Sewer Mayhem

by Annie Appleton

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Was that her uncle and Jacob standing in the middle of the road, looking down into the sewers? Yes, it was. Better make sure they didn’t see her. Emily wasn’t planning on looking down into that dirty hole herself. Not her idea of spending the Sunday morning.

  Coming down Milbury Road she sped up a bit, to be able to disappear into the alleyway behind Sant’Ambrogio’s, the restaurant on the corner of Woolaston Road, owned by Sam’s father Lorenzo Bandoni Sr.

  She’d come to check up on Sam and find out how she could start her own investigation into Nate’s murder. Jacob not wanting to help wasn’t going to stop her.

  Following the alleyway down, she came to the door that led to the service entrance of Sant’Ambrogio’s. Opening it she saw Lorenzo Sr and his wife Giovanna sitting in the courtyard, having a cup of coffee.

  ‘Hello, Emily,’ Lorenzo said. ‘What brings you here?’

  ‘I was wondering if Sam is in,’ Emily said, as always feeling slightly intimidated by Lorenzo’s hawk-like eyes, accentuated by his dark bushy eyebrows.

  ‘Yes, she is in.’ He waved with his hand. ‘Go on in. Perhaps you can cheer her up.’

  His wife nodded. ‘Please try. Samuela has been very down since that nice young man was murdered.’

  Emily made her way to the back door and into the pantry. From there she entered the now deserted restaurant. Sam walked from table to table, putting out little vases from a tray. She was dressed for work in a neat dark waitress uniform, her dark hair tied in a bun. She looked up as Emily came near and tried to smile.

  ‘How are you this morning?’ Emily said.

  Sam sank down on a chair and sighed. ‘It’s been so awful, Em.’ A tear rolled down her cheek. ‘I asked my father to close the restaurant last night, out of respect for Nate’s death, but he refused. I don’t understand why. Nate has been Gianni’s friend since they were little. Why not honour that?’ She took a small white hanky out of the pocket of the apron and dabbed her eyes.

  Emily pulled up a chair and sat down next to Sam. ‘Perhaps Saturday night is too big a night in the restaurant to lose?’

  ‘I guess,’ Sam said. ‘But even Gianni came by to ask my father to close for the night, but he still refused.’ She started pulling the petals off a flower in the vase she was still holding.

  Emily watched.

  ‘How well did you know Nate?’ she asked. ‘Did you two have feelings for each other?’

  ‘What?’ Sam looked up, a blush slowly turning her cheeks red. ‘Why do you think that? There was nothing going on between me and Nate. He was my brother’s friend, that’s all.’

  ‘I understand,’ Emily said. ‘It’s just that you seem quite upset about his death.’

  ‘And why wouldn’t I? Nate spent a lot of his time here in the restaurant when he was young.’ Sam stood up, the chair scraping across the floor. ‘I don’t want to talk about it any more.’ She continued putting vases on the tables.

  Emily walked up towards her and put her hand on Sam’s arm. ‘I’m sorry. I didn’t want to upset you.’

  ‘That’s okay.’ Sam gave her a watery smile. ‘It’s just been a very difficult twenty-four hours.’

  ‘What’s going on here?’ The two girls turned to find Lorenzo Jr looking at them. Although not as handsome as his brother, he had a swarthy Mediterranean look, his dark hair cut just short enough to still give a hint of existing curls. The dark brown hawk-like eyes he had inherited from his father flitted between the two girls.

  ‘Why haven’t you finished setting the tables yet?’ He glanced around the restaurant. ‘We’re opening for lunch in half an hour.’

  ‘I’d better go,’ Sam said, and she disappeared into the kitchen.

  With Lorenzo’s eyes boring into her back, Emily left the restaurant through the front door. She felt a bit queasy inside as at the moment Lorenzo had appeared, Sam had stiffened up. What was going on? Why didn’t Sam want to talk about Nate? And why was she afraid of her brother?

  * * *

  Outside Emily looked about her for a second and realised that Jacob should know about what had just happened. Perhaps it would make him curious enough to help her solve this murder. He wouldn’t be able to keep his nose out of this business for long, anyway, she was sure of it. Better get him to join her right away.

  Where could he be? A quick glance up Woolaston Road showed her he wasn’t at the manhole any more. Most likely he was on his allotment.

