Where Peacocks Scream

by Valerie Mendes

  In seconds, clutching the white cap and the envelope, Daniel stood on the landing with Joshua. With trembling fingers, he locked Jasper’s door.

  It wasn’t until after tea that they had a chance to examine the contents of the envelope.

  “If you want to cover your tracks and stick it back on the painting,” Joshua said, “you’ll need to steam it open.”

  “There’s a spare electric kettle in the kitchen cupboard,” Daniel muttered. “I’ll fill it with water and plug it in next to my bed.”

  They watched as the steam crinkled the papery flap.

  “Not too much,” Joshua said, “or we’ll never get it to stick back down again.”

  Daniel removed the envelope from the cloud of steam and turned off the kettle. Very slowly and gently, he lifted the flap of the envelope.

  It came away in one piece.

  He turned the envelope on its side and shook its contents onto his bed.

  They stared down, open-mouthed.

  “What in the world,” Daniel said, “does Frank Jasper want with three passports?”

  The Same Face?

  Joshua opened one of the passports. He laid it flat on the bed, its face looking up at them.

  Then a second.

  Then the third.

  Guy Browning had blond curly hair and a thin moustache. He wore a white shirt with a formal, dark tie. Ronald Bradley, with a beard and short dark hair, wore a dark v-necked T-shirt. Mark Winterton in a polo-neck sweater had a crew cut, a plumper face, heavy eyebrows and a larger nose.

  But all three faces were Frank Jasper’s.

  Joshua whistled with admiration. “Wow, these sure are brilliant.” He flicked through the pages of Guy Browning’s passport. “This hasn’t been used – but it could be at any time. It’s up-to-date and everything. Wicked.”

  Daniel felt a knot of dread harden in his stomach. He scribbled down the three names on a piece of paper and shoved it in his desk: Guy Browning; Ronald Bradley; Mark Winterton. They all claimed to be British, but had different dates and places of birth. He wondered whether Mum had known Jasper by any of those names in her former London life. Not that he could ask her without telling her what he’d found.

  “How the hell do you organise this kind of stuff?”

  Joshua shrugged. “No idea… Reckon you’d have to know the right people and where to get it done. Probably costs a packet.”

  “But why?” Daniel choked. “Who the hell is Jasper? What’s his real name? And why does he need three different passports? Where’s he planning to go?”

  “Search me.”

  “I tell you what.” Daniel snapped the passports shut. He stuffed them back into the limp envelope. “I wish he’d use all three of them and get the hell out of my life.”

  “I’ve got something to show you,” Daniel said.

  Phil crouched under an enormous wooden rowing-boat, inspecting a damaged section of the stern. “What’s that, then?”

  Daniel thrust the white cap under his nose.

  Phil scrambled out. “And you’ve seen that somewhere before!”

  “It belongs to Jasper. I ‘borrowed’ it from his room to show you… I’ve always known he was the guy who stalked me on Port Meadow. Here’s the proof.”

  Phil frowned. “I wonder what he wants with you… With your family.”

  “You’re not the only one.” Daniel stuffed the cap into his pocket. “But there’s worse.” He leaned against the boat. “Joshua and I, we found something else hidden in his room. Three passports, made out to different people with different names and dates of birth. He’s used beards and different haircuts and hair dyes to disguise himself – but if you look carefully you can see they’re all him.”

  “Phew.” Phil walked to the sink to wash his hands. “He’s beginning to sound like a professional villain.” He turned to face Daniel, his fingers dripping. “I think you should play it safe for the time being. Put the cap back where you found it. Replace the passports. Play the waiting game.”

  “But what am I supposed to be waiting for?”

  “I’ve no idea. But people like that – eventually they give themselves away. Jasper will make one mistake, go a step too far. He’ll bring the whole pack of cards down on his own head.”

