The Island Angel Page 5

  The lounge was small but cosy. A cast-iron stove stood in an inglenook fireplace, and its flames lit the lounge. Two sofas ran at right angles to the fireplace and were separated by a small oak coffee table. In the centre of the wall opposite the inglenook was a TV, awkwardly positioned on a bookcase.

  Jessica was starving and devoured the meal without tasting it.

  After the meal, Abbie sat next to her dozing mum. Her big eyes glanced from her phone to the television. She was a clone of Anna. The same features, eyes, and hair. Anna had explained to Abbie that Jessica was a guest for tonight and the girl hadn’t asked any questions. What Jessica couldn’t get her head around was Abbie looked to be fourteen, while Anna seemed to be in her late twenties. She would’ve had to give birth when she was in her early teens.

  When Jessica took the plates into the kitchen and washed up, the phone rang. She answered it quickly so Anna wouldn’t be woken.

  “Jessica?” Chris was on the line.

  “Yes.”

  “How are you doing?”

  “Fine. Do you know what happened?”

  “Not really… But. Well, everything, unfortunately, points to your laptop’s IP address and MAC address. They all show you had accessed the systems prior to the failed test.”

  “What! How?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Spoofed maybe?”

  “It’s pretty hard to do. But also, there are audit logs showing you created the fault that screwed our customer systems… Did you do it?”

  “Of course not. Why would I?”

  “Money. And you wanted to quit. That’s what people are saying.”

  “So, you think I’m guilty as well?” Jessica spoke through gritted teeth. Chris had worked with her for many years. She’d thought they were friends.

  There was a pause on the line before Chris replied. “The police have been asking me if I know where you are. I said no. I can get into real trouble now.”

  “Okay, then. I guess I’m on my own.”

  “Hold on a second, I’m on your side, because, in truth, you’re not that dumb. I mean, you’re not stupid enough to leave your fingerprints all over this train wreck if you were involved.”

  Jessica took a breath, calming down. “So, any ideas?”

  “Just one.” His words hung for a second. “Where’s your laptop? It seemed to disappear after you were dismissed.”

  “Why do you want it?”

  “It’s a long shot. But I can’t say now.”

  “Check with Brian. He handed it in.”

  “Okay. I need to go. I’ll keep working on this. Talk soon.”

  “Wait—” But Chris had already disconnected. She needed to ask him more questions, but at least it appeared he believed she was innocent.

  She went back into the lounge to find Abbie had disappeared. Anna was still scrunched up in the corner of the sofa, asleep. Her hair had fallen away from her face, and one arm was across her lap. Jessica studied her for a moment, watching her chest rise and fall with each slow breath. A pang of guilt for the intrusion caused her to look away. After composing herself, she reached forward and gently shook Anna’s shoulder.

  Anna blinked, stretched, and slowly uncurled like a woodland creature.

  “I thought you might want to sleep in your bed,” Jessica said, taking a backwards step.

  Their eyes met, and Anna stared as if seeking the answer to a question. It was an intimate instant Jessica stole from those unguarded sleepy eyes.

  Anna stretched. “I must’ve dozed off. I’ll get you some bedding.” With that, she stepped out of the room.

  Chapter Five

  JESSICA SWUNG HER legs off the sofa and sat up. It was a new day, but her problems were foremost on her mind. She’d spend the night trying to work out what she would do this morning, and as rays of dawn sunlight reflected on dust particles, she knew she’d been fantasising. Megan wouldn’t call. There was nowhere for her to go. She’d have to turn herself in and hope Chris would find something to prove her innocence.

  “It’s a nice day. Not windy and it’s sunny,” Anna said when Jessica entered the kitchen. Anna poured a cup of coffee and handed it to her.

  “Thanks. Is it possible to get to the mainland now?”

  “Yes.” The toaster popped, and Anna fetched the slices. She was dressed in smart black slacks and a white blouse with her hair up in a tight ponytail. It looked like she was ready for a business meeting, except it was Sunday. “The toast is for you.” Anna passed over the plate.

  “You didn’t need to.”

