Dangerous Secrets

by Chrissie Loveday

  ‘No. You can relax, while I do it. I’ve had a good day. Everything OK at the office?’

  ‘No problems. Except personal ones but I needn’t bore you with that.’

  ‘Talk about it if you like. I’m happy to listen if it helps. Now, I’ve got some champagne chilling. If you get some glasses from the cupboard in the dining room, we can drink it while I’m cooking.’

  ‘You’ve had a good day, haven’t you?’

  ‘Few deals came to fruition. Always a good feeling.’ He popped the cork and poured the drink expertly. ‘Cheers. Here’s to success.’

  ‘To success. Glad someone’s happy.’

  ‘Come on, you can tell me about it.’

  ‘Oh, it’s just family stuff. I can’t get hold of my brother and my father visited today.’

  ‘Wasn’t that nice of him?’

  ‘Might have been if he didn’t have one of his women in tow. I know it’s silly to mind so much when he’s always been a philanderer. My mother’s death is still very much in our minds but not his, it seems.’

  ‘Wasn’t she nice?’

  ‘Not really. A typical younger woman obviously out for what she could get. She was wearing some of my mother’s earrings. Diamond studs worth quite bit of money. Made me feel quite sick.’

  ‘You wanted them for yourself?’

  ‘Not particularly, but it would have been nice to be asked if I wanted some of her things. I suppose I blew it when I stormed off and came down here to Cornwall.’

  ‘Maybe you’ll all find a way forward when the pain subsides a bit.’

  Julia stared at him. He was being remarkably perceptive. She hadn’t seen this softer side of the man before.

  ‘Maybe. The other thing that infuriated me, the woman came here yesterday and was asking questions around the place. Wanted to get to know me apparently without saying who she really was.’

  ‘Clever stuff.’

  ‘Devious, more like. Ryan said she was pretty awful when he met her.’

  ‘Have some more champagne. It might make you feel better. In fact, let’s get plastered. I feel like having some fun. It’ll do you good after all your problems. After this, I’ll put the steaks on to grill and knock up a salad.’

  They went into the comfortable, stylish sitting room and he put on some music. He refilled her glass and they settled down.

  ‘I like that painting,’ she remarked. ‘Original isn’t it?’

  ‘A local guy with great talent. I think he could make it big one day. Specialises in bird pictures. Birds from all round the world, but I liked this one because it features local seabirds.’

  ‘It’s wonderful. They could fly right out from that beach and land on the sofa.’

  ‘Hope not. They don’t care where they drop their poo.’ He laughed and Julia giggled. It was partly the champagne doing its work and partly because she felt slightly relaxed for the first time in days.

  ‘You look quite different when you smile,’ he said softly. He felt even more attracted to this girl than he had before and that was saying something. He’d avoided a direct approach to her after the one previous occasion when she had made it clear this was to be a business arrangement. He’d assumed she was out of his league but he was moving into the big time soon. But then, maybe he shouldn’t even think about it … no use thinking of that, he told himself. He drew a deep breath and decided it would be better to wait a little longer before making his move, if he ever did at all.

  ‘I’ll go and start cooking. There’s a drop more champagne left.’

  At last, Ryan called her while she was on her own.

  ‘How are you?’ he asked.

  ‘I’m OK. Feel a bit better after getting on the outside of half a bottle of champagne.’

  ‘That sounds all right. I got your message, You sounded upset.’

  ‘Oh I was. I really was. That woman. How could he flaunt her like that?’

  ‘I’m glad you seem to have got over it a bit now.’

  ‘You sound down. Is everything all right with you?’

  ‘I’m not sure. Nothing I do seems to work out. At least I’ve got this place to myself at the moment so I can avoid the terrible strained dinners each evening. The wretched Mrs Jenkins seems to resent having to do anything for me. I’d sack her on the spot but Dad likes her.’

  ‘What are you doing with yourself? In the evenings, I mean? Do you go out anywhere?’

  ‘Nope. Nowhere to go. Nobody I want to spend time with.’

