Web of Deceit

by M A Comley

  Peter handed each woman a menu. “Really? ‘Strange’? In what way strange?”

  “Somehow, a rabbit got into one of the bedrooms.”

  “A rabbit?” Peter repeated with a frown.

  “Yes. Only it wasn’t running around—or hopping, should I say? It was dead.”

  “Good heavens. How did that happen?”

  Megan snorted. “I was kind of hoping you would explain that to us.”

  “I really have no explanation at all, unless...”

  Tina and Megan looked at each other then back at Peter. “Unless?” Tina asked.

  “Unless it has something to do with my dogs.”

  Megan tutted. “Your dogs? Is this a wind up? How on earth could your dogs be involved?”

  “I don’t understand. Why couldn’t they be involved?” Peter insisted.

  “Are they in the habit of entering a room, depositing a dead animal, and then closing the door behind them after they leave the room? Despite a chair being propped up against the door for added security? They must be super-talented dogs,” Megan said, notes of despair intermingled with sarcasm running through her tone as she imagined a dog fiddling with the old-fashioned round handle on the door.

  “Oh dear, you didn’t tell me your door was secured. I really should sort out the locks for those rooms ASAP. I’m sorry, but I have no plausible excuse in that case. Now, what do you want for breakfast? There’s cereal on the table over there, croissants, and pain au chocolat just to make you feel like you’re at home,” he said, sniggering. “I’ve got bacon and sausages in the Aga range cooker and beans on the stove. They’ll be ready for you soon.”

  Tina rubbed her tummy. “Yum. I don’t eat eggs. Can I just have bacon, sausage, and baked beans?”

  Gobsmacked at the nonchalance of the other two people in the room, Megan stared at them in disbelief. She couldn’t believe the way Peter had discarded the strange events as if they were an everyday occurrence. Maybe they are!

  “Megan, quickly, Peter wants to get back to the kitchen.”

  “Sorry, of course, what was I thinking? I’ll have the same as Tina. I don’t care much for eggs, either.”

  “I’ll bring you tea, coffee and toast while I cook the rest of your breakfast.” He left the room.

  Megan leaned forward and whispered, “His reaction was unbelievable.”

  Tina reached for a croissant and began smothering it in butter. “What else could he say? If he can’t think up a good explanation, then he’d be lost for words, wouldn’t he?”

  Megan sighed and watched her friend eat, her own stomach still churning from what they’d discovered in their room. “I suppose so.”

  “You need to put this behind you and eat.”

  “I will in a moment. I’m still coming to terms with things.” She glanced out the window, saw three huge dogs bounding across the lawn like puppies, and shook her head.

  “What’s wrong?” Tina asked after she’d swallowed her mouthful of food.

  “I’m just trying to work out how a dog is capable of opening a door, whilst carrying the remains of a rabbit, and close the door behind it when it decides to leave the room. It really is hard for me to contemplate that bizarre scenario.”

  “Move on. Forget about it. Enjoy your breakfast, and then we’ll begin our little adventure.”

  Peter appeared with their drinks and a slim wicker basket filled with slices of toast before Megan could answer. When he left the room again, she replied, “I hope our day doesn’t involve having any more strange surprises.”

  “Keep saying things like that, and you’ll be tempting fate.”

  Megan put two cubes of brown sugar in her coffee, cradled her cup in her hands, and continued to watch the hotel owner’s dogs frolic in the morning sun.

  Peter reappeared with their breakfast moments later. “I must apologise, ladies. I’m afraid your sausages exploded in the Aga. I can do you some fresh ones if you’re willing to wait.”

  Suppressing the laughter threatening to break free, Megan assured him, “They’ll be fine. We need to get on the road early.”

  Peter gave them an embarrassed smile and returned to the kitchen.

  Megan stuck her fork in one of the exploded sausages and studied it. She chortled. “Bloody thing looks how I feel.”

  Tina laughed and tucked into her own weird, but wonderful looking fry-up.

