by Anna Jacobs
He turned round, pleased that Janey now called him that automatically. ‘Hello, lass. Ready to get into some gardening? There’s still time to plant a few things.’
‘I’m looking forward to it. I still remember what my granddad taught me. I just wanted to warn you that Auntie Winnie has had another of those threatening notes. She’s a bit upset, whatever she says about it. I’d like to strangle the people who’re doing this to her.’
‘I’d help you!’ He swung round as he heard a noise by the back fence, but it was only Angus and Nell coming across from the big house to join them.
‘We thought we’d hide ourselves indoors before the meeting starts,’ Angus said. ‘Don’t hesitate to call me outside if you need help of any sort, though.’
‘Those two detectives are in the house as well,’ Janey said. ‘They arrived a few minutes ago and went to look out of an upstairs window. Only they’re not staying long. They just want to see that man who’s pushed his way in.’
As she spoke there was the sound of a car drawing up in the street and Angus tugged Nell quickly back indoors.
A stranger came round the corner of the house and hesitated. ‘Er, I’m John Grainger. My wife represented me at the meeting and told me to come here tonight.’
‘Dan Shackleton.’ He held out his hand. ‘Pleased to meet you.’
Before he could introduce Janey, there was the sound of a squeaky wheel and Izzy came round the corner, pushing little Howie who was fast asleep in the buggy.
‘Am I late, Mr Shackleton?’
‘Not at all. We haven’t started yet.’
He heard footsteps on the garden path and exchanged glances with Janey. It’d be their so-called observer, damn the fellow. Strange that he hadn’t heard a car pull up.
Smythe came round the corner, as elegantly dressed as ever. Dan didn’t bother to introduce him beyond saying, ‘Mr Smythe wishes to observe before he decides whether to offer his garden as a share. Now, let’s get started.’
Inside the house, Angus exchanged startled glances with Nell. ‘What the hell is he doing here?’
‘And what did Dan call him? His name isn’t Smythe, not unless he was using a false name when he arranged the sale of my house.’
‘I’ll just nip upstairs and alert the detectives to the fact that he isn’t called Smythe.’ He ran lightly up the stairs and found Mike staring down into the garden from behind the net curtains and Tony peering out of one of the front-bedroom windows.
Mike turned round. ‘Miss Parfitt didn’t say she was selling her house.’
‘You recognise that fellow, then.’
‘Who? Jeffries? Yeah. He hasn’t been working in Sexton Bassett long, but he’s doing a lot of work for Gus Nolan, who isn’t my favourite person. I take it Jeffries is the one who’s calling himself Smythe?’
Tony came to join them. ‘He’d already parked in the street, must have been checking out who came tonight to make sure there was no one who’d recognise him. Good thing we came in the back way. He knows me by sight.’
‘Dan apparently took an instant dislike to him.’
‘I don’t like the look of him myself. Unfortunately, using a false name isn’t enough for us to question him, unless he uses it to trick someone out of money.’
Angus went slowly back downstairs again and put his arm round Nell as they continued to watch out of the kitchen window, hidden by the net curtains.
Dan had the two young women putting in stakes and stretching twine across to mark out the three areas. He kept an eye on them as he and John Grainger discussed something with much gesticulating.
Winifred sat on a bench alternately watching them and smiling at Howie, still asleep in his buggy by her side. Millie’s cot alarm was near the kitchen door and they’d already checked that it could be heard easily.
Smythe was standing to one side looking sour and bored. Good. Serves him right, Angus thought.
There was the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs and Nell glanced round.
Mike poked his head round the kitchen door. ‘We’ll slip out the front way while they’re all occupied at the back. I don’t think it’ll be long before Jeffries leaves. Did you ever see anyone look so out of place and fed up?’
Ten minutes later, Jeffries pulled out his mobile phone, pointed to it and called goodbye to Dan and Winifred. As he walked away from the group, he began talking into his phone, unaware of the observers in the kitchen.
