Starboard Home

by Cressida McLaughlin

  The pub was busy, the air thick with the smell of beer and cold, the musty scent of pine needles, as if one of the punters had spent the whole day wrestling a giant Christmas tree. Summer felt a pang of regret. She’d had such grand ideas about how they would decorate The Sandpiper, where the tree would go and the glittery paper chains would hang. Tomorrow she was going to give Madeleine – her living space rather than the café – similar treatment, but it was so much more cramped in there, she would have to work hard to make sure it didn’t look cluttered.

  She followed Mason to the bar and pulled out her purse to pay once he’d ordered the drinks, then they both carried them over to the table. Everyone was there except for Claire and Tania.

  ‘Where’s Claire?’ Summer blurted.

  ‘She’s doing her warm-up,’ Ryder said. ‘Getting herself psyched.’

  ‘Don’t joke.’ Summer gave him a condescending look.

  ‘We’re not sure,’ Jas said. ‘She’s not technically late yet, but seeing as she set this up I would have thought she’d be here early. Unless she’s changed her mind.’

  ‘It’s not entirely necessary, though, is it?’ She sat down next to Mason. ‘Confronting her in front of everyone.’

  ‘I think it is,’ Doug said, his words contradicting his mild manner. ‘If she’s been investigating us then fine, but to make out she was rebuilding her friendship with Claire, to set her sights first on Mason, and then Ryder, all to find out if any of us are dodgy, that’s a pretty callous thing to do.’

  ‘But she’s undercover,’ Summer said. ‘How else was she supposed to do it?’

  ‘Not like that.’ Ralph agreed with his friend. ‘No need to make it personal. She could have posed as a Mystery Shopper – anything.’

  ‘But she already knew Claire and Mason,’ Summer protested. ‘Anonymity would never have worked.’

  ‘I just think that …’ Doug started, his words faltering as his gaze lifted behind Summer’s head.

  ‘Evening, lads and lady,’ Claire said. ‘You all OK for a drink? Tania’s at the bar.’

  Everyone murmured their assent, Doug staring at the table as if he’d been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

  ‘Are you really going to do this?’ Summer asked as Claire sat down.

  ‘Oh yeah,’ Claire said, her eyes glinting. ‘I most certainly am.’

  Tania was wearing a black jumper with lace detailing on the sleeves. Her lips were a pale, shimmering pink. She assessed the table, put down two large glasses of red wine, and slid along the bench so she was next to Ryder.

  ‘Hi, guys,’ she said. ‘How are you coping with your extended stay in Little Venice?’

  ‘Oh yeah, loving it,’ Ralph said.

  Doug nodded and pushed his glasses further up his nose.

  ‘It’s a blast,’ Ryder said laconically, resting his arm along the back of the bench behind her.

  ‘The weather’s supposed to break tomorrow, that’s what I’ve heard.’ She held up her wine glass, clinked it against Claire’s. ‘Will you be off straight away?’

  ‘We’ll see,’ Claire said, her voice clipped. ‘We don’t know how much of the canal has been frozen, what impact it’s going to have on our journeys out of here. Damaged boats, people trying to get places in time for Christmas. The waterways are going to be a nightmare for a while yet, so it might be best to stay put for the next few days, at least.’

  ‘Of course,’ Tania said. ‘How about you two?’ She looked at Mason, then Summer. ‘Are you returning to Willowbeck as soon as possible?’

  Summer resisted the urge to put her arm around Mason’s shoulders.

  ‘We’re going to play it by ear too,’ Mason said. ‘Though there’s no chance of us making it home before Christmas Day now, not even if the waterways are clear, so we’ll probably stay here rather than risk getting stuck somewhere less than ideal on the way back.’

  ‘Sensible plan,’ Tania said. ‘Christmas in London will be wonderful.’

  ‘What are you doing for Christmas?’ Jas asked.

  ‘Oh.’ She waved a dismissive hand. ‘I’ve got my mum in Oxford, I’m going to get the train up next week.’

  ‘Sounds good,’ Jas said.

  The table fell silent, and Summer could almost taste the tension, chew it down and spit it out. Something had to give. Claire was staring at Tania, running her fingers up and down her wine glass as if she was Blofeld and the glass was the white, Persian cat. She didn’t know what she was expecting – some Scooby-Doo-type reveal, something dramatic and angry. Her friend’s approach was entirely unexpected.

