MYSTERY: BRITISH MYSTERY: Missing Hearts (Amateur Sleuth Suspense Thriller) (Cozy Crime Detective Short Stories) (18 page)

“I don’t know, she was very young. But yes, that coat was odd for that time of year, far too heavy for the weather. I’ll have to look at some of the footage, see if there’s a clear image of her.” Clara said, pulling up the security footage from her laptop. “I think that was around July, beginning of August, wasn’t it?”

“Yes, I believe so. It was just after I broke up with Shane, so it had to be around that time.” Bianca replied.

Pulling up the files from that period Clara started to sift through the footage. “You know this could take hours, ladies. Mum why don’t you take Selena home and I’ll meet you there in an hour or so?” Clara said as she watched her screen, scrolling through each day in a matter of seconds with the program controls.

Christine chimed in as she walked to the door “I’ll head home and see how my little monkey is doing with my mum. If you need me, buzz me.”

Agnes gathered up Selena’s things and left Bianca and Clara staring at the screen of Clara’s laptop. They were at the end of August before they spotted the girl.

“That’s her!” Bianca said excitedly.

“Yes, it is. Let’s see if we can zoom in.” Clara adjusted the settings and hit print when the camera captured the girls face.

“We still don’t know if she’s the mother but it’s a start, I suppose.” Clara said, looking down at the page the printer spit out under the counter.

“I think you should fax that over to Constable Goins and let him know why you’ve sent it. He can do more with it than we can.”

“I suppose you’re right. I just feel so useless right now. Selena needs me but she needs her mother as well. I know the letter said the girl was in some kind of danger but this simply doesn’t make any sense, any of it. And if this girl is Selena’s mother then how could she afford that bracelet for the baby? Something just isn’t right here.” Clara said, wondering if she’d got herself into a dangerous situation. She wouldn’t give Selena up for the world but she needed to know if she should prepare for something dangerous. She used an online fax provider and typed up a cover sheet before faxing the picture over to Tom, then looked over at her friend.

“Good thinking, my dear. I might never have remembered the girl if you hadn’t said anything. Thank you.”

“No problem, duckie. Now, if you don’t need me I have a date later I want to prepare for. Buzz me if you need me.” Bianca said with a quick hug and a kiss. Always rushing around that one, Clara thought.

N
othing came
of the picture over the next month and Clara grew more attached to baby Selena. The little girl was staying awake longer now, growing quickly, and had already gone up a nappy size. Selena’s doctor was happy with her growth and the care Clara was giving to her. November was nearly at an end and Clara was wondering if Selena was still going to be with her for Christmas. Clara had begun the process with social services to adopt little Selena but it was a slow process and she wanted some assurances before she went through the process of ‘baby’s first Christmas’.

Clara knew from her research that the parents of the child usually disappeared, never to be heard from again. If the girl in the picture was Selena’s mother Clara suspected the young girl simply didn’t want to raise a child yet. Bianca and Christine had warned her she might be jumping the gun by starting the adoption proceedings but Clara had come to think of Selena as her gift, as her responsibility. Besides, the mother had written in her note that she wanted Clara to take Selena in. Clara knew Selena’s mother wasn’t going to come back, not after this long. She might one day, though, and Clara did try to keep that in mind but that warred with her instinct to protect Selena from an uncertain future with her mother. What happened if she grew scared and dumped her again? Not if Clara could help it, she thought to herself.

Determined to try one more time to find something that would reveal the identity of the young girl that Clara thought was Selena’s mother Clara opened up her laptop while the shop was quiet and started scrolling through the video security footage one more time. This time she started with the date after the girl came into the store. She was certain the girl had come in once more after that visit.

After 45 minutes of scrolling Clara found her. She let the video play normally and watched as the girl roamed the shop, touching leather boots and silk covered stilettos almost reverently. No, the girl hadn’t come in to steal; she was just daydreaming about the things she wanted. Clara watched as the girl roamed around the store and came to a shelf where Clara put promotional materials and contest boxes. Clara’s eyes widened as the girl looked over her shoulder then took one of the cards and started to fill it out, dropping it in the box before quickly walking out. Clara knew she’d had a contest that month, the winner getting their choice of footwear from Clara’s stock. And she’d kept the cards for promotional materials she was planning to send out!

