by El Edwards
THIRTY-FOUR
Later that evening as we were sat together at a table in the corner of our local pub, I stretched back in my chair and looked at my two daughters, a smile on my face.
“Watch out Lou, she’s pissed again.” Grace grinned as she nodded in my direction.
“Language!” I sat up and pretended to give her a scolding look. “Besides, I’ve only had one glass of wine.”
“What’s with the soppy look then?”
“I was just thinking how lucky I am to have you, both of you.”
“We are pretty damn amazing. Nice of you to notice,” Louise said. She got up and came round to where I was sitting and gave me a hug. “You’re not so bad yourself.” When she’d sat back down I watched as she took a sip of her coke before speaking again. “What was that thing with the post Mum?”
I looked at Grace and she shrugged. “She asked what the smell was. What was I meant to say?”
“It’s nothing to worry about. I’ll get some air-fresheners tomorrow.”
“It’s not the smell I’m worried about Mum.”
“I am. Bloody stinks!” Grace said.
“Well yeah, but like Mum says, that’ll fade.” She turned to face me. “Have you told Rob?”
I shook my head but didn’t say anything.
“But you will tell him?”
I shook my head again. “Nope, not this time.”
“But why not Mum? He’d want to know.”
“I don’t care what he’d want. It’s got nothing to do with him.”
“I thought you were working together?” It seemed that Louise listened more than I gave her credit for. I was forever telling them what I was working on but they rarely paid much attention. “Have you had a lover’s tiff?” She winked at Grace and grinned.
“Is that what you two think this is all about?” I didn't wait for an answer. “Rob and I are just friends, nothing more.”
“If you say so Mum.”
“Ha! Yeah, whatever.”
“I’ve had enough romance to last me a lifetime with your father. Scarred me for life.”
They had a reasonable relationship with their dad, I was determined that his indiscretions and our subsequent divorce should have no impact on that, but they were almost adults and I’d never been shy about painting the reality of what can happen when a marriage breaks down.
“But Rob’s not like Dad. He’d never do anything as stupid as …”
“That’s enough. I don’t want to talk about it.” I closed the conversation down before it could get any more uncomfortable, relieved that I had decided not to tell them about our kiss. My day had been difficult enough without needing to open that can of worms.
“Well what are you going to do about it? The letter I mean. Because someone’s trying to get your attention, warning you off, and I don’t like it.”
I decided to be straight with them. “I don’t know,” I said. “But you don’t need to worry about it. I promise I have it all under control.”
With Louise’s concerns for my well-being still ringing in my ears, I drifted into a restless sleep. Every time I closed my eyes I felt myself falling through the air and landing in a pile of plants, the scent so overpowering I felt myself choking. Logic told me I should talk to Rob about it all, both the letter and what I’d found at the hotel, but my stupid pride wouldn’t let me. Instead, I sent his call to voicemail when he rang the following morning and put my phone on silent. With both the girls safely on their way to school, I decided to devote some time to my paperwork. I’d been so busy the last few days, my files were in desperate need of attention.
I made myself a second cup of coffee and settled at my desk, pen poised, ready to make notes. I glanced back through the file first, reading my initial impression of Beverly, her work colleagues and her mystery man, as he’d been at the time. I felt like I’d gotten to know Shaun a lot more over the last couple of weeks but there was still something of a question mark hanging over him. I didn’t trust him. I couldn’t decide if it was because of the way he’d turned up, offering to help, at just the right time, or if my bias against him was because of his brother. Rob had agreed that Declan was trouble but he didn’t seem intelligent enough to mastermind a cannabis farm. The logistics of how you’d even get the power you needed for such a set up, especially to somewhere as derelict as the old hotel, had to be beyond Declan’s means. But Shaun? The niggle in my gut said maybe.
I rubbed my eyes and put down the pen. I wanted to trust him, for Beverly’s sake as much as anything. I wanted to believe in second chances and love conquering all, but my own experience had taught me first hand what a crock of shit that could be. But Shaun wasn’t my ex. I had to be careful not to let cynicism cloud my judgement. I looked over my notes again and made a decision. I had to find out, one way or another, what the real deal was with Shaun. If he could persuade me he had nothing to do with the dog’s disappearance and the factory up at the hotel I’d put my worries aside and try and trust him. It wouldn’t be easy but I had to try, for Beverly’s sake. But if it wasn’t him, then who?
I didn’t know the answer to that question but I knew I had to do the decent thing and be fair to the man. He might be innocent and if that was the case, I’d just have to accept it. I pulled out my phone and rang Beverly’s house. Shaun answered. Beverly was at work, he explained. Ignoring the nervous jangling in my tummy, I arranged to meet him later that day for coffee.
THIRTY-FIVE
I arrived early and ordered myself a latte to still my nerves. I glanced around at the other customers, identified my exit routes, and then checked the email on my phone for about the tenth time that day. I wasn’t waiting on any messages but it made me feel better to have something other than this meeting to think about. I flicked through the emails, deleting the junk as I went and archiving any that seemed like they might be useful one day.