  Half an hour later, feeling fit to pop, they set off on their adventure. The first stop they made was to a new development they’d driven past the previous evening, so they knew it was only a few miles away. The sumptuously laid out show home tempted both women, but the postage-sized garden was a major drawback. Still, they took the brochure from the sales assistant and moved on to the next developer’s plot located in the heart of Wisbech. One look at the site situated on the main thoroughfare into town was enough for Megan to put her foot down and keep driving.

  “Damn! Well, I hadn’t envisaged that from seeing the house on the internet.”

  “It just goes to show how important it is to visit an area before committing to it,” Tina agreed. “Where to now?”

  She pulled over into a lay-by and looked at the notes she’d jotted down regarding the houses that had caught her eye. “We’re running out of options now. I have a few homes lined up for us to look at in the morning with some agents. How about we drive around the areas, see the houses from the outside today, and either agree with the viewings tomorrow or discount them? It’s up to you.”

  “Why not? At least you can get a feel for the area.”

  “That’s decided then. I’ll give you the postcodes, and you can search your phone, see which of the areas is closest.”

  They spent the next ten minutes sharing information and formulating an itinerary. “That’s settled. It’s off to Gorefield first, right?” Megan said, her mood lightening a little, mainly due to the picturesque surroundings. “It certainly is a beautiful area. I’m so glad I picked it.”

  “Have you not been to the area before?” asked Tina.

  “Nope, I’ve holidayed on the Broads many times. That would be my preferred location to live, but the houses are far too expensive. This is the next best thing. Maybe I can buy a boat and a little mooring if my business takes off in the UK. Hey, you could visit at the weekends.”

  “Ugh... not sure I’d like that. I don’t really fancy going on a boat.”

  “You’d love it. Peaceful and stress-free—well occasionally, not when you have the locks to tackle down on the Thames. That can be mighty stressful.”

  “In what way? Aren’t the locks manned?”

  “Some are. I went on holiday with a friend once. We decided to moor up for lunch on an open stretch of riverbank. She hopped ashore, ready to tie up the rope, and jumped straight into a bees’ nest.”

  “Ouch! Was she all right?”

  “A few stings. I feel guilty every time I see her because I just looked at her and laughed.”

  “Really? Supposing she had gone into an anaphylactic shock?”

  “Yikes, I never thought about that at the time. Silly me.” Megan drove off, heading in the direction of the first house on her property hotlist.

  “Here, it must be down this lane.” Tina pointed.

  “Oh no, the sign says the house is sold. We’ll get out and take a peek anyway.” Megan studied the property. The house, newly built by a local builder, shared a drive with three other houses. “Not sure I’d like that.”

  “It does seem odd. Let’s take a nosey through the windows around the back.”

  Megan followed her friend up the path. She looked through the window, saw a man staring back at her, and gasped. “Tina, come here,” she squealed.

  “What’s up?”

  Megan’s heart pounded. “I just saw a face. Someone is on the other side of the building. Oh crap, I think it was the same man who was in the car last night.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous. We’re miles from that place. What on earth would he be doing out t
his way?”

  “I don’t know.” She grabbed Tina’s forearm and squeezed it tightly. “I’m scared. What if he’s trying to kidnap us? Or even worse, intends to kill us?”

  Tina shook her arm away and took off.

  “No, Tina, come back!” she cried out, appalled by her friend’s bravery or foolhardiness—she wasn’t sure which word was a more appropriate description of the woman’s trait.

  “Oh, Megan, come and see what I’ve found.” Tina’s singsong voice sounded light-hearted, not in the least bit scared.

  She closed her eyes, uncertain she really had the courage to go after her friend. What if the man was holding her hostage, forcing her to call out like that? You’ve been reading too many bloody crime novels, girl.

  Tentatively, she circled the back of the house and sought out her friend. Tina was standing next to a small tree with wispy branches. “I think you’ll find this is your strange man, dear girl.”

  Megan chewed on her lip and shook her head. “I’m not stupid, Tina. That man, or another man, was standing at this window staring right at me.”

