by K E O'Connor
“Not so much,” I said. “Alex is just naïve. He’s still young. He’s been handed all this cash, without being shown how to use it.”
“Maybe you can help him spend his money.”
“I don’t think he needs any help with that,” I said. “Harriet came in just as we were finishing up and was planning all kinds of expensive trips.”
“Do you think she’s after Alex’s money?”
“I reckon so.” I sliced my apple with a knife and ate a piece. It wasn’t a patch on the sweet pizza we’d soon be enjoying. “Harriet was talking about wanting to book holidays abroad, expensive ones. She also mentioned Greg had a plan about giving some of the business profits to charity.”
“Let me guess; she hated that?”
“Exactly right. Alex still wants to do it. She’s not got complete control of him.”
“Their relationship is odd,” said Helen. “Alex doesn’t seem to like Harriet.”
“I don’t think he dislikes her. If she didn’t come around, Alex wouldn’t bother to see her. I think he lets her hang around him because it’s easier than having an awkward conversation and telling her he’s not interested.”
“Do you think she had something to do with Greg’s death?”
“It’s possible. I wondered if she’d gotten jealous of their friendship and wanted Greg out of the way.”
Helen grimaced. “There’s nothing worse than a possessive girlfriend. It’s important to keep tabs on your man, though. Speaking of which, I haven’t heard from Gunner all day.”
I grinned at her. “Maybe he’s busy solving a big case.”
“He always sends me at least one text message a day. I’m going to chase him up and see what he’s up to.” She wiped her hands, pulled her phone out, and sent him a message. “Has Greg been any help in narrowing down who’s involved in his death?”
“He’s not about,” I said. “It’s almost as if he’s shy.”
“Maybe he was like that when he was alive,” said Helen. “Do ghosts carry personality traits over when they die?”
“I think so,” I said. “I’m guessing he was a loner, like Alex.”
“Or, he could be off in ghost gaming heaven, playing some spectral mission.” Helen grinned at me as she placed a bowl of salad on the table. “Eat the boring salad while I put the pizzas in the oven.”
I quickly fed Flipper and then laid the table as I waited for the pizzas to cook. The enticing smell of melting marshmallows and chocolate filled the kitchen. My mouth watered.
Helen pulled out a large thin crust cheese and tomato pizza, which she sliced before plating. She added a hunk of homemade garlic bread and a side salad. “I’d better take this to his Lordship. He’d better appreciate it.”
“It smells amazing.” I was tempted to steal a piece of Alex’s pizza as Helen passed me. “He’ll love it.”
As I waited for Helen to return, I grabbed my laptop and went online. Harriet wasn’t the only suspect I was interested in.
“What are you looking at?” asked Helen, as she returned from the lounge. She hurried to the stove and removed our delicious smelling pizzas. It smelled like I was sitting in the middle of a candy store.
“Piers Torrington,” I said. “I took an instant dislike to the guy the second we met.”
“Any man who corners a woman against the kitchen counter is not a nice guy,” said Helen, as she sliced up the pizzas and sat down. “He was so sure of himself. He thought I should be grateful for his unwanted attentions.”
“Not only that, but he disliked Greg,” I said. “He had nothing good to say about him.”
“Piers hated Greg enough to kill him?” Helen grabbed the largest piece of pizza and took a bite. She let out a groan of pleasure.
I looked up to see chocolate on her chin and a smile on her face.
“Try this. The marshmallows and chocolate combination is amazing.”
I grabbed a slice. It tasted fantastic. I forgot all about the dreadful Piers for a moment. The base was slightly sweet. The fruit compote had soaked into it, giving it a strawberry tang. It was the marshmallow and chocolate combination that made it. “We will have to make this a regular thing.”
“Agreed,” said Helen. “So, Piers? What have you found out about him?”
I scrolled through my search results. “There are lots of images of him in London, flashing his money around.”
“Where does he work?”
