by Agatha Frost
“Christopher,” Liz mumbled, Paddy’s barks drowning her out. “I think that’s Frank.”
Christopher leaned over the side of the boat as Liz reached out and grabbed the orange lifejacket as it drifted by. With all of her strength, she turned the body around, her stomach knotting when she looked in the glassy eyes staring up at her through a mess of fish netting wrapped around his face. No matter how many bodies she had seen in her lifetime, it never got any easier.
“He’s dead,” Liz said after gulping hard. “Frank is dead.”
4
Liz accepted an invitation from Nancy to go to the pub the next day, despite not getting a decent night’s sleep. She had hesitated at first but decided it would be a good idea to get to know more of the townsfolk, especially since she had just fished a dead one out of the water.
When Liz arrived at the Fish and Anchor, Nancy was already waiting outside for her.
“Here she is,” Nancy said as she pulled Liz into a hug. “Our new local celebrity. Everyone is talking about you finding Frank’s body. Jack and Simon are already here. They’re dying to find out what happened – although, I don’t think ‘dying’ is the right word.”
Nancy chuckled to herself as she pulled on the door. The Fish and Anchor was not a trendy cocktail bar like the places Liz was used to, but it was exactly what she had expected from a fishing pub. It was cramped and dark, and smelt of stale ale and fire smoke. Every inch of the walls was covered in local fishing memorabilia, and it was packed out despite the early hour. The mismatched chairs complemented the oak tables, and instead of the usual carpet, the floor was made of wood. The bar stretched across the right side of the room, with almost a dozen fishermen propped up at it with pints in their hands, none of them talking to each other. It was packed with the spirit and character brewery-owned chain pubs tried to replicate, but she could feel the authenticity in every particle of the building. Somehow, Liz already felt right at home.
She followed Nancy into the corner of the room, where Jack and Simon were sitting under a large anchor, which jutted out of the wall at such an unsecure angle, she was sure it was breaking more than a few health and safety laws. Both men smiled at her, but Liz noticed that Simon’s seemed a little wider.
“Hey,” Jack and Simon said in unison as the two women sat down.
Liz took the seat next to Simon, and Nancy sat next to her boyfriend. They immediately started talking in hushed voices, giggling like school children. Simon glanced at Liz and rolled his eyes playfully.
“Young love, huh?” Simon said, so close that Liz could smell his musky aftershave. “You wouldn’t think they’ve only been together for a year.”
“Looks like the honeymoon period to me,” Liz said, smiling at the loved-up couple. “They should enjoy it while they can.”
“We are here, ya’know.” Simon tossed a scrunched up napkin their way.
“Sorry!” Nancy exclaimed, her soft cheeks blushing. “I feel like I haven’t seen him in years.”
“You saw me this morning,” Jack said with a laugh as he kissed her cheek. “But I missed you too.”
Liz remembered what it felt like to be that in love. She and Lewis had been completely inseparable at the beginning of their relationship, and it had not changed much after they had wed. She tried to visualise his face, but it was getting harder to remember the finer details.
“I heard what happened to Frank,” Jack said, pulling Liz back to the present. “It’s all people can talk about. They’re saying it was some drunken accident, and that he got wasted on the boat, got caught up in some net, and fell overboard.”
“Poor fella,” Simon said after sipping his pint, some of the foam on his top lip. “He was always carrying that hip flask with him. He’d even bring it in here, but Shirley never stood for that. He did like his whiskey a little too much.”
“Did you know him well?” Liz asked casually, intrigued by the man she had pulled out of the water.
“He’d lived in Scarlet Cove all of his life, like the rest of us,” Nancy started, edging forward, seeming excited to be the one to fill Liz in. “His father was a fisherman, and his father before him was too. People always said Frank was gutted when he had a daughter.”
“Gutted like a fish?” Jack suggested with a wink.
“Jack!” Nancy cried, holding back a smirk. “You’re wicked! Anyway, it’s not like you don’t get women fishers, but it’s not as common, is it?”
