‘And you have no idea what this business is?’
I shrugged. ‘Bad,’ I said again.
Arthur raised his eyebrows. ‘Free trade?’ he asked. ‘Smuggling?’
I held my hands out, showing that I didn’t know. I remembered the days when everyone in Kirrinporth had been involved in free trade some way or other, flocking to the beach when boats came into shore and swapping goods between each other. But times had changed and so had smuggling. It was a shady, dangerous business now, and I wasn’t sure if that’s what Morgan was doing.
‘He’ll be hanged,’ said Arthur. I remembered Da worrying he’d end up on the gallows and widened my eyes. Perhaps Morgan was smuggling after all?
‘I will find out,’ I said quietly. ‘I can watch him.’
‘That’s dangerous, Emily.’
I didn’t answer. I knew Morgan was dangerous but I wanted to see him pay for what he’d done to my family.
‘Justice,’ I whispered.
‘What can you do?’ Arthur said. ‘You’re just a girl.’
I grasped his hand. ‘Will you help me?’
Arthur looked at me in horror. ‘Absolutely not.’
Chapter 8
Phoebe
2019
I woke up late the next day when the sun was high in the sky, fighting its way through the dirty windows of the guest bedroom where Liv and I had slept. With my eyes still half-closed, I yawned and stretched my toes, feeling well rested for the first time in months.
‘Liv?’ I whispered, turning over so I could see her bed. But she was up – her bed was neatly made and now I realised I could hear music coming from the kitchen. I bounced out of my own bed, leaving the duvet messily strewn across it, and went to find my friend. She was sitting at the kitchen table in her pyjamas, hunched over her laptop and frowning.
‘Hello, sleepy,’ she said. ‘You were dead to the world when I got up.’
‘Morning.’ I leaned over her shoulder and peered at the screen. ‘What are you doing?’
‘Trying to get into my emails so I can find out more about this sodding pub,’ she said. ‘There’s coffee in one of those jars on the side if you want some. But there’s no milk.’
I flicked the kettle on and turned back to Liv. ‘What do you need to know?’
‘Some accounts would be handy,’ she said. ‘Staff records. Sales figures. I literally know nothing about the place.’
‘A forwarding address for the family who lived here would be useful, too,’ I said. The kettle boiled and I dumped a large spoonful of instant coffee into a mug and poured some water on top. ‘Have you emailed your head office? Have they replied? What do they say?’
‘They say nothing,’ she said. ‘Because there is apparently no Wi-Fi here, or it’s been disconnected, and my phone’s got no signal. And I’ve phoned on the landline but the temporary staff manager, Bobby, is in a meeting first thing. And the regional manager for Cornwall, whose name is Des, isn’t answering his phone.’
I made a face. ‘So we’re in the dark?’
‘Totally.’ Liv sighed. ‘I’m going to go into the village and see if I can get Wi-Fi somewhere. If I can log on then I can get sales information from the pub’s tills, and staff records too. Do you want to come?’
I shook my head. ‘I’m not properly awake yet. I’ll stay here for now. Maybe I’ll go and explore later.’
‘Good stuff.’ Liv closed her laptop and stood up. ‘Listen, come downstairs with me, will you? And lock the door behind me with the bolt?’
‘Really?’
She shrugged, looking a bit embarrassed. ‘It’s just weird here. I’ll feel better knowing you’re locked in.’
‘Unless there’s a fire,’ I said. ‘Then I’ll be in trouble.’
Liv shuddered. ‘Don’t.’
I was surprised she was so spooked; it was very unlike her. ‘I’ll be fine,’ I said, wanting to reassure her. ‘I’m a police officer, Liv. Nothing’s going to happen to me.’
‘Sure you’ll be okay?’
‘I’m sure. I’ll sort upstairs out a bit, and when you’re back, I’ll go and explore.’
‘Right then, I’ll get going.’
I followed Liv downstairs to the empty pub, let her out of the front door and then locked it behind her. I even checked I’d done it right. Her being rattled was rubbing off on me.