“I can’t find any information about him having a job. His parents are wealthy. They run a property development company.”
“I bet Piers lives off their income,” said Helen. “He’s too lazy to get his own job but happy to sponge off others.”
“Harriet said he was an entrepreneur but didn’t say what he did. Eva mentioned he benefited from the family income.”
“He’s a professional sponger and a sleaze.”
“It could be he’s sponging off Alex,” I said. “Maybe Piers figured he was onto a good thing and didn’t want Greg around to notice what he was up to.”
“Greg could have noticed,” said Helen. “Once Piers realized Greg was getting suspicious, he’d need him out of the way before he told Alex what was going on. Maybe Piers was stealing from Alex and Greg found out? That would be an excellent motive to kill him.”
I clicked a search result. “There’s a picture of Piers and his parents standing outside the family home.”
“I bet they live in an enormous great place,” said Helen. “I doubt Piers does understated.”
“It is pretty big.” I looked at the large detached cottage with a thatched roof. “It’s only in the next village.”
“We should head over there. We can ask the neighbors and see what they think of him. Maybe someone saw him with Greg and knows there’s been trouble between them.”
“We have to start somewhere. Piers is as good a suspect as Harriet.” I finished my first slice of pizza and set to work on the second.
“I could make the pizza to go,” said Helen.
I looked at the sticky marshmallow and chocolate mess on my fingers. “Best we eat it here. You’ll only crash because you’re too focused on stuffing your face with pizza.”
“I’ve never crashed in my life. And I never stuff my face with anything.”
I looked at the smears of chocolate around Helen’s mouth. “You keep telling yourself that.”
Half an hour later, we were in Helen’s car, heading toward the neighboring village, St Clements Mount. Flipper was in his usual place on the backseat.
We coasted downhill, the lanes getting increasingly narrow as we entered the village.
“Do you know where Piers’s house is?” asked Helen, as we reached a crossroad.
“It won’t be hard to find,” I said. “This place is tiny, and the house is huge. It’s set back off the road behind a white fence and has conifers at the entrance.”
“I’ll do a circuit of the village and see if we can find it,” said Helen.
I kept a look out for the house as Helen drove. The village was beautiful. The front gardens were immaculately tended. There was a sign on the village green, saying: winner of the best kept village. It looked like the residents took a lot of pride in where they lived.
We passed a duck pond and a cute looking pub with a wonky sign out the front.
“Any sign of the house?” asked Helen.
“It must be off the main road,” I said. “Let’s look down the side roads.”
We tried the first road without success but had luck as we turned the corner.
“That’s it,” I said, bringing up a picture of the house on my phone. “I’m sure of it.”
Helen stopped the car. We sat looking at the house for a moment.
“There are no neighbors to talk to,” said Helen. “This looks like the only house on the lane.”
I climbed out, Helen and Flipper following me. The evening was quiet. There was no traffic noise or people around. It was a lovely, peaceful setting.
<
br /> “You’re not thinking about going to the house, are you?” asked Helen. “Piers will think that’s suspicious.”
“If he spots us, you can tell him you changed your mind and want a life of adventure and excitement wrapped in his arms.” I smiled at her. “I’ll sneak around the back and have a look inside, while you keep him busy.”
“Don’t be gross.” Helen scowled at me. “I wouldn’t date Piers for all the chocolate cake in the world.”
I tilted my head. “Can you hear a squeaking sound?”
Helen looked around. “I hear something. A squealing noise. Maybe Piers has fallen down a hole and needs help. Before you ask, I’m not helping him.”
“It sounds like a pig, not a person. And not a happy pig.” I crossed the lane and stared through a gap in the fence. “It’s coming from the other side of this fence.”
“Could be there’s a farm around here,” said Helen. “It’s rural enough.”
Flipper nudged my leg with his nose and stared at the fence.
“Flipper’s sensing something is off.” I hated to hear an animal in distress. I walked to the end of the fence. “Maybe we should take a look.”
