Free Forget Me Never by Gina Blaxill Page A

recycling bin.
    ‘Remember why you’re here in the first place?’ he said. ‘Aiden’s not going to stop stalking your house just cos we had the world’s crappest burglars round.’
    I frowned. Reece’s words were making me think. When he came back from taking the boxes out, I said, ‘Reece . . . d’you think this maybe isn’t a coincidence?’
    ‘The burglary? What d’you mean?’
    ‘I’m just thinking that strange stuff has happened recently – specifically to, well, me – and as soon as I come here, this happens.’
    ‘Everything always has to be about you,’ Reece sighed, but he didn’t sound annoyed. ‘How could it be? They didn’t take anything important. Just a necklace and your cousin’s old laptop . . .’
    Reece trailed off. For a moment neither of us spoke. I said, ‘D’you think . . . that possibly . . . Aiden did this?’
    ‘How would he know you were here? Unless he followed us over.’
    ‘He has been watching my house – he must have realized I wasn’t there. A friend’s is the most likely place I’d be.’
    ‘It’s not a totally far-out idea,’ Reece said after a long pause. ‘Maybe it was the laptop he wanted the whole time. Could be why he was hanging round yours, waiting for the right moment to break in, which I bet never came cos of all the people going in and out. Hey!’ His eyes glowed. ‘Did Edith have any of Danielle’s old files on her, Soph?’
    I knew exactly what he was thinking; I felt a little jitter of excitement. ‘There were some old folders in My Documents. I looked at them ages ago – didn’t seem to be anything interesting, but I could have been wrong.’
    ‘Not that we’ll ever know now,’ Reece said glumly.
    ‘Oh, but we will. My files are all backed up!’
    Reece’s face lit up. ‘You’re kidding. No one backs up their files these days!’
    ‘You mean you don’t – I’m more careful. Well, Julie is; way back before I arrived one of her foster-kids lost his coursework when the computer died, so now she backs up all our files. We’ve got an external hard drive. Everything on the laptop will be on that.
    ‘Brilliant! Thank you, Julie’s paranoia! And hey –’ Reece grinned briefly – ‘who knows, maybe this is going to tell us more about Danielle? Who needs the police, eh? Let’s go – oh, wait, crap. Can’t.’
    He didn’t need to say that tonight his place was here. I understood; it wouldn’t be appreciated – in fact it would be downright hurtful – if Reece went running off with me when his mum and sister were scared.
    ‘I suppose it can wait till tomorrow,’ I said, trying not to look disappointed.
    The next day we set off back to Julie’s, talking the whole way about what might be on Danielle’s files. Reece seemed less enthusiastic now, but he was a bit tired and not quite awake – Neve had been scared about burglars in the night and had kept him up. It was silly of me to feel nervous, but as not looking wasn’t an option, I’d just have to deal with whatever we found. Not that there would be anything. Danielle wouldn’t have got involved in anything upsetting to me. But if Aiden had stolen Edith, this proved there was something to my suspicion that there was more to Dani’s death than we knew.
    The house was noisy when we arrived. Julie stuck her head around the living-room door.
    ‘Hello, you two,’ she said. ‘Nice time away?’
    I nodded. I should have mentioned the burglary, but confiding in Julie wasn’t really a priority. ‘All OK here?’
    ‘Nothing interesting.’ Julie waved her hand dismissively. ‘We went to see that new film at the Vue – you know, the one about the talking piano. Not recommended; even the kids were bored. You seem brighter.’
    ‘It’s cos of my brightening company,’ Reece said. ‘I’m the alternative to Prozac.’
    Julie raised an eyebrow; she’s always taken Reece with a very large pinch of salt. ‘Well, you keep being brightening company. This girl could do with