It was sunny outside, but in the pub it was cool and dim. It made me shiver. I never liked pubs when they were closed – I thought they needed people and laughter and chatter to bring them to life. Liv always said she liked the smell, which I thought was odd. Stale beer and cold chips didn’t do it for me. But that was why I wasn’t a pub manager and she was.
I looked round the large bar. It was clearly a very old building. I wondered what stories its walls could tell, and then rolled my eyes at my romantic notions and went back upstairs for a shower.
After I’d showered and dressed and unpacked a bit, I threw open all the windows upstairs. I could hear the waves crashing on the rocks below and smell the salt. From our bedroom I could see little boats bobbing about on the water and a larger ship moving slowly across the horizon. It was very pretty and summery and I sighed in satisfaction. Liv had been so right to persuade me to come here.
I pottered about happily for a while, arranging my clothes in the wardrobe, and then I went into the living room and felt my good mood dip. It was so creepy that everything had been left exactly as it had been. Who moves house and leaves virtually all their belongings behind? Someone in a hurry, I thought. Someone who thinks leaving is more important than any possessions. Maybe there was a proper reason. A fire or a gas leak or something. But nothing looked charred, and though I breathed in deeply through my nose, I couldn’t smell anything toxic.
Perhaps it had been an emergency elsewhere. An elderly parent who’d had an accident or something similar. It didn’t really matter, I supposed, but we police officers were nothing if not nosy and I wanted to know what had gone on.
For now, though, I wanted to pack up all the things that belonged to the family who’d lived here before. I went downstairs to the bar, hoping there would be some boxes, and was relieved when I found a few flattened and stacked behind the crisps. I’d been worried I’d have to go into the cellar and I hadn’t been thrilled at the thought.
It was gloomy in the pub and a glance out the window told me the sky was darkening again as rain clouds gathered over the sea.
‘Great,’ I said out loud. Still, at least I hadn’t been planning to go anywhere. I took my boxes upstairs and as the raindrops began splattering against the window, I started carefully packing up all the possessions that had been left behind. I winced a little at the school photos, which reminded me of the picture we’d circulated of Ciara James when she went missing, so I laid them in the box face down because I couldn’t bear to see them every time I put something else away.
I filled two boxes and was just starting on the third and wondering when Liv might be back, when I heard knocking at the pub door. Ah ha. There she was. I ran down the stairs and opened the door, cautiously in case it wasn’t her.
It wasn’t. Instead, Ewan – the man who’d been here yesterday – stood there, filling the doorframe. He gave me a broad smile.
‘Olivia Palmer?’
Immediately I went on the alert, though I wasn’t sure exactly why. It seemed I was as spooked as Liv was.
I matched his grin. ‘Afraid not,’ I said. ‘She’s popped out. Can I help?’
‘Olivia’s the temporary manager, right?’
‘Right.’ My smile didn’t falter. My first ever sergeant always said the best weapon an officer had was their charm.
‘I did a bit of business with Mike Watson,’ Ewan said. ‘The old landlord.’
‘Right,’ I said again. I didn’t want to engage him in conversation because all my police officer senses were tingling and I had already decided I didn’t trust this man. I knew this was part of my reaction to Ciara’s death but I
still didn’t want to give him any more information than I had to. So instead I just kept quiet.
‘I wanted a quick chat with Olivia about it.’
‘Great,’ I said. My smile was so wide it almost split my face in two. ‘That sounds great. I’ll let her know. Nice to meet you.’
I went to shut the door but Ewan moved his foot so I couldn’t. Over his shoulder I could see his two henchmen, standing at the bottom of the stairs up to the car park like two bookends. One of them was about Ewan’s age – late forties perhaps or even early fifties. He had broad shoulders and a bald head and was watching my conversation with Ewan with an air of amusement. The other man was younger – nearer to me in age. He had a beard and longish hair that was swept back. He looked more like he should be hanging out in hipster bars in south London than in this isolated Cornish clifftop and, I couldn’t help but notice, he was very easy on the eye. He caught me looking and grinned at me, sending heat to my face immediately.
‘Sorry,’ Ewan said. He moved his foot a fraction. ‘Didn’t mean to get in your way.’
‘No problem.’
‘Will she be back soon?’
