Ripples (The Blake Harte Mystery Book 3)

by Robert Innes

  Suddenly, the loud slamming of a door reverberated round the restaurant, silencing everyone inside it.

  “Well in that case, you can consider yourself fired!” yelled a voice from reception.

  Harrison craned his neck over to the open door leading out to the reception area. Now everyone in the restaurant had gone so quiet, the arguing voices echoed around even louder.

  A woman stormed into view, her blonde hair cascading down her back. “I would love to see you try, Mr Urquhart! What are you going to fire me for exactly? Having an opinion? For having the balls to tell you what a pompous, arrogant, low IQ idiot you actually are?”

  She unzipped the dark green gilet she was wearing and threw it furiously in the direction of the reception desk. “You aren’t even the one who hired me, you don’t have a say! But then, you’re Duncan Urquhart aren’t you? God forbid anybody not bow to your every whim!”

  At that moment, Polly walked into view, holding her hands out in what Harrison assumed was an attempt to calm the situation.

  “Please,” Polly said, glancing at the open door to the restaurant and the audience inside it that the argument was being witnessed by. “There’s no need for anybody to be fired. We can sort this out, if we just sit and discuss this like adults-“

  “That woman will work here again over my dead body!” Duncan roared, now stepping into view. Harrison was surprised by how red in the face he had managed to get. The only person Harrison had ever seen manage to get that angry looking was his own father.

  The blonde haired woman scoffed and stuck her middle finger up at him and stormed out of the reception. The sound of another, louder door being slammed echoed round the restaurant again, making the diners gasp in shock.

  “Let her go!” roared Duncan. “Useless woman anyway.”

  Polly began to say something but Duncan interrupted her. “And any more from you and you can follow her out the door! As far as I’m concerned, you being married to my sorry excuse of a brother means nothing.”

  Polly looked down at the floor as Duncan stormed off towards the reception again, and the third loud slamming of a door reverberated through to the restaurant.

  Harrison glanced around the restaurant. The guests were murmuring amongst themselves, some looking horrified, others seeming delighted by the entertainment.

  Harrison wiped the corner of his mouth with the napkin that was by his plate and walked out to the reception. By the time he got there, Polly was sat on a couch by the front door with her head in her hands.

  “Are you alright?” Harrison asked her tentatively as he moved towards her.

  Polly looked up at him, her eyes red and puffy. “Oh, yes. I’m absolutely fine.”

  “Come on, no you’re not,” Harrison said, sitting down beside her. He pulled out the paper napkin he had briefly used in the restaurant and passed it to her. “Sorry, I just wiped my mouth with that, but it’ll be alright for drying your eyes. Promise.”

  Despite her tears, Polly laughed. “Bless you. That’s very kind,” she said, dabbing her eyes with the napkin. “I’m very sorry your breakfast was interrupted by that. He hasn’t got a professional bone in his body.”

  “No, it’s alright,” Harrison said. “Look, I’m told I’m a good listener if you want to talk. I’ve had some problems myself over the past year, especially with family. I guarantee whatever you’ve got going on won’t shock me.”

  Polly sniffed and glanced up at the reception desk. “You don’t want to hear about my problems, honestly.”

  “Come on,” Harrison said, standing up. “There’s a whole garden and two lakes I’ve not seen in the daylight yet. I’d love a guided tour?”

  She looked up at him and smiled. “You’re not going to take no for an answer, are you?”

  Harrison shook his head.

  “Go on then,” she said, putting the napkin in her pocket. “And in return, you can tell me about you and Blake. There must be quite the story between you two?”

  Harrison sighed. “You could say that, yeah.”

  “It’s honestly gorgeous,” Harrison exclaimed, as they wandered round the gardens. “I could get used to living here.”