Although he was speaking quietly, his voice could be heard clearly through the open window as he came closer. ‘Have to do something quite soon or those gardening fools will be there all the time and we’ll have lost our chance to nudge her out of this place. No, I’d prefer not to know what you …’ His voice faded into the distance.
Nell grabbed a pencil and scribbled down the words they’d overheard. She studied them for a moment, then looked at Angus. ‘That sounds rather ominous. What did he mean by “nudge”, do you think?’
‘He’d better not do anything to upset her. I bet you anything it was Nolan on the other end.’
‘But what can we do to prevent them?’
‘Nothing at the moment, except keep our eyes and ears open, and warn Miss Parfitt who that fellow was. I think I should upgrade her security system, and connect it to my mobile phone as well. Your job is to nag her to remember to switch it on – and to remember to take her personal alarm with her when she goes out, even just into the garden.’
When the two new garden sharers left, Winifred, Dan and Janey came inside, beaming at their waiting friends.
‘That went well, don’t you think?’ Dan asked. Then he saw their solemn expressions. ‘What now?’
Angus spread his hands wide in a helpless gesture. ‘Smythe isn’t that fellow’s name. He’s called Jeffries and he’s an estate agent working closely with Gus Nolan.’
‘He sold my aunt’s house for me,’ Nell said.
‘Oh dear!’ Winifred sat down abruptly. ‘I didn’t like the look of him, but I told myself I shouldn’t judge a man without proof.’
‘Well, it’s not exactly proof that he’s going to commit a crime, but it’s certainly suspicious. But we can’t do anything without proof.’
‘We heard him talking on the phone on his way out and I wrote it down.’ Nell pushed the piece of paper towards the three of them.
Winifred looked stricken. ‘I shouldn’t have brought Janey and Millie into danger.’
‘I think it’s a good thing I’m here,’ Janey said. ‘At least you won’t be on your own at night … and nor will I.’
Dan was frowning. When the others looked at him, he said abruptly, ‘How about I move in here temporarily as well? I’d not be any good in a fight, but the more people around the place, the better.’
‘Good idea. There are bedrooms to spare,’ Janey said at once.
Winifred looked at him uncertainly. ‘I can’t ask you to do that, Dan. You might get hurt.’
‘You didn’t ask me. I volunteered. Anyway, I don’t think they’re the sort to knock people around. Pinch their wallets, yes. Cheat them out of their money, yes, but not actually hurt someone physically.’
‘I was mugged,’ she reminded him.
‘You were on your own then. You mustn’t go anywhere on your own till this is settled.’
Silence hung heavily in the room, then Angus said slowly, ‘I think it’d be an excellent idea for Dan to move in, Miss Parfitt. Unless you wouldn’t enjoy his company?’
‘I always enjoy his company.’ She turned to her friend. ‘And now I come to think of it, I’d welcome you staying here for another reason: Janey’s father.’
‘You’re right.’ He pretended to flex the muscles on his scrawny old man’s arm and that made them all laugh, easing the tension. ‘I’ll go home and get my things.’
‘I’ll be upgrading that security alarm tomorrow, as I promised,’ Angus added. ‘That’ll make all three of you safer.’
Winifred moved towards the fireplace. ‘I shall definitely keep
my poker handy.’ She picked it up and hefted it in her hand. ‘I’ll find you a poker, too, Janey. Dan? There’s another one somewhere, because we used to have fires in the bedrooms in winter.’
He grinned. ‘No need. I have a lead-weighted walking stick that used to belong to my granddad. I’ll bring it with me.’
‘But the detective warned you not to use violence except as the last extreme,’ Nell protested. ‘If you threaten these people, they may hurt you.’
‘I will not give in to their underhand behaviour,’ Winifred said firmly. ‘I intend to have the means to protect myself. They’ve made me very angry indeed. My mother always said a lady should control her temper. And I have until now. Well, mostly. But I’m not letting anyone spoil my lovely new life.’