‘Who?’
‘Olivia.’
‘No idea,’ I said honestly, hoping Liv wouldn’t choose that moment to come round the corner in her car. ‘We’ll be up and running in a few days. Why not come back then?’
‘I’d rather wait and see her now.’ He flashed me another smile. ‘If that’s okay?’
I felt a flicker of fear. I may have been fit but if these men decided they wanted to come inside then there was nothing I could do about it. I thought of my old sergeant again and decided to try to talk my way out of it.
‘Of course,’ I said. I made to open the door wider, and then stopped. ‘Oh bum, I forgot I’ve got to Skype my boss. Sorry. Maybe another time?’
‘You can make your call; we won’t bother you,’ Ewan said.
‘I’m afraid I can’t risk you overhearing,’ I said. ‘It’s private.’
‘It is?’
I nodded gravely. ‘I shouldn’t tell you this but I work in television and I’m on the lookout for a location to film a new show,’ I said. ‘I know I can trust you not to say anything because if the locals find out, they’ll go crazy.’ I tried to sound weary. ‘This is the fourth location I’ve tried. If this one goes wrong, I might lose my job.’
‘Television, eh?’ Ewan said, looking impressed. ‘Like Poldark?’
‘We’re hoping even bigger than that. Could be huge.’ I lowered my voice. ‘We’ve got American money.’
‘Sounds interesting.’
‘It could be.’
I waited expectantly and thank goodness, he took the hint.
‘I’ll let you get on.’ He moved his foot and I took the chance to shut the door a bit more.
‘Must go. I’ll tell Liv you called.’
‘Tell her Ewan wants to chat,’ he said. He moved away from the door and I fixed the smile on my face, hoping I didn’t appear too relieved. Ewan put a business card into my hand. ‘Ewan Logan,’ he said.
He strode off up the stairs, his boots splashing in the puddles, and the bald man followed, matching his stride. The younger one had been leaning against the metal bannister on the stone steps. Now he peeled himself off and smiled at me.
‘I’m Jed,’ he said.
The effect he had on me was immediate. Again. I felt all tingly and my stomach flipped over. Jed looked at me, slightly quizzically, and I felt my face flame. ‘I’m Phoebe,’ I croaked. ‘Nice to meet you.’
Jed gave me a wonky smile which, in my opinion, added to his good looks. ‘Are you staying here too?’
‘I’m a friend of Liv’s,’ I said, trying to be cool. ‘Thought it would nice to hang with her for a while.’
‘How long’s a while?’
I swallowed. ‘Most of the summer.’
He grinned again. ‘Sounds good. I guess I’ll see you around, then.’
He took the stairs two at a time, bounding up them with his long legs. I watched him go, noting how his skinny hipster jeans hugged his bum. At the top of the stairs the bald man nudged him, and gestured to me, obviously teasing Jed about hanging back to talk to me. I pretended I hadn’t noticed as I shut the pub door, but I was secretly glad. Because that meant I hadn’t imagined the spark that was between us.
I drew the bolt across the door, still smiling, and then shook myself. Jed may be really hot but there was something odd about the way these men were sniffing round the pub. It was entirely possible they were up to no good. What on earth was I doing lusting after one of them so brazenly? Still, I couldn’t help hoping, as I heard their car engine start, that I’d see Jed again soon.
Chapter 9
Phoebe
2019
As soon as Liv came back I pounced on her. I was feeling on edge and nervy after the visitors that morning and I wanted to know what she’d found out.
‘How was it?’ I said, as I let her in and carefully locked the door behind her. ‘What did head office say?’
Liv waved a carton of milk at me. ‘Put the kettle on first, eh?’
She trailed upstairs, shoulders slouched, and I felt sorry for her. She’d been so excited about coming here, and totally convinced it would be the perfect place for both of us and it clearly wasn’t working out the way she’d planned.
I made tea for us both and took the mugs into the lounge. Liv was lying on the sofa, playing with the little dove on her bracelet.
‘You’ve done a good job packing away the stuff,’ she said.