  “Whatever. I think you’re still wound up about what happened yesterday and simply imagined that you saw the man’s face instead of the branches.”

  Megan stormed back to the car, furious that her friend could treat her in such a way.

  Tina caught her up and pulled on her arm, forcing her to face her. “Have I upset you?”

  “What gives you that idea? Bloody hell, I know what I saw, Tina. You have no right treating me like I’m some kind of idiot or I’m on day release from the local looney bin. I know I saw that man.” They continued back to the car and when they reached the main road, Megan looked up and down, but it was free of all vehicles, except hers. The only other cars in the street were the homeowners’ cars parked in their own drives.

  “He’s not here, love. Why don’t we take a break, find a quaint pub somewhere, and have a quiet drink? You’ll feel much better then.”

  “I don’t want a drink. If I have one, I won’t be able to stop. Let’s continue our search and then find a hotel close by. In fact, when we get back in the car, that can be your first job.”

  “If you’re sure. Do you want a country hotel again or somewhere busier, like on the edge of a town perhaps?”

  “Yes, let’s try one of the major hotels in the area. Not sure my nerves could stand another night like last night.”

  “You’re on. Now stop worrying. You’re spooked. That’s all. No one is out to harm you, sweetie. You really are blowing things out of all proportion,” Tina said, smiling as they hopped back in the car.

  This time, in spite of Tina’s reassuring words, Megan locked the doors on her Nissan Note before driving off. Out the corner of her eye, she could see her friend’s disapproving shake of the head, but she chose to ignore it. Her safety was paramount, and in all her time living in France, she’d never felt threatened. It made her wonder if she really was doing the right thing by moving back to Blighty.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Megan was exhausted by the time they located the hotel where Tina had booked a room via her phone, during their trawl around the rest of the houses.

  “Oh, this looks rather grand. Can we afford this?” Megan queried when they pulled into the Elsa Lee Hotel.

  “I found it on a booking site, got a special room rate. I hope it’s not a crappy one.”

  “We’ll soon see. Let’s leave the bags here, just in case the room isn’t to our tastes, eh?”

  “Good idea. I feel somewhat underdressed. It looks really swanky.”

  “You chose well, from the outside anyway. At least there is a bit of life around here, unlike last night’s hotel.” Megan shuddered as she recollected the eerie fog, the dead rabbit, and the strange man whose face still haunted her. Fortunately, the rest of the day had been spook-free, and she felt a lot calmer, better than she’d felt since stepping off the ferry the day before.

  The luxurious, deep-piled carpet runner led them to the reception desk. A rotund, flushed-cheeked man leant on the reception desk where two women busied themselves. A young white lady with dark hair scraped back sat at the computer, and a slender black lady wearing a coat beamed as they approached. “Dahlings! How lovely to meet you,” the second woman gushed in a thick, unrecognisable accent. She was in her early forties and pretty, but she had a heavily scarred face.

  Megan returned the woman’s smile. “Hello there. We rang up a few hours ago and booked a twin room.”

  The girl sitting at the desk tapped her keyboard.

  The man standing beside them asked, “Did you want a lodge, or would you prefer to stay in the main hotel? There’s a ten-pound difference on the room rate.”

  “Shall we stay in the hotel, Tina? It might be better if we’re eating in the restaurant tonight. We can stagger up to our rooms then.”

  “Stagger?” the man asked with a frown.

  “Sorry, we’re exhausted. We’ve travelled a lot in the last few days. I didn’t mean we were going to get drunk.”

  “Ah, where have you travelled from?”

  “I docked at Portsmouth yesterday.”

  “Portsmouth!” the black woman shrieked. “We have apartment in Portsmouth. You ring me, say you want to stay, and I give you discount at this hotel.”

  Megan was perplexed by the woman’s excited announcement. How could anyone offer their home to a stranger like that? “Do you own this place? It’s a magnificent hotel.”

  “It wasn’t. We worked hard to get it this way,” the woman replied proudly.

  “Your hard work has certainly paid off.”

