John grunted. Chris kept going, a more pronounced swagger in his step.
Chris knocked on Ben’s office. He came out and closed the door behind him. “I’ve come to apologise if I caused trouble,” Chris said. His face registered remorse. “I only meant to lighten the mood.”
“I appreciate that.”
“Let me know if there’s anything I can do to make things easier. With your girlfriend too.”
Ben found himself cooling towards Chris again. “She’s not my girlfriend, and I’d be grateful if you remember that, especially when it comes to my father.”
“Shame. She’s got great legs.”
“If that’s all?”
Chris laid a brotherly hand on Ben’s shoulder. “I’m sure John would come around. Eventually.”
“Well, there is no need. At all.” He wanted to slam the office door in Chris’s face, but that wouldn’t have accomplished anything. Also, the door opened inwards.
Kim’s windows were dark. Eve strolled around for a few minutes and checked if she could see the cameras covering the back entrance to shop and flat. She spotted one tiny lens embedded in the frame of the door-bell. There would be more but they were too well-hidden for her to spot. This kind of security system was exactly what she needed. Where was Kim? Out on a date, presumably. Or walking Laika.
Eve passed by “Little Italy”. Inside, Dean Martin sang “That’s Amore”, and the tantalising smell of herbs and garlic wafted by her nose.
Her stomach rumbled. She’d try Kim’s place one more time and then head home.
The flat still lay in darkness. Eve sighed. She’d hoped not solely for advice, but also for company. Self-love and self-reliance were all well and good, but that did not mean she had to spend her all of her evenings alone. Especially if it prevented her from overthinking that stupid kiss and Ben’s total lack of reaction to it. At least she still had the “Green Dragon”.
Hayley had her hands full with the bar, while Dom served the Pink Panthers at the tables. He moved with a languid grace he must have practiced in front of a mirror. A few more gin and tonics or wine spritzers in, and Eve wouldn’t have bet on his safety from his female audience.
For now, the ladies were happy with giggling and slipping tips into his rapidly filling shirt pocket.
Bella and Sue sat at another table. Bella waved at Eve and beckoned her to join them.
Eve stopped Dom on her way over. “Can I have a cheeseburger and chips?”
“No worries.” He gave her a cheeky grin that would have made her heart flutter fifteen years ago. Now, it made her feel like patting him on the back and telling him to flirt with girls his own age.
Bella took a strand of Eve’s hair and rubbed it between her fingers. “So much better,” she said and patted the strand back in place.
“How are you finding our town?” Sue inched close to Eve, a calculating gleam in her eyes. “Not too lonely, I hope. We wouldn’t like to feel we’re not welcoming enough.”
Eve inwardly thanked Hayley for the warning about Sue’s agenda, or she might have fallen into the trap. “Not at all.” She beamed at Sue and Bella. “I’m much too busy for loneliness, and everybody is so friendly. I do wish I had more leisure.”
“I see. But if you should ever find yourself at a loose end, you know where to find us. Our doors are always open.” Sue slid a business card for the Women’s Institute over to Eve.
“Absolutely. I’ll remember that.”
Dom placed a ginger ale and a bowl of chips in front of Bella. She winked at him lasciviously. “Thanks, cupcake.”
He flushed slightly, a response seemingly at odds with his flirtatious manner but, to Eve, it was endearing.
Bella burst into laughter as he strode off. “Bless his heart,” she said. “Nice little bum though.”
“How old is he?” Eve asked.
“Nineteen. Old enough to know how to use his charms, and too young to keep those gals in check.” Bella said as one of the Pink Panthers fondled Dom’s biceps. A withering glare from Hayley made the woman take her hand off the young man.
“Nothing wrong with that boy though,” Sue said. “He’s a nice lad. Saving up for university.”
“Brains and brawns,” Eve said, annoyed with herself for being surprised.