  “I’m frightened that he’ll bring us down with him.” Daniel bit his lip to stop it trembling. “Dad’s back isn’t any better. The insurance company have given him a new car but he’s in too much pain to drive it. Mum’s going out of her mind with work. Our takings are down and everyone thinks The Riverside is jinxed. Everything – all the bad things that have happened – they all go back to when Jasper came to stay.”

  “I know.” Phil looked steadily at Daniel. “I wish I could—”

  “And the worse thing is the guy never leaves me alone. He’s always lurking about The Riverside. Either that or he’s in the room across the landing, inches away from me. It’s like being haunted by a permanent live-in ghost.”

  “But it can’t last.” Phil said. “Jasper will have to show his hand, reveal his plans. Be patient. Things will come to a head, sooner or later.”

  Daniel shuddered. “I just wish it would be sooner, that’s all.”

  “Promise me you’ll be patient. I know it’s hard.” Phil swallowed. “It’s like this stuff with Olivia… My hardly ever seeing Chloe… I’m being really patient. I just know things will sort themselves out if I can keep my cool and let things take their course.”

  Daniel turned away. He wandered over to the boathouse door and stared out towards the calm, flat river, a glistening ribbon in the afternoon light. He disagreed. Phil should be putting up much more of a fight for Chloe, to keep her with him, but it wasn’t his place to interfere.

  He said, “I can’t promise to wait around and do nothing… In fact, I’d do anything right now to speed things up.”

  The Barbecue

  “There’s going to be another meeting,” Dad announced at breakfast two mornings later. “Of the brewery, on Saturday.”

  Daniel put down his spoon. “Are you going to have a barbecue on the island?”

  “Yes.” Mum scrubbed the draining-board. “The weather’s been so wonderful. I just hope our marvellous Indian summer will last.”

  “I suppose,” Daniel said bitterly, “you’ve invited Jasper as an honoured guest.”

  “As a matter of fact,” Dad said airily, “we have. That’s to say, the brewery have asked him. He’s going to make a speech. I don’t think you realise what an important man he is.”

  Daniel’s cornflakes went down the wrong way. “I’d like to tell the brewery a thing or two about him.”

  Dad frowned. “And what precisely do you mean by that?”

  “Nothing.” Daniel remembered Phil’s advice. He remembered how carefully and swiftly he and Joshua had replaced the envelope and the white cap in Jasper’s room the previous afternoon. He pushed back his chair. “Do you want me to help arrange the chairs for the barbecue on my island.”

  “Yes, please, Danny.” Mum’s eyes shone with gratitude. “Could you do it tonight? That’ll be another chore off my list.”

  Daniel and Joshua bent over the metal straight-backed chairs, stacked in piles on a corner of the island’s lawn. They’d cut the grass and gathered the cuttings into three large bin bags. Now, they separated the chairs and dragged them into a wide semi-circle, facing the trees and the barbecue.

  “I hate doing this,” Daniel grumbled. “They’ll be swarming over the island in droves on Saturday. It’ll take days before the place feels like mine again.”

  “Do they explore beyond the lawn?”

  “They’re too busy drinking and networking on this patch. Then they eat and then the meeting starts. It can go on for hours. Heaven knows what they’ve got to talk about. They do the
same job for the same brewery in similar parts of the country. There can’t be that many problems to discuss.”

  “So why is Jasper involved? He doesn’t work for them, does he?”

  Daniel plonked another chair in the semi-circle. “That’s what worries me. It’s like he’s joined the team unofficially and now they’re going to give him a proper job.”

  “What, here?”

  Daniel’s heart thudded. “It’d better not be here, I can tell you.” He glanced over at the camouflaged shelter. “I’ve had an idea.”

  “Spit it out.”

  “Why don’t we hide in our shelter and eavesdrop on the meeting?”

  “What, all afternoon? Once we’re in there, there’s no way we can escape. We’ll be trapped inside until everyone’s left.”

  “We could grab some food beforehand… Could you bear it?”

  “Are you sure we’ll be able to hear what’s going on?”

  “Let’s test it out. You hide on the steps in the shelter. I’ll say something from the lawn.”

