by Lilly Mirren
By the time the sun had begun to warm the roof of the Manor, the four guests who’d spent the night there had eaten breakfast and retreated to their rooms. Both would be checked out before nine a.m. and while she waited Diana stayed busy cleaning up in the kitchen and planning her menu for the following day. There were a few things she needed from the shops, and she also wanted to visit the Cove’s new police officer. The poor woman was in hospital after she’d been stabbed by Cindy’s cafe worker, Thad Borseth. Now he was in prison, awaiting a trial, and Rebecca Mair, that was the officer’s name, was in the local hospital recovering from her wounds.
It had all been very dramatic, when two weeks earlier, the police had chased him down after a tip and video evidence from Cindy that Thad was stealing money from her and charging tourists for room keys from her very own bed and breakfast to get them cheap food and drinks from the Emerald Cafe. It had been very vexing for Diana to discover that the Manor was involved in some sort of crime ring, and then for the poor officer, a young woman who’d only been in the Cove for a few months, to be stabbed because of it — well, Diana felt the responsibility to visit, at the very least, since she wasn’t sure Constable Mair had any friends or family in the area and she hated to think of her lying there, all alone, on those scratchy sheets.
Done with her cleaning, she carried a tray with a cup of tea and an English muffin with jam to the master suite on the ground floor. If you didn’t know the layout of the Manor, you’d never guess that such a spacious suite was hidden beyond the grand staircase at the back of the structure. It was her refuge, the place she and Rupert had called home since the early years of their marriage. A large bedroom with sitting area, a small kitchenette that could be used for making the basics and a spacious bathroom. She set the tray on the small round table in the kitchenette, then strode to tug open the thick, slate grey curtains that hung from the thick charcoal carpeting to the low hung ceiling. Once they were pulled back, a set of tall glass doors were revealed that opened onto a private verandah, hidden from the rest of the garden by large, manicured lilly pillies.
“Good morning, my love,” she chimed.
Rupert struggled into a sitting position, rubbing his reddened eyes. “Good morning. It looks like I overslept. I’m sorry about that, my dear. I hope you didn’t have any trouble with the guests.”
She shushed him with a wave of her hand. “Never mind that, you needed your sleep. Besides, there were only four of them, and they’re about to check out. I brought you some breakfast, then I’m heading into town for a few supplies. I thought I might visit that poor policewoman at the hospital as well.”
He nodded as she set the tray over his lap. He reached for the pot of tea and poured some into the empty china cup with a grimace. “Ah yes, poor woman. I hope she’ll be okay.”
“Cindy tells me she’ll be just fine. Only it seems no one has visited her, so I’m going to do it. Cindy visited yesterday. We’re trying to keep her spirits up between the two of us.”
“Well, if you and Cindy can’t bring a smile to her face, no one can.” Rupert beamed at her then took a sip of tea.
She leaned down to kiss his lips. “I’ll see you when I get back.”
He nodded. “Thanks for the breakfast.”
Once her guests had checked out, Diana said her goodbyes to Olga, the local lady who cleaned for her and did a wonderful job of it, then shrugged on a jacket, and stopped in the small greenhouse at the bottom of the garden to cut some flowers to take with her — daisies, baby’s breath, and lavender. It was a bit of a mishmash, but in the middle of winter she had no choice but to work with whatever was blooming in the green house. She added some greenery from the garden, then tied it all with a ribbon from her gift-wrapping shelf in the large linen closet beside her office.
Downtown Emerald Cove was quiet at this time of year. There were a few tourists around, but not as many as buzzed along its streets in the summer months. The air was crisp, the sky overhead looked as though it’d been freshly laundered then hung above in a blaze of blue that seemed to deepen the longer she looked at it.
She stopped at the local Foodstore, bought shaved ham from Marg Cook, her frizzy blue hair stuffed into a hair net. Then, some apples, oranges, and bananas. She needed flour as well, and bacon. Finally, she checked out her purchases, carried them back to her car, and drove to the hospital. The nearest hospital to Emerald Cove was in Tweed Heads, so by the time she’d pulled into the parking lot her stomach growled. She stuck to a routine in her life, it had helped to keep things in check when the Manor was bursting at the seams with holiday makers, but even now that her life had slowed to a more manageable pace in recent years, she’d stuck with the routine and her stomach alerted her to the fact that it was time for morning tea. Never mind, she had no intention of eating hospital food if she could avoid it, she’d simply have to wait until she got back to the Manor — there was a batch of fresh scones cooling on the kitchen bench that would be divine with some of the strawberry jam she’d made last week using fresh strawberries from the garden.
She found Rebecca Mair’s room with help from a few different members of the hospital staff and after turning the wrong way twice. She knocked on the door, slightly out of breath after climbing a set of stairs to the wrong floor, then back down again. There was no response so she tiptoed into the room, hoping the patient wasn’t asleep.
“Hello?” she called.
Two large brown eyes focused on her with one eyebrow arched at the sight of the flowers.
“Hi.”
“Are you Constable Rebecca Mair?” asked Diana.
The officer offered a brief nod in response.