  Ten minutes later she opened the door of Jacob’s shed. There he was, sitting at his desk again.

  ‘Oh, Emily, it’s you,’ Jacob said as he glanced up from his work. ‘I’ve got things to do right now.’ He continued scribbling.

  ‘I’ve got some important news to tell you,’ Emily said, ignoring Jacob’s obvious signs of wanting to be left alone. She sat down on the couch. ‘I spoke to Sam just now and things are iffy.’

  ‘Well, I told you before, good luck with that.’ Jacob chewed on his pen, before writing down some more.

  ‘But seriously. I think Sam knows more about it. And her brother Lorenzo is creepy.’

  Jacob sighed and looked at Emily. ‘Listen, I’ve finally realised what the missing bit is in my project and as soon as I implement it, I will be able to run the first test.’

  ‘But Sam knows more about the murder and we should help her.’

  ‘And what if she is the murderer? Do you think she wants your help then?’

  ‘Sam’s not the murderer!’

  ‘Well, if it’s true what you just said and that she does know more about it, she might very well be.’

  Emily threw her hands up into the air and glared at Jacob. She just couldn’t believe this ignorant man.

  Jacob looked at her, his face not unfriendly. ‘You know how long it has taken me to get my project to this point? Years of research and setbacks. Now that I’ve finally made an important breakthrough, I need to get on with it.’

  ‘Do you realise that Uncle Dave is worried about you?’

  ‘How so?’

  Emily looked down at her hands. She hadn’t actually wanted Jacob to know about this. ‘I heard Uncle Dave and Aunt Judith talk about it the other day at home. They are worried that you’re getting too obsessed with your project and Robbie’s disappearance.’

  ‘That’s not true. Dave and Judith, and Peggy for that matter, all want to know what happened to Robbie.’

  ‘Perhaps they do. But they don’t want you to lose your sanity over it.’ Emily looked up at Jacob. Her words seemed to have knocked the wind out of him and she wished she had kept her big mouth shut. ‘Uncle Dave is your friend. He just wants what is best for you.’

  Jacob turned back to his work and started drawing squiggles on a blank piece of paper.

  ‘Sam is my friend,’ Emily continued. ‘I’m convinced she had nothing to do with Nate’s murder, but I do think she knows something. Doesn’t she deserve my help? And don’t we all know that McDermott is way too stupid to figure this out on his own? For Sam’s sake, we should try and help her and find the murderer ourselves.’

  ‘But it’s none of our business.’

  Emily stood up. ‘Sam is my friend and friends help each other. Aren’t you happy that I finally have a friend in Milbury?’

  ‘I thought Liz was your friend?’

  ‘Another friend in Milbury.’ She walked to the door. ‘The point is, if Uncle Dave was ever in trouble, you wouldn’t hesitate to help him.’

  Jacob sighed deeply. ‘You’re right, I wouldn’t.’ He indicated his computer. ‘I will help you, but I first have to implement my latest findings. Then we can talk to Sam.’

  Emily walked to his desk and gave Jacob a big hug. He tried to pull away, but she held on tight.

  ‘I’m going to see if Liz is at home,’ she said. ‘Text me when you’re ready and we can meet at the restaurant. You’d better not take too long.’

  * * *

  ‘You took your time,’ Emily said, tapping her foot as she watc
hed Jacob coming down the road. ‘The afternoon is almost over. What have you been doing all this time?’

  Jacob smiled. Emily could be like a dog with a bone when she set her mind to something.

  ‘Yes, sorry,’ he said. ‘Setting up the test took a bit longer than I expected. But I’m here now.’

  Emily rolled her eyes at him, then opened the door of Sant’Ambrogio’s. ‘We’d better hurry. Customers will start arriving for their dinner soon.’

  Stepping into the restaurant, Jacob looked about him with interest. He’d only been to this restaurant a few times in his life but that was years ago, when they weren’t one of the poshest restaurants in York yet.

  ‘Must cost an arm and a leg to get something to eat here,’ he said to Emily behind his hand.

  ‘Shhh…’

  At the bar, Sam was polishing some glasses, while she talked to a well-dressed, elegant young woman with dark wavy hair. She looked vaguely familiar to Jacob, but he couldn’t put his finger on where he’d seen her before.