“Oh yes.” Bella nodded with enough vigour to make her chin wobble. “Raking in twice as much as he did since I gave him my ‘Magic Mike’ DVD. Not that he’s going to strip, mind you, but look at the moves this boy’s got. Gives you that nice fuzzy feeling, if you get my drift. Now we only need the Panthers to remember, they’re only allowed to ogle, not grope.”
“How do the men like it?” Eve asked.
Bella snorted. “He’s a sports hero, love. And he doesn’t strut his stuff when the old blokes are around.”
Sue leant in on Eve. “Lots more to the Women’s Institute than you’d think.”
A sudden lull in the Panther’s giggling made Eve and Bella look towards the door. Chris stood in the frame, lingering for a moment as he spied the bowling team. Then he noticed Eve and entered.
Half a dozen eyes mustered him from the Panther’s tables, and what had appeared slightly raucous but harmless in Dom’s case, now looked predatory to Eve.
“Someone has bagged herself an admirer,” Sue whispered audibly in Bella’s ear and motioned towards Eve. Eve glared at her.
Chris stopped by the bar and pulled up a stool.
Dom brought Eve’s cheeseburger. She enjoyed it less than she would have without the sly glances towards her and Chris. He seemed oblivious to them, engrossed in easy banter with Hayley.
As soon as Eve finished her food, Bella nudged her. “Go and talk to him,” she said. “If the Panthers’ get their paws on him, he’ll run a mile a minute and there goes your chance.”
Eve opened her mouth to claim her lack of interest, to snap it shut again. If anyone knew the Drydens, it was Chris.
She sauntered to the bar and ordered a glass of Merlot.
Hayley gave her an encouraging nod. “Sit down and talk to us,” she said.
“If I’m not interrupting?”
“Not at all.” Chris flashed Eve a grin. His chin had a marked dimple she hadn’t noticed before. With that face and body, he wouldn’t look out of place on a firefighter’s calendar.
Hayley put Eve’s glass in front of her. “We were just talking about how little things change in places like this.”
“To be honest, I feel like a coward for staying away so long. It simply felt kind of disloyal to John and Ben.” Chris made a sheepish face.
“It must have been tough to stick by them.” Hayley mixed another couple of pink gin and tonics and set them on a tray for Dom. “Did you ever doubt Ben’s innocence?”
“Good grief, no.” Chris was aghast. “He’s a good guy. He has a bit of a temper on him, when it comes to his dad, but then what kind of man doesn’t fight for his family?”
Eve found herself liking Chris more and more. “Who do you think did it?” she asked.
“A burglar. I’d bet on it. A rich looking place, no car outside because Donna’s Audi was in the shop that week, he must have been surprised to see her.” Chris’s voice left no room for doubt.
“But how did a burglar get in? The police would have found traces of a break-in.” Hayley propped her chin into her hands as she leant on the bar.
“Ben probably left the door unlocked. I mean, he’d just had a fight with Donna. The way I see it, he slammed the door shut behind him and huffed off. A mate told me, burglars try the door knob first. You’d be amazed how many people leave their doors open or have the alarm switched off.”
“Crazy, right?” Hayley said. “I’m glad Eve finally got around to having a security system. You’re still adding to it, you told me?”
Hayley’s eyes beseeched Eve to take up the cue. “Totally,” she said. “What I have now covers the bases but give me a week and Fort Knox has nothing on me.”
Chris furrowed his brow
s. “That sound serious, Is there any particular reason?”
Eve slowly shook her head, unsure what to say.
“Unless you count kids playing a prank.” Hayley took a tray full of dirty glasses from Dom.
“Anyway,” Chris said, “I wanted to tell you, the old man’s a tad grumpy in the beginning, but he’ll get used to you, Eve.”
“Understandable he’s a bit wary of strangers,” Eve said. “I would too, in his situation.”
“Was he close to Donna?” Hayley asked.
“Who? John? She was his daughter-in-law.”
“Being married to someone who puts his blood relatives first can be tough. Or the other way around,” Eve said.
“She was a bit too citified for John’s taste, I reckon. But he liked her well enough when they moved in.” Chris bit his lip. “I should not gossip about them. They’re my friends.”
