The Revelation Room (The Ben Whittle Investigation Series Book 1) Read Online Free PDF

ponytail. ‘How old is she here, Mrs Hunt?’
    ‘Fifteen, nearly sixteen.’
    Ben wrote his mobile number on the back of a business card
and handed it to Annabelle. ‘I’ve got to get going. I’d be really grateful if
you’d contact me if your daughter gets in touch with you again.’
    Annabelle took the card and promised that she would. She
showed him out. ‘Good luck, Mr Whittle.’
    Ben walked away knowing  he would need a lot more than
luck to resolve this mess.
 

Chapter
five
     
    Ben returned home to find Maddie and
his mother looking through an old photo album. His mother was still wearing her
pale blue dressing gown. Her hair looked as if it were trying to flee her
scalp.
    Maddie looked up and smiled. ‘How’d it go?’
    Ben sat at the dining table. ‘Not too bad.’
    Anne looked at her son with bloodshot eyes. ‘Did you find
out where this cult is?’
    ‘Not yet.’
    ‘What did the parents say?’ Maddie asked.
    Ben touched the teapot. Cold. ‘Just that the girl started
seeing some guy in Oxford. A busker. It seems that he got her involved in the
cult.’
    ‘Well, that’s a fat lot of help,’ Anne said.
    Ben sighed. ‘Maybe you ought to go and stay with Aunt Mary
for a while.’
    ‘And what should I tell her? That Geoff’s been taken hostage
by a load of maniacs in a cult? And then spend the next God knows how long
listening to her telling me that I married the wrong man. She reckons everyone
should marry a bank manager like she has. Sitting there all smug with her
mock-Georgian house and mock-me manners.’
    Ben tried to defuse her. ‘Can’t you just tell her that Dad’s
away on a case?’
    ‘She won’t believe me. She’ll be suspicious. And then she’ll
think he’s having an affair. Or worse still, that we’ve split up.’
    Maddie turned to Anne. ‘I could stay here with you, if you
want.’
    ‘What about your duties at the church?’ Ben said.
    ‘Lighting a few candles and saying a few prayers? I’m sure
Dad can cope. He managed youth club by himself last night.’
    ‘A couple of hours is one thing, you can’t just uproot and—’
    ‘I want to.’
    Ben looked at his mother. She looked like a woman trying to
decide between a sinking ship and shark-infested waters. He then turned back to
Maddie. ‘You’ll need clothes.’
    Maddie grinned. ‘So take me home. We can have a chat with my
dad, and then I can pack my stuff.’
    Anne nodded her head. ‘I’d like that, Ben. I don’t want to
go to Aunt Mary’s.’
    Ben nodded. ‘Okay. Just for a day or two until we get things
straightened out.’
    ***
    Pastor Tom listened as Ben recounted his visit to the Hunts’
bungalow and described the contents of Emily’s letter.
    ‘So when Ben goes off to find this busker, his mother will
be left on her own,’ Maddie said.
    Pastor Tom’s blue eyes sparkled like sunlight dancing on
waves. ‘And does Ben’s mother want you staying with her?’
    Maddie pouted. ‘Of course she does.’
    ‘You’ve not forced this upon her because you think it’s what
you should do?’
    ‘No.’
    ‘She’ll be glad of the company,’ Ben added. ‘In all honesty,
I dread to think what she’d be like on her own.’
    Tom nodded. ‘I know. She’ll feel like she’s lost half of her
heart. But you’ve got to be careful. You need to give her time—’
    ‘We don’t exactly have all the time in the world,’ Maddie
interrupted.
    ‘All right. Go ahead if you think it’s for the best.’
    Maddie grinned. ‘I know it’s for the best.’
    Pastor Tom tipped his hat back and wiped sweat from his brow
with the back of his hand. ‘I suppose I could get Rhonda to help me out at the
church.’
    ‘Rhonda will love that.’
    ‘Rhonda?’ Ben asked.
    Maddie laughed. ‘Rhonda comes to every service. Monday,
Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday. She’s sweet on Dad.’
    Pastor Tom looked away. ‘Don’t be daft.’
    Maddie ploughed on. ‘She walks over three miles to get to
church, come rain or shine.