knew Alf’s open letter was hidden in my shoebox. I tried not to feel too bad though. It wasn’t like it was important … I’m sure he could do without a creepy note telling him to keep his mouth shut. But then I remembered reading somewhere that it was an actual crime to open someone else’s post. And if Mum found out she’d freak; she was really particular about that sort of stuff. I rummaged beneath the clothes and took the letter out. I was going to tear it up. I held it in my hands, and prepared to rip. But then something told me not to. It’s hard to describe, but I just had this feeling that something bad might happen if I did.So I put it back underneath the clothes and snapped the suitcase shut.
Mum had left a pink Post-it note on the fridge saying she wouldn’t be back until late. I didn’t feel like spending the afternoon alone, so I grabbed my bag and headed for the café. I still felt kind of sleepy as I walked along, listening to Thin Lizzy on my iPod. But there was a nice breeze in the air, so I’d completely woken up by the time I reached the café. An old-fashioned bicycle stood outside, with a basketful of flowers and a sign with the words CUPCAKE CAFÉ in bold pink lettering. I peered in the window. A woman was busy arranging a display of cupcakes on the counter. She spotted me, unlocked the door and ushered me inside.
‘Hello,’ she said. ‘Lovely day, isn’t it?’ She wore a badge with the name ali attached to her apron with a little daisy pin. I guessed she was about fifty. She had a pretty oval face and her hair was tied up in a messy bun.
‘So you’re open again?’ I said.
‘We are indeed,’ replied Ali, placing the final cupcake on to the stand. The little cakes had icing in assorted pastel colours; some had sprinkles and some had little edible butterflies on top. The Cupcake Café was one of the cutest places I’d ever seen. The walls were covered with pale pink polka dots, there were white tables with pretty placemats and chairs with pink cushions. Fairy lights were draped around the pillars at the counter and jam jars with little candles were scattered around the place.
I picked up a menu and read through it.
‘What can I get you?’ Ali asked. ‘We have a nice selection of teas and smoothies and pastries. And of course our famous cupcakes.’
‘I’ll have a strawberry tea. And a pink cupcake,’ I said. ‘And can I use a computer?’
‘Go ahead, use whichever one you like. Will I wait a while before I serve your tea?’
‘Thanks, yeah, just need a few minutes,’ I said.
There was a long table by the wall with three white Macs sitting on it. I sat down in front of the one nearest the window.
I messaged Hannah, Sophie and Ross, letting them know that things were looking up in Avarna, but didn’t tell them about any of the weird episodes. I told them all about Nick and Colin and the others I’d met up in the forest. I didn’t mention the girl in the trees though. I had pushed that whole experience to the back of my mind. After I’d messaged them I messed around on the Internet for a bit. I read through a couple of blog posts. Then I typed Beth Cullen into the search box. Even though I didn’t like thinking about what had happened to her, I couldn’t help wanting to know more. The first result was an article from the Irish Times , about Beth and three other women whose murders remained unsolved.
Following an extensive search, Beth Cullen’s body was found close to the Avarna mines in Co. Leitrim in late December 1986. Gardai investigating the murder questioned a number of suspects, but no one was charged. Twenty-two-year-old Ms Cullen had been shopping for Christmas presents in Carrick-on-Shannon and had been sighted cycling just outside the town at around 4.30 p.m. on 21st December. Her parents raised the alarm when she did not return home for dinner that evening. Her bicycle was recovered three miles from where her body was found …
‘Hi, Jacki,’
Mum had left a pink Post-it note on the fridge saying she wouldn’t be back until late. I didn’t feel like spending the afternoon alone, so I grabbed my bag and headed for the café. I still felt kind of sleepy as I walked along, listening to Thin Lizzy on my iPod. But there was a nice breeze in the air, so I’d completely woken up by the time I reached the café. An old-fashioned bicycle stood outside, with a basketful of flowers and a sign with the words CUPCAKE CAFÉ in bold pink lettering. I peered in the window. A woman was busy arranging a display of cupcakes on the counter. She spotted me, unlocked the door and ushered me inside.
‘Hello,’ she said. ‘Lovely day, isn’t it?’ She wore a badge with the name ali attached to her apron with a little daisy pin. I guessed she was about fifty. She had a pretty oval face and her hair was tied up in a messy bun.
‘So you’re open again?’ I said.
‘We are indeed,’ replied Ali, placing the final cupcake on to the stand. The little cakes had icing in assorted pastel colours; some had sprinkles and some had little edible butterflies on top. The Cupcake Café was one of the cutest places I’d ever seen. The walls were covered with pale pink polka dots, there were white tables with pretty placemats and chairs with pink cushions. Fairy lights were draped around the pillars at the counter and jam jars with little candles were scattered around the place.
I picked up a menu and read through it.
‘What can I get you?’ Ali asked. ‘We have a nice selection of teas and smoothies and pastries. And of course our famous cupcakes.’
‘I’ll have a strawberry tea. And a pink cupcake,’ I said. ‘And can I use a computer?’
‘Go ahead, use whichever one you like. Will I wait a while before I serve your tea?’
‘Thanks, yeah, just need a few minutes,’ I said.
There was a long table by the wall with three white Macs sitting on it. I sat down in front of the one nearest the window.
I messaged Hannah, Sophie and Ross, letting them know that things were looking up in Avarna, but didn’t tell them about any of the weird episodes. I told them all about Nick and Colin and the others I’d met up in the forest. I didn’t mention the girl in the trees though. I had pushed that whole experience to the back of my mind. After I’d messaged them I messed around on the Internet for a bit. I read through a couple of blog posts. Then I typed Beth Cullen into the search box. Even though I didn’t like thinking about what had happened to her, I couldn’t help wanting to know more. The first result was an article from the Irish Times , about Beth and three other women whose murders remained unsolved.
Following an extensive search, Beth Cullen’s body was found close to the Avarna mines in Co. Leitrim in late December 1986. Gardai investigating the murder questioned a number of suspects, but no one was charged. Twenty-two-year-old Ms Cullen had been shopping for Christmas presents in Carrick-on-Shannon and had been sighted cycling just outside the town at around 4.30 p.m. on 21st December. Her parents raised the alarm when she did not return home for dinner that evening. Her bicycle was recovered three miles from where her body was found …
‘Hi, Jacki,’
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