“I’m sure the Drydens appreciate that,” Eve said.
“Ben’s worth putting up with John for, if you want my advice.” Chris tuned his empty glass in his hands.
“We’re friends, that’s all,” Eve said, an edge creeping into her tone.
“Too bad. He deserves a bit of happiness.”
“How about yourself?” Hayley asked.
A shutter came down in Chris’s face. “Me and my work, that’s all these days.”
“Let’s drink to that. We’re a band of happy singles.” Hayley smiled.
Eve clinked her glass against Chris’. “Happy singles.”
Eve read the latest pages through for one final edit before she hit the send button. There’d be at least one typo she’d overlooked. There always was. Among writers, translators, proof-readers and editors the last elusive typo was a truth universally acknowledged. She’d learned to live with that, and she’d learned to let go. All that mattered at this stage was the invoice, and her new freedom.
Kim helped two customers as Eve arrived. She noticed with pleasure that her own donations all had gone.
“Have you come for the jewellery? I’ve kept it upstairs. It’s a bit pricey, I’m afraid. One-ten for all of it,” Kim said when they were alone.
Eve scratched her nose. “Can I make a deposit until I get paid?”
“Sure.” Kim put the ‘Closed’ sign on the door. “Shall we go upstairs? It’s my lunchtime now.”
Laika rubbed his head on Kim’s legs as they entered the flat. “Good boy,” she said and stroked him.
The jewellery sat in a velvet box. “You don’t have to take it,” Kim said.
Eve touched the pieces. “They’re beautiful. Crystal will go crazy over them.”
“As long as you don’t go overboard. Or she might expect expensive gifts all the time.”
“I’ll keep these until I visit them. I haven’t had a family Thanksgiving since I left for college,” Eve said.
“I can’t imagine not seeing my family for years. They keep me sane when the shit hits the fan.” Kim sounded wistful.
“Can I ask you something?”
“Sure,” Kim said.
As Eve had hoped, a similar security system to Kim’s should be easy to handle, and it came at a just about affordable price.
She put her notebook with a contact address away. “Can I take you out for lunch, as a thank-you for all your help?”
Kim led her to her favourite café, in a tucked-away alley. It lived off locals, Kim explained as Eve gaped at the full tables. Perennials cascaded from hanging baskets, and blooming miniature roses formed the centrepiece of every table, explaining how ‘The Flower Pot’ got its name.
“Wow,” Eve said as the realisation hit her. ‘The Flower Pot,’ aka TFP. This had to be the place where Donna met her swain for lunch.
“Shall we go into the garden?” Kim ordered two jacket potatoes with sour cream and salad.
A man-high, ivy-covered wall separated the garden from the road. A profusion of flowers crept over arches, forming secret nooks. The clientele was with one exception female. Despite the privacy of the nooks, a man in Donna’s company must have stood out, Eve thought.
The food was simple, but delicious, and came in record time.
“Your landlords should pay for the security system,” Kim said as she drenched her salad in home-made dressing.
“They probably would, but I don’t want any delays while the estate agent gets in touch with them.”
“Why, do you have a problem?”
It couldn’t hurt to tell Kim, if she left out a few details, Eve decided. “It could have been a prank,” she said, “or somebody in my new neighbourhood is averse to foreigners. Whatever the reason, somebody broke my window.”
“That’s awful. What did the police say?”
“I decided against notifying them. They’re understaffed enough, and a minor act of vandalism isn’t worth the hassle,” Eve said.
“Are you sure you don’t want to file a complaint? Lots of crimes start small.”
“Cameras will be enough.” Eve thought of Ben. “I probably positioned myself as a target.”
“Promise me, if anything feels threatening in the slightest, call for help.” Kim covered Eve’s left hand with hers. “There’s a lot of scary people out there.” The pain in her eyes was unmistakable.
“Something happened,” Eve said. “Something bad?”
“We were going to spend the rest of our life together,” Kim said. “Instead, my partner was killed before we even had a chance to take our relationship public.”
