Contents
Chapter Thirty-Five
Overview
At the White Swan, Jane connects Daisy Black’s mother to a daily drinking routine and a scruffy male companion who may have taken her away. Showing a photo, Jane prompts the barman to identify Jessamine and Jasper’s father as a sinister Vale of Health resident rumored to have drawn police interest during lockdown.
These leads deepen the missing-persons thread and spotlight a potentially dangerous figure tied to Jessamine’s past.
Summary
Leaving the White Swan, Jane realizes it is the pub referenced by “AnnieB” about a memorial. She asks the manager if he recalls a 2000 wake for Vivienne Rich. He cannot place the names but offers to recognize faces.
Jane shows a still of Jessamine from a B-movie. The manager immediately recognizes her as the “lemonade lady,” a daily customer who drank vodka lemonades until an alarm at three, then took an espresso and left with her Westie. He last saw her years ago, after she began talking to a scruffy, long-haired heavy drinker; the pair seemed to leave together.
Jane explains she is looking for Daisy Black, likely the lemonade lady’s daughter, who vanished after staying in Jane’s village and leaving the same Westie behind. The manager can add little more but acknowledges the seriousness.
Before departing, Jane shows a photo of Jessamine and Jasper with their father. The manager recognizes the father as a man from the Vale of Health and recalls a rumor that police visited during lockdown about a missing person. He characterizes the man as “dark,” hostile, and capable of anything.
Who Appears
- JaneInvestigates at the White Swan, gathering leads on Daisy’s mother and identifying a sinister man via a photo.
- White Swan managerLongtime barman who recalls the ‘lemonade lady,’ her routine, her scruffy companion, and recognizes Jessamine and Jasper’s father.
- Daisy BlackMissing young woman; Jane links her to the lemonade lady and the abandoned Westie.
- The ‘lemonade lady’ (Daisy’s mother)Daily vodka-lemonade drinker with a Westie; later left the pub scene with a scruffy heavy drinker.
- Scruffy long-haired manHeavy drinker who bonded with the lemonade lady; they seemingly left together years ago.
- JessamineAppears in a photo with Jasper and their father; her past ties into Jane’s investigation.
- JasperIn photo with Jessamine and their father; included to identify the father.
- Jessamine and Jasper’s fatherRecognized by the barman as a ‘dark’ Vale of Health man rumored to be queried by police about a missing person.