  Claire leaned forward, so that Summer got a whiff of her strong, musky perfume. ‘Have you been investigating us, Tania?’ she asked.

  The silence round the table took on a different quality. Everyone’s eyes turned towards Tania, except for Doug, who continued to stare at the table, and Ryder, who was looking at Claire with his usual, undisguised amusement.

  Summer watched Tania closely, her face impassive for a moment, and then she dipped her head and looked up again, a smile playing across her lips.

  ‘Investigating you for what?’ she asked. No outrage, no real surprise, but she was going to see whether they had any proof before admitting it.

  ‘I don’t know,’ Claire said loudly. ‘Stolen goods, other illegalities. We’re not dodgy, Tania, we’re legitimate traders.’

  ‘I know that,’ Tania said, her voice rising to match Claire’s.

  Mason squeezed Summer’s thigh under the table.

  ‘You do? So what have you been doing here, then? Luring us down to Little Venice, playing Mrs Oh-So-Nice so you could get your teeth into us. I mean, what the fuck, Tania? I thought we were friends.’

  ‘We are,’ Tania said. ‘We were.’

  Claire’s eyes widened. ‘Were?’ she whispered.

  ‘It’s been over five years since we were close, Claire. You can’t rebuild something like that so quickly.’

  ‘You can if it’s genuine,’ Claire said. ‘And I thought it was. When you walked onto my boat in the spring, I was delighted.’

  ‘I was pleased to see you too,’ Tania said, ‘of course I was. But it also gave me the opportunity I’d been looking for.’

  ‘Which was?’ Mason asked.

  ‘To look into something that’s been on the action list for a while. Ryder’s business.’

  The man in question raised a single eyebrow.

  ‘Ryder?’ Claire repeated.

  ‘Ryder and The Wanderer’s Rest have been one of my department head’s targets for months. We knew you all spent a lot of time together, travelling up and down the canals, so when you turned up in Little Venice I knew it was time to be more proactive.’

  ‘What, exactly, are you investigating?’ Ryder asked.

  ‘Whether your irregular business is a cover for something else. There’s no consistency. One week it’s designer trainers, the next it’s fishing tackle, then it’s tablet computers. All in small quantities, often to order, but with no real plan around what you sell or when you sell it. It’s exactly the kind of thing we look out for.’

  ‘What can I say? I’m a fixer. I’m spontaneous. I go where I’m needed, bring in what’s required.’

  ‘There have been lots of rumours and accusations about Ryder Holdings.’

  ‘Accusations?’

  ‘Of drug dealing. Illegal substances passing hands, your other stock used to hide what’s really going on.’ Tania folded her arms.

  Ryder stared at her, his lips parted. For once, he was speechless.

  ‘You think Ryder deals drugs?’ Claire asked, incredulous.

  ‘Not a fucking chance,’ Jas said, angrier than Summer had ever seen him.

  ‘So the whole thing,’ Claire continued, ‘meeting up with me again, staying in touch on the phone, inviting us to Little Venice, sorting out our moorings for us, it was all so you could investigate Ryder for something as ludicrous as dealing drugs?’

  Tania pressed her lips together
, gave a little nod.

  Summer exhaled, like a balloon with a hole in it. She hadn’t realized she’d been holding her breath. ‘That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard.’

  Tania looked her right in the eye. ‘It’s my job. I feel bad that it blurred a couple of lines, but Claire and I were never going to be bosom buddies again. We’ve both moved on.’

  ‘And what about Mason?’ Summer continued. ‘Flirting with him, coming to the café, was that all part of it too?’ She felt Mason’s grip on her thigh tighten. She slipped her hand under the table and laid it over his.

  Tania’s smile flickered. ‘It was good to see Mason again, to have the past explained – that was very personal, not part of my work, and I’m pleased it happened. But I had to be convincing, and it would make sense for my feelings for Mason to be rekindled now I know the truth.’

  Claire sighed harshly. ‘So were you after him again, or was that part of this crazy fucking plan? Drugs, Tania, really? Maybe you should take a closer look at your sources next time.’

