Free Too Soon a Death: A Scottish mystery where cosy crime meets tartan noir: Borders Mysteries Book 2 by Janet O'Kane Page B

Wednesday suit you?’
    ‘As long as I can get someone to take Mac for the day.’
    ‘I’m sure Mum will. Which reminds me—I told her I’d only be gone for half an hour. I’ll text you about it, okay?’
    Recognising her friend’s intervention was probably the kick up the backside she needed, Zoe agreed. Despite Kate’s insistence that she should stay put, she pushed herself up from the chair. They had just gone back into the kitchen when the house phone rang. Zoe pointed at it to indicate what she was doing, and went to take the call.
    ‘Hello.’
    Silence.
    ‘Hello.’
    Expecting a click, signifying the automatic dialling system in a distant call centre had rung off, instead all she heard was the sound of someone breathing. She rammed the handset back into its stand. Once Kate was gone, she’d dial 1471 to find out who the caller had been, although probably all she’d get would be confirmation they had withheld their number.
    Was this the work of the same person who rang her mobile three times during the night?
     

EIGHT
    Although too fond of driving to be a fan of public transport, Zoe had allowed herself to be persuaded by Kate that taking the train to Edinburgh would be their best option, and as she stood on the platform at Berwick-upon-Tweed station, cooled by the sea breeze and sipping from her bottle of chilled water, she felt inclined to agree. Less than a week had passed since she had driven to Moffat to meet Andrew, yet every time she pulled a seatbelt across her body it felt more confining. If her father wanted to see her again before the baby arrived, she might have to insist on their meeting somewhere far closer to Westerlea. He would, after all, have to come to her once the baby arrived.
    She turned round to Kate, who was staring at her mobile and shaking her head. When she looked up, Zoe asked, ‘Problem?’
    ‘I knew telling him I’m in Edinburgh today was a mistake.’
    ‘Who?’
    ‘The client I’m doing the research for. He says he’s got a clear diary so we should meet up and I can give him a progress report.’
    ‘If you can’t come shopping with me, I’ll understand.’
    ‘You’re joking, aren’t you? I’d rather turn him down than miss that.’ Kate undid the clasp on her oversized handbag and peered inside. ‘I haven’t got his complete file with me so I can’t give him more than an overview, which won’t take long. We should be in Edinburgh by eleven, so I’ll text him saying to meet me in the John Lewis restaurant on the fourth floor at eleven-thirty. If he proves too demanding, you can come and rescue me.’
    Zoe followed Kate onto the train, letting her go ahead to claim an empty table. They sat down facing each other, and as soon as they had left Berwick, Kate pulled out the contents of her bag and started to sort them into piles. Zoe reached into her own handbag for her book but as she opened it, Kate said, ‘You might find this interesting.’
    ‘If it’s to do with your work, I’m sure I will. But I didn’t think your client wanted you to discuss what you’d found out about his family.’
    ‘You’re the least gossipy person I’ve ever met, so where’s the harm? And anyway, he’ll never know.’
    ‘I’m not sure that’s the point.’
    Kate flapped a hand, dismissing Zoe’s concern. ‘I’ve managed to go back to when my client’s great-great-grandfather and his parents were arrested in Jedburgh. Look at this.’ She slid a piece of paper over the table.
    Zoe studied the photocopied sheet. Although she struggled to read some of the handwriting, the typed headings of every column were clear: she was looking at an extract from something called the Roxburghshire Criminal Register, which recorded arrests made in one week in February 1861.
    ‘This is fascinating. I love the details. Under education the choices are “neither reads nor writes”, “reads and writes imperfectly”, and “superior education”. I wonder how they judged which category