Page 31 of Maybe Tomorrow

‘You know Judith Patterson?’

Jane looked up and smiled. ‘I’ve known her for years. She used to bring Alice in here all the time.’

‘Alice was a big book fan?’

‘That’s an understatement. She loved books, didn’t she, Anthony?’

Anthony, standing next to Jane, his eyes fixed on the pile of books Freya had brought back, nodded.

‘He’s taken Alice’s death very hard. Well, we all have.’

‘Did you know her?’ Freya asked Anthony.

He didn’t respond.

‘They got on very well. Always chatting and laughing. Many a time I had to tell them to remember they were in a library and keep their voices down. Thick as thieves they were sometimes.’

Anthony tried to hide his emotion but couldn’t. He turned and quickly ran into the back room.

‘He’s a very sensitive lad,’ Jane said, lowering her voice.

‘Did Alice ever come into the library with anyone, or always on her own?’

‘Aside from her mother, she was always on her own. Everyone knew her here. We always made her welcome,’ she said with an affectionate smile. ‘We always have a bit of a get-together on the last working day before Christmas. We close early and have a bit of a tea. We invited Alice along, too. She livened the place up. It didn’t matter what was going on in the world, she always had a smile on her face.’ Her voice began to break.

‘You’ll miss her.’

‘We will. I can’t begin to imagine what poor Judith and Geoff are going through, bless them. Judith looked so ill at the funeral.’

‘You went?’

‘Of course.’

Freya frowned. ‘I think I saw Anthony there, too. I’m pretty sure I was sitting behind him. He was there with another woman. His mother?’

Jane nodded and smiled. ‘That’ll be Pauline. Yes, she looks after him.’

‘He needs looking after?’

‘Anthony’s got some behavioural issues. He finds the world difficult to cope with. Big crowds, things like that. He loves his comics and his books. He loves working here.’

‘Does he live on his own?’

‘Goodness, no. He lives with his mother. He wouldn’t be able to cope on his own.’

‘How old is he?’

‘He’ll be twenty-nine next birthday. We share a birthday. Pauline makes us a cake,’ she chuckled.

‘Can I ask you a private question?’ Freya asked.

Jane’s smile dropped. ‘Go ahead.’

‘We believe the person who killed Alice was known to her. Do you know of anyone who that might be?’

‘The other policeman asked me that, the one in plain clothes. I told him exactly what I’m telling you: we’ve had some dodgy people in this town over the years, and we’ve had some trouser-fumblers in here as well, but I can honestly say, hand on heart, nobody would ever harm Alice Patterson.’

‘Yet somebody did.’