ain’t it the truth? Money talks in every language too,” Kathleen added. “I should tell you now that Swindon isn’t a fancy place. A lot of it is run-down due to the inefficiency of the council.”
“Another thing in common,” Jessica said.
“Considering we started with the Brits, not surprising that the bad habits were passed down the generations,” Ashley added.
The drive continued with lively conversation and much excitement.
Soon they were approaching Swindon. Kathleen explained that it had been a small market town until 1841 when Great Western Railway built its main engineering works there.
The town grew rapidly, including a Honda plant that employed thirty-five hundred people.
It caused a shattering blow when it closed in 2021, while the pandemic shuttered almost a thousand businesses.
“Fortunately, some of the dairy farms survived. People still want milk and cheese.”
“Do you suppose Pops is milking cows?” Emily asked.
“With a machine, if he is.” Ashley elbowed her sister.
“I know that. Geeze.” Emily feigned annoyance.
Jessica looked over the seat. “I can only imagine if the two of you were teenagers in the same house!”
Kathleen let out a hoot. “I suppose I was saved from something!”
“That’s me mum. Always looking for the silver lining.”
“As long as it’s not a lightning bolt!” Kathleen snorted.
“Maybe we should stop at the post office first and ask if he’s been in lately. Kathleen, you can say you’re his sister and want to surprise him for Christmas,” Ashley suggested.
“Are you sure you’re not in criminology?” Kathleen joked.
“That may be next if we can pull this off,” she answered merrily.
Emily gave Kathleen the address to put into the GPS. “We’re not far.”
“We should probably make some kind of overnight arrangements. Just in case,” Jessica suggested.
“On it!” Emily replied and opened the app for hotel accommodations. “There’s the Goddard Arms, which is a few blocks from the post office.”
“See if they have rooms, please,” Kathleen instructed.
Emily was plunking away on her mobile phone. “Yes, they have two double rooms but they’re a bit pricey. Over a hundred-fifty quid. They have a restaurant and a bar.”
“Book it, please,” Jessica said. “I think we have enough resources.”
Ashley immediately chimed in. “We do. Remember?”
“Let’s have Uncle Ollie take a bit off the top. When we’re finished with all of this we can balance the scale. Let’s check into the hotel. We can drop our bags and then head back out.”
Ten minutes later they were in front of the three-story, ivy-covered building. Kathleen took a deep breath. “I never thought I would be doing something like this.”
“Sleuthing?” Jessica asked with a grin.
“Precisely,” Kathleen said, and unbuckled her seat belt. “I’ll run in and see where we can park.”
She flipped the button to open the boot. “You grab your bags.”
Emily, Ashley, and Jessica hopped out of the vehicle and grabbed the bag they’d packed for the evening.
It had been Kathleen’s suggestion to put just the essentials into one suitcase so they weren’t dragging a fleet of them around.
Kathleen was quick to return. “Bring your luggage inside and I’ll pull around to the next block. Meet you in the lobby.”
Like a well-oiled machine, the women filed into the hotel, checked in, and waited for Kathleen to return.
They were handed the keys and directed to the lift down the hall.
Bellmen were a rarity in smaller accommodations, so they wheeled their belongings to the elevator.
Once on the third floor they walked down a long hall where their rooms were across the hall from each other.
Emily and Ashley looked at each other, both having the same thought.
“Mum? Would you mind if Ashley and I bunked together?”
Ashley turned to her mother and asked the same question.
Jessica and Kathleen laughed. “Not at all,” Jessica said and turned to Kathleen. “You don’t mind, do you?”
Kathleen replied with the same answer. “Not at all.”
“Let’s unload and meet in the lobby in ten minutes,” Kathleen suggested.
Once they reconned, they decided to walk to the post office. It took five minutes before they discovered it was closed. “What should we do now?” Ashley asked.
“Let’s get the car and start at the dairies,” Kathleen suggested.
Ashley spoke next. “Won’t they be closed as well? It’s Sunday.”
Kathleen hung her head. “I was so rattled by all the excitement, it hadn’t occurred to me.”
“It hadn’t occurred to any of us,” Jessica said to comfort her new friend.
“I suppose the next thing to do is get something to eat,” Emily said. Her voice was downtrodden.
“Tomorrow is another day.” Ashley tried to keep it upbeat. “We’re here. We’ve made progress. We’re getting closer.”
“It seems that silver linings run in the family,” Kathleen said proudly.
“Might as well take this opportunity to relax. We’ve been on the move for days,” Jessica suggested. Her eyes widened. “I wonder if they have a spa nearby.”
Everyone’s face brightened. “Bloody good suggestion!” Kathleen exclaimed. “Emily, do your thing,” she said and waggled a finger at Emily’s phone.
“Ah! There’s one two blocks from here. Sorella.”
“That means sister,” Ashley added.
“Could we expect anything else?” Emily said brightly. She looked at the tiny map on her phone. “This way.”
The sound of soft, new age music greeted them as the aromas of lavender and eucalyptus wafted in the air. The minute they walked in they felt the layers of anxiety slowly fall away.
“This is divine,” Kathleen said softly as she inhaled the relaxing aroma.
A petite woman greeted them. “Welcome, sisters.”
Ashley and Emily burst out laughing and immediately regained their composure. Ashley was the first to speak. “We are sisters.”
Emily leaned in and whispered to Ashley, “Aren’t you overstating the obvious?” She pointed to her chest and then to Ashley. “Twins. Remember?”
Ashley snorted. “I’m not quite used to it. I see the similarities, but I see you. Not me.”
“You’re such a love,” Kathleen said to her second daughter.
“It’s in her DNA,” Jessica said assuredly.
“And her upbringing,” Kathleen noted.
“Quite a pair of pairs, aren’t we?” Jessica replied.
The following morning Oliver was still floating on the dopamine from the night before.
It was a perfect first date. He had to admit the food was superb, the service impeccable, and the company delightful.
When the cab had delivered Helen to her address, Oliver got out and walked her up to the door.
He took both of her hands. “Thank you for agreeing to have dinner with me.”