by Rachel Ward
There was a huddle of customers by the door.
‘How long is this going on for?’
‘What’s happening?’
‘What’s going on?’
‘Why are the police here?’
‘We don’t know yet. It’s just for today. We’ll be open tomorrow.’ Bea put on her best smile and escaped back round the side of the shop as soon as she could. Bob was being led out of the staff door by two police officers as she was going in.
‘Bob,’ she said. ‘I’m so sorry.’
He looked at her, and there was no bitterness in his face. ‘I didn’t do it, Bea. It’s fine. It’ll be all right.’
She went upstairs. The staffroom was packed, but sombre and silent. She stood at the edge of the crowd, looking in.
‘I’ve spoken to the police. They have a warrant to search the building. Obviously they’ll be focusing on the butchery area. I’ve been advised that the search will take several hours and so I’ve taken the decision to close the store until the start of business tomorrow. I’ll keep a skeleton staff here to advise and help the police, but the rest of you can go home on full pay.’
Someone called out, ‘Has he been arrested? Is it him?’
Gavin held both his hands up as if to squash the rumour. ‘We mustn’t jump to conclusions. Bob has only been taken in for questioning at this stage. He’s helping the police with their enquiries, as are we all. We need to get to the bottom of this – we need to do this for Ginny. Perhaps we should have a moment’s silence to remember what all this is about, to remember her.’
He bowed his head, and everyone else took their cue from him and did the same. There was complete silence until Gavin said quietly, ‘Thank you, everyone. Go home. Keep safe. We’ll see you back here tomorrow.’
‘Well done, Gav.’
‘Nice one.’
People started walking towards the locker rooms to get changed and fetch their coats, but the rooms were guarded by uniformed police. Bea squeezed past the queue only to find Tom barring the way. She felt a rush of embarrassment sweep through her. Infuriatingly, she couldn’t help noticing how good he looked in his uniform. She also felt the urge to knee him in the groin. But now wasn’t the time for any of these feelings – they both had jobs to do.
He smiled when he saw her.
‘Tom,’ she said. ‘They need their things before they can go home.’
‘I know. But we have to search the lockers too, so people will only be let in one by one and we’ll observe as they open their lockers.’
‘Really?’
‘Really. Perhaps you could help marshal them back to the staffroom and we’ll fetch them one by one?’
‘Yes. Right. Okay.’
There was some resistance but in the end everyone complied. It took more than an hour to supervise the search of the lockers. Bea was the last one in the women’s changing room. As she filed out she met Tom in the corridor.
‘Any joy?’ she said.
‘No. A few surprises but nothing criminal.’
‘Do I want to know?’
‘No,’ Tom laughed. ‘And I couldn’t tell you anyway.’
Bea chewed her lip. ‘I wish I hadn’t told you about Dean. It wasn’t even him and everyone hates me now.’
‘You did the right thing. If you know anything else, about Bob or anyone, you should say.’
Bea wrestled with her conscience. She’d been wrong about Dean, but this was different. ‘You should check Bob’s car,’ she said, reluctantly, feeling like she was somehow betraying Bob.
‘Yeah?’
She nodded. There was another betrayal gnawing away at her. She couldn’t ignore it.
‘There,’ she said. ‘I’ve told you my secrets. You should tell me yours.’
She felt sure her arrow would have pierced his conscience, but Tom seemed oblivious.
‘Great,’ he said. ‘I’ll pass that on. Nice one, Bea.’
He turned away and walked down the corridor. Just like that. Nice one, Bea.
‘You should tell me yours, Tom,’ she called out to him. ‘Should have told me.’
He glanced over his shoulder, then stopped and turned round. They faced each other in the corridor, like two gunfighters in a Western.
‘Told you what?’
Bea could feel her temper rising. Even now, he was playing the innocent. ‘About your girlfriend. Your child.’
He looked quickly over his shoulder, checking for witnesses. ‘I can’t do this here, Bea. I’m working. This is serious stuff.’
Most of the staff had gone, but Bea was painfully aware that Gavin and Neville were still in the building. She didn’t want to do this here either, but she didn’t want to let him off the hook.