  “You have to eat.” Anna’s words were frayed. She seemed nervous. “There’s some jelly if you want—jam, I mean, strawberry jam.” An open jar and a butter knife were placed by the toast.

  Anna leaned against the kitchen counter and crossed her arms.

  Jessica wasn’t hungry. A dull nagging sat behind the more immediate anxiety of going to prison. She should think about getting a lawyer. It’d have to be the next thing she did. Megan hadn’t called. It’s time to leave and turn myself in. There’s something else, though… Something’s really bugging me, beyond this whole work thing. What the hell is it?

  “I’d—” Jessica started to say but stopped when Anna spoke at the same moment. “Sorry, go ahead,” she offered.

  “I’ve been thinking.” Anna’s arms tightened further into themselves. “A farmer on the mainland employs volunteers to help with his camping business. I’d like to try the same here. There’d be no pay, just meals and a room, so I’m…” She hesitated.

  Jessica came to her rescue. “You’re wondering if I would be interested.”

  “Yes, I am. You did great work in the stables. So, if you need to stay a few days and help out it would be great for me.”

  “That’s very kind.” This beautiful stranger was offering a reprieve. “But, I don’t want to intrude.” It was the wrong word, and her tone had been too formal. Her emotions were bouncing around like a trawler in a tempest. “My ex isn’t going to call. And I just need a bit of time. Another friend, he’s trying to help sort things out.”

  “What things?”

  Jessica swallowed a sigh. She couldn’t talk about her predicament. Anna would surely send her away or call the police. “I had a problem at work. If Chris, my colleague, resolves it, I’ll be able to go home.”

  “What problem?” Anna’s brows scrunched together, and her blue eyes stayed locked on Jessica like a heat-seeking missile.

  Jessica shuffled backwards. She didn’t want to answer.

  Anna uncrossed her arms. “It doesn’t matter. I’ve made a decision to trust you because I think you need help and because any help you give me with the stables is welcome.” She picked up her coffee. After a sip, Anna added, “Do you know anything about ponies?”

  “No, I grew up in North London. There, a pony was £25.”

  Anna half smiled, but her expression showed confusion. “They cost a lot more than that.”

  A blanket padded into the kitchen. Abbie’s face popped out and then her arms. She hugged Anna for a second. “Isn’t the heating fixed yet? It’s freezing,” Abbie complained.

  “Not yet. I’ll make you some breakfast.”

  “Why are you all dressed up?” Abbie asked.

  “Because I need to do something today.”

  Anna, reverently, picked up a watch, checked the time, and deposited it into the pocket of her slacks.

  “But where are you going?” Abbie persisted.

  “The bank.”

  “It’s Sunday. They’re shut.”

  “I’m going to the blood bank. Jessica needs food.” Anna attacked Abbie, tickling her side.

  The teen laughed and darted out of reach. “Zombie vampires don’t exist.”

  “Nor will you, if you keep asking me questions.”

  “Maybe I don’t already, and I’m just a ghost.”

  Anna stopped dead in her tracks. The colour faded from her cheeks. It appeared she was about to topple over. Je
ssica darted forward and put an arm around Anna’s waist to support her. “Are you all right?”

  A few seconds passed. Their noses were an inch from touching. Anna blinked, before using the tips of her fingers to push Jessica away. “Fine.” She straightened her blouse and cleared her throat.

  Abbie, watching, showed little concern.

  Is this something that happens a lot?

  “I thought you might faint,” Jessica said.

  Anna ignored her and went back to the counter. Her hands visibly shook as she shoved two slices of bread into the toaster then spoke over her shoulder, “Abbie, after breakfast, show Jessica how to feed and exercise Daisy. She’ll be helping around the farm for a few days.” When Abbie didn’t answer she spun around. “All right?” she snapped at Abbie, who was heading into the lounge.

  “Okay!” Abbie screeched back.

  IT WAS HARD to tell if Daisy enjoyed the attention. At least the horse’s ears are not back. They were inside Daisy’s stable, where the pony stood still while being brushed down. Jessica had quickly learned most of the ins and outs of how to groom Daisy from Abbie.