  ‘I take it you haven’t seen Hermione again?’

  ‘No. She’s moved on. Sorry, I’m not much company at present. And don’t ask me to come to Cornwall. I couldn’t bear to see the cottage razed to the ground. I’m sorry if that sounds selfish when you’re having to deal with it all on your own.’

  ‘I can understand. Maybe you should look for a place of your own. You mentioned that Dad would fund it. Give you a new interest.’

  ‘Maybe. Better go now. Mrs J is calling to say dinner’s ready.’

  ‘We’ll talk again soon. Maybe we should organise a holiday together, somewhere different.’

  ‘We both have jobs, remember. No more “time’s our own”.’

  ‘I guess. Talk soon. Decisions to be made.’

  She frowned. She had never heard Ryan sounding like this before. Perhaps she needed to go back to The Gates and see him for herself. She dreaded the thought. She emptied her glass and went along to the kitchen, the relaxed mood spoilt.

  ‘Nearly ready,’ Bryce said cheerfully. ‘I’ve opened a nice bottle of red. Hope you like a reasonably robust one? Goes best with steak.’

  ‘Thanks. That’s lovely.’

  ‘Now where’s the smile I saw before? You look quite different.’

  ‘I just had a call from my brother. I’m worried about him. He sounded so depressed.’

  ‘Sorry to hear that. How do you like your steak?’

  ‘Rare please. Sorry. I’ll try to cheer up. Shall I set the table?’

  ‘Thanks. We’ll eat in here if that’s OK. And pour us some of the Burgundy. Might as well start the way we mean to go on.’

  Julia did as he suggested, wishing wholeheartedly she could escape to her room and fester quietly.

  ‘So what’s this latest deal?’ she asked him.

  ‘Just more property development. But we’re very near to completing the biggest deal imaginable. Something far and away above what I dreamt of.’

  ‘You’ve done pretty well already. You practically own most of the lane and probably a whole load more I don’t know about.’

  ‘I do have business partners. It isn’t all mine. But I do have control over the offers I can put forward. I can make one on your plot of land if you’re interested. I’ll be generous, if it helps you make your decision sooner. With that and the insurance money, you could buy yourself a really nice place somewhere. I can help you with any deals and I’d also help you find what you want.’

  ‘That’s pretty much what my father said. Thanks anyway. I can’t make any decisions till I’ve seen my brother. I’d really like to consider a rebuild.’

  ‘I doubt that would be wise. Too many memories. It would be very upsetting. Believe me, your best option would be to sell. This area has changed in character and will probably be changing even more if the plans come off.’

  ‘What plans?’

  ‘I can’t say too much more. Not yet.’

  ‘So maybe I should hold out for a while? Maybe there’s be some greater incentive to sell in future?’

  ‘Now I didn’t say that. But I’ll give you the hint that planning for a rebuild might not be so easy.’

  ‘Now I am intrigued.’

  ‘I can’t say any more. Not yet. Come on now. Let’s eat.’

  Chapter Twenty-seven

  Mrs Trekellis called the Penzance police station.

  ‘Do you know where my husband is?’ she asked the duty sergeant. ‘Only he hasn’t come home yet and I can’t get a reply on his phone. He didn�
�t say he’d be working late.’

  ‘I’ll make some enquiries. I’m not sure where he was going today. Do you want to hang on or shall I call you back?’

  ‘I’ll hang on, thanks.’ She listened to the various noises, guessing at what might be happening in the busy station. A few minutes later, the officer came back.

  ‘I’m sorry, nobody seems to know anything. He was checking the properties along the sea lane the last we heard. I’ll get our patrolmen to drive down and see if there’s any sign. Maybe his phone’s in one of the black spots. I’ll let you know as soon as we hear anything.’

  ‘Thank you. I’ll keep his dinner hot a while longer. Not like him to be late for a meal.’

  ‘Don’t worry. He’s probably got caught up with something and forgotten to let anyone know.’

  He put the phone down and frowned.

