“Well, that’s a couple of things we don’t have to worry about—our location is what it is, and it’s all on one level, with the kitchen at the back. But serving food is still in the future. Right now I need staff for the pub itself. There are only three of us working there, and we all put in a lot of hours. Then there are the nights when we have music, with over a hundred people, and we definitely need some help then. What do I do?”
“I pull most of my staff from the local school system. Look at the age of these kids. It’s summer break, so some of them work full-time and others part-time. When school’s in session it’s trickier, because they can’t always work all shifts. So I need more people to cover the same amount of time. But I think they appreciate the chance to earn some money and the experience with working in a real restaurant kitchen. Some of them started with taking the classes, and others decided to do that after they’d been working here for a while. Look, we’ve been open only two years. It’s working so far, but that’s not to say it won’t change. The restaurant business is unpredictable, and the profits are pretty thin. Plus it’s hard work—you have to love it to commit to it. Rose here”—Sinéad nodded toward her—“she has the makings of a good cook. She understands food.”
Rose blushed. “I like to try new things. But I’m far from ready to open a place at Sullivan’s. That’s why I’ve been coming here.”
“And you’re wise to know that, Rose. There’s no rush, is there, Maura? You’d have to lay out some money up front to set up your kitchen, and then you’d have to build your food business, so it would be a while before you made much from it. You could start small, with snacks and the like rather than meals. Or do lunch only. But don’t rush into it thinking it’ll make you rich.”
“Don’t worry—I wasn’t thinking that. I noticed when we came in that you have a full bar. Can the school-age kids serve drinks?”
“Our ground-floor staff is a bit older. The kids can take the orders, but they can’t serve the drinks. Rose here’s an exception, is she not?”
“Kind of,” Maura said, hoping she was on solid ground. “I asked when I first took over Sullivan’s, because Rose was so young, and I was told that if she was related to the management, she could work. I never asked a solicitor, but the gardaí are in and out and nobody’s ever said anything. Do I need to do anything about it now?”
“If no one’s complained, I’d leave it alone. But don’t hire any children for behind the bar.”
“So we’re back to my first question: where do I find part-time staff that’s old enough to pull a pint and serve it and that won’t cost the earth?”
“You’re doing it right so far—asking around. I’ve had to turn away a few kids because I’m covered for now, but that changes all the time. Or maybe they get tired of the hard work and want to take time off to have fun. They might have older brothers or sisters who’d be interested in picking up some money before they go back to university. I’ll ask my staff and some people I know around here, if you like.”
“Please! And I’ve got some rooms above the pub if they’re looking for a place to stay. Nobody’s used them for a while, but it wouldn’t take much to clean them up.”
“That could help,” Sinéad agreed.
“Uh, one more question,” Maura began tentatively, “and you don’t have to answer if it’s a problem, but what about people who aren’t students? Like immigrants? People looking for asylum? Waiting for residency or approvals or whatever it takes? Some of them must need jobs, but would I get in trouble if I hired them, either officially or off the books?”
Sinéad though for a moment before answering. “It’s a question many people around here face. Many of that lot end up working on a farm this time of year, and nobody asks a lot of questions. A pub or a restaurant is more visible, and it could be a problem. Maybe you should ask a garda before you think of taking anyone on.”
“Thank you—that’s what I needed to know. I certainly don’t want to get into trouble, or get anyone I hire into trouble. But I do need some help.”
Sinéad checked the large clock hanging on the front wall. “I’ve got to start lunch prep. You’re welcome to stay and try the lunch here.”
“I should get back, but I’d love to take you up on that some other time. Lunch is probably easier than dinner for me, and maybe Rose could come with me and tell me what I’m eating.”
“Ah, so you’re not much of a cook yourself?” When Maura shook her head, Sinéad added, “Maybe you should try one of our classes that covers the basic skills. Ask Rose about them.” She stood up. “I’ll let you know if I find anyone who’s looking for some work.”
