‘Thanks, Sam. You’re a star.’ Jess blew kisses into the phone, then hung up.
‘This is Wade. I’m not here right now, leave a message.’
‘Hi, Wade. It’s Jessica Griffith’s you installed my—’
‘Hi, Jessica.’ Wade suddenly came online. ‘No problems with the broadband I hope?’
‘Oh, hello… Wade. No, the broadband is working fine. It’s just that… well, one or two things have happened over the last couple of days and I’d like to have a security camera fitted on the wall overlooking the property.’
‘Seriously? Well, you are a bit out of the way down there. It might be burglars, sizing the place up.’
‘Don’t say that,’ replied Jess with a nervous laugh. ‘I doubt if the person, or persons involved want to rob me. It’s more of a personal thing.’
‘Oh, right. How soon would you need it doing? I’ve got a pretty full schedule this week.’
‘I’d like it fitting as soon as possible really. Look, thanks for answering so promptly. I’ll give Bits and Bytes a ring in the morning. I think they do all sorts of electronics stuff.’
‘Don’t go to them, Jess. Is it all right if I call you, Jess?’
Without waiting for a reply, he continued.
‘They’ll charge you a fortune to fit it and they’ll put a big mark-up on the actual camera.’ He paused. ‘Look, Jess. I fit a lot of security stuff, inside as well as out. I have a nice outdoor, weatherproof camera in stock, it’s high definition, has fantastic night vision, and comes with a big memory card and a month’s free cloud service with the manufacturer. You don’t have to subscribe to that. Any images will be sent to your laptop too.’
‘Sold,’ replied Jess, ‘but when could you fit it?’
‘How does twenty minutes sound?’
‘Really? Look, Wade, I don’t want to spoil your Sunday. I can wait a few more days.’
‘I’m happy to do it,’ said Wade. ‘You don’t want to take the chance if you have a stalker.’
‘I didn’t say I had a stalker, but thank you. I’ll get the kettle on.’
Wade was as good as his word and twenty minutes later his van pulled onto the asphalt drive of the farm. Jess opened the front door and smiled to welcome him.
‘Thanks again for being so kind. The kettle’s on.’
Wade, wearing just a t-shirt and jeans despite the cold weather, flexed his muscles and looked down at his own broad chest as he walked towards her.
‘I’ll get the thing mounted first. I’ve brought you a wireless camera because your Wi-Fi is really good. We even got a signal up in the attic. I’ll have to drill a hole through the wall as it will need to be plugged into the mains.’
‘That’s fine by me,’ said Jess. ‘Where were you thinking of putting it. I have a plug socket on the landing.’
‘Can I have a quick look?’
Jess stood aside to let Wade get by. He took the stairs two at a time, checked the position of the double power socket on the landing, then opened the window at the front of the house and stuck his head out to get his bearings.
‘The socket is perfect,’ he called. Wade came back down the stairs and walked back to the van, showing off his wide shoulders.
Jess held her hand in front of her mouth to muffle the giggle that she couldn’t stop. Wade was a body builder, that was obvious, but did he have to walk like he was carrying two rolls of invisible carpet all the time?
He returned a couple of minutes later, lugging a big drill and a dust sheet.
‘That’s a big one,’ said Jess with a smile. ‘I’ll leave you to get on with it. Just call if you need anything.’
Wade nodded his ginger head and carried his equipment up the stairs. By the time Jess had walked through to the kitchen and opened up her laptop, the drilling had begun.
‘It’s mounted on the side wall, but I’ve angled it so that it covers the parking space and the land on the other side of the gate, where your old bed is lying.’ Wade stood, arms folded, showing off his biceps.
‘Fabulous. How much do I owe you?’
‘I’ll leave an invoice. I trust you to pay.’ Wade sniffed. ‘Can I smell coffee?’
Jess filled the kettle and switched it on.
‘I still have to set it up with the router and install the app on the laptop.’ He pointed to Jess’s computer. ‘Okay if I…’
Jess nodded and continued making the coffee. ‘No sugar, is that right?’