  ‘Tom, did you know what Treacle was doing today?’ Treacle was their nickname for the popular sergeant.

  ‘No idea. I’ve been further west most of the day. I did just get a call about a vehicle set on fire on the North but my shift was nearly over so the lads from Camborne went to investigate.’

  ‘Not our patch anyway. I’ll put out a call for you.’

  It was an hour later when a call came in from the Camborne patrol.

  ‘Looks like it’s one of our cars over the cliff. It’s all but burnt out and the driver’s door is hanging open. Whoever was in it must have jumped out. No sign of a body though. Could have rolled further down the cliff. It’s pretty dark anyway so we can’t do much till daylight. Heard your call, so thought we’d let you know. Seems the one you mentioned is the only missing vehicle in the county.’

  ‘Thanks. That doesn’t look good. P’raps the usual suspects nicking it for a joyride and dumping it when they’d had enough. Ask around the pubs and see if anyone’s seen anything suspicious. Doesn’t help us with finding our man though. Unlikely he’d have gone over there and driven over a cliff. Not our man. Thanks anyway.’

  He was in a quandary. Should he say anything to Treacle’s wife? It would worry her even more. Or was hearing nothing worse? While he was deciding what to do, she called again.

  ‘Sorry to bother you again but have you heard anything? I’m going out of my mind with worry here.’

  ‘I haven’t really got any news. I wasn’t sure if I should tell you or not but a police car has been found. It was dumped over a cliff and burnt out. But we don’t know for certain but we think it’s Treacle’s vehicle. There’s no sign of him anywhere. I think it’s probably a case of joyriders.’

  ‘But where is he then? How can they have taken his patrol car? He’s always so careful about leaving it locked.’

  ‘Have you got someone to stay with you?’ he asked.

  ‘Not really. My son lives near Exeter and he wouldn’t be able to come down.’

  ‘What about a friend or a neighbour? You shouldn’t be on your own.’

  ‘I’ll call my friend. She might be able to come over. Oh dear, it’s not looking too good, is it? He’s only got a few more months to retirement.’

  ‘Try not to worry. I’ll call you as soon as we hear anything.’

  He put the phone down and shook his head. It certainly didn’t look too good. Poor woman. It was what every officer’s wife dreaded. The night her man didn’t come home. Probably even worse for the female officer’s partners. They were often left with children, too. It was quite rare for this sort of thing to happen in this relatively peaceful county. Crime rates around here were usually manageable but things had been quite bad recently. He went back to his paperwork and waited for late evening drunks and druggies to begin arriving.

  He put out his call again, this time asking officers to look for his officer as an injury or even as a body. He feared the worst.

  Next morning it was confirmed that the car wreck was certainly that of the missing police vehicle. Someone had abseiled down the cliff to see if the car could be identified. It was obvious from the various modifications to a basic model that this was the missing police car. The climber looked around the site and could see no trace of a body. If he had been inside when it went over the cliff, either he’d scrambled out and fallen into the sea or he’d been somewhere else entirely. A thorough search was set in motion, though the difficulties of finding a body anywhere in this part of Cornwall were great. Hundreds of rocky inlets, caves and mine shafts made the task almost impossible.

  It seemed nobody had witnessed the final moments of the popular police sergeant.

  I can’t believe someone else got in my way like that.

  I heard in the pub last night that they’re looking for you, Sergeant. If you hadn’t tried to challenge me the way you did, I wouldn’t have needed to hurt you.

  People have got to learn not to interfere. The only time anything happens is when someone tries to interfere and then they get hurt. I don’t want to harm anyone. But I have to protect myself, don’t I

  Never mind, I’ll see about collecting what’s due to me and I’ll scarper. Get out of this godforsaken hole for good and follow my dreams.

  I heard they’ve found the car as well. Didn’t think they’d make the connection quite so fast. Good job I had them gloves. Burned now, along with the trainers. They didn’t half stink too. Had to fire them in garden and thought the neighbours were about to moan. But it was OK.