Maura stood as well. “Send them over! Thank you for taking the time to talk with me. It’s really nice to meet someone who cares about what she’s doing and is trying to do it well.”
“You’re welcome. Rose, see you at the next class.” Sinéad turned and made a beeline for the kitchen space, where she started issuing orders like a drill sergeant. Maura followed Rose down the stairs and out onto the street.
“Did yeh find out what yeh wanted?” Rose asked.
“Yes, and more. It makes me feel good that she approves of me thinking it through instead of rushing into anything. Like I’ve been telling Mick, we’ve already added the music, and we’re still seeing how that works out. Trying to take on something else new—something that would cost money and make a mess of the place, at least for a while—doesn’t make sense right now. Maybe in the winter, when things are slower. Assuming you stick around that long. Would you want to work for Sinéad?”
“She hasn’t asked, but she runs a good place. But at Sullivan’s, it would be me own place. Let’s wait and see.”
“We should be getting back,” Maura said.
“Let’s stop by Fields and pick up something fer lunch—save us another trip. Do yeh know the place?”
“I’ve been in it a couple of times, but you know I don’t really cook. Mostly I buy tea and pastries.”
“Then yeh’re in for a treat. Come on.”
Chapter Fifteen
Together Maura and Rose walked the long block to the supermarket. As she approached, Maura felt a strange reluctance, her feet dragging.
Rose noticed. “Yeh’ve been here before, right?”
“Yes. But I keep telling you, I don’t do food. I mean, I eat enough to survive, but I really don’t care what it is.”
Rose stopped, her hands on her hips, “Maura Donovan, yeh’re a sad case. There’s so much yeh’re missin’.”
“I get by,” Maura muttered.
“Let me ask yeh this, then,” Rose went on. “Which would yeh rather do: learn a bit about food and how to cook it, or learn to use a computer for yer business?”
“That’s not fair!” Maura protested. “And everybody keeps telling me I have to use a computer, so I should do that anyway. Why do I need to? I’ve got you, right?”
“Because yeh’re runnin’ a business in the twenty-first century, is why,” Rose said firmly. “How do yeh think the crowds that come fer the music hear about it? It’s not just the people who live nearby or stop in at Sullivan’s now and then. It’s how you communicate! Sure, I’m doin’ it fer now, but I may not always be around. Yeh can find some school kid who knows as much as I do, but will he or she work fer yeh? Yeh can hire someone, but then you’d be payin’ out money for something you could learn in a week. Yeh need to know this.”
“I don’t have the time. Or a computer.” Maura stopped herself from adding, I don’t want to.
Rose shook her head. “Yeh’ll need to make the time, and a computer doesn’t cost all that much. Stop making excuses fer yerself. The food’s a different question. Yer thinkin’ of servin’ food at the pub, so there are things yeh need to know there too. We’re here, standin’ in front of the market, so let’s start with this. We haven’t the time to do a big shopping, but yeh have to walk through the place with me before we can buy our lunch.”
“Oh, come on, Rose—thi
s is ridiculous. I’ve survived this long without starving to death, haven’t I?”
“Yeah, wit’ yer gran feeding yeh for most of it. Who knows what awful diseases yeh’re lookin’ at? Scurvy, mebbe? When was the last time yeh ate a vegetable?”
“Uh, last time I bought a sandwich? There was something green on it.”
“Quit yer whinin’ and follow me.”
Maura sighed. This was ridiculous: she was being bossed around by a child. Well, one who could definitely cook, and who knew more about computers than she did. “All right, but one condition: we start with the bread and cake section.”
“If yeh must.” Rose sighed dramatically.
Maura soon realized that they’d have to walk through the vegetable section before they got to the cakes, but there were few surprises there. Lots of potatoes, of different kinds according to their labels, but they all looked the same to her. Carrots. Large cabbages. Onions. Okay, so far, so good. But she kept her eye on the tables ahead, filled with a dozen kind of cakes and other sugary things. When they finally arrived there, Rose said firmly, “You may pick one. Only one.”