‘I’m sweet enough,’ replied Wade. ‘Hey, I must have made an impression the last time I was here for you to remember that.’
‘I’ve only made coffee for three people since I moved in,’ replied Jess. ‘It wasn’t much of a memory feat.’
Wade took the coffee without acknowledgement and began the camera set up. One computer reboot and two router restarts later, the software was installed and Jess was able to see outside the house from her laptop screen.
‘That’s a fantastic view. It’s so clear.’ She patted Wade on the arm, then instantly regretted it.
‘Wait until you see the night vision. It’s so good you could pick out a snail crawling across the floor.’
Wade took his time finishing his drink. ‘Did you consider my offer?’ he asked as he wrote out and tore off an invoice from his pad.
‘Offer?’
‘I asked you out, remember?’
‘I do remember, Wade, and it was very sweet of you. But as I said. I’m not looking for a new relationship at the moment. I’m still getting over the last one.’
‘It’s only a bloody night out.’
Jess took a step back as Wade turned his angry face towards her.
‘I understand that, Wade, but honestly. I’m right off men at the moment.’ She smiled reassuringly at him. ‘It’s not you. It’s just men in general.’
‘Men are all right when they come out on a Sunday afternoon though?’
‘I didn’t ask you to come out today. You offered.’
Wade got to his feet and snatched up his invoice pad.
‘I forgot to include my unsocial hours rate on the invoice.’
‘Send me another one with everything included then, Wade. I don’t want you to be out of pocket, I’m very grateful, honestly.’ She smiled at him, then continued. ‘I might have a bit more work for you soon, anyway. My laptop’s playing up. The blue camera light comes on at random. I’d like a bit of advice… you know, whether to scrap it and get a new one, or whether the fault is worth fixing. I don’t want to spend a lot of money on it.’
Wade’s demeanour changed. He was the man in charge of the conversation again.
‘Camera light? Is it running any video app in the background when it comes on?’
‘No, that’s the strange thing. It seems to be a random event. Mainly in the evenings, but not exclusively. It works fine with WhatsApp, Zoom and Messenger and switches off when the session is ended, but then it will come on again without a reason. I don’t mind buying a new one if I have to, but I’d rather not. I’ve spent too much recently.’
Wade sat down again and pressed a few keys on the laptop. The camera app appeared on screen showing his face. He shut it down again, then re-opened it.
‘It’s working fine at the moment. I’d need to take it away with me to run a few diagnostic tests. It’s not a common thing, it’s more likely to happen if you have some spyware or malware on your computer, but again. I’d need to test it properly.’
Jess pushed the lid of the laptop down.
‘Ah, never mind. I can’t be without it at the moment. I’m researching for a novel and I’ve got a few magazine articles to write. I’ll give you a shout when I’ve caught up with everything. How long would you need it for?’
‘A day or so, no longer.’
‘Okay. I’ll get everything that’s already in the pipeline sorted, then I’ll call you.’ She smiled again and led him to the front door. ‘Thanks again for coming out.’
Wade stepped through the doorway, then stopped and
turned on the bottom step.
‘Look, I’m sorry I got shitty a moment ago. I wasn’t proposing to you, it really was just the offer of a night out. I don’t know what I’ve done wrong recently, but I seem to get knocked back every time I ask a girl out.’ He looked at each of his muscle-bound arms in turn, then back up to Jess’s face. ‘I’m not that repulsive, am I?’
Jess thought carefully before she spoke.
‘You’re not repulsive at all, Wade. I’m sure you’d be very good company. It’s just that—’
‘I know,’ he interrupted. ‘You’re off men.’
Jess nodded. ‘I really am,’ she said.
Wade stared at her for a few moments, then turned away and, suddenly remembering the two invisible rolls of carpet, opened his shoulders and waddled across to his van.
‘Sorry again,’ he called as he opened the driver’s door. ‘I really didn’t mean to seem so aggressive. I was just disappointed, that’s all.’ He started the van, turned it around, then his head appeared out of the wound down window.
‘That invoice stands. Forget the new one.’
With that, his stereo blared out a drum and base beat and he sped off up the lane.