  In the light of day, the bright green, long stretching lawns, and perfectly clipped bushes around the paths leading away from the mansion shone brilliantly in the sunlight, and the air was filled with the sweet perfume from the various flowers and fauna that were scattered around. In the centre of the biggest lawn by the car park, there stood a large lion head fountain, with clear water splashing down its sides into the small pool below. It was a huge contrast to the boring fields around Harmschapel and Harrison’s own scruffy backyard area.

  “I don’t even know if I will be for much longer,” Polly sighed. “What with Duncan constantly breathing down our necks and the business not going as well as it should be.”

  “Is money not great?” Harrison asked.

  Polly shook her head. “No. Not at all. A week like this, what with the weather being as nice as it is and the offer of a cheap discount, this place should be absolutely jam packed.”

  “Well, it sometimes takes a while for these sorts of things to get off the ground,” Harrison said. “Look at this place, people would be mad to turn down being here.”

  Polly gave him a small smile. “You’d think. Unfortunately, we haven’t got all that much time. As much as it pains me to admit it, Duncan has about as much say in everything as he thinks he does. His mother will be leaving him sole ownership of the manor in her will. And if he doesn’t think the spa business is worth losing so much of his property to, he’s perfectly within his rights to put a stop to it.” She pulled a packet of cigarettes out of her pocket and offered one to Harrison, who shook his head. “Besides,” she said bitterly, before lighting the cigarette and inhaling on it deeply. “Even if Duncan had no say, Rupert would still do as he’s told. For some reason he looks up to him. He’s the only person I know who does.”

  “He doesn’t seem like the nicest of people,” Harrison replied.

  “He isn’t. All the staff hate him. He treats anybody he comes across with complete and utter contempt. The woman you saw arguing with him has worked here for years and just like that, she’s gone. Hopefully I can persuade her to stay. Fortunately her husband is staying here for the week, so at least she’ll be sticking around.”

  “What happens if he decides that the spa has to stop?” Harrison asked. “Would you still be able to live here?”

  Polly sighed and took a long hit on her cigarette. “I don’t know. I really don’t. I certainly couldn’t live here under those circumstances, but whether that would mean Rupert coming with me, I couldn’t say.”

  As they wandered up the path, they approached the lakes. The morning sun sparkled brilliantly on the water’s surface, and the only movement on the larger of the two lakes that Harrison was staring out over was the occasional dragonfly dancing just shy of the surface. “This is the best bit though,” Harrison said wistfully. “These lakes are just…” he shook his head, struggling for the right word. “Beautiful.”

  Polly nodded. “Yeah, I suppose they are. You get used to them after a while. Come into the hut – it should be empty this time of day.”

  They walked a little further down the path towards the small wooden hut that was situated in the centre of the path between the two lakes. Harrison glanced up at a tall semaphore signal that was sticking out of the ground. “What is-?”

  “Oh, I was telling Blake last night,” Polly said, pulling a set of keys out of her pocket as they approached the door to the hut. “This whole site used to be a small steam railway. When the Urquharts bought the manor, they decided to leave it there as some sort of historical reminder. All it does is remind me of how my family now hates me and why.” She flicked her finished cigarette on the ground and unlocked the door to the hut before pulling it open and stepping inside.

  The interior of the hut was cosy, with a small electric heater in the corner, beneath which was
a sofa which just fit between the two walls it was placed between. As Harrison stepped inside, the smell of wood hit his nostrils, reminding him that despite all the efforts to make it look to the contrary, this was just a small wooden hut.

  As Polly flicked the light on, she gasped as she spotted someone sat on the end of the sofa, looking miserable. It was the woman who had argued with Duncan in the reception area.

  “I didn’t expect to see you in here,” Polly exclaimed. “Come in, Harrison.”

  “I’m just getting my things together,” the woman said, pushing her ice blonde hair out of her face. “Don’t try and convince me, Polly. I’m done. I’ve had enough.”

  Polly sighed as she closed the door to the hut behind Harrison. “This is Harrison, he’s staying at the hotel this week.”

  The woman glanced at him as she stormed across the hut to a cupboard that was near the door. “Bully for you.”

