5 Books For Eveline

30

The Fourth Book

30

Purdy returned to the house as fast her hip would allow, filled with excitement and anticipation. Once again, she caught sight of Briar, on the way, but she didn't stop, even though Briar looked as though she wanted to say something. She had nothing to say to the woman. Not even if she wanted to. The discovery of the fourth volume took precedence over everything.

Now, sat in the living room, the package with the book inside upon the table before her, mug of steaming coffee on a coaster, a different album playing on the record player, Purdy stared at the package. She wanted to extend this feeling of euphoria as long as possible.

She had done it! Found one of only five copies. It seemed beyond belief that it had happened and, now, she need only start the search for the fifth, and final, volume. With shaking hands, she reached for the package, resting it upon her knees. Fingers fumbled with the leather ties that bound the waterproof wrapping. Then, each fold of the material became pressed outward, one by one, until the book sat revealed before her.

As with the others, the black cover of the book told little of the contents. White letters declared it 'For Eveline - Book Four', with nothing else written upon it. She knew her eyes were wide, that her mouth stretched in a smile she only wore on the rarest of occasions. Her heart skipped and tripped as she opened the cover, the fresh spine cracking as she tried to flick through clean, white pages filled with black words.

This time, however, she decided to turn to the final pages straight away. She had spent so long searching for this volume that she feared the four other hunters, including Briar, would have far too great a lead in the race to find that single copy of the final volume. She needed to see the locations for that volume, work out which ones she knew and which she would have to ask the townsfolk about.

She separated the last two pages, glued together as before, and her heart sank. She saw the list first, far longer than any of the other lists in the previous volumes. The author did not seem ready to make this final search any easier. Disappointed, she read the preamble to the list and stared at it for a long while.

This time, all the locations were in play. Every single one. One hundred locations from each of the first three volumes and one hundred from this one. Four hundred places where the final volume could reside, hidden and waiting for that one, lucky treasure hunter. Not only that, but the author stated they would not hide the book for an entire month. Why, the author did not say.

Only the most dedicated of readers would find that book, the author stated. Only someone who knew Eveline and Raya intimately would understand. Only the most observant would see the clues hidden within the story. Something hinted at throughout all the volumes. The author had thrown a twist into the hunt and Purdy did not feel she could win.

Although she had read each of the previous volumes, somewhere after finding the second volume, her attention had turned away from the story, and more to the search for the next volume. She had read them all, enjoyed them, but her mind had wandered upon seeing each new location mentioned. She had lost the first reason she had started reading the story of Eveline and Raya in the first place.

A month! The date upon which the author stated they would hide the final volume sat like a towering, massive door, closed to all. Barred and locked. With four hundred locations, the chance of catching the author, on that date, hiding the book were close to zero. Purdy, Briar and the other three hunters, whoever they may be, would have to launch into a mad scramble to search all the locations as fast as possible.

Unless one of them managed to work out the clues that lead to that one, special location. Unless someone read the four books from cover to cover, searching for every last, tiny detail that could herald the way to the final book. It seemed impossible. Purdy felt bereft. Deflated and empty of all energy. A boot kicked into her stomach. Lungs aching for air after a bone crushing fall.

Her hip. That would prove the deciding factor, she felt. Briar had her car, Chloe, to help her. She didn't doubt that none of the other three hunters would have full use of their mobility. Purdy had a hip that started complaining every time she stepped out of the door, these days. A useless, painful appendage that dragged her down and had done so ever since the accident.

Thinking about it, however, the month's respite could help with that. Falling back upon the sofa, hand placed upon the book to stop it sliding from her knees, Purdy considered her options. There seemed little she could do for the coming month, save to read the four books and enlist the aid of the townsfolk in working out all the locations she did not know.

She could rest. Take her time. Allow the medications to do their job. In a month, if she didn't resort to anything stupid, she could have a hip that allowed her to perform the search almost as well as anybody. A fingernail tapped her front teeth as she ran through what she needed to do. The more she thought about it, the more confident she became.

True, she had no idea about any of the other three hunters, but she knew Briar and Briar was not one for taking a deep dive into anything. She hadn't thought of checking the kennel at Turnberry House, had practically fallen onto her copies of the other volumes, rather than having enough knowledge to find them. The more Purdy thought about it, the less of a rival Briar appeared.

A beep from her phone, still nestled in the depths of her bag, brought Purdy out of her concentration. Her eyes narrowed at that. Few people had that number. Of course, she knew who it was, even before she rummaged inside the bag to retrieve the phone and, as she lit up the screen, her fears were then confirmed. A message from Briar.

"You got one. I could tell by the look on your face." Purdy hadn't wanted to read Briar's message, but her thumb had moved of its own accord. "Good luck, anyway. Use this month to sort out your hip, yeah, cos I won't go easy on you. I want that book. ;-) x"

Purdy started typing a reply before she even thought about it, almost forgetting the argument that had separated the two of them. Deleting everything she typed, she dropped the phone to the side. After several seconds, she picked it up again, ready to tell Briar that there was no chance they could be friends again, no matter how friendly her text was. Thinking better of that, she dropped the phone again.

Fingernails tapping on the back of the phone, Purdy could feel her forehead creasing. It bothered her. Briar had started that argument, picking a fight for no reason, and now she texted as though they could brush it all aside as though nothing had happened. Purdy wasn't made like that. Not this Purdy, at least. Perhaps the other her may have forgiven Briar, but she could not. Not yet.

It still burned that Briar had decided that, because Purdy hadn't come straight out with it, that Purdy didn't consider her a friend. As though the days they had spent together, the things they had talked about, that Purdy had not said to anyone else, were not signs of friendship. Did she really have to put it in words?

Even though Purdy had not wanted to find a friend, she had. She had to admit that, now. She had enjoyed the time she had spent with Briar. Had come to look forward to the woman breezing into the house, making herself at home, filling the air with loud music and even more loud talk and laughter. In a short space of time, Purdy had come to need Briar's company.

That realisation caught her breath. She hadn't wanted to admit it. She didn't want to admit how lonely life was before Briar had crashed and smashed her way into it. Purdy even missed Briar calling her a 'bitch'. It seemed the kind of thing friends could get away with. An intimacy that only they shared. A personal, private shorthand of affection.

Purdy, however, no matter how much she regretted it, no matter how much she wanted that intimacy back, that friendship, could not lower herself to make up with Briar. Call it stubbornness, call it holding a grudge. Purdy couldn't do it and a text pretending everything was fine could not change that.

Briar had started that argument. Briar would have to apologise. Purdy's inability to express her emotions were no reason for Briar to fly off the handle like that. No reason, no excuse, no justification. If Briar had a problem with how Purdy acted, she should have talked about it, like an adult. But there, the problem lay. Briar did not act like an adult, at the best of times.

Perhaps, one day, if Briar ever grew up, Purdy could return to that friendship that had fallen away. Right now, she could not. With one final twinge of a thought about replying, a simple 'Thanks. You too.', Purdy dropped the phone onto the coffee table. She had no time for drama. She had research to do.

'For Eveline - Book Five' awaited her and she would not allow anyone, not even Briar, to beat her to this, very special, prize.