  ‘Can we have a talk?’ Emily said as they walked up to the bar.

  Sam hesitated, then looked at the young woman. ‘Only if Patrizia can stay.’

  ‘Of course,’ Jacob said. ‘No problem. Is there somewhere we can sit?’

  Sam indicated a table closest to the bar and they all sat down.

  ‘This is Patrizia Affini, my cousin,’ Sam said, pointing at the young woman for a more formal introduction. ‘She moved here from Italy to work as the manager in my brother Gianni’s new shop on Woolaston Road.’

  Ah. Jacob now remembered he’d seen her go into the shop a few times. ‘Designer clothes, isn’t it?’

  Patrizia nodded. ‘Yes, and some watches and jewellery.’ She had a strong Italian accent.

  ‘Is there something you wanted to ask me?’ Sam said, twisting the tea towel into a knot.

  ‘Yes,’ Jacob said. ‘Emily tells me that Nate often came to the restaurant, as he was a friend of your brother. Is there anything special you can tell us about that?’

  ‘Not really. They were friends in secondary school and Nate often came here after school.’

  ‘But lately he didn’t come any more?’

  ‘Less so than before.’

  ‘And did you like Nate?’

  Sam looked down at her hands. ‘Yes, I did. He was a nice guy. I can’t believe he’s gone.’ Her lip trembled.

  Jacob watched as Patrizia squeezed Sam’s arm.

  ‘What about you, Patrizia?’ he said. ‘Did you know Nate at all?’

  Patrizia focussed her brown eyes on him. ‘I only came to Milbury two months ago from Milan. My father had asked me to be the manager of Gianni’s shop. I only met Nate once or twice.’

  Lorenzo Jr walked into the restaurant. He was fiddling with his necktie. It matched the dark grey suit he wore.

  ‘Are you finished with the tables, Sam?’ he said and looked up. A frown appeared on his face as he noticed them.

  ‘Back again, I see,’ he said to Emily. ‘And still keeping my sister from working.’

  ‘Don’t be a so uptight, Lorenzo,’ Patrizia said with an icy glare. ‘Can’t you see Samuela is still very upset?’ She added something in Italian. Lorenzo turned red and stalked off into the pantry.

  Sam meanwhile had never once looked at her brother and Jacob wondered why. It really did seem as if she was scared of him.

  ‘We’d better go,’ Jacob said and got up. ‘Thank you for talking to us, Sam.’

  Once outside, Jacob looked at Emily. ‘I have to apologise.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘Sam really does know more then she lets on, but the question remains as to if it has anything to do with the murder.’

  Emily smiled. ‘Are you intrigued now?’

  ‘Yes.’ He gave her a playful shove. ‘Let me walk you home. I need to check on some ladybird larvae in your uncle’s garden.’

  They set off.

  ‘Oh, by the way,’ Emily said. ‘Patrizia told Lorenzo to shut up in rather bad language.’

  Jacob arched an eyebrow. ‘How would you know?’

  ‘Remember those squatters in the Victorian hotel back home? One of them was Italian and I picked up enough to at least understand some swearing.’

  ‘Hmm, you never know when that might come in handy.’

  ‘Too right.’

  After about a hundred yards, Emily came to a sudden halt and hit her forehead with her hand.

  ‘Why didn’t I remember that before?’ Her eyes wide, she stared in the distance. ‘I saw Nate and Lorenzo talking to each other in the alleyway behind Nate’s shop, earlier in the week.’

  ‘What? Really?’

  ‘Yes. They didn’t notice me, but the atmosphere seemed very tense. Lorenzo was hovering over Nate, almost nose to nose, talking in his face.’

  ‘Interesting,’ Jacob said. ‘When was this?’

  Emily looked up at the sky, tapping her finger to her chin. ‘Umm, last Wednesday, in the evening. I’d worked the late shift at Posh Nosh and as I left the shop via the back entrance, I happened to look down the alleyway on the other side of the road and there they were. I didn’t think anything of it at the time, but now that Nate is murdered and Lorenzo is acting shifty, could it be that he knows more about it?

  ‘Who knows?’ Jacob rubbed the back of his neck. ‘But what would be his motive?’

  ‘Perhaps Sam knows more about it and is scared of him because of that.’