‘Yeah, it is serious. And so am I. I’m not done with you, Tom. I need an explanation.’
‘Fine. Okay. I’ll text you.’
He turned away and disappeared down the stairs. Bea stood for a moment, then ran after him. ‘Tell you what,’ she shouted from the top of the stairs. ‘Don’t text me. Whatever it is you’ve got to say, I don’t want to hear it. There is no explanation, there’s nothing, except that you’re a cheating, lying shitgibbon.’
He looked over his shoulder. ‘Shitgibbon?’ he said. ‘Shitgibbon?’
‘Yes,’ she said. ‘A lying, cheating one.’
‘Shitgibbon. That’s brilliant,’ he said and started to grin. ‘I think I love you.’
Three little words. They flared briefly in Bea’s brain, like fireworks, and then the warmth and light were gone. They didn’t mean anything. It was just banter. He was still a cheat. Still a liar.
‘You don’t know the meaning of the word,’ she said. ‘You disgust me.’
She turned on her heel and left him looking up at her. Halfway along the corridor she stopped. Her heart was racing, blood thumping in her ears. She realised that her hands were curled into tight fists. When she relaxed them and flexed her fingers, her palms were sticky with sweat.
She wiped her hands on her skirt, took a few deep breaths and went to Gavin’s office to see if she was needed. He was standing by the window when she went in, looking out over the delivery yard. Bea noticed why his desk looked tidier – the photo of Stephanie wasn’t there.
‘You okay, Gavin?’ she said.
‘It’s a bad day for us, Bea.’ He faced her. ‘Neville said he felt that things were falling apart here, and he was right. We’ve had to close the store twice in a week. It’s unheard of. I don’t know how we’ll recover from this, get our customers’ trust back.’
‘They’ll come back to us. Let’s face it, there’s nowhere else for most of them to go except for Poundworld. We’ve got a captive audience here. Besides, people like us. That’s the only thing I missed today, working in the office, my regulars. I like keeping an eye on them, having a chat. Costsave’s that sort of place. They’ll be back.’
‘Be looking for a new butcher tomorrow,’ he said glumly. ‘I never thought it might be Bob.’
‘Now you’re doing what you told the staff not to do – jumping to conclusions. Wait and see what tomorrow brings.’
‘Yes. You’re right, of course. Thanks for today, Bea. Everything you’ve done.’
‘You’re welcome,’ she said. ‘Do you need me to stick around? Will the police need the keys to the cabinets in my office?’
‘Lockers and Stores, that’s what I was told. You can go, if you want to.’
‘Think I’ll go and visit Dot. Tell her about Bob before someone else does. They’re good friends.’
‘Give her my best, Bea. Say we’re all thinking about her.’
‘Will do.’
She left by the staff exit. It had started raining again so she put up her brolly and tilted it against the onslaught. She almost bumped into Ant, who was sheltering under the parapet at the corner of the building.
‘All right?’ she said.
‘Yeah. Just making sure that you are. Funny day.’
‘I’m fine. I’m
going to go and see Dot now. You coming?’
‘I might go later. I’ve got a few things to do. Are you all right getting there and back?’
‘Yeah, I’ll go on the bus. I won’t be late. Nice getting off work this early, isn’t it?’
‘Yeah. See ya then.’ Then, ‘Bea? Do you think he did it? Bob?’
‘It doesn’t look good for him, does it?’ she said.
‘But you said it yourself, didn’t you? Anyone could have gone in there.’
‘Anyone who works for Costsave. They’ll do other tests, won’t they? Fingerprints, DNA and stuff.’
‘Yeah. Just . . . until they’re sure, be careful, okay? Oh, by the way, that Kevin’s at the front of the store, taking pictures again. Put your umbrella in front of you.’
‘Gotcha. Thanks.’
She hurried round the side of the building. Sure enough there was the repeated flash of a camera as she started to cross the car park to the High Street. She held her hand up in front of her face.
‘Give us a break, Kevin,’ she shouted. ‘There’s nothing to photograph.’
‘Ah, it’s you.’
She dropped her hand and he took a photograph full in her face.