  Tania smoothed her hair over her shoulder. ‘I’ve just been doing my job, Claire. I can’t go into detail about it.’

  Summer chewed her lip.

  ‘Well, it’s over,’ Doug said firmly. ‘We know now, you’ve admitted it. You’ll have to stop investigating him.’

  ‘I’m done. He’s no longer under investigation.’

  ‘What?’ Several voices spoke at once.

  ‘And so … so what did you find?’ Claire blustered.

  ‘Nothing. Despite outward appearances, all of Ryder’s business dealings have been legitimate. Unconventional, granted, but no proof of any illegal substances changing hands, or even being present. We’ve been investigating him for months, keeping tabs on where you’ve been, sending in officers to see if they could uncover anything.

  ‘Everything we found was above board. But I wanted to spend a few days with him myself, get onto his boat, do some more digging to be absolutely sure. It makes no sense to me, Ryder,’ she said, turning to him. ‘If you put more effort in, you’d make a lot more money. It all seems so haphazard; you can appreciate why we thought there was something else going on. I don’t understand why there needs to be this air of subterfuge, this mysterious way of going about things.’

  Ryder stared at her, his face a shocked mask. When he spoke, his voice was so forlorn that Summer had to stop herself from laughing. ‘Then you don’t understand me at all.’

  ‘Were you ever going to tell us, if we hadn’t found out? Or would your project on Ryder have gone unmentioned?’ Claire asked, through gritted teeth.

  ‘No need to tell you,’ Tania said. ‘Nothing to report. But I knew you’d figured it out, so I thought I’d better turn up tonight and give you an explanation.’

  ‘Not a very satisfactory one,’ Jas said. ‘You’ve used your friendship with Claire to manipulate us, and now that’s over you’re going to swan off into the sunset?’

  ‘Would you rather I’d found something on him?’ Tania laughed softly. ‘I can only say I’m sorry that I’ve hurt some of you, but this is what I do, working undercover, getting to the truth. If I’d spotted Claire’s boat back then, and done nothing knowing full well that Ryder was one of our targets, I would have been failing at my job.’

  ‘Yeah, but what about friendship?’ Ralph asked. ‘Don’t you mind failing at that?’

  ‘I should leave you to it,’ Tania said, rising.

  ‘So that’s it?’ Claire asked, standing with her.

  ‘What else do you want me to say? I’ve enjoyed spending time with you all, getting to know you again, Claire, seeing you, Mason.’

  He sipped his pint, and didn’t reply.

  ‘Have a lovely Christmas, all of you,’ she said. ‘And if you’re ever in Little Venice again I’d like to come for a drink – no agenda this time.’

  ‘Yeah right.’ Claire folded her arms as Tania slid out from behind the table and, giving a final, easy wave, her head held high, walked through the crowd towards the door.

  Claire sat heavily, tears in her eyes. ‘God. She used us all. Ryder, I am so, so sorry. I can’t believe she thought you were dealing drugs.’

  ‘Don’t worry about me,’ Ryder said breezily, but Summer could see it had rattled him. His skin was even paler than usual, his blue eyes wide with shock. He reached his arm across the table, placed his hand on top of Claire’s.

  ‘We’re sorry, Claire, Ryder,’ Jas said. ‘It was a shitty thing to do – to both of you.’

  ‘You don’t need her, you’ve got all of us!’ Ralph raised his voice at the end, trying to inject levity into it.

  ‘What do you want to drink?’ Doug asked. ‘Stiff whisky? Brandy? Tequila?’ He rose and went to the bar, not waiting for an answer.

  ‘Look how much trouble I’ve caused,’ Claire said through her tears. She wiped her cheeks. ‘I brought you down here for this wonderful Christmassy week, ended up exposing you and Mason to Tania and messing things up for you – and then it turned out her friendship wasn’t even legitimate, and what I was actually doing was allowing my best mate to be investigated for fucking drugs.’

  ‘Quite impressive, when you think about it,’ Ralph said.

  Claire laughed, despite herself. ‘I am an awful judge of character.’

  ‘Hey, thanks!’ Jas said, grinning.

  ‘Are you all right, Mason?’ Claire asked.

  ‘I’m OK.’

  ‘You’ve been very quiet,’ Summer murmured.

  ‘It’s a lot to take in. You handled it well, Claire, considering how she’s treated you. You too, Ryder.’