  Joshua made a dive for the shelter. Daniel marched across to the barbecue and faced the semi-circle of chairs. He cleared his throat and mimicked his dad’s posh marketing voice.

  “Ladies and gentlemen! I’m delighted you have gathered here this afternoon for our umpteenth ridiculous meeting at The Riverside.” He paused. “Can you hear me loud and clear, Watson?”

  Joshua’s head emerged from the shelter. “Clear as a bell, Sherlock. And twice as fascinating.”

  Saturday dawned fine and warm, with a pale turquoise sky, much to Mum’s relief.

  Daniel had been praying for rain. He gave up a morning in the boatyard to help with the chores: carrying plates and cutlery over to the barbecue, cleaning and polishing the chairs. All the time he kept an eye on the camouflaged shelter.

  Joshua joined him at midday. “I told Auntie Ruth I’d be out this afternoon. I’ve brought us a packet of Jaffa cakes and two bottles of Coke.”

  “We’ve got to find the right moment to duck into the shelter,” Daniel said, “while everyone’s looking the other way.” He glanced over at the bridge. “I can see the first guys arriving… They’re always very well-dressed, smart business suits, shirts and ties. Come on. Let’s make a dash for it.”

  They lifted the branch from the mouth of the shelter and slipped quickly down its steps.

  Daniel pulled a couple of squashed ham and tomato sandwiches from his pocket. “These will keep us going, along with your biscuits.” He slumped onto one of the chairs. “Can you see anything through the branch?”

  Joshua climbed several steps until his head scraped the top of the camouflage. “Not much. There are a whole gang of guys arriving. I can see Jasper. He’s wearing a cream suit and a purple tie.”

  “That’s the brute,” Daniel said. “He always stands out like a sore thumb.”

  They ate the sandwiches and Jaffa cakes, and played cards for an hour while the guests chattered, laughed and ate. The smell of barbecued beefsteaks wafted into the shelter, making their mouths water. Then, suddenly, the noise subsided.

  Daniel jammed his head against the branch and peered through it. Everyone had sat down, except for Dad, who stood facing the group. He cleared his throat.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, a warm welcome to our meeting at The Riverside on such a beautiful afternoon. I’m delighted to see you all again and to play host for a few hours.” He paused. “I’m particularly delighted to introduce our speaker. Frank Jasper has been our honoured guest for the past few weeks. Many of you have already met him. He has an important announcement to make. As I have no idea what it is, I shall hang on his every word. Ladies and gentlemen, please, put your hands together for Frank Jasper.”

  Obediently, everyone clapped.

  Jasper rose to his feet. Daniel could see his flash of purple tie, the lock of slippery dark hair nestling on his forehead like a dying bird.

  “Thank you very much indeed, Ralph, for your kind introduction.”

  Daniel gave a silent groan. He realised how much he hated even the sound of Jasper’s voice, no matter what he said. The feathers of an angel, the voice of the devil.

  “I want to talk a bit this afternoon about the place the brewery have in this country and particularly in Oxfordshire. But before I do, I have some excellent news.”

  An expectant hush fell over the group.

  “In a unique deal – and for a very large sum of money – the brewery have agreed to sell me this glorious plot of land. It’s known in local parlance as the island.”

  Daniel gasped. Joshua, joining him on the steps, clutched his arm.

  “As you can see, the island has been allowed to grow wild and free for nearly a quarter of a century. We’re using this bit of lawn, but for the rest of the year it’s merely home to birds, foxes, squirrels and the occasional deer. All that will change.”

  Jasper bowed stiffly to the head of the brewery who sat in the front row.

  “Thanks to your agreement, sir, a formal contract will be signed on Monday afternoon. From that moment, I shall begin to transform this wilderness into one of the most glamorous and exciting entertainment sites in Oxfordshire. Under my ownership, this piece of land will become an exclusive Champagne Garden: a place for private parties, evening concerts, celebratory lunches, weddings, anniversaries, special occasions of many different kinds.”