‘Fuck you,’ she said and hurried past him. The bus stop wasn’t far along the High Street. She could see a bus coming so she put a spurt on and was relieved to catch it. It wasn’t a day for waiting around.
Safely on the bus, she rang Queenie and explained about the store closing and Bob being taken away. ‘Not Bob!’ said Queenie. ‘I don’t believe it.’
‘I know. We’ll have to wait and see what happens, won’t we?’
‘Dot’ll be upset.’
‘Yeah, that’s what I thought.’
‘Give her my best.’
Bea felt anxious about seeing Dot again. She’d missed her so much, but didn’t relish breaking today’s news to her. She was last off the bus when it got to the hospital and her shoulders were tense, her head down as she walked along the corridors to Dot’s ward.
Dot was sitting next to her bed in the blue plastic chair.
‘Hi, doll,’ she said, and Bea relaxed as soon as she saw Dot’s welcoming smile.
‘Hiya, babe. How are you doing?’
‘A lot better. They’re talking about discharging me tomorrow or the day after.’
‘Really?’
‘Yup. Just need to make sure there’s someone to keep an eye on me. I still need a bit of help getting up and down. I can walk, though. Shall I show you?’
‘Go on then.’
‘Just support my elbow, okay?’
Bea helped Dot to stand up and handed her the metal walking stick with a rubber foot that was leaning by the chair.
‘Right, you can let go now. Watch this.’
Bea winced on her behalf as Dot took her weight on her right leg and moved her left foot forward. Dot was too busy concentrating to notice. She took another step and then puffed out noisily.
‘I have to keep remembering to breathe,’ she said. She shuffled along further until she was level with the end of the bed. ‘Not bad,’ she said. She was swaying a bit where she stood. Bea lurched forward to help, but Dot waved her away. ‘No, no, I’ll do it myself. I’ll turn round and come back again.’ She managed to totter round and make it back to her chair.
‘If I can have an arm again, just to get myself safely down – there! Ta, love.’
‘You’re doing really well,’ said Bea.
‘You don’t have to talk to me like I’m a hundred and three.’
‘I wasn’t . . . I didn’t mean . . . ’
‘I’m teasing. I feel a hundred and three sometimes, but I’ll get there.’
‘So who’s going to look after you at home? I mean, I could help if Queenie was all right about it.’
‘Ah, bless you. I’ll go to my Sal’s. It’s a bit cramped there, with her two little ’uns, but I’ll be all right. I think Ant thinks I want him to be my live-in help. He’s been a bit funny the last few days.’
‘Really?’
‘Mmn. He didn’t visit yesterday and the day before that he was, I don’t know, different. I think seeing me like this has put him off. Made him realise that thirty years is a gap bigger than the Albert Hall.’
‘It might not be that. There’s been a lot going on.’
‘I know, but if he’s got cold feet I don’t blame him. I never meant it to be a serious thing. I like his company. He’s fun. And I’m on my own. It just happened. I wish he’d say something. Be honest with me.’
‘Shall I have a word with him?’
‘No, I’ll sort it out. I’ll ring him.’
‘He’s been really nice to me. I’ve had a bit of trouble at work.’
‘What sort of trouble?’
Bea sighed and ran her hands over her hair. ‘I’d better tell you something else first. It’s good that you’re sitting down for this.’
‘What? What is it?’ Dot’s face crumpled with concern.
‘I don’t really know how to tell you this. Bob’s been arrested.’
Dot’s mouth gaped. ‘What?’
‘Bob’s been arrested for Ginny’s murder.’
She was expecting shock, tears maybe, but Dot started laughing. Her shoulders shook and she rocked a little in the chair, her hands on her thighs. ‘No, no, no,’ she said, eventually. ‘That’s not right. It’s not Bob.’
‘You don’t know that, Dot.’
‘He’s a lovely guy, a big softy. He wouldn’t hurt a fly, well, maybe a fly, but not a woman. He’d never hurt a woman.’
‘Wouldn’t he?’ Bea glanced at the other occupants of the room – two patients on their own, and another with what looked like her husband and daughter visiting – and shuffled her chair a little closer. ‘Ginny was hit on the head with a hammer, right? I found the hammer that did it in the butchery. The police have taken it away to look for DNA, but I’m sure it was the one.’