  Claire sniffed loudly, her tears drying on her cheeks. ‘What about you?’

  Mason shook his head. ‘This isn’t about me,’ he said. ‘It just proves that I don’t know her any more – that none of us do. I think the best thing we can do is put Tania firmly in the past, and start looking forward to Christmas.’ He rubbed Summer’s thigh, and treated them all to one of his blistering smiles.

  ‘I’ll drink to that,’ Doug said, placing a tray of glasses on the table; the amber liquid inside smelt like brandy. Everyone picked one up and they clinked glasses.

  ‘You going to be all right?’ Summer asked Claire, once the comforting liquid had burnt down her throat.

  ‘Yeah,’ Claire said. ‘I’ve still got you guys, right? I’ll get over it.’

  Ryder cleared his throat loudly. ‘She has, however, managed to completely ruin my life.’

  ‘I’m sorry,’ Summer said sincerely. ‘It must have been horrible to discover you were under suspicion for something like that.’

  ‘I wasn’t worried for a second,’ Ralph said. ‘You’re far too soft to operate in those dangerous circles.’

  Ryder rolled his eyes. ‘That is not the point!’

  ‘What is it then?’ Jas asked. ‘You – rightly – got off scot-free. She has at least proved that the ambiguous Ryder is in fact an honest, respectable trader who just happens to sell stuff in the most convoluted way possible.’

  ‘And how exactly am I supposed to continue doing that, now that I’ve been outed as a fair trader?’

  Everyone stared at him. Summer replayed his words in her head, and then laughed. ‘You’re annoyed because you weren’t found to have been doing anything dodgy?’

  ‘Of course,’ he said, folding his arms. ‘What the fuck did she think she was doing, sweeping in like that, ruining my reputation? I mean, obviously I don’t deal drugs, but she could have left the rest of it alone! She wouldn’t even let me seduce her, for God’s sake.’

  Claire shook her head, and voiced what everyone else was thinking. ‘Do you know what, Ryder, you really are something else.’

  ‘Good. Glad you still think so. That’s what I’m going to have to count on after this embarrassing debacle. Maybe I should dye my hair black, start wearing guy-liner.’

  ‘You’d look like an ageing Goth,’ Jas said.

  ‘Paint over the name on my boat, so it’
s completely anonymous?’

  ‘Everyone can spot your boat a mile off, even without the name,’ Doug said. ‘And if you’re still at the helm …’

  ‘True, true.’ He rubbed his chin. ‘Come on lads and lasses, help me out here. How am I going to come back from this? I need to keep my enigmatic nature intact.’

  ‘Don’t worry about it, Ryder,’ Claire said. ‘It’s over, the whole thing. And I, for one, am glad. In a few more days, we’ll be able to leave Little Venice and Tania behind, and everything will go back to normal. Fingers crossed she was right about the weather breaking.’

  As she said that someone walked over to the table next to theirs, exclaiming loudly. His coat was shiny, and he shook water droplets out of his hair.

  ‘It’s raining,’ Doug said. ‘It’s got warmer, it’s actually raining.’

  There were collective sighs of relief around the table.

  Mason kissed Summer. ‘We can start our journey back to Willowbeck on the twenty-seventh. Boxing Day, if you’d prefer?’

  ‘I would,’ Summer said. ‘Let’s have a magical Christmas in Little Venice, and then go home.’

  The mood visibly lifted, and Jas went to the bar.

  ‘We’ve still not solved my dilemma,’ Ryder said. ‘I cannot cruise out of London with my mystique ruined.’

  ‘You do know that’s a Marvel character, don’t you?’ Doug asked.

  ‘Whatever. I’m going to need some serious help. How can I recover my ambiguity? I feel like I need to go big, do something crazy for the New Year. It can be my resolution.’

  ‘I’ve got a great idea,’ Mason said. ‘Something that will help with your image, get people to understand exactly what you’re all about.’

  ‘OK,’ Ryder said, narrowing his eyes. ‘But I don’t want them to understand what I’m about. That’s the whole point.’

  ‘It’s a new look. Nothing too drastic, but it will have a real impact.’

  ‘What is it?’ Claire asked, her tears dry, her face open and excited as Summer was used to.