Jess closed the front door and strolled through to the kitchen. Sliding her mouse on the table, she clicked on her new camera app and studied the image that immediately appeared on her computer screen.
‘Right,’ she said. ‘Let’s see what my new toy can capture.’
Chapter 24
On Monday morning, Jess got up early to check if there had been any alerts sent from her new security camera, but there was nothing recorded on the app, so she showered, had breakfast and switched on the TV to watch the morning news.
At nine-thirty, Bradley rang to ask her to check her bank account, as he and Simon, his fellow trustee, had approved Jess’s request for her annual allowance to be paid.
‘Wow! I’ve never seen so much money. I have to say I was getting a bit concerned, I’ve been far too profligate, lately. I’ll have to rein in the spending, thanks for sorting it out for me.’ Jess smiled as though he could see her. ‘How did your mum take the bad news?’
‘She wasn’t happy, and that’s putting it mildly. Let’s just say I was sent to bed without supper. I was hoping to get it into the garage before she got back, but she came home early and saw the damage before I had the chance to park up.’
‘I’m so sorry about all that, Bradley. It’s probably down to me in the end. There was another situation over the weekend and I’ve had to have a security camera fitted.’ She explained about the old bed and the pair of scarecrows.
‘No doubt you’ve thought about it, but could this be your ex? I’d like to give him the bill for the repairs if it is.’
‘He doesn’t have the money to pay, even if he is responsible. I’m going to talk to him later today.’
‘He’ll just deny it, surely?’
Jess nodded at the phone. ‘He will, but he acts in a certain way when he’s been caught out. He gets angry, and starts to bluster whilst making out the world is against him.’
‘Be careful, Jess. Exes can be tricky.’
‘You get on well with yours, don’t you?’
‘Yes, we’re still good friends.’
‘Good, that’s how it should be,’ said Jess.
Bradley was quiet for a moment, then he spoke again.
‘The cottage we were discussing will be available from January the first. The old lease runs out on the thirty-first of December. I’ve spoken to Simon about your plans for it and neither of us have an objection. There should be some rent paid, and it has to be a reasonable amount, according to the trust terms, but you can set the level. It’s up to you what you think is reasonable.’
‘Lovely, Mum will be thrilled to get out of the dump she’s in. Thanks so much. Will you need to draw up a contract?’
‘We used an agency to let it last time. We won’t do that as there is obviously a cost involved. We can just copy and paste the agency’s relevant terms and conditions into a new contract and issue it via the trust. The main points will be about not subletting, keeping the place in good repair, etc.’
‘Brilliant. I’ll give her the good news later today. She’ll look after the place, I’m sure.’
‘There was one other thing,’ said Bradley. ‘It regards your grandmother. I think I’ve thought of a way to get her off your back and at the same time, allow her to have some money.’
‘Ooh, that sounds interesting.’ Jess’s ears pricked up.
‘If, and it’s a big if… she is prepared to sign her house over to you on the understanding that it will be placed directly into the farm trust, we should be able to release some of the equity to her. It would also mean you had control of the property after she passes.’
‘That’s a very interesting idea, Bradley. Thank you for that. I’ll ask her about it when I see her on Wednesday. I know she’s worried that if she goes first, the place will be left to Marjorie and she really doesn’t trust her to make the right decisions on her own.’
‘Here to help,’ replied Bradley. ‘I’d better get off; I’ve got a rather tricky divorce settlement to sort out this morning. A local couple who’ve been clients of ours for decades. He’s ninety and she’s ninety-two. Apparently, she has been unfaithful.’
‘Good grief, at ninety-two?’
‘Her husband says she’s got a toy boy, although the man in question is eighty-three himself.’
Jess shook her head. ‘Good luck with that one.’
‘All part of the service. Enjoy your new-found wealth, Jess.’
‘Would you, erm, I mean, could we meet up soon?’ Jess asked.
‘That sounds wonderful. I think I’ll need a shoulder after the negotiations this morning.’
‘How about tomorrow evening? I’ll rustle something up.’