Running quickly to her office Clara dug out the cards from a box where she’d filed them and started tossing the cards out on her counter when she went back into the shop. Quickly flipping through a stack of cards she found the one she thought was a possibility. Digging through the rest she saw that all of the other applicants were women well over 30 years old. Clara had specifically asked for an age requirement not only to ensure the contest was legal but to find out demographics on her customers. In this instance it was the clue that told her which of the contestants was the girl that had filled out the card.

Clara wasn’t a snob, she didn’t look down on people but she did cater to a certain income level. Her footwear was not cheap, the lowest price of any item she had in the store was still more than a week’s wages at minimum wage. This tended to keep out the young ones from middle class or poverty stricken families and tended to bring an older clientele to her doors. It was only logical then that the only 17 year old girl to enter the contest was the same girl that Clara had been looking for.

Looking at the card Clara saw that the girl’s name was Champagne, which made her groan out loud in derision. Poor girl what a ridiculous name to stick her with! Her address was in one of the poorer parts of the city, one that Clara wasn’t sure she should go to alone, but looking over at little Selena, she knew she had to find out for sure.

Picking up her keys she was on her way to shutting her front door when “Loverman” as Bianca and Christine called him, walked through the door, setting the bell at the top to chiming. Stepping back behind the counter she smiled pleasantly at the customer thinking she was going to be able to get her mother that new transmission with what the man was about to spend, if his spending habit remained the same as usual. Money wasn’t tight but her bank balance had taken a dramatic hit with Selena in the picture. Not that she would complain, it was just nice to know she’d be able to repair her mother’s car and still be able to give Selena and her mother a nice Christmas. If Selena was still with her, that is.

Just then Selena started to cry, her dummy having fallen out of her mouth as she snoozed.

“Oh, what’s this?” The man asked, bringing several pair of boots and heels to the counter. Not the cheapest ones she had either. Clara hid her shock at how much money she’d just made and put Selena’s dummy back in her mouth.

“This is Selena, my daughter.” Clara said, still getting used to the term. She looked over at the man with a smile and saw his confusion, though he was too polite to ask.

“My foster daughter, she’s just over a month old now. Her name is Selena.” Clara provided.

“Ah, and how very good of you. She’s quite the little charmer, even asleep, isn’t she?” The man asked. Clara knew his name was Charles from his bank card but never used it, thinking it was impolite to do that to customers.

“Yes, yes she is. She’s charmed her little way right into my heart. Will this be all for you?” Clara asked, stacking the boxes into a bag as she scanned them.

“Yes, that’s all for this week, anyway. I may be in again next week. It’s a busy time for me though. We’ll see. That is a lovely bracelet she has on, by the way, where is it from? My niece would love one of those for her daughter.”

“I’m not sure actually, her mother left it with her. That’s a long story. You reminded me I meant to search for that information. Thank you, I’d forgotten about that.”

“Not a problem and hopefully you’ll find out soon. I’d really love to get one myself.” The man smiled pleasantly at Clara and bid her goodnight. Clara locked the door behind him, lowered the lights, and sat down to look up one more thing before taking Selena home for the evening.

Unclasping the bracelet she put it on the counter, took out a magnifying glass, and looked at the only part big enough to hold any writing. A heart charm connected to the bracelet that was still tiny and looped around the claw-like clasp. The heart had the initials TMJ ‘95’ on it and the clasp had the tiny inscription ‘Dorset’ written on it. Typing the meaningless numbers and word into the search bar Clara looked through the results. One result was a news item from several months back. The story of a robbery.

Clicking on the result and scrolling through, Clara saw the bracelet baby Selena was now wearing and read the story of a house robbery that had occurred at the beginning of the year. A very well-off family wanted their daughter’s baby bracelet and their jewellery returned and was willing to pay a very hefty reward for the items’ return.

Looking down at baby Selena in her playpen Clara’s earlier feeling of danger and foreboding increased. Definitely time to give Tom a call, she thought.

“
N
ormally Clara
I wouldn’t ask this of anyone but I’m trying to keep this young woman out of prison so I’m going to ask for your help.” Tom asked later after everyone had their dinner. Tom and Greg had started coming by once a week, spending time with Clara, Agnes, and Selena. They enjoyed Clara’s quirky take on recipes and loved spending time with the ladies so the visits had become a standing event now.