“That’s why he was so glad when Adam showed such an interest in the business,” Jack took over from Nancy. “Which is why I don’t understand why Frank’s last action in this town was to fire the kid.”
“We’ve always had fishing in Scarlet Cove, but Fishy Chris really stepped it up,” Nancy mumbled as she scanned the food menu. “It used to just be a couple of boats, but Chris is buying new ones all the time. Never seems content with his lot in life.”
“Fishy Chris?” Liz asked.
“Christopher,” Simon mumbled. “Our lord and master, or so he likes to think. He hates that little nickname, but we’re all rather fond of it.”
Nancy snickered behind the menu as she caught Liz’s eyes. Liz could not help but laugh. It almost reminded her of being back in school again.
“Is he here?” Liz asked, turning and looking around the small pub. “I don’t see him.”
“He wouldn’t be caught dead in here unless they started serving champagne on tap with a side order of caviar,” Jack said, which was accompanied by another giggle from Nancy. “Although don’t say that too loud. Most of those fishermen at the bar are on Fishy Chris’ payroll.”
“He’s always thought he was too good for this place,” Simon explained, imitating Christopher’s more refined accent. “I’m surprised he’s stayed in Scarlet Cove for as long as he has. People say he’s looking for a wife, but most women know there’s not much behind that charm.”
“Watch out, Liz,” Nancy giggled. “You’re just his type.”
Jack choked on his pint as he caught Liz’s eyes. She looked around the table, unsure if that had been a compliment or an insult. Was that why Nancy had thrust her in front of him during their little tour?
“Leave her alone,” Simon said. “You don’t want to scare her out of town before she’s settled in.”
“Back to Frank,” Nancy said quickly. “His daughter, Mandy, works behind the bar. She’s the one with the strawberry blonde hair and too much makeup.”
Nancy nodded at the bar, so Liz turned in her chair to stare at the barmaid, who seemed more interested in her nails than serving the customers.
“Her dad has just died, and she’s here working?” Liz mumbled, almost to herself. “That’s odd.”
“They weren’t that close,” Simon explained. “After her mum died a few years back, Frank and Mandy haven’t really seen eye to eye. She only really bothered with him when she needed money.”
“Looking that fake takes a lot of upkeep,” Nancy mumbled over the top of the menu. “It takes a lot of money to look that –”
“Apparently, her mother left a lot of money to Frank when she died,” Jack jumped in. “Mandy didn’t get a penny, which everyone thought was odd because Mandy was always closer to her mum than Frank, but they were always a strange family.”
“You would never have thought ol’ Frank was sitting on a pot of gold though,” Nancy said. “He dressed like a fisherman and always smelt of fish.”
“Funny, that?” Simon replied with a roll of his eyes. “Anyone would think he was a fisherman.”
“You know what I mean,” Nancy fired back as she adjusted her glasses. “If I had thousands in the bank, I wouldn’t keep working for the dragon lady at the gallery. I’d treat myself.”
“Did Frank have anyone to treat?” Liz asked. “Anyone special in his life?”
The trio looked awkwardly at one another, letting Liz know there had been someone special in Frank’s life. Nancy and Jack stared over Liz’s shoulder and looked into the corner of the r
oom. Liz craned her neck and looked at a pretty pixie-like woman with black hair. She was staring vacantly into a glass of wine, but it looked untouched.
“He was seeing Laura,” Jack said, nodding to the woman in the corner. “She’s thirty-seven, and Frank was –”
“Almost at retirement age,” Simon interjected before sipping his pint. “Gives me the creeps.”
“He was fifty-three,” Jack corrected him. “A lifetime on the sea was not kind to that man. I feel like I should go over and say something to her, but I don’t know what to say.”
“Just leave her,” Nancy suggested, resting her hand on Jack’s. “She looks like she wants space.”
Liz looked around the pub, suddenly noticing that most of the people around her were glancing periodically at the grieving woman. Liz knew exactly what that felt like, and she knew Nancy was right; Laura would want to be left alone to process what had just happened.