“What if Piers spots us?”
“We’ll sneak in and out,” I said. “No one will see us. I need to make sure the pig’s okay.”
“I have a bad feeling about this.” Helen followed me to the gate.
I tried the latch, and it opened silently. “You see, there’s no trouble getting in. I bet they don’t even lock their back doors; it’s so safe around here. We’ll take a quick look and then leave. We can stop in at the pub and ask about Piers when we’re done here.”
“I wouldn’t mind a shandy,” said Helen. “But make this quick. I don’t want to get arrested for breaking and entering.”
“We’re not going anywhere near the house.” I could still hear the pig. Accompanying it was the faint roar of an engine. “If anyone finds us, we can say we got lost and were looking for directions.”
Helen grabbed hold of the back of my jacket as we snuck past the trees, skirting the edge of the garden. There was a light on in the ground floor of the house, but I couldn’t see anyone inside.
“What’s that noise?” whispered Helen.
“The engine, you mean?”
“Yes. It sounds like a tractor.”
“It sounds more like a bike,” I said.
We reached the edge of the trees and ran around the side of the house until we got to the back garden. The sound of the engine and the pig squeals grew louder.
Flipper suddenly ran out of the shadows, racing through the garden.
“Come back!” I whispered loudly.
Flipper ignored me and kept running.
“He will reveal us,” said Helen.
“He’s worried about the pig,” I said. “Come on. We need to see what’s going on.”
I ran after Flipper, and Helen followed me. At least now, I had a good reason for being there. I could say my badly-behaved dog had slipped his leash and run off. It was close to the truth.
Racing past a high box hedge and around the corner, I saw a field surrounded by wooden fencing. In the field was a single pig running around and squealing. My pulse raced. The poor pig was being chased by someone on a quad bike.
I spotted Flipper running toward the pig. “Stop! Come back!” I jumped over the wooden fence and chased after him.
The pig changed direction to avoid the idiot chasing it on the quad bike. It ran straight at me.
It wasn’t a big pig. In fact, it looked similar to Alex’s pet pig, Lucy. But the pig was running fast, and if it hit me, I’d go flying.
I swiftly changed direction. The pig avoided me, racing back toward what looked like its sty.
The person on the quad bike slowed. He removed his helmet. It was Piers!
“What are you doing here?” He looked at me and frowned as he ran his hand through his hair.
“I came to find out what was wrong with the pig,” I said. “Why are you chasing it?”
Piers shrugged. “She needs exercising.”
“You’re scaring her.”
“Pigs don’t get scared,” said Piers. “They’re too stupid for that. It’s just a bit of fun.”
“Of course they get scared.” I scowled at Piers. “She’s not stupid. Pigs are very intelligent. She’s almost as intelligent as Flipper.”
Piers frowned. “Who’s Flipper?”
“My dog.” I gestured to Flipper, who was on alert, his attention fixed to Piers.
“There’s nothing intelligent about that beast either,” said Piers.
“What’s going on?” Helen hurried up behind me.
“Piers is being cruel. He thinks it’s okay to scare this pig.” I glared at him. “Pigs and dogs have the same intellect as a three-year-old child.”
“Which hardly makes them Einstein.”
“Do you even know who Einstein is?” asked Helen.
Piers frowned. “Some geek who invented the theory of electricity.”
“Was someone saying something about a lack of genius around here?” Helen raised her eyebrows at me.
“Whatever. I don’t care about your ugly dog.”
“Don’t listen to him, Flipper. Everyone knows you’re beautiful.”
Piers snorted a laugh. “You’re as sad as Alex, talking to your pet.”
“I thought Alex was your friend.”
Piers glared at me. “Who I’m friends with is none of your business. Now, get off my land. You’re not welcome.”
“I’m not leaving until you stop chasing that pig.”
Piers rolled the quad bike closer and revved the engine. “It’s time for you to go. Take your mangy dog, as well, before I run him over.”