As Angus and Nell walked back to Dennings, he said quietly, ‘What a courageous woman Miss Parfitt is. She can’t weigh more than about fifty kilos wringing wet, yet she’s brandishing a poker and refusing to be daunted. I think Jeffries may get a nasty surprise if he pushes her too far.’
‘I hope he does – get a nasty surprise, I mean, not push her too far. And that Nolan fellow as well. How can they think they’ll get away with it?’
He stopped and stared at her. ‘You’ve put your finger on something that’s been puzzling me. All I can think is that they must have bought someone in the town hall.’
‘I suppose so.’
‘We can get more help now. I saw my friend Kieran’s car parked outside his flats, so he must be back from his honeymoon. I’m going to put him on the trail of official corruption. He loves to chase it down.’
‘Who’s Kieran?’
‘He was an investigative journalist, very well known in the UK till he was badly injured in a road accident. It’s taken him a while to recover, but if anyone can find out exactly what Gus Nolan is doing, it’s him.’
They reached the door of Dennings and he disarmed the security system, studying a small panel. ‘Ah. It seems someone was walking round my garden tonight. Let’s get the recording up and see if we can recognise them.’
But the CCTV recording showed only shadowy figures of two men with no distinguishing features, except that they moved like younger men.
‘This is all very strange,’ he said thoughtfully. ‘Definitely a case for Kieran. And for my trusty electronic gadgets.’
He pulled her towards him. ‘But in the meantime …’
Chapter Sixteen
When Nell woke up the following morning she turned instinctively to Angus for a cuddle. But his side of the bed was cold and no sounds were coming from the adjoining bathroom. He must have got up early.
She wrapped her dressing gown tightly round herself, because although it was officially summer in the northern hemisphere, this time of morning felt chilly to her. She’d laughed out loud the previous days when someone said on the TV news that it was going to be a ‘hot one tomorrow’ and then added, ‘23 degrees’. That was a winter temperature in Western Australia.
Yawning, she wandered along to the kitchen, where she put the kettle on before going into the office.
As she’d guessed, Angus was working on his computer, but didn’t seem to notice her come in. She watched him for a moment, loving the rumpled hair with its frosting of silver, and the slight signs of a beard. He was frowning and fiddling with some sort of electrical diagrams using a drafting program to amend the chart.
‘It’s the extensions to the security system at Miss Parfitt’s house,’ he said suddenly, without turning round. ‘I’ll give them till eight o’clock to get up, then I’ll have to wake them. I need to get started early, because it’ll take me all day. I intend to cover the gardens more thoroughly. I don’t usually do this part of the job myself, I pass it on to a guy I know. But I’m qualified to do it and I’m making an exception for Miss Parfitt. I don’t want any strangers going into her house until I’ve revamped the system and covered her garden.’
‘She’s not going to like your arriving if she isn’t awake.’
‘With a small child in the house, I bet they are awake.’ He grinned at her. ‘Remember what it was like?’
‘Oh boy, yes. Why the urgency now, though, Angus?’
‘Because I don’t think those sods who want her land will wait long to cause more trouble. As the garden sharers get going, there will be people coming and going at all times. I intend to be ready for trouble. I’m putting a few cameras into the system and we’ll spot any intruders, inside or out, yes, and record them as evidence.’
‘Are you interested in breakfast before you go?’
‘Some more coffee and a piece of toast would be great, if you’ve got time.’
He held out an empty mug, and as she took it from him, he turned to his computer again. She smiled. Talk about a capacity for intense concentration! He could have won an Olympic gold medal for it.
After a quick shower, she got dressed, then investigated the fridge, grimacing. There wasn’t much in it, so she made them both cheese on toast. He’d probably forget to eat once he started work so she wanted to give him a good start to the day.
They’d have to organise the housekeeping better from now on. Perhaps that should be her job. Well, judging from how he was focused on his work, it’d have to be. She was very careful to eat a balanced diet, both for health and because she put on weight easily. Besides, she enjoyed cooking. She’d have to transfer what was left of her food staples and cooking equipment from Fliss’s house to here today. And they were certainly needed.