I nodded, putting her mug down on the table in front of her. ‘I just wanted it gone. It was giving me the creeps. Did you get anywhere with a forwarding address? I’ve boxed most of it up so we can send it. Though it’ll cost a fortune.’
Liv winced, and sat up, reaching for her mug. ‘And a fortune is one thing we definitely don’t have.’
‘Meaning?’
‘Meaning this pub is a money pit. I’d never have taken the position if I’d seen the accounts first – and head office know that. I’m sure that’s why it was all so last-minute.’ She frowned, looking round at the now bare lounge. ‘The HR manager knows nothing about why it all happened so fast, but he’s temporary so he didn’t deal with the family that were here before.’
‘Could they have been stealing?’ I said, thinking of Ewan Logan and his friends. ‘Could the old landlord have been taking cash out of the business and that’s why it’s in trouble?’
‘The thought crossed my mind,’ Liv said. ‘But I spoke to the regional manager – Des – and he swears this Watson was a sound bloke. Honest as they come, he said.’
‘Maybe they just ran out of cash.’
‘More like it.’ Liv groaned. ‘It’s really bad, Phoebe.’
‘Don’t worry, we can live on a budget for the summer. It might be quite fun.’
But Liv was shaking her head. ‘Really bad,’ she whispered.
I sat down next to her. ‘Tell me.’
‘Remember when Niall left, I was worried he’d been cheating?’
I nodded, not sure why we were talking about Liv’s loser ex now. ‘He was being so shifty but you said he was just worried about the break-up.’
‘I lied,’ Liv said. ‘He wasn’t cheating but he was keeping secrets. After he’d gone, I discovered he’d run up so much debt on credit cards that it was eye-watering.’
I shrugged. ‘So? That’s his problem.’
‘Some of the cards were his own, but a lot of the debt is in my name,’ Liv said. ‘I was so stupid, Phoebe. I let him look after all the money, because I hate doing stuff like that and it was easier just to give him access to everything.’
‘Oh, Liv,’ I said.
She made a face. ‘You always say I can’t cope with real life. Guess you were right.’
‘I was joking.’ I felt bad that my off-hand quips had made her feel worse, but also that I had actually been right. Liv was bright and savvy and knew how to
handle a balance sheet in the pub – how had she made such an error of judgement?
‘Don’t look at me like that,’ she said.
‘Like what?’
‘Like you’re disappointed in me.’
I forced my face into a more neutral expression. ‘I’m not disappointed,’ I lied. ‘Just worried.’
Liv twirled some of her curls around her finger. ‘The worst thing is, I knew,’ she said, almost to herself. ‘Deep down I knew that my salary and his wouldn’t cover the lifestyle we had. But I never questioned anything.’
‘Have you asked him to pay you back?’
‘I don’t even know where he is. I think he went to stay with his dad’s family in Ireland, but he was always talking about moving to the States. Perhaps he’s gone there. I was an idiot.’
‘You trusted him.’
She nodded. ‘I did, and now I owe thousands of pounds.’
‘Why didn’t you tell me, Liv? I could have done something. Spoken to the fraud team even. Surely it’s illegal to open credit cards in someone else’s name?’
‘It probably is if you do it on the sly, but he told me what he was doing and I signed everything he asked me to.’
‘Oh, Liv,’ I said. ‘How could you be so …’ I stopped talking, but it was obvious what I’d been about to say.
‘Stupid?’ She looked at me, on the defensive suddenly. ‘You’re right. I was stupid. He made out like he was being really savvy – moving balances to cheaper cards and saving us loads. I didn’t ask any questions. I just went along with it all. So there was nothing you could have done.’
‘Still should have told me.’
‘I was embarrassed,’ she said, looking down at her knees. ‘And you had a lot on your plate.’
‘I never have so much on my plate that I don’t have time for you, Liv. You know that.’
‘I know.’ She sighed. ‘But we Palmer women are nothing if not hard workers, right? My mum and my grandma are proper grafters. So I thought, the best way to get myself out of this trouble would be to work through it and I thought a summer in a busy tourist pub would be enough to sort me out. I thought I’d make enough that I’d get a bonus and I could pay off a big chunk of the debt and get myself back on track.’
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