“So,” Liz said, her mind piecing together the information. “He has a daughter that he wasn’t particularly close with and a younger girlfriend.”
“Laura is still married too,” Nancy said as she leaned in. “Her relationship with Frank caused quite the scandal.”
“They’re separated,” Jack mentioned. “But people say that Laura was seeing Frank before she was officially separated from Michael. Poor fella was devastated.”
“You listen to too much gossip,” Simon stated before sipping his pint. “Anyone would think you were an old fishwife, Jacky Boy.”
“It’s just what I heard,” he snapped back, narrowing his eyes on his friend. “It’s not like there’s much else going on around here. It didn’t take her long to move on. I have nothing against her, I just don’t really know her because I always thought Laura and Michael were happy. They were childhood sweethearts. They’re a couple of years older than us, but it’s a small town, so you think you know people, that’s all I’m saying.”
“Appearances can be deceiving,” Liz said. “Why don’t we get some drinks in?”
“Good idea,” Jack said, springing up in an instant. “Is lager okay for everyone? You have to try the Scarlet Cove Brew, Liz. It’s world famous.”
“Sounds good to me,” Liz said.
“I didn’t take you for a lager sort of girl,” Simon said with an arched brow.
“Well, maybe you’ve got the wrong impression of me,” she said back at him, not remembering the last time anyone called her a ‘girl’. “Although between you and me, you’re right, but Jack looked excited about the brew, and I couldn’t say no.”
Simon chuckled, flashing her his boyish dimples. They stared at each other for a silent moment as Nancy continued to look over the menu. Liz’s stomach squirmed, forcing her to look away. She coughed, hoping it would explain why she was suddenly red-faced.
“They’ve added a tandoori section to the menu,” Nancy mumbled absently. “How exotic.”
Jack returned with a tray containing four frothy pints of Scarlet Cove Brew. Liz focussed on the full glasses for the sake of something to do. She gratefully accepted her pint, avoiding looking in Simon’s direction. She lifted the glass to her lips, Jack staring expectantly at her as he placed the other pints on the table. Liz was pleased when she did not gag.
“Really nice,” Liz said after a small sip. “Good recommendation.”
Jack beamed at her as he sat back down next to Nancy. They looped fingers as they sipped their pints. The pub busied around them, but silence descended on their table. With her glass to her lips, Liz looked back at Laura again. She wanted to let the poor woman know it would get easier with time, but she knew talk was cheap when it came to grief.
“How long were they together?” Liz asked.
“About three years, I think,” Nancy said as she pushed her glasses up her button nose.
“It was more than a fling then?”
“Oh, yeah.” Nancy nodded enthusiastically. “They were like two love sick puppies. It made it easier that Michael accepted them and didn’t make things awkward.”
“He’s a top fella,” Jack said with a nod. “Most wouldn’t be so gracious about another bloke stealing their missus.”
“It didn’t help that Mandy and Laura used to be friends though,” Nancy said. “They definitely didn’t have a happy step-mother and daughter relationship.”
“They’re practically the same age,” Simon added. “Mandy seemed to think Laura was only with her father for the money.”
“Is that what you all think?” Liz asked.
“People talk,” Nancy said with a shrug. “I don’t know what to think. Yes, there was an age-gap, but they did seem happy together. Didn’t take Laura long to move in with Frank. You never know what happens behind closed doors though. Like you said, Liz, appearances can be deceptive.”
“Why do I feel like I’m being interviewed at the station?” Jack asked with a laugh. “Reminds me of that time I got drunk when I was fourteen, and I stole that tractor.”
“My tractor,” Simon added.
“You gave me the keys!” Jack cried. “You were just as drunk as I was.”
The two men shared a knowing look as they laughed, letting Liz know their friendship likely stretched back to birth. She wondered if she was the only person in town who had not been born and raised in Scarlet Cove, which made her immediate acceptance feel all the stranger.