“Uh…” So many choices, and they all looked wonderful. “That one.” Maura pointed to a neatly wrapped small brick of a cake with a checkerboard pattern inside.
“Good choice—Battenberg Cake. I’ll spare you the fish and meat departments—let’s go find some ready-to-eat sandwiches or something close, and then we can leave and get back to work.”
Maura clutched her prize and followed Rose to the sandwiches, where she picked a safe chicken salad sandwich. “Are we done now?”
“Want to take something back fer Mick?”
“I don’t know what kind of sandwich he likes.”
“The ham and cheese will do. There.” Rose pointed.
They paid—Maura noted that Rose seemed to have some sort of frequent-buyer card—then headed out the back to where Maura had parked. Once they were settled, Rose said, “Now, was that so terrible?”
“No. But in my own defense, when am I supposed to cook anything? If I was going to stock up, I think it would have to be breakfast food and teabags and milk and sugar, because I’m never home for supper.”
“A fair point,” Rose agreed. “But if yeh hire a couple more people, yeh can have more time fer yerself.”
“Oh. Well, yeah, maybe.” Actually she had no idea what to do with free time, but she doubted that putting together gourmet meals would be her first choice.
Back at Sullivan’s, Maura carefully hid her cake, in case anybody got any ideas about helping themselves.
“How’d yer meetin’ go?” Mick asked.
“Useful, although the woman didn’t have a stash of available wait staff to spare. She says I’m doing it right, asking other employers. Rose, what did you think?”
“I think Sinéad may have the local school market locked up—the restaurant has a good name and people are glad fer the chance to work there. Yeh might have noticed that she didn’t really answer yer question about the foreigners, beyond saying yeh should be careful.”
“I don’t want to break any laws, but I’ve got to find somebody somewhere.”
“Mebbe yeh should talk to Sean about it, off the record, like,” Rose suggested.
Maura sighed. “But Sean is such a by-the-book type of garda. Not that I blame him, because he’s still kind of new to this. But how do I ask him how to avoid breaking the law?”
“Nothin’ wrong with that,” Mick commented. “And I’d bet he’s heard the question before. There are those that want work, and those that need workers, but it’s not always easy to get them together. And even if yeh do find people, yeh’ve got to worry these days that they get along with each other as well as the customers. There can be problems with outsiders, legal or no, if they come from different cultures or countries.”
“All right, I’ll talk to Sean. How much longer can I play the dumb American card?”
“Not long, I’m guessing,” Mick told her. “Yeh’ve come a long way.”
“Fine—I’ll see if he has time to talk in the morning. Think the business will survive until then?”
“Might do,” Mick said. “Why not talk to him tonight?”
“Because that’s our busiest time. I’d rather do it in the morning.” Okay, maybe she was stalling, but she wanted a chance to think about what Sinéad had told her.
Sean took the decision out of her hands when he dropped by Sullivan’s in the middle of the afternoon. “Hey, Sean,” Maura greeted him. “Have you solved the murder?”
He looked tired as he dropped onto a barstool. “That we have not, and we’re no further forward than we were. The sergeant is itchin’ to arrest somebody, but even he’s havin’ trouble finding a likely suspect. Can you do me a coffee?”
“Of course. Are you going to call in help from other stations?”
Sean shrugged. “They’d know no more than we do. Seamus and his lads haven’t brought yeh anything new?”
“No.” Maura slid the cup of coffee over the bar. “In fact, he’s been kind of missing for the past day or two. I’m hoping they’re checking out the other pubs around here to see if there’s anything worth looking into.”
“Are yeh sayin’ he thinks the gardaí aren’t doin’ their job?”
“No, not at all. But be fair, Sean. People in a pub would talk differently to their own than to a garda. More freely. Seamus is good at getting information that way.”
“He is that,” Sean admitted. He sipped his coffee, staring at nothing in particular.