  “I can leave you to it if you like,” Harrison said to Polly.

  “Oh, don’t worry!” the woman said shrilly. “There’s nothing more to discuss.” She pulled out a rucksack from the cupboard and turned to Polly angrily. “Your brother in law is a bastard and I am not taking his vileness for one more second!”

  “Look, come on. There’s no need for you to leave-“

  The woman slammed the door to the cupboard closed and put the rucksack over her shoulder. “Isn’t there?”

  “Take the rest of the week off,” Polly pleaded. “Then, after that, make up your mind. Your hubby’s here, you can have a nice relaxing time, without having to worry about anything. After that, we’ll discuss whether leaving is really what you want to do. What do you think?”

  The woman sighed. “The last thing I want to do is leave you in the lurch, Polly. But no amount of money in the world is enough to take what everyone here has to take off that man.”

  “So, give me one last chance to make it right,” Polly said, gripping her hand. “Just one. I swear to you, by the end of today we will have reached some form of compromise.”

  The woman stared back at her resolutely. “After everything that’s happened, Polly-“

  “I know,” Polly replied. “But please. I need you. Me and Rupert need you. Promise me you’ll think about it?”

  Harrison distracted himself from the conversation by standing by the one window in the corner and looking out to the large glistening lake in front of the hut. Now he was here listening to Polly and her employee having such a private discussion, he almost wished he had stayed at his table and fetched himself some more bacon.

  Eventually the blonde haired woman sighed and nodded. “I’ll speak to Nathan,” she said. “See what he thinks. If he wants to stay, which knowing him he probably will, then we’ll talk.”

  Harrison’s ears pricked up at the mention of her husband’s name. “Nathan?” he said, frowning and turning round.

  The woman nodded. “Sorry, I didn’t tell you my name, did I? I’m Davina. You might have seen my husband around, Nathan. Irish bloke. Good looking. A bit too good looking for his own good, if you ask me but we laugh about it.”

  Harrison took her offered hand and shook it, not entirely sure on how to progress with the conversation now that he realised he was in fact talking to the wife of the man Blake had seemed to be in such turmoil about. “Nice to meet you,” he said weakly.

  “How’s this for an idea?” Polly said, an idea apparently coming to her. “Why don’t you and Nathan join me and Rupert for dinner tonight, in here? We’ll do the hut up nice, get away from the guests and just have a lovely evening. What do you think?”

  Davina smiled. “That sounds lovely, actually. Thank you.”

  “Harrison, have you got much planned for tonight?” Polly asked, turning to him. “How would you like to come for dinner in here tonight? And of course you can invite-“

  “Yes!” Harrison interrupted, trying to talk over Polly using Blake’s name in front of Davina but immediately regretting it. “That’d be lovely.”

  “Great,” Polly smiled. “I’ll see you both here about seven then?”

  Davina nodded. “Great. Thanks Polly. See you later, Harrison. Nice meeting you.”

  “And you,” Harrison said, his smile faltering slightly. “See you tonight.”

  Polly watched Davina leave the hut and turned back to Harrison. “She’s a lovely woman, really. She’s had a tough life but then, I suppose, who hasn’t? Well, I better get back. Lots to plan for tonight. Thanks so much for your kindness though, Harrison. I’m really looking forward to tonight.”

  Harrison nodded vaguely. “Me too.”

  A few minutes later, Harrison walked back into the reception area to see Blake on his way to the restaurant.

  “Oh, there you are!” he said, walking towards Harrison. “God, you weren’t kidding when you said you get up early. Already had a walk about the place have you?”

  “Yeah,” Harrison said slowly. “Look, Blake – I need to tell you something.”

  “Let me just get something to eat, then you can show me round what you’ve seen if you like. We should plan what we’re going to do today.”

  “Yeah, about that,” Harrison replied quietly. “We’ve got plans for tonight. And I’m honestly sorry.”

  Blake frowned. “Sorry? Why?”

