She finished her coffee and her biscuits with the static image in front of her. A few minutes later she pressed play again. Nothing, nothing, nothing. Then, at 15:34:44, Laura’s car went past the camera on her way home, meaning the fallen tree was cleared. Sure enough, the deliveryman got into his van and drove away.
At that point, the afternoon became like a mirror image of the morning. For now the school bus drew up and when it drove off there were the children on the pavement, jostling each other, kicking water up from the puddles, in high spirits for they were on holiday for Christmas. A different boy stared out of the central window.
There came Rob Coombe collecting his daughter.
And now, now it was 16:24:12 and Andy walked past the camera in the rain, still in his work clothes and carrying his canvas bag. On his way to Tabitha’s. She felt sick and she bent over for a few moments, squeezing her eyes shut.
She should turn the DVD player off now, she thought. Nothing that came next was relevant. Stuart was dead; soon Andy would be knocking at her door; soon he would step out into the backyard and, reaching down, find the body. But she kept on watching.
The police car came first, lights flashing in the gathering darkness. Then the ambulance. Then another police car.
Only minutes later the vicar could be seen striking purposefully toward the shop. Then Shona, almost running. The twin sisters with their strollers. Their husbands, home from work and keen to be in on the action. That man in his wheelchair whose name she couldn’t remember. Pauline Leavitt, amazingly quick on her feet for a woman who usually leaned on a cane. Everyone arriving because something was going on and they were gathering like flies around a carcass.
In spite of herself, Tabitha inserted the interior disc and fast-forwarded to see them all inside. The little shop was crammed with excited people. It was like a party in there: a murder party.
She ejected the disc and sat back. Her head was pounding and her mouth was dry. She didn’t want to look at the police car coming back with her sitting inside it. She waited for a long time, and then she got up and knocked at the door. Mary Guy opened it. She was still chewing gum.
“I’m done here.”
Thirty-Five
Tabitha hadn’t had lunch but she didn’t want supper. The sight and smell of Dana’s minced beef and mashed potatoes turned her stomach. She thought of biting into a crisp, sour apple, or eating toast with a scraping of Marmite on it; drinking a large mug of tea—from her blue mug, she thought, which she had bought in Spain ten years ago. She wanted, she needed, to be somewhere far from the press of people. She imagined herself by the sea, miles from anywhere and not even a boat on the horizon, just the wash of waves over pebbles, the urgent call of the gulls, the bitter wind scouring her face.
“What are you writing?” asked Dana.
Tabitha looked up. “A new timeline,” she answered.
“Timeline of what?”
“Of the day the murder took place.”
“Can I see?”
Tabitha made room for her on the bed and they both looked at what she had done. Dana’s lips moved as she read.
6:30 (approx): Wake up. Lie there for some time (how long?). Not feeling good.
7:30 (approx): Get up. Start making porridge and tea. No milk.
08:11:44: Go into village shop to buy milk in PJ bottoms and wellies. Rob Coombe and daughter. Also, two girls, bus driver and Terry—witnesses?
08:15:09: Leave shop in direction of home.
09:29:43: Laura’s car drives out of village.
09:39:27: Deliveryman goes into village shop, then leaves again. Drives off in direction of Stuart’s house.
09:55:17: Deliveryman returns (last person to see Stuart?).
??? A.M.: Go for swim. Meet Dr. Mallon.
10:09:14: Owen Mallon runs past, in direction of Stuart’s house.
10:10:19: Twins and their toddlers arrive at village shop.
10:19:35: Owen Mallon runs back in other direction.
10:22:51: Mel goes into shop then out again.
10:23:46: Shona talks to vicar outside shop; walk toward Stuart’s house together.
10:25:20: Shona back and goes into shop.
10:30:32: Mel walks past.
10:34:33: Stuart drives out of village in his car.
10:40:22: Stuart drives back again in direction of house (blocked by fallen tree).
13:19:38: Shona to village shop.
13:33:01: Rob Coombe to village shop.
13:57:49: Luke arrives in village. Climbs over tree (workmen there). Walks to his house.
14:31:13: Vicar walks past. (Says she met me at this time and we talked about news.)
15:34:44: Laura returns. (Says Luke at home and no sign of Stuart.)
16:24:12: Andy on his way to my house.
16:30: Andy arrives at mine. Discovers body.
“I don’t get it,” said Dana after she had studied it. “Why do you need to put in the seconds as well as the minutes?”
“I don’t,” said Tabitha. “It just makes me feel a bit better. Everything’s such a mess; this makes it seem less messy. As far as I can see,” she continued, staring gloomily at what she had written, “I’ve learned nothing that can help me. It’s exactly like the police said. Except—” She stopped.
“Except?”
“I don’t know. I have this ridiculous feeling that if I think hard enough I’ll find something I’m missing.” She shook her head. “I’m just kidding myself.”
And anyway, she thought, as she used the toilet, brushed her teeth, pulled on her night things and climbed into her narrow bed, maybe the police were right