  ‘Or perhaps she is protecting him.’ Jacob looked at his watch. ‘We really should go back to talk to him, but it’s too late now. Their evening service will have begun.’

  ‘Let’s try and talk to him tomorrow.’

  As they continued their walk in silence, Jacob realised that he had missed working with Emily on some problem. She’d grown in confidence and maturity since the spring, and even though she often still acted like grumpy teenager, she started to behave more and more like her twenty-three years. In any case, he should add ‘manipulative’ to her list of traits and smiled. They weren’t too different in that respect.

  * * *

  Paddy

  It was good to just lounge about in the sewers, after the to-do this morning with the strange device. Gus was still getting on my nerves with his treasure, but we had found a way of giving him less attention, basically by ignoring him.

  So I watched from the corner of my eye as he mumbled about some tiara he’d found on the bottom of his pile and was twirling it around in his paws. Vinnie stood close to Gus and pointed at a reddish stone in the tiara.

  ‘That’s a ruby,’ he said. ‘That’s always been a favourite of mine.’

  I was about to say something, when two rats appeared in the sewer. They were in a hurry.

  ‘Have you heard?’ one of them said, as soon as he spotted me. ‘The Rat Mafia has made it as far as a Dunnington and they seem determined to make it all the way to York.’

  ‘What?’ Gus said, the tiara clattering to the sewer floor. ‘But Dunnington is not that far away from here.’

  I got up. ‘Wait a minute. How can that be? Only yesterday they were still in Pocklington.’

  ‘Perhaps they followed Curtis out of Pocklington, and were only a little behind him,’ Vinnie said. He looked at the two newcomers who, like Curtis, were covered in dust and cobwebs. ‘Are we talking about the Three Bambini here?’

  Both rats nodded.

  ‘From what we understand they left their reinforcements behind in Pocklington and went on reconnaissance to Dunnington to find the shortest route to York.’

  One of the rats turned his rear end towards us. ‘Check out where one of the Bambini bit me, as we escaped from Dunnington.’

  We all stared at the large chunk of fur that was missing from his behind.

  Leo had been listening to all of this, his ears wide and whiskers quivering. ‘They’re coming,’ he said to himself under his breath, pacing up and down. ‘They’re really coming.’

  ‘We’ve got to go and warn th
e others in Ratville,’ the first rat said. ‘Do with this news what you want, but be warned that they’re big trouble.’

  ‘Thanks,’ I said and watched as the rats ran off.

  ‘What are we going to do?’ Leo said. ‘Perhaps we should retreat to Ratville ourselves?’

  I looked at him and then at Vinnie. ‘I’m sorry, but I’m not going on the run for some idiot rats I have never met.’

  Gus stared at me. ‘Didn’t you see the bite mark on his buttock?’ He rubbed the fur on his cheeks, crumpling his whiskers in the process. ‘They’re going to go berserk when they discover I have treasure here. I know them too well.’ He looked at the treasure, spilling out of his digs again and hopped from one foot on to the other. ‘I need to hide it somewhere else and quick!’

  ‘Where would you take it?’ Vinnie said, looking up and down the sewer.

  ‘What about the abandoned old building?’ Leo said. ‘They wouldn’t think to look for it there.’

  Gus’ fur puffed out. ‘That’s a great idea. Give me a paw, will you?’ Together the two brothers started moving Gus’ treasure up the drains and pipes to the old building above ground.

  I looked at Vinnie again. He seemed relatively calm, compared to his cousins.

  ‘Do you really think we are in any danger here?’ I said.

  Vinnie shrugged. ‘No idea. Dunnington is a lot closer to Milbury than Pocklington, but why would they want to expand their territory so aggressively? It doesn’t sound like the Bambini I remember.’

  ‘What about setting up a watch?’ I said. ‘That way we at least can prevent them sneaking up on us unawares.’

  ‘That’s not a bad idea, actually.’ Vinnie rubbed the fur on his chest. ‘But perhaps we should do this in pairs, to avoid being overwhelmed by them.’

  ‘What are we doing?’ Leo said, as he returned to get another load of the treasure.

  ‘We’re going to patrol the sewers,’ I said.

  ‘Great,’ Leo said. ‘Then we can keep an eye out for the alligator at the same time.’