Page 12 of Child's Play

And for the life of him he couldn’t think why.

Seven

Kim waited as Veronica took the spare key from her bag and opened the door to the run-down property next door.

When she’d asked the woman why Belinda had owned the second property she had offered a secret smile, almost childlike and said, ‘You’ll see.’

The woman pushed open the door but didn’t attempt to step inside.

‘Welcome to my sister’s real home,’ she said, waiting for a reaction.

Kim’s eyes widened as she looked into the space before her. What had once been a hallway that mirrored the clear one next door was now a narrow walkway with columns of books and newspapers on either side. The walkway was a good few inches above floor height with more of the same trampled down.

She turned to Veronica. ‘She got in and out of here?’

Veronica nodded and stepped inside. Kim followed, tracing the woman’s footsteps and holding out her arms for balance. Two strides in and Kim was hit with the smell of the place that reminded her of Barney after he’d run through a muddy puddle.

‘Any pets?’ Kim asked.

‘None,’ Veronica answered without turning.

Kim dreaded to think where that smell was coming from or what might be found beneath the piles of rubbish.

As she travelled forward Kim could see that every room was the same. A raised walkway which was filled from floor to ceiling with all kinds of objects including empty boxes, bike parts, tapestries led into each room. A single wing-backed chair remained untouched in the middle of the lounge.

Kim was unsure if the walls matched the magnolia colour next door as no wall space was available to view.

Kim couldn’t compute the woman they’d seen last night, so tidy, so well turned out, living like this.

‘I don’t get it,’ Kim said, entering the kitchen. There was not an inch of work surface to be seen. An electric kettle was just visible on the drainer unit of the sink. Bryant sneezed twice behind her, and Kim could feel the dust settling on her lips the way it had attached itself to the cobwebs straddling the corners of the ceilings and the light fittings.

‘It started when our parents died, thirty-four years ago,’ Veronica explained. ‘This bungalow was theirs. She moved in and wouldn’t throw a thing away that belonged to them and then began collecting things she felt were of value. Every time I came round it seemed that another part of the house had become unusable, another corner filled with junk. She insists that she needs every item here.’

Still talking as though her sister was alive, Kim noted.

‘And the house next door?’ Bryant asked.

‘Came up for sale around the time I was threatening to have her committed if she didn’t do something about it. She bought the bungalow next door dirt cheap and promised she’d sort all this stuff out while living next door and then we’d sell it and split the proceeds.’

‘But?…’

‘I think she snuck back in and slept here every night,’ Veronica admitted.

‘But how did she hold down a responsible job until just a few months ago?’ Bryant asked.

‘Why wouldn’t she?’ Veronica snapped. ‘She wasn’t crazy or stupid. She was just trying to hang on to something that didn’t exist. She functioned perfectly fine and I find your comment a little bit insulting.’

Jeez, Kim thought. Bryant had pissed someone off more than she had. Now that might earn him the plant, after all.

Unusually it was time for her to don the United Nations Peacekeeper cap. ‘I think we’re just surprised given the way she looked and the cleanliness of the car that…’

‘She was good at keeping up appearances, officer. We both are.’

Kim had already sensed a strange dynamic between the sisters but now she wanted to know more.

‘You were older than Belinda?’ she asked.

‘Oh yes, officer, I certainly was. I suspect that had Belinda come first my parents wouldn’t have bothered to have any more.’