‘Seven-thirty?’ said Bradley. ‘I’m over at Gillingham all afternoon. I won’t be back until sixish, then I’ll have to change.’
‘Seven-thirty is it, and good luck with your gallivanting geriatrics.’
After the call, Jess sat on the lumpy old sofa as she plucked up the courage to ring Calvin. After ten minutes of trying to find excuses not to, she picked up her phone and tapped his name on her contact list. After today, she decided she would block him.
‘Jess? Oh, my goodness, it’s nice to hear from you. How’s everything? Have you settled in?’
‘Calvin, this isn’t a make-up and mend call. I want to ask you something, but I want to ask you face to face.’
‘That sounds ominous,’ replied Calvin.
‘Just a conundrum I need an answer to.’
‘All right, Jess. You know I’m good at puzzles. Do you want me to come to the farm?’
‘NO!’ Jess replied, quickly.
‘The flat then? I wanted to talk to you about that, the estate agents have—’
‘Not the flat. Meet me at the lychgate at the church, that’s the gate at the back, not the main entrance. I’ll be there in half an hour if that’s okay? It’s only a two-minute walk for you.’
‘The lychgate? That’s where they bring all the dead bodies, isn’t it?’ He laughed nervously. ‘Should I wear a bullet proof vest?’
‘That depends whether you think you need to, Calvin.’
Jess cut off the call and breathed out. She was surprised at how much hearing Calvin’s voice had affected her. As she put down the phone, she noticed her hands were shaking.
She went upstairs and pulled an old pair of jeans and a baggy woollen jumper out of the back of the wardrobe, then washed her face to remove the few dabs of make-up she’d put on that morning. She didn’t want Calvin to think she had made any sort of effort for him.
Jess parked her car up on one of the free parking spaces at the side of the church, and walked the hundred yards or so around the metal, paling fence towards the lychgate. When she arrived, she found that Calvin was already there, he smiled warmly as she approached, and held out
his arms.
‘Jess, it’s lovely to see you.’
She ignored his arms and stopped about six feet away from him. She smiled at an old lady as she puffed her way past them on her way up the hill, then turned to face her ex-partner.
‘I’ve got two simple questions, Calvin, and I expect two simple answers.’ She held up a finger. ‘One, did you run a key down the side of a nineteen-thirties Alvis car on Saturday?’ Jess held up a second finger, ‘and two, did you set up a ridiculous tableau using the bed I’d left out for the council, sometime between Saturday night, and Sunday morning?’
Calvin looked genuinely perplexed.
‘Tableau? What do you mean, tableau?’
‘You know what a tableau is, Calvin. A set piece, a scene, like an artwork. A bloody tableau.’ Jess felt herself beginning to shake with anger.
Calvin shook his head. ‘A tableau? No, I haven’t… I don’t know what you’re talking about.’
‘And the car? Were you hanging around the farm on Saturday afternoon? If you were, you picked on the wrong man, Calvin. The car belongs to Bradley Wilson, he’s a lawyer, and a very good one.’
‘I wasn’t anywhere near the farm on Saturday, Jess.’ Calvin looked her straight in the eyes.
Jess was almost convinced. He usually added the epithet ‘honestly’ when denying something he was actually guilty of. She watched his face carefully.
‘You have been hanging around the farm though, Calvin. I saw your car parked in the layby.’
‘I’ve been nowhere near the farm. At night or any other time.’
‘Bullshit, Calvin. You were watching me.’
‘No, I wasn’t, Jess, honestly, I wouldn’t do that.’
‘I’ve told you once, Calvin and this is your last warning. Stay away from me.’
‘Warning? What do you mean, warning? I haven’t been anywhere near your precious farm. I’ve got better things to do with my time.’ Calvin’s face became crimson, whereas earlier he had calmly answered her questions.
‘Just keep away, Calvin. It’s just your luck to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. If I get any more nasty surprises, I’m going straight to the police and if you happen to be around at the same time as they are, well, it won’t look good for you.’
The Legacy: Trouble Comes Disguised As Family (Unspoken Book 2) Page 16