I was so engrossed in what I was doing, I didn’t notice Shaun arrive. “May I join you?”
I jumped and then mentally cursed myself for showing any hint of weakness. If this meeting was going to go the way I intended it to, he needed to know I meant business and that definitely didn’t include jumping at the slightest little thing.
“Of course. Shall I get you a coffee?”
“I’ve already ordered. Would you like another?” He pointed to my near empty cup.
“Not right now.” I offered him my hand. “Thanks for coming Shaun, I appreciate it.”
He laughed as he shook my hand and I felt myself relax slightly. “This is all very formal Charlie. You know I’d do anything to help Beverly. This is just an extension of that, right?” I noticed a slight edge to his voice.
“Pretty much. I just wanted to get a picture of everyone’s movements in the lead up to the dog’s disappearance.”
“Everyone?”
“The key players at least. Beverly, you, Declan, some of the neighbours.”
“You’ve spoken to Bev’s neighbours?”
“Not recently, but I will. Have you met Claire? Lives a couple of doors down.”
He shook his head. “Can’t say I have.”
“Lovely lady. Very community spirited.”
“Meaning?”
“Oh nothing really, she’s just great to talk to. Housebound but that makes her the perfect person to keep an eye on the comings and goings in the street.”
“Did she see who broke in and took the pup?”
“Unfortunately not. Her main room is at the back of the house and she sleeps very heavily.”
“Tortoise was taken at night?”
I shrugged. “Hard to say for sure. Why do you ask?”
Shaun sighed, as if he were about to explain something to a small child. “You said she sleeps very heavily, implying she was asleep when the dog disappeared. Ergo, it was night time.”
“Ah of course, silly me. We’re still not entirely sure what happened. Has Beverly spoken to you about Tortoise’s habits?”
“What sort
of habits?”
“Her routine. Beverly can’t be sure if Tortoise was there that morning because she often leaves for work before the dog wakes up.”
Shaun laughed. “You’re telling me the dog likes a lie in?”
I returned his smile. “Something like that. Sounds daft when you put it like that though.”
Shaun’s coffee arrived and after thanking the waitress and taking a long sip, Shaun turned his attention back to me.
“What do you think happened to her Charlie? The police are still saying she might have just wandered off.”
“And you don’t buy that?”
“I might, if she’d been outside at the time, but it’s so cold, she only goes outside when she goes for a walk.”
“Hmm, I’d be inclined to agree with you. Assuming she actually was indoors on the day in question, I think it’s pretty clear we’re looking at theft.”
“But why? What possible use could anyone have for a sausage dog?”
“Your guess is as good as mine.”
Shaun seemed completely genuine in his concern, both for the dog and Beverly. If he was behind any of this he was either a brilliant actor or a total psychopath. I shivered and turned my thoughts to his brother.
“You were away when it happened, right?”
Shaun nodded.
“What about Declan?”
“What about him?”
I paused, waiting to see if the penny might drop without me needing to give it a push.
“You don’t think this has anything to do with him?” He sounded shocked. “What possible motive could he have?”
“He might not have any motive at all, but I wouldn’t be doing my job properly if I didn’t explore every possible angle.”
“And that includes falsely accusing my family?” His voice rose and two red spots appeared on his cheeks. I’d never seen him angry before and found his reaction fascinating.
“No-one’s accusing anyone of anything, not yet at least. I’m just asking if you know of his movements around the time Tortoise disappeared?”
“He was with me,” Shaun said. The words came out in a rush.
“Are you quite sure about that?” I didn’t buy it. Shaun had been the first to try and distance himself from Declan when I made the connection between the two of them.
“Absolutely. I had a job on in Brighton and needed an extra pair of hands.”
“Is there anyone who can validate your story?”
“Ask our parents, they’ll tell you. They gave me petrol money so I’d take the car instead of the van.”
“Is there anyone who isn’t related to you who can validate your story?”
He shrugged. “Why would they lie?”
“Everyone lies Shaun, given the right circumstances.”
“Not Mum and Dad.” He shook his head firmly. “Why would they?”
Something about his whole story smelled rotten but I decided to back off in the hope that he might open up if he thought I believed him.
“Okay Shaun. What were the two of you working on?”
I pretended to listen as he rattled on about motherboards and circuits, my eyes glazing over. Beverly had told me he did something with computers but what she’d failed to mention was just how incredibly dull his work was. When I didn’t think I could take it any longer, I interrupted him to ask how Declan fitted into the picture. He didn’t strike me as the type with enough brains to wire a plug, let alone a mainframe.
“Don’t be too quick to write him off,” Shaun said. “He might look as thick as shit but he’s actually a whizz with computers. Makes me look like the dullard. And you should see him work his magic on a circuit board, it’s incredible.”