  “Ginny, show the ladies the two options of rooms available, will you?” the man interrupted impatiently, addressing the young woman at the computer.

  The receptionist grabbed two sets of keys off the hook and asked Megan and Tina to follow her. “Come, I show you the way.”

  “Where are you from, Ginny?” Megan asked, intrigued by the woman’s accent.

  “Poland. I have been ’ere many years now. I earn money and send it ’ome to my parents.”

  “That’s admirable of you. Will they join you here eventually?”

  The receptionist’s face filled with sadness. “I don’t think so. I will never earn enough money for three of us to live here comfortably.” She unlocked the room, and immediately, her face lit up. “You like? Nice room with en suite. View of the gardens, too.”

  Megan nodded. “It’s lovely. Just what we need. What do you think, Tina?”

  “I’d say it’s perfect.”

  The receptionist smiled. “Wonderful. If you would like to follow me back to reception, I can fill in the booking form.”

  Tina volunteered to fetch the bags from the car while Megan filled out the paperwork. She felt relieved to see the other two people were no longer at the desk when she and Tina returned, yet she couldn’t put her finger on why.

  Once she’d signed the paperwork, Megan took the key from the receptionist and asked her to book a table in the restaurant for seven that evening, then she went outside to help Tina with the bags.

  They showered and dressed in clean jeans for dinner. Megan was surprised to see that she and Tina were the only ones eating in the restaurant that evening. As they ate, their conversation revolved around the houses they’d visited during their exhausting day. Neither of them mentioned Megan’s weird experience at the first house, however. Thankfully, rabbit wasn’t on the menu, and their meals were both exceptional.

  Just as the dinner was drawing to a close, the black woman they’d met when they arrived, walked through the empty restaurant and made a beeline for them. She pulled out a chair at the next table and sat. “Hello, ladies. Have you enjoyed your meal?” Her smile was so broad that her eyes formed tiny slits in her pretty face.

  “It was beautiful. Couldn’t fault it,” Megan said, taking a sip of wine.

  “Ah, good. We have excellent chefs. I started in the kitchen and work long ’ours. Even slept in there
on a mattress at one time. Look...” She held out her arm and pulled up her sleeve to reveal yet more scarring on her slender wrists. “Hot fat does that to you if you’re not careful.”

  “How terrible,” Tina said, wearing a sympathetic smile.

  The woman introduced herself. “I’m Cleo.” She stood, kissed each woman on the cheek, and remained standing close to their table.

  Megan pulled away from the woman. “Hi, Cleo, you’ve done a marvellous job. The hotel is a credit to you.”

  “My husband should take credit, too, but he don’t work much. You see the size of him. He complains all day long while I work my butt off.”

  Megan and Tina looked at each other in helplessness. Megan really hadn’t anticipated the woman openly trashing her husband. He must have been the impatient man they’d met at reception earlier. “That’s like most men, Cleo. Once a woman shows how capable she is of running things, they always tend to take a backseat and let her get on with it. I’m sure he appreciates your talent and organisational skills in running a huge establishment such as this.”

  “You’re cute. But your friend is even cuter.” Cleo launched herself at Tina, smothered her with kisses, and squeezed her in a suffocating hug. “You come back to my room later, yes?” She burst into laughter and pushed Tina away.

  Megan suddenly felt awkward. She didn’t know whether to intervene or to leave Tina to sort the woman out for herself.

  Cleo bent her head down and parted her hair at the scalp. “Look. This hurt at the time—more scars of working in this place. But you know what I always say? All this hard work has taken its toll. I know I don't look as old as I am, but black don’t crack, baby. I get up when someone knocks me down and start again. My husband, he proud of me in his own way. He up there now in our room, waiting for me to service him, but I’d rather be ’ere with you gals, ’aving some fun. Is that why you ’ere?” She winked and nudged them both. “To ’ave a little fun together?”

  Incensed, Megan wiped her mouth on her napkin and threw it on the table. “That’s certainly none of your business. What do you take us for, a couple of loose women? Our sleeping arrangements are not your concern.”