Diana walked to the bed where she lay and offered the flowers. “How are you my dear? I brought some flowers to brighten up the room a little, they’re from my greenhouse and I’m afraid that at this time of year they’re not my most impressive offering but I hope you’ll enjoy them all the same.”
The policewoman offered a hesitant smile. “Thank you, they’re beautiful…”
“You’re probably wondering who I am.”
Rebecca cocked her head to one side. “The thought had crossed my mind.”
Diana laughed, a melodic titter that she’d caught from her mother and never thought she’d replicate but found herself doing it more and more as the years passed. Another surprising thing about getting older, she mused as she arranged the flowers in a small vase she found on a table beside the constable’s bed, was that every year she grew more like her own mother, and in ways she’d never expected.
She turned to face Rebecca, then lowered herself into the armchair beside the bed. “I’m Diana Jones, I own the Seaside Manor Bed and Breakfast.”
“Oh, of course, I’ve heard of that place — seen it too. It’s beautiful, lovely gardens.”
Diana’s heart swelled. “Thank you so much. Anyway, it was my room keys Thad was selling to tourists on the beach, so in a small way I feel responsible…” She waved a hand at the bed, unable to keep speaking as an unexpected wave of emotion rushed over her.
Rebecca reached for her hand, squeezed it then let go as suddenly. “It’s not your fault. He was a criminal, I’m a cop. These things happen.”
Diana shook off the emotion, breathed deep. “Still, I’m sorry it happened to you. I hope it doesn’t sour your feelings for the Cove. This type of thing never happens in our little beach village.”
Rebecca shook her head. “No, I like it just as much as I did before.”
Diana thought it was a strange response, and it certainly didn’t tell her anything about Rebecca Mair or the officer’s view of Emerald Cove.
“Do you think you’ll stay a while?” she asked, linking her hands together in her lap.
Rebecca shrugged. “Hard to say.”
“And your family… what do they think of your line of work?”
Rebecca’s smile seemed forced, almost as though she didn’t want to talk about her family. Diana’s interest was piqued.
“Do they live close by?”
Rebecca looked away, staring out the window. “Not really.”
It really was very intriguing and yet frustrating at the same time, the way the policewoman batted away each of her questions with vague, brief answers that didn’t reveal much of anything. Diana scanned the room: no other flowers, no cards, nothing to show that anyone had visited, that anyone cared.
The woman in front of her was young, most likely still in her twenties, although these days Diana found it difficult to guess anyone’s age under forty. They all looked like babies to her. Regardless, why was it that a beautiful, young woman, one who seemed pleasant, kind even if Diana’s instinct was anything to go by, which she always believed it was, why was she alone? Why didn’t she want to talk about her family? Where were the suitors, the friends, the loved ones? It was all very interesting and confusing, and if Diana didn’t have enough going on in her life, she’d have made it her mission to find out. Unfortunately, she didn’t have the space for intrigue in her life at that point in time.
A little deflated at not having discovered anything about Rebecca’s life that she could pass on to Cindy next time the two of them met for tea, Diana waved goodbye and headed back to her car. Even before she made it to the parking lot her mind had released its fixation on Rebecca and wandered back to the most pressing topic that had dominated her thoughts for months now.
What should they do with the Manor?
Rupert’s doctor had told them at the last visit that with his diabetes progressing the way it was, it was time for him to slow down, take it easy. Couldn’t they retire?
She inhaled a sharp breath as she climbed into her car and gripped the steering wheel with both hands until her knuckles whitened. What did that look like? Retirement? They owned a bed and breakfast, and every day for the past twenty-five years had involved some level of work. Even when they’d taken their annual holiday, they’d always checked in on the Manor to see how things were going, managing staff, dealing with emergencies over the phone — the work never stopped.
They’d slowed things down so much by limiting the number of guests that they weren’t making a profit and hadn’t been for six months.
How much slower could they manage to take things? They couldn’t keep things going the way they had been as before long they wouldn’t be able to maintain the place and keep the high standard they’d always held without money to pay for repairs. They’d talked about selling, many times over the years, but neither of them had been able to bear the idea of parting with it.
She’d always hoped they’d have children and that one of their brood would take on the management of the place, but that had never happened. She’d shed many a tear over the years, but now the memory of years of infertility didn’t bring the familiar stab of pain, only a faint ache of regret. There were so many people in her life she was grateful for — Cindy, Cindy’s children who she’d always loved as her own family, her niece… Emily lived in Coffs Harbour now, but she’d spent many summers at the Manor during her teen years. Diana’s younger sister, Mary, had died of breast cancer three years earlier and the memory of it still flooded her with a grief that covered her skin with a clammy sweat. She hadn’t seen much of Emily since the loss of her sister, she missed her. If she was to keep the Manor in the family, Emily was all she had. The only member of her extended family who’d loved the place at some time and who she trusted to do a good job. Although Emily had a life of her own now and a serious boyfriend too if she recalled correctly.
