Page 5 of The Vanished

“I’m just going to change. I’ll see you downstairs in ten minutes,” she told Rhys.

She could hardly go downstairs in faded jeans and the comfortable hoodie she’d worn on the drive up.

“I hope you brought something smart,” he said, his gaze raking over her outfit. Rhys was dressed in a crisp blue shirt, black skinny jeans, and trendy suede shoes. No doubt all chosen by Katya, who no longer allowed him to dress himself.

Quinn mock-scoffed and shut the door in his face. Rhys could be so high-handed sometimes. Of course she had brought something smart. She wasn’t a complete novice. She changed into a black cocktail dress and pushed her feet into a pair of strappy heels. Just right for a drink at the bar followed by a fancy dinner.

By the time Quinn arrived downstairs and slid onto a stool next to Rhys, he had already ordered them drinks. Whisky on the rocks for him, and a glass of wine for her.

“Malbec OK?” he asked solicitously. He knew what she liked, and Quinn was sure he’d insisted on a fine vintage.

“Yes, thank you.”

“I got the contact information for the former owner. And the mortuary is on the way to the retirement village,” Rhys said rather loudly. Quinn knew precisely what he was up to, and his bad manners immediately paid off.

“Oh, are you here about the body in the well?” the bartender exclaimed.

He was young and good-looking, and had a friendly smile. His skin was a warm brown against the crisp collar of his white shirt, and his nametag identified him as Terry.

“We are,” Rhys said. “Were you there when it was discovered?”

“I don’t start till six, but my cousin was there. He’s on the building crew. He said it was like something straight out of a horror film. This withered brown thing floating in the well, her hair rippling like seaweed. He thought it was Amelia Goff,” Terry added in a quieter voice.

“Who’s Amelia Goff?” Quinn asked.

Terry’s gaze turned melancholy, and the corners of his mouth drooped. “Amelia disappeared almost ten years ago. We were all at school together, and I still remember the cops coming to talk to us and asking everyone to join the search party. She was never found.”

“How old was Amelia when she disappeared?” Rhys inquired.

“Sixteen. She’d been seeing this older guy, so at first everyone thought she’d gone off somewhere with him, but he had an alibi for the night she went missing. He said he was with his wife,” Terry said bitterly. “I never bought it. I think she lied for him.”

“The coroner was of the opinion that this body is much older,” Rhys said, and took a sip of his whisky. “Several decades at least.”

“Maybe it’s the Runaway Bride,” the bartender said with a chuckle.

“Who was that, then?”

“Just one of those stories you hear. An urban legend, except this place is hardly urban and it’s not much of a legend. Some girl ran off the day before her wedding, never to be seen again. But that was the sixties. I reckon she realized the bloke she was about to marry was a complete tosser and took off. No big mystery there.”

“Are there any other unsolved mysteries?” Rhys asked.

Terry looked around to make sure no one was waiting for service, then turned back. “It was a while back. I’m really not sure of the year. A French couple on their honeymoon was staying in the village. They went hiking one day and never came back.”

“What do you think happened to them?”

“Search me,” Terry said. “Maybe they just skipped out on the bill. And a girl who lived in this house ran off with her lover. My gran told me about it. It was quite the scandal at the time.”

“Can we speak to your gran?” Rhys asked.

“She passed two years ago. She was ninety-eight. Anyway, I must get back to work. Give me a shout if you want another round.”

The young man moved on, and Rhys gave Quinn a loaded look.

“If the girl who ran off was the daughter of this house, the former owner might know who she was,” Rhys suggested.

“Wouldn’t she have said something when the body was found?”

“Maybe she didn’t make the connection.”