Maura gave him a minute of peace, then said, “Can I talk to you about something? Not related to the murder?”
“Official business?” he asked.
“Well, yes, legal, I guess. It’s not urgent, but it’s kind of important to me.”
“I’m happy to help yeh,” Sean said.
“Let’s go into the back room so we can talk. Bring your coffee along, unless you need a refill.”
“I’m good. Lead the way.”
When they were settled, Sean asked, “What’s troublin’ yeh?”
“It’s not me, it’s the business. I need more staff. Now that Jimmy’s out of the picture, it’s just me, Mick, and Rose, which means we’re here all the time. Now that it’s summer and the music is doing well, I have to find more people, but I don’t know where or how to look.”
“How is it yeh think I can help yeh?”
Maura smiled. “I don’t expect that you run a hiring agency. I was talking with Sinéad Lynch at the restaurant in Skibbereen, and she says she uses mainly school kids who are old enough to work, both in summer and during the school year. But I think she’s used up most of the supply, not that she said as much. So I’ve been wondering about other groups, like foreigners, or students who don’t come from around here but need to work in the summer—even Americans. But to do that I need to know what’s legal. I mean, you and some of the other gardaí are in and out of here a lot, and I don’t want to be breaking any laws or hiding people in a closet when I see you coming.”
Sean looked relieved. What had he been expecting to hear? Maura wondered. “Ah, I see. You bein’ in the business of serving drinks, and maybe food down the road—you need a different staff than most of the shops in town. Can yeh pay the wage they want?”
“I’m not sure what that is, and I’m probably not paying Mick and Rose enough, not that they’ve complained. But I could offer to put them up in the rooms upstairs, if we cleaned them up. Is that allowed? Does that count as part of their wages?”
Sean stared at what was left of his coffee for thirty seconds or so before speaking. “I won’t lie to yeh. There’s times we turn a blind eye, knowin’ that the shopkeepers have few choices and the employees need the work. There are some rules that apply, and I can give you that information. But that’s not the only problem yeh might have.”
“Oh, great, there’s more than just finding people?” Maura felt deflated. Was nothing ever going to be simple?
“There is. To be kind, let’s say there’s those who are less than honest. They tell you a pretty story about needin’ the work, and when yer back is turned they’ll rob you blind and disappear. Yeh shouldn’t always trust strangers.”
Maura sighed—she’d heard it before. “And I do need people who will stick around, at least through the summer. Long enough to know how we do things, not that it’s complicated. Maybe that’s why I’ve been thinking of hiring students—I guess I want to believe they’re more honest than some of the adults.”
“It’s too bad yeh have no relatives to call on. Have yeh asked anyone at Crann Mor?”
“You mean, in management? No, I’ve only just gotten serious about looking.”
“Could be they get applicants there who don’t quite suit their needs but who would be fine at Sullivan’s. Talk to Siobhan—she might know some people.”
“Thank you, Sean—that’s a great idea. But are there any legal questions I need to ask anybody? Do they need visas, or permission to work in Ireland? Are there limits to the number of hours they can work?”
“Ah, Maura, yeh’re getting way ahead of me. Let me think on it a bit and ask around at the station. Sure and there’ll be people who can help yeh out. How many do yeh think yeh need?”
“Heck, I haven’t even gotten that far. Depends on the shifts and the schedules. Music nights we’ve gotten over a hundred people here, and the three of us can barely manage. If we get any more successful it’ll be impossible.”
“There’s many who would envy you yer success. It’s a good thing that yeh’re doin’ well.”
“I know. It’s just that we’re still getting used to it.” She stood up. “Well, I’m sure you’re busy, and I appreciate what you’ve told me. I do want to stay on the right side of the law, but I need help.”
“I’ll let yeh know if I hear of anyone who’s lookin’.” Sean stood up as well.
“Thank you, Sean. Let me know if you find out anything more about the dead man.”
The Lost Traveller Page 11