Diana turned the key and pulled out of the parking lot, careful to check both ways before accelerating onto the main road — she’d had an accident on that road, a minor fender bender Rupert had called it, a year earlier because of the crick in her neck. She hadn’t been able to look all the way to the right, she’d told the officer, and because of that incident their insurance had gone up. Still, Rupert hadn’t blamed her, only made her go to the physiotherapist to get the crick worked out of her neck so it wouldn’t happen again.
She was so grateful for her husband. He’d stuck by her through all their years of marriage — always kind, always faithful, never holding it against her that she couldn't’ bear the children they’d planned, whispered over, and anticipated with years full of hope early in their marriage. He hadn’t treated her the way Cindy’s husband, Andy, had treated her friend. She shook her head as she changed lanes, her lips pursing at the thought. No, Rupert had been a good husband, and now he needed to slow down. They’d have to find a way and if that meant selling their beloved Manor, then that’s what they’d do. But the thought brought her no comfort.
Chapter 4
Ethan
The blue sky overhead reminded Ethan of home. He missed Emerald Cove and hadn’t been back since Christmas. Still, it hadn’t been quite the same, what with his family splintered into pieces. Ethan Flannigan lowered his gaze to the empty seat across from him. The cafe hummed with activity, people clustered in pairs and threes around small, black tables cradling mugs of steaming coffee or eating lazily from plates of toasted banana bread or hard, round protein balls.
A man slid into the chair opposite with a grin. “Sorry about that, another phone call I had to take. The building site is crazy at the moment.”
“No worries, Sam,” replied Ethan. “I think we’re almost finished here. So, if you choose us for your next engineering job, I can guarantee that you’ll be working with me, and that I’ll do the best I can to achieve the vision you’ve expressed today.”
Sam scratched his chin with a sigh. “I believe you, Ethan. I’d work with you any day of the week, but Mammoth Engineering… well, I’m not so sure. There’ve been rumours.”
Ethan frowned. He hadn’t heard any rumours, but it wasn’t unusual for there to be chatter. Brisbane was a small city, everyone in construction knew each other to some degree, and everyone in the industry knew Mammoth Engineering. They’d come into focus five years earlier when the company seemed to emerge out of nowhere to take the lead in most of the large engineering projects across the state, and soon after that in surrounding states as well. Ethan had been head hunted by them almost twelve months ago, but they were talking about a partnership. The company had grown so quickly there was plenty of opportunity for partners and one of the things Ethan had asked for when he joined the team was that they consider a fast track to partnership in the firm. He’d taken a pay cut for the opportunity and the board had met only last month to discuss it. According to his boss, it wouldn’t be long before he’d receive the offer. Still, if clients were hesitant because of these rumours, whatever they were, he’d have to deal with them sooner or later, even if they were only the grumblings of jealous rivals.
“Rumours?” he asked, taking a sip of his espresso.
Sam shrugged. “You know how it goes — Mammoth has grown so fast, no one can believe it could’ve happened organically.”
“What does that mean?” Ethan’s brow furrowed.
“I don’t know… I only heard the rumours; I didn’t say I started them.” He shifted uncomfortably in his chair, his cheeks pinking. “But there are questions, people have questions, about how Mammoth managed to land those state government contracts in its first year of operation when others have tried for years… I’m sure it’s nothing. Look, if you send me through the contract, I’ll sign it. I trust you, Ethan. If you say it’s all above board, then I believe you.”
“It is… I’ve been with Mammoth for almost two years and all I can say is the team works hard, and we’ve had some good luck.”
Sam’s lips pursed. “Okay then.” He reached out a hand and shook Ethan’s. “Looking forward to it, mate. Give me a call and we’ll get things moving.” He downed the last of his coffee and stood to his feet. “See you soon.”
The steel doors dinged shut behind Ethan and he found himself in the lift alone. That never happened in a building with thirty floors. Well, rarely anyway. H
e enjoyed the solitude, momentary as it might be. Soft music floated around him as the lift rose through the building and his thoughts drifted to home. He’d lived in the city ever since he moved away from home, from Emerald Cove and the only life he’d known, to study at university at the age of eighteen. Ten years later, he missed the relaxed coastal lifestyle, the surf, the golden sand, and his family.
The doors swung open and he stepped into the office. Hard, polished concrete floors, cubicles decorated in slate grey and black, and industrial light fixtures gave the place a half finished, trendy look that didn’t lend itself to ease or comfort, but Ethan had grown used to the place. He strode along a wide concrete aisle, vaguely aware that the buzz of conversation was more hushed than usual. He glanced over a row of cubicles. One woman stood at her desk, one hand pressed to her forehead as she stared out of a floor to ceiling plate glass window, a phone pressed to her ear. In the printer room, a man shuffled papers into a shredder, it’s churning momentarily blocking all other noise. Another woman ran into the room behind him, waiting in line for the shredder, one foot tapping with impatience.
He frowned. This wasn’t the usual scene. Generally, he walked into the office to find casual conversation, meetings being held over egg shaped desks, laughter, coffee… what was going on?
His own desk was located in a cubicle up against one of the many windows that made up one long wall of the office. He slid into his chair and flicked on his computer. The flashing light of the message button on his phone caught his attention and he pressed the receiver to his ear, held it there with his shoulder, while he logged on.