  Blake stood in front of the mirror as he slowly fastened the buttons up on his crimson red shirt, glancing at his phone screen. It was half past six. In half an hour or so, he would be sat in the same room as Nathan and his wife. He would be having dinner, in extremely close proximity to the man who had cheated on him, and the woman he had done it with.

  He tried to make his hair look somewhat presentable, fully aware of the fact that his stomach was performing somersaults. It was an all too familiar sensation and Blake was absolutely furious with himself for feeling it. It was, much to his annoyance, completely impossible to deny that he was nervous. And as he stood, looking back at his reflection, nearly eight years older than the last time he had stood in front of a mirror experiencing these stomach gymnastics, he had to ask himself just who he was trying to make himself look so attractive for. Was it Harrison, the kind hearted, well-meaning guy, not three rooms away from him at this very moment (no doubt performing his ablutions just as frantically), who was the only reason Blake had come to this manor in the first place? Or was it Nathan, the man who Blake had fallen in love with, and who Blake had had such strong feelings for that when it had all gone so wrong, he had felt the need to completely abandon all he knew, just so that he could numb the pain he was feeling? As he irritably flicked his fringe into place, he decided the answer was probably both but he refused to allow himself to consider what the ratio might be.

  When Harrison had explained how he had ended up accepting the invite to dinner, Blake had initially been rather annoyed, but he knew that Harrison would never mean to cause him any upset. If Blake considered the matter candidly, getting him and Nathan together in the same room was likely the last thing Harrison would want.

  Satisfied that his hair was acceptable for whoever he wanted it to be, Blake sprayed some aftershave on his freshly shaved face, then put his phone in his pocket before walking across the room to where his ecig was charging on the desk. As he took a couple of puffs on it, he couldn’t help but think about how badly he could do with a real cigarette to take the edge off the nerves.

  Blake walked out into the corridor and knocked on Harrison’s door. After a few moments, Harrison appeared in the doorway and Blake was taken aback by how good he looked.

  Harrison had straightened his blonde hair so that it looked sleek and shiny. He was wearing a smart white shirt that hugged his figure to the point that his muscles, achieved by years of working on his parent’s farm, were just visible under the material. The sweet aroma of his own aftershave wafted in the air as he stood in the doorway.

  “You look great,” Blake told him, enjoying the more welcome flutter in his stomach at the sight of his date for the evening.

/>   “Thanks,” Harrison said, giving Blake a small smile. “You don’t look so bad yourself. Shall we?”

  “We shall, sir.” Blake replied, holding his arm out to link with Harrison’s. Harrison looked at it for a moment, delighted, then closed his room door behind him before linking arms with Blake.

  “I know I keep saying it,” Harrison said as they walked down the stairs to the front entrance. “But I am sorry about what we’re doing. I honestly had no idea who that woman was and I really didn’t know who her husband was.”

  Blake sighed. “I know. I’m not going to pretend it’s going to be easy watching the two of them play footsie under the table – which he will, by the way. I’ve known him too long to know he won’t try and rub it in my face.”

  “Do you really think he will?” Harrison asked as they opened the entrance door and stepped out into the cold evening air. “To be honest, I can’t imagine you wanting to be with someone as childish as that.”

  Blake laughed. “You’d be surprised. When I met Nathan, I was going through a stage where I quite liked my men to keep me on my toes. If that meant having to deal with someone who was, shall we say, a tad immature, then that was fine by me. Mind you, catching him in bed with a woman was a tad more than I bargained for. I guess the lesson there is be careful what you wish for.”

  They walked along the path towards the lakes in silence for a few moments. The night sky was clear and a blanket of twinkling stars looked down on them from above. If he had not been on his way to share a meal with his ex-boyfriend, Blake would have been delighted by how romantic the evening had become.

  “Don’t take this the wrong way,” Harrison said slowly. “But, if it’s really bothering you watching him and Davina together, I don’t mind if you want to build us up a little bit.”

  Blake stopped and frowned. “Build us up? What do you mean?”