The Mysterious Disappearance of Marsha Boden - Chapter 18

Is Billie’s interest in Lucy genuine or does he have an ulterior motive?

Welcome! It’s great to have you here.

I am thrilled that so many of you are enjoying The Mysterious Disappearance of Marsha Boden.

Let’s find out what the developments are this week.

* * * *

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organisations, places, events and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

                                                                                     * * * *

Little Twichen had been shaken to its core by the sudden and mysterious disappearance of Marsha Boden.  Villagers were edgy and felt uncomfortable with the thought of a perpetrator in their midst. 

Ann Jones refused to believe the news when she heard it.  Guy was a kind, thoughtful and very respectful person and she was staggered to think that he could have harmed his wife, let alone killed her.  It was unthinkable and she was in total shock but knew what she had to do.  Stand firm at the helm of the Boden ship during the boss’s absence, although she was finding it extremely difficult to concentrate and was doing her best to field phone calls and side-step customers’ awkward questions.  She had noticed a dramatic drop in business since Guy’s arrest.  She only wished she could speak to him.

“What a turn-up for the books!  Who would have thought it?” Sue announced, strutting into the office and plonking herself down on one of the easy chairs nearby, dumping an array of carrier bags on the floor at her feet.

“What’s all that?” Ann asked, ignoring her comments.

“Oh, it’s some old clothes I don’t want.  I’ve ‘ad a good sort out and wondered if you wanted to buy anything.  You know, just a couple of quid each, that’s all.”

Ann could not believe what she was hearing.  “You are paid to clean at Boden’s not sell old clothes so why don’t you put all those bags back in your car and start work, like everybody else round here?”

Sue jumped up as if she had been stung by a wasp.  “Ooh, touched a raw nerve did I?” she mocked and then realised she had gone a step too far when she saw the look on Ann’s face.

“I’m warning you, Sue.”

“What?” she taunted, a supercilious grin planted on her hardened face.  “You’ll do what?  Loverboy aint here to watch your back anymore, is he?”

“That’s it.  Get out! Take your bloody tat with you and piss off.  Don’t bother coming back either.” Ann scooped up some of the bags and ran outside onto the courtyard and as she was lobbing them at the aptly named Duster car belonging to the cleaner, a dark-grey Audi estate scrunched to a halt on the pea gravel beside her. It was an unmarked police vehicle and inside, with a face as thunderous as a mid-west tornado sky, was Guy Boden.  

“Both of you.  In my office.  Now.”  His voice was so low it was barely audible.

After listening to both sides of the story from the two women, he put his head in his hands and said, “I really don’t need this.”

Ann started crying and Sue leapt up.  “I’ll leave you to it.  I’ve got work to do,” and she strode off with the air of a staff member greeting royalty. 

“I’m sorry, Guy.  She just winds me up.  She never does any work and when she does, it’s always half-hearted.  She doesn’t deserve the wage you pay her.”

“I know.  I took on her as a favour for a friend but I’ve known for a long time that her days are numbered.  I’ll deal with it in due course.  But not today.”

“How are you?  What did the police say?”