  “Do you look after Daisy a lot?” Jessica asked Abbie.

  “My mum mostly does it. I’m at boarding school in the week.”

  “Oh. That must be expensive.”

  Abbie shook her head. She was in the process of fitting Daisy’s bridle. “It’s free because there’s no school for children of my age on the island. The tides mean we can’t get there and back easily.”

  “I see.”

  “Can you lift the saddle onto her back?” Abbie added, “I can do it. It’s just that I have to get the steps.”

  “Sure.” The saddle was sitting astride the stable door, and Jessica stretched to put it into position. Jessica had always thought ponies were small, but this one was taller than her. “Are you sure Daisy isn’t a horse?”

  “She’s not.” Abbie laughed. “Horses are fourteen-and-a-bit hands or more. Anything under is called a pony.”

  “If you have really small hands, won’t that make her a horse?”

  “No. A hand isn’t a person’s hand anymore. Like a foot isn’t a king’s foot anymore. It’s a standard size. I don’t remember how much, though.” She ducked to fasten the saddle’s girth.

  It was clear Abbie knew exactly what she was doing, and Jessica resisted the temptation to assist as she really didn’t know anything about horses. Pony. It’s— She’s a pony.

  Once the stirrups were adjusted, Abbie opened the stable door and led the Daisy over to a set of portable steps in the courtyard.

  A thought occurred to Jessica. She realised the bigger implications from what Anna had said about trusting her. It wasn’t simply about her farm and pony. It included Abbie. It must have been a huge decision. She doesn’t even know me.

  Abbie used the steps so she could get her foot into the stirrup and then pulled herself into the saddle.

  “Your helmet.” Jessica passed it up.

  Abbie laughed again. “It’s called a riding hat.”

  When Abbie was ready, she nudged the pony forward, before twisting back to glance at Jessica. “Come on, I’ll show you where the paddock is.”

  With Jessica walking beside as Abbie rode, they skirted around the farm buildings and passed through a small grove of mature oak trees. The path then continued along a hawthorn hedge and ended at a fenced-off field. Here, the land dipped gently. To the east, its lush green grass seemed to disappear into the sea. On the ground at intervals, low jumps were set out.

  “Can you open the gate, please?” Abbie asked.

  Jessica unlatched the galvanised five-bar gate and closed it behind her. She perched herself on top and watched as Abbie urged Daisy into a canter, the rider and pony travelling in repeating circuits of the field.

  The view was spectacular. Light played on the distant waves, creating a blanket of green-blue studded with sparkling white jewels and, to her right, half a mile or so away, the castle of Lindisfarne stood on a rocky pinnacle. A light breeze blew, mixing the smells of the meadow with salty sea air. Jessica filled her lungs and let her mind go blank, feeling the sun warm her face. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt the sun on her skin.

  An hour might have passed before a sudden yank on the leg of her jeans jettisoned her off the gate. She thudded onto the damp grass.

  Raising herself on all fours, she came face to face with a white beard, pink nose, and, finally, two bulbous eyes.

  “What the hell!”

  The goat bleated or perhaps belched back at her.

  Jessica clambered to her feet, just as Abbie rode beside her and dismounted.

  “Are you okay?” Abbie took hold of the goat’s collar and tried to pull it away, but the animal wasn’t moving. It seemed rather interested in Jessica’s sweater and was trying to get a bite of it. “This is Kermit. He won’t hurt you.”

  “His teeth might.” Jessica gathered herself and retreated from the creature. “Is it yours?”

  Abbie nodded. “Yeah. He mostly keeps Daisy company. Ponies aren’t good by themselves, and Mum found Kermit in an animal sanctuary. He wasn’t wanted since he’s a bit of a loner. Except, he seems to like Daisy.”

  “I see. And you called him Kermit?”

  “Yeah, Kermit the goat.” Abbie laughed, and Jessica couldn’t help wonder if Anna laughed like that. “Well, he’s not green, and he’s a wether. And, he has eyes like Kermit’s. I named him when I was little.”

  “A wether?”

  “Not really a boy goat anymore. My mum says, if he could talk, he’d be high-pitched like Kermit.”