“I was a police officer for fifteen years,” Liz said coolly. “I retired with the rank of detective. Old habits die hard, I suppose.”
Jack choked on his pint and spat the mouthful back into the glass. His cheeks flushed, a sweat seeming to break out on his forehead.
“You never told me that,” Nancy said with an excited smile. “You’re getting more interesting by the day, Liz Jones!”
“It feels like it was so long ago already,” Liz said. “It almost happened to a different person in a different life.”
“I can just imagine you now, running around catching criminals,” Nancy said, her fingers forming a gun to scope out the room. “No wonder you were the one to find Frank’s body! I bet you sniffed it out from the shore.”
“It was mainly a lot of paperwork,” she said sheepishly as she realised she had broken the promise she had made to keep her past quiet so she could have a completely fresh start. “I’m all about the art now.”
“Why did you retire?” Simon asked, turning in his seat to face her with a curious smile. “You really are quite surprising.”
Liz opened her mouth to speak, unsure of what she was going to say. She was almost glad when a brawl erupted at the bar, giving her an excuse to look away from Simon. They all watched the two fishermen fight in a drunken fluster, and by the time the tough landlady, Shirley, pulled them apart, the interest in her past life had been dropped.
Liz stuck around and finished her pint, chatting idly about her plans for her shop. When she felt it was time to leave, Nancy hugged her tightly, and Jack and Simon both shook her hand. Just like his wider smile when she had arrived, Liz was sure Simon’s soft grip on her hand had been longer than strictly necessary.
After leaving the Fish and Anchor, Liz headed to the harbour in search of Christopher. Considering the dreadful experience they had shared only the day before, she wanted to make sure he was okay, despite what her new friends thought about him.
As she passed Coastline Cabaret on the seafront, she noticed Laura, who had slipped out before Liz had finished her pint. She was standing with a tall man, who made her look even more pixie-like. They were arguing in hushed tones, Laura’s hands flapping about dramatically, and her eyes bright and puffy.
When they saw her approaching, they drifted into the alley next to the bar and out of earshot. Liz did not make it obvious that she was trying to eavesdrop as she walked past, but she strained her ears, breathing quietly. She did not pick up anything, but she was sure she had heard Frank’s name pop up.
When she arrived at the office, she was surprised to see Frank’s beagle, Paddy, curled up i
n front of Christopher’s desk. Liz instinctively crouched down and scratched behind his floppy ears. He beamed up at her, his eyes half closed and his mouth forming into something that resembled a smile.
“Hello, Paddy,” Liz cooed.
The beagle responded by generously licking her fingers.
“He seems to like you,” Christopher said, barely looking up from the paperwork he was looking over. “He’s been running circles around me all day.”
“What are you going to do with him now that Frank is gone?” Liz asked, stroking down the dog’s soft back. “He’s so cute.”
“He’s going straight to the shelter,” Christopher said coolly. “There’s nothing else I can do for him. I certainly don’t have time to look after a dog.”
“What about Frank’s daughter?” Liz suggested.
“Mandy?” Christopher scoffed. “The only thing that girl would take off her father is his money.”
Liz looked down into the dog’s eyes and tried to imagine him sitting in a tiny cage, hoping and praying that someone would come and take him home. Her heart broke for him.
“I’ll take him,” she said. “He’s been through enough.”
“Are you sure?”
“I think so,” she said with a nod. “I’m going to have a lot of time on my hands. He can be my shop dog. Customers will love him.”
“I’m sure,” Christopher mumbled with disinterest.
Liz stood up and looked down at her new companion. As though he knew they were about to become roommates, he stood up and settled by her feet.
“I actually came to ask about Frank,” Liz said. “I wanted to check if you were okay.”
“I’m fine,” Christopher said dismissively as he flipped over a piece of paper. “And so is the boat. I’ll have another fisher in it by the end of the week. I’ve already had all these applications.”
Liz held her tongue. She was starting to see why her new friends spoke less than favourably about Christopher.