Dot tutted her disagreement. ‘He’s a butcher, Bea. He has to use tools like that. Tools of the trade.’
‘It looked clean, Dot, but there was a hair on the handle. A long black hair.’
Dot put her hand up to her mouth and was quiet for a moment or two.
‘Well, I still don’t believe it,’ she said. ‘I won’t believe until he’s charged, tried and convicted and maybe not even then. I know him. He wouldn’t do it.’
Bea sat back a little. The chair dug into her back. ‘I know you’re friends, but how can you be sure you really ever know someone? What they’re capable of?’
‘He’s a decent man. He helps people in his time off. Odd jobs and that. He’s done stuff for me.’
‘And maybe that’s a smokescreen. So people don’t suspect what he’s really like?’
Dot shook her head. ‘I’m not going to believe it, whatever you say. He’s a good ’un, is Bob. What was your trouble anyway?’
Bea groaned. She rested her elbows on her legs and leaned her chin into her hands. ‘Come on, it can’t be as bad as Bob’s, can it?’
Bea groaned again. ‘Everyone knows that I told Tom about Dean and he got arrested because of it but now he’s out now and he’s threatened me and Eileen scratched my face and I reckon I’d just give up if I was still on the till but at least I can hide in the office.’
Dot laughed again and took hold of Bea’s hand. ‘I only got the first few words of that and then you lost me. Tell me properly. One thing at a time.’
So Bea told her all about her date with Tom – almost all – and Dean’s arrest and the aftermath.
‘Well, he’s always been a bit shifty, to be honest,’ Dot said. ‘And despite all evidence to the contrary, Eileen thinks the sun shines out of his behind, so you wouldn’t expect her to take it well. It’ll all settle down. What are you doing in the office?’
‘Anna’s on secondment. I’m covering.’
‘Wow, that’s amazing. Is it going all right?’
Bea felt herself relaxing a little. ‘Yeah, actually
. Gav’s been really nice and even Neville’s been helping me. Feel a bit out of my depth sometimes, but mostly I really enjoy it.’
‘You gonna be leaving us, then? I’ll miss you if you do.’
‘Nah, it’s just till Anna gets back. I miss you, you know. I had Kirsty on your till – not the same at all.’
Dot nodded. She understood.
‘Talking of Anna,’ she said. ‘I remembered the thing.’
‘What thing?’
‘Last time you were here, there was something I was going to tell you, but I couldn’t remember it. It was about Big Gav. Anna told me that he’d been sleeping in his office.’
‘Really?’
‘She came in early one morning and caught him stuffing a sleeping bag into one of his filing cabinets. He was really embarrassed. Didn’t want everyone to know that things were a bit tricky at home.’
‘Ah, the photo of Steph’s gone from his desk, too. Reckon they’ve split up?’
‘Maybe. He’s such a nice man. I wonder what’s gone on. You’re in the right place to find out now, aren’t you? Get me a bit of gossip.’
‘I’ll do my best.’
Dot’s face tensed up as she shifted in her chair, trying to get comfortable. ‘Better let you get back to Queenie,’ she said. ‘She all right?’
‘Bit upset. Looks like her benefits might be taken off her. We had a woman round, grilling her.’
‘God, I’m sorry.’
‘If I can get a doctor’s report on her agoraphobia, we might be all right.’
‘Here’s hoping. And Tom? Are you seeing him again?’
Bea’s face fell. ‘I shouldn’t think so. Ant did a bit of freelance detective work. Tom’s not exactly single.’
‘Oh, babe.’ Dot’s face creased up in sympathy.
‘He’s got a kid and everything.’
‘I’m so sorry. I thought he was all right.’
‘Me too. Like I said, you never really know other people, do you?’
‘Well, I know you and you’re a bloody diamond. You’re worth ten of him. I mean it.’
Bea felt the stirrings of incoming tears. She sniffed hard to chase them away. ‘Thanks, doll. You too. Can’t wait for you to get out of here.’ She started winding her scarf round her neck. ‘I’ll put a rocket up Ant’s arse when I see him. Get him to call you – you’ve got your mobile here, haven’t you?’