It was only as I was walking back to the car after saying goodbye to Shaun that I found myself wondering if his prowess extended to lighting systems. If so, there was a certain setup at a certain hotel that had his name written all over it.
THIRTY-SIX
I was still thinking about the hotel as I drove home and almost missed the turning for my second appointment of the day: the local delivery office. I didn’t know anyone who worked there but I was hopeful that with my charm and wit, I could persuade someone to talk to me about post office protocol. I needed to know how my suspect package had been able to make it all the way through the system without someone discovering its contents.
I walked into the little front office and pressed the button. I couldn’t hear a bell ring but a handwritten sign on the wall warned me to please only press it once. Not wanting to get on the wrong side of someone when I needed a favour, I did as I was asked and waited patiently. The minutes ticked by and I was about to press it again when a stocky looking man appeared and slid the glass across.
“Can I help you?”
I gave him what I hoped was my most winning smile. “I hope so.” I reached into my bag and gave him one of my cards. “I was hoping you could give me some information about the set up here, the journey a package might take through the system, that sort of thing.”
“Are you police? You need a warrant or something if you’re police.”
“I’m a private investigator.” I pointed to my business card. “Warrants are for things like searches I think. Could be wrong though.” I shrugged. “Is there someone here who could talk to me?”
“Hold on, let me go and ask.”
Without waiting for a reply, the man turned and headed back into an area out of sight. I heard voices but couldn’t make out what they were saying. After a minute or so, the conversation stopped. I heard footsteps and a door opened to my right. The man held the door open for me.
“Come in,” he said.
I followed him through a maze of corridors into an bleak looking office where another man was waiting for me.
“Take a seat,” the second man said. He pushed a clipboard across to me. “If you could just sign in. Need to make sure we know who’s on site at all times.”
“Of course.” I filled out the form and then smiled. “Thanks for seeing me.”
“Tony Peters.” He offered me his hand. “Happy to help. Mitch said you had some questions? Can I ask, is this for a case?”
“Indirectly, yes. I received a package yesterday. Let’s just say that this wasn’t something I’d ordered.”
“Mistakes happen. Have you approached the retailer? They’ll probably let you keep it.”
“Sorry, I’m probably not explaining it very well. This wasn’t from a retailer and I definitely don’t want to keep it.”
He looked puzzled. “What was it?”
“Excrement.”
“Sorry?”
“Dog shit.”
“Let me get this straight, you received a package yesterday containing …”
I nodded. “And I just wondered if there are any sort of checks in place. X-ray machines maybe?”
“Firstly, I can only apologise. Obviously if our staff had known …”
“I know. I don’t blame you. I just wondered how easy it would be for this sort of thing to happen?”
Tony opened his mouth but then hesitated. Finally he spoke, his voice quieter this time. “Far too easy I’m afraid. Some of the larger offices have x-ray machines but even there, we can’t possibly check every single item. You’re talking thousands and thousands of pieces of mail.”
“So this could happen to anyone and the only way you’d know about it is if someone told you, after it had been delivered.”
He nodded his head slowly. “Unfortunately.”
“But whenever I post stuff, they always ask.”
“Of course we try. But the onus is on the person sending the mail. If they don’t declare it, there’s not a lot we can do. Domestic mail is especially vulnerable.”
“Customs check the items going overseas?”
“I would imagine so. You must forgive me, export is not my area of expertise, but yes, there are different systems in place. Have you considered going to the police with your, um, item?”
&nbs
p; “Not yet. I’ve taken photos of it, couldn’t bring myself to keep it.” I chuckled. “But you’re right of course. I will take it to the police.” I stood up. There didn’t seem to be much more Tony could do to help. “Thanks again for your time.” I offered him one of my cards. “If you hear of anything like this happening again, call me?”
After pocketing my card, Tony led me back along the corridor. This time he showed me out through the back door. A lorry had just arrived and I stood for a moment and watched as sack after sack was hauled inside. I shook Tony’s hand and was about to head back to my van when I caught a whiff of something very familiar. I turned back to Tony.
“One last question Tony. Do you ever get other kinds of suspect packages coming through here?”
“How do you mean?”
I leaned in and spoke quietly. “Cannabis.”
Tony’s face flushed. “Of course not. What kind of a place do you think this is?” He looked outraged.
“But it would be possible?”
“Theoretically I suppose. But I can assure you we take matters like that very seriously.”
“Of course.” I decided not to press my point. “Thanks again for your time Tony.”
I walked back to my van and headed home. I hadn’t recognised the smell when I’d spoken to the post man but now that I knew what it was, there was no mistaking its scent. No matter how much Tony might like to kid himself otherwise, I was absolutely convinced there was cannabis passing through the post office and, by his own admission, if it was being sent within the UK, there wasn’t a thing he could do to stop it. All I had to do now was find out why the police weren’t doing anything about it when they obviously knew what was going on. It wasn’t a conversation that I relished having but it was time to speak to Rob.