“I’m so sorry,” Eve said. “I didn’t mean to bring back painful memories.”
“It’s okay. I haven’t talked about it for a long time.” Kim wiped away a tear.
The security system company promised installation in three days. That should also restore her sleep, Eve hoped. She’d woken up again at the smallest noise, and the dark rings under her eyes threatened to become permanent.
Eve pushed the coffee table aside, clearing as much floor space as she could, and stepped into its centre. She closed her eyes, concentrated on her breathing and kicked out. It almost threw her off balance. She needed a refresher course in karate, she thought. She’d practiced self-defence as a student, but she’d never had any reason to use it in real life.
Eve punched the air and kicked out again. And again. That was better.
She pushed back the chair and sat in it, slightly out of breath.
The door-bell rang. A chirpy middle-aged woman stood on Eve’s step, a small square parcel in her hand. “Great evening wasn’t it?” she said. “Sign here please.”
She handed Eve a clunky device and a stylo. It took Eve a moment to take it, and to mentally place the post woman. “You’re a member of the bowling team,” she said, proud of her observation. After all, she’d barely watched the Pink Panthers.
“County championship finalists, two years running,” the woman said with audible pride. “We’re always on the lookout for new talent, if you’re interested.”
Eve took her parcel and beat a retreat. “I’m really too busy.”
The parcel bore her father’s handwriting. Eve tore off the paper. Inside, a baseball sat in layers of bubble-wrap in a cardboard box. She lifted it out with a reverence that surprised her herself. She hadn’t seen this baseball since her mother died. She’d suspected wife number two to have sold it as a collector’s piece. It carried the signature of June Peppas, left-handed first base pitcher and two-time member of the All-Star Team in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.
Eve’s mother had thrown herself whole-heartedly into all things American after her wedding, but she put her own slant of things. Instead of cheering for the modern male teams, like the rest of the neighbourhood, she developed a passion for the women’s league which had filled the gap left by the soldiers during World War 2 and in the following years.
She’d queued for two hours in the rain to get June Peppas’ to sign this ball. Eve wished her mother had lived to see her heroine being inducted into the National Women’s Ba
seball Hall of Fame.
A note accompanied the ball. “Crystal found this tucked away. We thought you might want it.”
Eve gently placed the baseball in her own backpack. Her mother used to carry it around for luck. She’d do the same.
“Thank you, Crystal,” she said to the empty room. “I appreciate the gesture.”
Hayley drove as gently as she could, to avoid the potholes on the road. Letty clasped her hands around a cake tin. She’d baked the marble cake herself, despite Heather’s offers to help. Making a visit empty-handed was rude, Letty said, and it had to be her own work. Otherwise she might as well lower herself to offering store-bought fare.
Letty hummed to herself. She looked forward to getting away from the ‘Green Dragon’ for a change, and Hayley suspected she enjoyed her chance to snoop around. They’d rehearsed a few points of inquiry, and with her fluffy white hair and innocent smile, Letty looked the role of Miss Marple too.
The car hit a bump. “Are you okay?” Hayley asked.
“I’m fine. You worry too much.” Letty picked up her humming, a melody from an old song she used to sing to a small Hayley at sleep-overs. “Que sera, sera.”
Hayley frowned. She’d be happier if she knew in advance what would be. If she lost Letty, or gave up the ‘Green Dragon’, she would be adrift. In Eve’s company, the idea of freedom to come and go held a lot of appeal. Without Eve around, the thought of having no roots scared the hell out of her.
She blew out her breath. Plan B could wait. For the moment, they had another task at hand.
Ben came outside as soon as he heard the car. “Thank you for coming to see us,” he said. He tucked Letty’s arm under his and led her towards the house. “You haven’t changed at all, my dear.”
“Flatterer. But it’s true what they say, it helps to keep busy, and to have young people around. I’m sure your dad will agree on that.”
John basked in the sunshine on the wind-still patio. He tried to sit up straighter when they approached him.
Let Sleeping Murder Lie: A cozy mystery Page 14