  Daniel muttered, “Over my dead body.”

  “I have so many ideas for this island that it’s impossible for me to spell them all out to you. Suffice to say that by September next year, I hope to reveal them by inviting you here for quite a different function, complete with champagne, peacocks and fireworks… A Grand Opening Ceremony.”

  A Plan of Action

  Daniel brushed Joshua’s hand off his arm. He was so furious his body shook with rage.

  “So that’s Jasper’s plan.” He slithered to the bottom step. “I’d like to burst into that meeting right now and shout my head off… Tell everyone that Jasper is a villain and a con man… Not to trust the guy further than they can spit.”

  “Don’t be a prat.” Joshua plonked himself firmly above Daniel so there was no way he could escape. “Your dad would tell you to shut it and pack you off to your room.”

  “Well, I’ve got to do something before it’s too late.” Daniel clenched his fists. “Just think… All this time Jasper’s had his greedy little eyes on my island… I might have guessed… He must have been planning the buy-out for months.”

  “Yes, but it hasn’t had formal approval. Didn’t he say the contract would be signed on Monday afternoon? You’ve still got time to warn the brewery.”

  “And how the hell do I do that?”

  Joshua peered through the camouflage. “That guy in the centre of the front row. Is he the boss?”

  “Yes, he is,” Daniel said impatiently. “I was introduced to him last year. I can’t remember his name but he’s a beefy-looking man with a red face and a huge purple nose.”

  “Charming.” Joshua grinned. “Must be the booze.”

  “Look, Josh, none of this is funny.” Daniel choked. “I’ve got to do something fast before the sale of the island is signed and sealed.”

  “So talk to Purple Nose this afternoon when he leaves.”

  “Do you think he’ll listen?”

  “It’s worth a try. You could hardly have invented a story about three passports.”

  “That’s true. It would never have occurred to me in a thousand years.” Daniel jumped the last step down into the shelter. “What’s happening now?”

  Joshua peered through the branch. They heard the spatter of applause. “Jasper’s just finished speaking.” He turned to face Daniel. “We’ll have to wait until the meeting is over and everyone starts milling around. Then we can escape the bac
k way onto the road, and get round to the car park… Do you know what car Purple Nose drives?”

  “It’ll be a Bentley or something posh. He’ll have his chauffeur with him. We can hide at the back of the car park until he’s ready to leave.”

  “It’s risky.”

  “What else do you suggest?” Daniel started to imagine what life would be like once his island had become a public pleasure garden full of revellers. “I’ll throw myself in front of Purple Nose’s car if I have to.”

  “No, you won’t,” Joshua said firmly. “You’ve got to be calm, serious and responsible, or he’ll never believe a word you say.”

  Daniel slumped onto a chair. “You’re right,” he said grudgingly. “Those names Jasper used on the passports… I tapped them into my computer last night. I thought maybe I’d discover some hot stuff.”

  “And what did you find?”

  “Not a sausage.”

  “Well,” Joshua said optimistically, “maybe old Purple Nose will come up with a whole pig.”

  As soon as the meeting ended, everyone stood up and started milling about. Daniel and Joshua slipped out of the shelter, and scrambled over to the road.

  They raced towards the car park and crouched behind the bushes, waiting for the cars to start purring away. Jasper stood at the door of the pub, shaking hands with everyone, as if the meeting had been held solely in his honour.

  Purple Nose was the last to go. Daniel waited impatiently as Jasper closed the door of The Riverside, and the owner of the brewery strolled towards his Bentley. His chauffeur jumped to attention to open the door.

  Daniel darted out from behind the bushes, suddenly aware that his jeans were frayed and crumpled, his hair flopped all over the place and his hands were stained with moss and chocolate. Too bad. He didn’t exactly have time to clean himself up.

  “Excuse me, sir… Could I have a quick word?”

  Purple Nose looked out at him and pressed a button. Silently, his window slid open.