Clara and Tom were in the back garden, Tom using his once a day cigarette habit as an excuse to speak with Clara alone. “What do you need, Tom?”

“I’d like you to go to the girl’s home and see what you can find out from her. I’d suggest taking Selena but that may be dangerous. I really don’t want to see her arrested, I’d like to see her put on the right path so we need to get in contact with her first then let me step in. She’ll likely respond to you better than she would to me as well.” Tom said, gazing out at the setting sun beyond the hills behind Clara’s home.

“I expect you’re right, Tom. Tomorrow’s Sunday so the shop is closed. I’ll have a drive down to her address tomorrow shall I?” She responded.

“That would be good, shall we head in then?” He asked.

“Yes, just please tell me you won’t be far away. Something is wrong with this whole picture and I can’t quite put my finger on what the problem is. I know there was a robbery but the mother wrote their lives are in danger. The further I dig into this the more worried I become for Selena.” Clara said, a sniffle escaping.

“I’ll be as close as I can without her seeing me” Tom said, pulling Clara in for a quick hug. “Now come on, you’re catching a cold I believe. Let’s get you back inside.”

Clara smiled her gratitude and walked back in with Tom, his reassuring, solid frame a comfort in the cold darkness.

C
lara’s
hybrid car drew a few curious stares and quite a few more glowers as she pulled into the street Selena’s home was on. Seeing those baleful stares she wasn’t sure she should leave her car outside of Selena’s house. It was bound to draw attention to the girl. Looking back she saw Tom’s van pull up to the corner shop and stop. He’d be there but he wouldn’t be when they left Selena’s home. Still not sure their plan was a good idea Selena went up to the door and knocked, looking behind her.

The door flew open, an older lady barely dressed in a shift with a cigarette dangling from her lip leaned into the doorframe as she took a swig from a can of cheap beer. An unpleasant odour of unwashed body, sweat and alcohol wafted from the woman as a draft blew the woman’s scent towards Clara. “What d’ya want?”

“Hello, my name is Clara, I wondered if I could speak with Champagne?” She tried not to sneer the name. Clara had to guess this was the woman that named the poor girl that atrocious name and the urge to snark at her was powerful.

“What’s the little useless twit done now? That girl is good for nothing, I tell you,
Champagne!
” The woman roared up the stairs behind her, flicking her cigarette in the general direction of outside but somehow causing it to bounce off of Clara’s coat before falling to the ground. “Get your useless bum down here, you’ve got a…
hiccup…
visitor.”

The woman wandered over to a couch just on the opposite side of the door and plopped down face-down on the couch. The beer spilled onto the floor as a loud snore came from the woman whose dirty shift road up her back, exposing her naked body beneath. Clara looked away, remaining in the doorway, rather than walking into the rat’s nest of trash and stacks of magazines filling most of the floor of the house.

“Who is it Mum?” Clara heard from upstairs. Looking up she saw the girl coming down the stairs and knew that she was, indeed, Selena’s mother. It was the same heart-shaped face, the same dark blue eyes, the same cupid-bow mouth. The girl froze on the steps and Clara knew she was going to run.

“Please, don’t run. Let me talk to you. I’m not here to hurt you or cause trouble; I just want to talk to you.” Clara pleaded with the girl dressed in black track suit bottoms and a blue and black-checked shirt.

“Not here, meet me at your shop tomorrow, if you insist but don’t come in and leave now. Before you do me any more harm than you already have. People talk you know? Now go, please.” The girl looked terrified, her eyes darting back and forth.

“That’s fine, tomorrow. I’ll be waiting for you. And so will Selena.” Clara said as the girl turned her back and ran up the stairs, out of view. Shutting the door, Clara walked away.

She went back to her car, pulled out, and drove two miles away before she pulled into a carpark and called Tom.

“Well?” He asked.

“I’m meeting her tomorrow, at the shop. Please, Tom, keep an eye on her for a while, she looked terrified.”

“Will do, get back to Selena now. Leave this to me.” He replied as he hung up.

Clara hoped he would keep the girl safe for the night until Clara could offer her help tomorrow. The girl’s fear and living environment left Clara rattled and she went to her own home, gathered up Selena, and held on tight, knowing what the future could hold for the child if she didn’t keep her.