  “Oh.” Jessica laughed.

  “Your hand is bleeding.”

  The bandage Anna had fitted was loose. Jessica pulled it back over her cut.

  “We can go back. I’ll untack Daisy and bring her back in the field.”

  “Sure.”

  They made slow progress on the return trip—the pony kept dipping its head every few feet, trying to graze. Behind them, in front, and then behind again, Kermit ambled, before disappearing through a gap in the hedgerow.

  “Should we go find him?” Jessica asked.

  “No. He knows his way around. He’s kind of the goat king of the island.”

  Jessica laughed. “Let me get this straight, he’s Kermit the Goat King of Holy Island.”

  “Yup. Exactly!” Anna laughed with her.

  “Have you lived here long?” Jessica asked when the stables could be seen peeking through the branches of the oak trees near the farm.

  “Yeah, since I was ten.”

  “How old are you now?”

  “Fourteen.”

  “And you’re from the States originally?”

  Abbie nodded.

  “Is your father still there?”

  “I don’t know. Mum doesn’t talk about him. She just says he left when I was two. I had a stepdad for a bit, but Mum got divorced.”

  The girl’s expression had darkened, so Jessica decided it was prudent to stop prying.

  Once Daisy’s saddle and bridle were removed, a lead rope was fitted, and Abbie took the animal back to the field as Jessica went inside to reapply her bandage. She tried to make a few calls, but no one answered. Megan was a lost cause, and she knew it would be at least Monday before Chris made any progress.

  “I’ve got homework to do,” Abbie told her, zipping back upstairs.

  It was still only 11:30 a.m. Grabbing a pair of gloves, Jessica headed out to the stall she’d worked on with Anna the previous day. The collapsed side of the roof wasn’t visible from the farmyard. She’d spent many of her teen years doing DIY with her father, so she had a pretty good idea what needed to be done to repair the roof. Having collected an old ladder she’d seen lying against the back of the building, she got to work.

  IT WAS LATE afternoon when Anna got home. She spotted Jessica pushing the wheelbarrow by the stable and waved before heading inside. After telling Abbie to focus on her homework and no
t her damn phone, she changed, cleaned out the downstairs spare room, and started dinner. During the day, she’d formulated a plan.

  Linda, the owner of the coffee shop, had been happy with her trial and offered her a full-time position. She had arranged to start Monday afternoon, giving her enough time to take Jessica to the clinic about her hand. There was no medical centre on Holy Island, so they would need to drive fifteen miles to one in a small village on the mainland.

  She planned to work for Linda during the week while Jessica, or whoever, looked after the animals and did jobs around the farm. Although she didn’t like Abbie having to go to boarding school, it meant she could work full time during the weekdays without feeling guilty. It still bothered her that she was not focusing on her own business, but she couldn’t see another way around it. Hopefully, by the start of summer season, there’d be enough money to buy another pony. It’s simply a matter of getting some forward momentum.

  While waiting for the roast, Anna dug out her laptop from under a pile of unfiled paperwork and set it up on the kitchen table. She wanted to update her website and add a paragraph about needing a volunteer in exchange for lodging and meals.

  Thirty minutes later, Anna saw red. She couldn’t get the text to format correctly and, even after ignoring that problem, when she tried to publish the update, an incomprehensible error message appeared. “Fucking awesome!” she cursed, just as her guest came through the door.

  Jessica shuddered to a quick stop. “Have I done something wrong?”

  Anna slipped out of her chair and touched Jessica’s shoulder. “No, it’s not you. I’m trying to update my website, and it’s all going wrong.” She tried to conceal her frustration. She wondered how much of her daily stress she showed in front of Abbie. Too much, no doubt.

  At the kitchen counter, she prepared runner beans. “So, what have you been doing today?” Anna glanced back to see Jessica busy at her laptop.

  “Abbie showed me a lot of horse things. Pony, I mean. Grooming and then we took Daisy to the paddock. Then Kermit, the Goat King of Holy Island, tried to eat me.”

  Anna burst out laughing at this and spun around. “I should’ve warned you about him. He likes denim and wool.”