  So, I hope it’s soon bye bye Cornwall and all the rubbish that goes with it.

  ’Spect I’ll be missed by one or two folks but they’ll soon get over it.

  Chapter Twenty-eight

  When Julia went into the office the next morning, she reached for the coffee pot immediately. Too much wine, followed by several large brandies, had left her feeling slightly hung over. She’d heard nothing from Bryce’s room and assumed he was still asleep when she left the house.

  She’d almost expected him to come on to her when the meal was over but his behaviour had been impeccable. She almost wondered if she might have given in to him but felt relieved that he hadn’t asked her to go to bed with him.

  She switched on the various machines and settled at her desk. There was a message from Penzance police which upset her somewhat. They were asking if someone from the company would check on their properties to look and see if Sergeant Trekellis was there. They wanted them to check the outhouses to make sure he wasn’t trapped somewhere. The message also said that his car had already been discovered.

  Julia listened and felt saddened. Sergeant Trekellis was such a nice man. He’d been very kind to her and Ryan and always done his best to help them through their recent difficult times.

  Most of the properties were let this week but there were one or two which were still vacant. She dialled Gwen’s mobile to ask her to call into the empty places and make sure all was well.

  ‘Check outside too. Make sure nothing’s been taken or damaged.’

  ‘This has nothing to do with missin’ copper does it?’

  ‘Well, we have been asked to check up. It’s most unlikely but we need to do what the police have asked. You can collect the keys to the empty places. They’re here in the office. I’d go myself but I’m on my own, as usual. Take Demelza with you if you’re worried about being on your own.’

  ‘Does Mr Davies know we’re going? Only it’s our day for cleaning his place.’

  ‘It won’t take you long to check. If he says anything tell him I’d asked you to do it.’

  ‘All right but I hope we don’t find anythin’. Don’t know what I’d do if I found a body.’

  When Gwen and Demelza arrived to collect the keys, she saw Terry waiting outside.

  ‘He’s comin’ with us. Just in case. He weren’t doin’ nothin’ today so he can come and protect us.’

  ‘All right. Make sure you do a proper search and don’t leave any mess.’ She handed them the keys and Gwen signed the receipt. It was the usual practice so they always had a record of who had visited the properties.

  Julia glanced at
her watch. She wondered what Bryce’s plans were for the day. He had said nothing about coming into the office or whether he was going off for the day once more. She desperately wanted to investigate his filing cabinet. He’d said things last night that intrigued her and she wanted to find out more. Admittedly, he’d been less guarded than usual after drinking the wine but she sensed there were plans in the offing that might affect what they planned to do with Crofters. She felt her spying mission had justifiable reasons. He wouldn’t say more last night so she was left with unanswered questions still burning. She took the mail into his office and put it on the desk. She opened the desk drawer to see if there were any keys in there. But of course, he was much too careful for that. He was used to leaving everything in Lucy’s hands so would hardly have left any sensitive material where she could reach it.

  She glanced round at the bank of filing cabinets. It would take a long time to search through them all and probably the whole exercise would be pointless. She’d also like to know who his business partner or partners were. She’d believed the whole thing was his own enterprise but logically, it would have taken vast resources to fund this amount of property ownership. She heard the door open and went back into the reception area.

  ‘Oh, morning Bryce. Just putting your mail on the desk. Do you want some coffee? My priority this morning after last night. Just made it so it’s still fresh.’

  She suspected she sounded guilty but as she had only had thoughts of searching his private things, she had actually done nothing.

  ‘Anything I should know about?’

  ‘Only that the nice sergeant has gone missing. You know, Sergeant Trekellis, the slightly plump guy who was always so kind. We got a message from the police asking if we could check the un-let properties. I sent Gwen and Demelza to take a look. Means they’ll be a bit late at your place today.’

  ‘What do they think happened to this officer?’

  ‘No idea. They found a car somewhere but no sign of him. All sounds rather suspicious and in view of what’s been going on lately, I somehow doubt it will be a good outcome.’