The Secrets of Sunshine. Phaedra Patrick

      Poppy scooped Sasha into her arms. ‘Come on,’ she said. ‘I’ll look after you.’

      He found Miss Bradfield standing in the kitchen, staring at the photos on her fridge.

      ‘Sorry.’ She shook her head. ‘This is all super weird. I recognized Yvette’s earring first, in the clip. I bought them in Mexico for her birthday. They’re golden cacti and she wears them a lot. I bought Naomi a gold pineapple necklace, too. It’s great when you buy something and the person likes it, isn’t it? Makes you feel good inside.’

      Mitchell could recall the woman’s yellow dress, her eyes and her smile. However, he felt a sliding sensation inside him that something wasn’t right. ‘Have you heard from Yvette since she fell?’

      Miss Bradfield looked down at the floor. ‘The thing is—’ She jumped as the doorbell chimed and she glanced at her watch. ‘Oh, what? It’s too early for my next pupil.’

      She made her way to the door and stopped dead when she saw two people behind the frosted glass. ‘It’s Mum and Naomi,’ she hissed. ‘What are they doing here? Mum’s supposed to be staying at Naomi’s place tonight.’

      ‘It’s okay,’ Mitchell said. ‘Maybe we can catch you next week—’

      Miss Bradfield shot out a hand and gripped his arm. ‘No.’ Her eyes flashed. ‘You stay.’

      Mitchell stared down at her fingers.

      She let them slowly fall away. ‘Sorry, it’s just that—’

      The doorbell sounded again, twice.

      ‘Look, let me just get that. Patience isn’t one of Mum’s virtues. You and Poppy can wait in the lounge. It’s nice in there, quite glam.’

      ‘Um, okay.’

      Mitchell opened the door to a small, cosy room with a striped carpet. There were gold-framed paintings of cherubs on the walls and various instruments sat under the window. He called Poppy back inside and she skipped along the hallway to join him.

      ‘What?’ she asked.

      He ushered her into the room. ‘We’re waiting in here for Miss Bradfield.’

      ‘We can call her Liza. She said so.’ She plopped down on the sofa.

      Mitchell heard the front door open and the sound of kisses planted loudly on cheeks. After a few moments, a large lady bustled into the room. She had dyed raven-black hair set in coarse waves, and she wore an overlong purple shirt over white linen trousers. Her gnarled fingers were like roots of ginger and adorned with chunky gold rings. Mitchell saw she shared the same dark eyes as her daughters. ‘I insist on meeting your friends, Liza,’ she said.

      Miss Bradfield followed her in and mouthed Sorry to Mitchell in an exaggerated manner. Another woman, whom he recognized as Naomi, entered as well, and gave him a warm smile.

      ‘And who do we have here?’ Miss Bradfield’s mother asked Poppy as if she were a toddler. ‘How old are you, honey? What instrument do you play and what grade are you on?’

      Miss Bradfield stepped forward. ‘Mr Fisher and Poppy popped by to talk about some, um, school stuff,’ she said. ‘Guitars, sheet music, that kind of thing. They aren’t stopping.’

      Miss Bradfield’s mother held out her hand toward Mitchell. ‘I’m Sheila,’ she said. ‘Seeing as Liza hasn’t introduced us properly.’ After Mitchell shook it, she refocused on her daughter. ‘Do you know your shorts have threads hanging from them, Liza? They’re a disgrace.’

      ‘Yes, Mum. It’s kind of fashionable, you know.’

      Naomi took hold of her mum’s arm. ‘Let’s go to the garden, and we’ll get you a nice glass of water.’ She led her out of the room.

      ‘I’m almost ten,’ Poppy shouted after them. ‘I’m learning the guitar. No grades, yet.’

      There was a bustling noise in the kitchen and the sound of a tap running. When Miss Bradfield returned, she semi-closed the door behind her. ‘Sorry about that. Naomi’s had a burst water pipe at home, so Mum can’t stop there. The spare bed is all wet. She’s insisting on staying with me instead, which is not what I need. A sure way to bring on a headache.’ She looked at her watch. ‘Now, tell me how you came to save my sister, Mr Fisher.’

      Mitchell explained how he saw Yvette fasten a padlock then lean over the railing, looking for something. He mimed swimming motions and explained how he’d also ended up in hospital, omitting the detail about being hit by a pizza delivery bike so he didn’t sound like an idiot. ‘I don’t know what happened to her after that. I didn’t even know her name until you told me.’

      Miss Bradfield sat down, massaging her temples in a circular motion. ‘What on earth was Yvette doing on the bridge? Why didn’t she call me? This is so strange.’

      Mitchell didn’t say anything, assuming her questions weren’t meant for him.

      She raised her head. ‘Aren’t those padlocks on the bridges supposed to be love tokens or something?’

      ‘People call them love locks. They leave names or messages on them.’

      ‘Hmm, I’d never think to do that.’ She twirled a thread on her shorts around on her finger until it snapped.

      ‘Is there something wrong, Miss Bradfield?’ Mitchell asked her cautiously.

      ‘Oh, just call me Liza.’

      ‘Told you,’ Poppy chirruped.

      Mitchell shook his head to show her this wasn’t the right time. ‘Okay, Liza. And please call me Mitchell.’

      ‘Well, Mitchell.’ She found a small smile. ‘The thing is, Yvette went missing almost twelve months ago. Vanished.’

      His forehead wrinkled. ‘Um, missing?’

      ‘She disappeared in July last year. And you’re the only person I know to have seen her since.’ She said it as if it was an accusation or a challenge to him.

      Mitchell closed his eyes, trying to make sense of this. ‘Disappeared?’ he repeated.

      ‘Walked out of her life without a word. Didn’t let Mum, Naomi or me know about it.’

      He searched for something to say. ‘Do the police know about this?’

      She sighed, exasperated. ‘The police won’t treat her as a missing person because she writes to me sometimes. So, they wouldn’t be interested that you saw her. Too busy with burglars and petty theft and fights in bars…’

      ‘Liza, Liza.’ A voice rang through from the back garden.

      ‘Duty calls.’ Liza shrugged. ‘Will you get back in touch with me if you think of anything—’ Her words choked up. ‘Anything at all that might help me find her again?’

      ‘Of course, though I’ve told you all I know,’ he said.

      She nodded slightly. ‘In two weeks, Yvette will have been missing for exactly twelve months. I want her home by then. I promised Mum. A year is too long without my sister. We’ve got to get her back.’

      Mitchell’s head ached as he tried to think what he could possibly offer. ‘Yvette attached a padlock… There could be something written on it.’

      Her eyes lit with hope. ‘Really?’

      ‘Sometimes there are only initials on the locks, or nothing at all,’ he reconsidered out loud, not wanting to raise her hopes.

      ‘But if there is, it could be a clue.’

      ‘Finding it again will be like looking for a needle in a haystack.’

      Liza