She looked at the size of Angus’s fridge and shook her head. She’d bring the old fridge from her aunt’s, too. All the ones she’d seen in England so far were tiny compared to Aussie ones, which was difficult if you ate a lot of fresh food and needed more storage space. But two smaller fridges would solve that problem.
Angus left his computer and ate his breakfast quickly but with relish. ‘I’d forgotten how good cheese on toast is. What are you going to do today?’
‘The smell at my aunt’s house is getting me down, so I thought I’d pack and move my personal things here – if that’s all right with you?’ She cocked her head on one side, waiting.
‘You know it is.’ For a moment he turned his full attention on her and his gaze felt as warm as a caress.
It took her a few seconds to remember what they’d been discussing. ‘I – um, need to do some shopping as well. It’s like the children’s nursery rhyme. “When she got there, the cupboard was bare”.’
He grinned and chanted the last line back at her. ‘“And so the poor dog had none”. I looked it up on the Internet once and the verses get sillier and sillier as it goes on. You’ll need some money, then, Mother Hubbard. How about we go half and half on the living expenses till we see who eats the most? If it’s me, I’ll pay extra.’
He fished in his pocket, muttered in annoyance and went to hunt around his desk, continuing to mutter as he tossed papers and miscellaneous pens aside.
She stood by the door, smiling as he pounced on his wallet and brandished it with a triumphant cry. He passed her a wad of notes without even counting them.
‘Don’t you want to—’
But he had begun packing pieces of equipment into cardboard boxes and seemed oblivious to her continuing presence in the doorway.
With a wry smile she gave up and went back to clear up the kitchen and prepare for a domestic day. She wasn’t going to take over all the domestic duties, she would never do that again, but she didn’t mind organising things at the start of their life together. She knew she was a good organiser and she enjoyed making order out of chaos.
What’s more, if she’d managed to train a group of lawyers to follow her filing and storage systems, she was sure she’d soon convince Angus that her way was better in the kitchen.
Nell’s mobile phone rang as she was opening the back door of her aunt’s house. She glanced at the phone. Nick.
‘Hi, darling! Hold on while I close the door. I’ve only just arrived home. There. Now I can
talk in comfort. How are you?’
‘I’m fine and so is Carla. Look, Dad’s giving me stick because I won’t let him have your phone number and I had to promise him I’d let you know he needs to talk to you.’
‘Is there a real reason he needs to call me or does he just hate not being able to?’
‘He says it’s about Steve.’
‘Hmm. Well, in that case I’ll see if a friend can help me phone Craig without revealing my number.’
Nick chuckled. ‘You really meant it about getting away from Dad, didn’t you?’
‘I certainly did. And about time, too.’
‘You did it for us, didn’t you?’
‘Did what?’
‘Put up with Dad interfering in your life so that we could have a stable home.’
‘You’re not usually so perceptive.’
‘I’m learning, Ma. Carla’s teaching me a lot. I wish you could meet her. She’s great, very liberated but not aggressive with it. I’ve never met anyone as wonderful.’
She listened, smiling, as he talked about the woman he loved. That was the second of her sons sorted out with a life partner. There was just Steve left and he had a long way to go before he grew up, let alone found a partner. He was definitely a slow maturer, only she couldn’t think of what else she could have done to turn him into a more sensible person.
After a while she interrupted Nick’s talk about what he and Carla were planning. It might be the end of his working day in Australia but it was still morning here. ‘I have to go now, love. I’ve got to clear this house out so that the buyer can demolish it.’
‘Where are you going to live? You didn’t say exactly.’
She hesitated, then decided it was about time she stopped concealing the existence of Angus. ‘I’m moving in with a guy I’ve met.’
Silence greeted this, so she waited.
‘That’s a bit quick, isn’t it?’ Nick said at last.
‘No quicker than you and Carla.’
‘Ah. Yes. Point taken. Does Robbie know?’