“Don’t you dare.” I grabbed hold of Flipper and kept him close to my side. “And leave that pig alone.”
Piers rolled the quad bike even nearer.
I stepped backward rapidly, closer to the pig’s enclosure. I could hear her concerned sounding grunts.
“If you don’t leave, I’ll call the police and have you arrested.”
“Do that,” I said. “I’ll tell them how you’re mistreating this pig.”
“She’s my pig,” said Piers. “I can do what I like with her. Maybe next week, I’ll make her into bacon sandwiches.”
“Don’t be disgusting,” said Helen. “She’s a family pet.”
“She’s a stupid animal,” said Piers. “And she’s mine, so I get to do what I like with her. It’s the same with all women.”
“Did you seriously just compare your relationship with this pig to having a girlfriend?” I asked.
“No wonder he’s single,” said Helen.
Piers’s cheeks flushed a deep crimson. “She’s the same as a stupid girlfriend. She gets under your feet, she makes too much noise and mess, and she’s expensive to feed.”
We backed up as Piers revved the engine again and shot toward us.
“I can have any woman I want, you included.”
“You won’t get anything by threatening us,” I said. “Now, back off and leave the pig alone.”
Piers climbed off the quad bike and stalked toward us. “Make me.”
I hit the side of the pig’s enclosure with the back of my thighs and glared up at Piers as he invaded my personal space. Behind me, the pig snorted.
“Maybe we should speak to your parents,” said Helen. “Aren’t you still living at home? None of this is yours, is it?”
“It will be.” Piers flashed a glare at Helen. “Anyway, what do you know about it? Have you changed your mind about my offer for some fun, now you see how rich I am?”
“Nothing you can do or say will convince me to change my mind about you,” said Helen.
Piers shrugged. “Like I said, your loss.” He shoved me on the shoulder. “Leave. Now.”
Flipper growled and bared his teeth at Piers.
“It’s okay.” I petted Flipper’s head. “This young man will
not do us any harm. In fact, he’s going to back off, let us take his pig, and then we’ll leave.”
“You’re not taking my pig,” said Piers.
“You’re not looking after her,” I said. “She was terrified. I could hear her distressed squealing from the road.”
“That’s none of your business,” said Piers.
“Animal cruelty is always my business.”
“I bet your parents won’t be impressed at what you’re doing,” said Helen. “I expect they think you’re out looking for a job and hoping you’ll move out soon, not chasing some poor animal around a field for entertainment.”
“Don’t you dare get my parents involved in this,” said Piers.
I saw a flash of worry cross Piers’s face. “Helen is right, they need to know what you’re doing. Then maybe they will kick you out. Imagine that; you’ll have to earn your own money.”
Piers scowled. “Exactly who are you? How do you know anything about me?”
“I know enough not to trust you,” I said. “We’re going to leave and take the pig with us.”
“No chance.” Piers walked to the front of the sty and stepped inside, folding his arms over his chest and barricading the way in. “You’ll have to go through me first.”
I glanced at Helen. Neither of us was built for fighting. I was still determined to get that pig out. “Maybe we should call the police?”
Piers smirked. “My uncle is the local sergeant. He’ll be more interested in you trespassing on private property than what I’m doing with a sausage on legs.”
That was my bluff gone badly wrong. “Helen, go over to the house and asked to speak to Piers’s parents.”
“You stay right there.” Piers lunged at Helen, but she skipped out of his way.
Flipper growled and took a menacing step toward Piers.
“Keep your dog under control,” said Piers. “I’m happy to have it shot if it bites me.”
“He’ll only bite you if you keep threatening Helen and me,” I said. “Hand over the pig, and we’ll leave you alone.”
“That’s not going to happen.”
I noticed the pig had come closer when we’d been talking. She was looking at Flipper, her gaze interested as if she thought she might have found a friend. She was so close I could almost grab her. “Fine. Then we’ll leave.”
