A Plummet in the Polls

by Alana Ling

  ‘Hello,’ she said with a soothing voice. The sweetness of white chocolate sprinkled my mouth. The chocolate truffle of the Rottweiler standing next to her was sitting still, watching his master, while Alfie, who tasted of oatmeal cookies, was trying to introduce himself by barking several times.

  I was in desperate need of water. I turned around to Sam and cleansed my palate with her cucumber flavours.

  The woman noticed my pup and got down on her knees in seconds. ‘Who is this? Hello, mister mouthy. Aren’t you adorable?’ she told him, rubbing his mane and the side of his face. ‘What’s his name?’

  ‘He’s Alfie,’ I said. ‘And y-yours?’ I pointed at her dog who was staring at me lazily.

  ‘He’s Remus. He’s very friendly,’ she said and flashed her white smile.

  I choked on nothing and she noticed.

  ‘No, really. Remus, come on, boy,’ she said.

  She held Alfie still and Remus sniffed the air. Alfie tried to reach Remus’s paws to smell, but could only reach so far. He didn’t bark. Which was unexpected.

  Remus looked at Alfie and then at his master and whimpered.

  ‘Go on,’ she told him and Remus lay down and tried to gnaw at Alfie as my dog circled him and sniffed.

  The woman stood up and held out her hand. ‘I’m Rose Fowler-Gardner.’

  ‘Joanna. Joanna Christie,’ I said.

  Her face was so serene I could get lost in.

  ‘Samantha Tully. But you can call me Sam,’ Sam added when Rose stretched her hand out.

  ‘What can I do for you both?’

  ‘We were wondering if Mr. Gardner is home, actually. We’d like to speak to him,’ I said.

  She smiled, and then pointed inside. ‘Of course. This way.’

  Remus followed her and Alfie followed Remus. We were taken to the kitchen which was three containers wide and had no clutter anywhere. I had never seen a kitchen, and by extension a house, that was so bare but so welcoming.

  We sat at the bar, a waist-high surface, while Rose went to get her husband. Before she went she commanded Remus to stay and he did—unaffected by Alfie’s playfulness.

  They returned shortly after. Patrick Gardner was dressed in sports attire and his forehead was glossy. He had a towel around his neck and his cheeks were red. The taste of Cumberland sausages and mash made my stomach grumble and I was craving lunch before I’d even had breakfast.

  ‘Good morning,’ he said as he introduced himself. He took a step forward and Alfie, still on his lead, decided to greet the new human in the room.

  Patrick didn’t scream, but he could have, if his face and gasping breath was any indication. He backtracked three or four steps and once he’d recomposed himself, crossed his arms in front of his chest.

  ‘How can I help you?’ he stuttered.

  I told Alfie to sit and he ignored me. Instead he went to meet Remus and I heard Rose telling the dog he could play again.

  ‘We were wondering if we could speak to you about the gala the other day,’ I said.

  He nodded. ‘Ah yes, yes, terrible affairs.’ Patrick wiped his forehead with the towel and kept staring at the dogs.

  ‘We’re actually the ones that organised the gala,’ Sam said. ‘And we found an earring.’

  I looked at her, but she ignored me.

  Patrick chuckled. ‘I’m sorry, I don’t wear earrings.’

  ‘No, no. We know it doesn’t belong to you. But we thought we saw you with the lady that was wearing it.’ I still hadn’t dared to look at Patrick.

  ‘Oh,’ Patrick managed to say. ‘And who would that lady be?’

  ‘Tatiana. Or at least I think that’s her name. Not sure, actually. Hence why we couldn’t go to her directly.’

  He nodded. ‘Tatiana Sharp. Yes. She’s one of my supporters.’

  Rose crossed to the other side of the kitchen where her husband was and put her hands on his shoulder.

  ‘Tatiana is a lovely girl. She’s been a great ally,’ she said. ‘Would you like any tea? I’ve got a great variety from my own garden.’

  ‘Tea would be lovely,’ I said and Sam agreed.

  She released her husband from her arms and she went back to the kitchen counter and put the kettle on. Remus followed her, passing by Patrick. He stayed still and watched the dog from the corner of his eyes. Once Remus was a safe distance from him, he relaxed again.

  ‘Are you scared of dogs, Mr. Gardner?’ I asked, trying to suppress a smile.

  ‘A little bit, yes. Could never quite figure out why.’

  ‘How does it work then? Living with such a big dog?’ I asked.

  He let out a deep breath. ‘It’s a challenge, all right. But Rose loves him and I love Rose, so he’s family.’

  ‘Aw,’ I said.

  ‘You were saying Tatiana lost an earring? I didn’t see her at the gala,’ he said.

  Sam jumped and pointed at Patrick. ‘I was sure we’d seen her,’ she said.

  ‘Why come to me though?’ he asked.

  ‘Well,’ Sam replied but dragged on her words.

  ‘We saw you with her the other day,’ I whispered.

  ‘Okay, and?’ he also whispered.

  ‘We thought you might know her more personally,’ I said.

  Patrick laughed. ‘You thought I was having an affair with her?’

  ‘I’m sorry,’ I was quick to say. ‘I didn’t mean…’

  Patrick came closer, and then remembering Alfie was still on his lead and now lying by my feet, stayed a safe distance from me.

  ‘It happens all the time. The media tries to crucify us with all the little things. Don’t worry. I can’t blame you for thinking that. But the truth is I’m completely in love with Rose. Head over heels. In fact, I’m like a teenager when it comes to our love.’

  ‘That he is,’ Rose said, coming closer with a tray of drinks.

  The smell of cardamom and ginger invaded my nostrils and taste buds before I even took a sip.

  ‘Is Tatiana okay?’ she asked her husband.

  The couple standing next to each other gave my tongue a savoury flavour and while both their flavours combined shouldn’t have gone together, her white chocolate and his potato mash went gorgeously.

  ‘Yes, she’s okay. The ladies thought I was having an affair with her,’ he said.

  I dropped my head and could feel my cheeks go warm. Sam was undefeated and unashamed.

  ‘If you’re not dating her, what were you doing with her at the pub the other day?’ Sam asked.

  ‘Sam!’ I yelled.

  ‘It’s all right. Like I said. I’m used to it,’ he said to me, and then turned to her. ‘I was helping her, actually.’

  ‘Helping her how?’ Sam asked.

  Patrick pursed his lips and grinned. ‘I’m afraid that’s a private matter that I’m not at liberty to discuss with you. But I can pass the earring to her if you want me to.’

  Sam opened her purse, and I was about to ask her how she had an earring when we hadn’t found one. She looked back up at them.

  ‘Well, that’s embarrassing. It seems I left it at home.’ She giggled. ‘Maybe I can drop it off later.’

  ‘That’s fine. If that’s all, would you like to enjoy our tea in the garden? It’s a shame to spend such a day indoors,’ he said.

  They showed us to the back of the house to their garden where they had a table with a parasol running through the middle and keeping the table and its occupants in the shade.

  ‘Have you heard any news about Arthur?’ I asked, slurping my tea.

  ‘No, nothing of importance anyway,’ Patrick replied.

  ‘Were you there when—when it happened?’ I asked.

  There was a pause and Patrick looked at his wife before answering.

  ‘We weren’t, no. I was using the bathroom’

  ‘And I went looking for something non-alcoholic. There were no juices at the reception and nothing non-carbonated,’ Rose explained.

  ‘I’m really sorry. The waiters w
ere supposed to be going around with fresh juices as well.’ I shook my head.

  ‘Oh, it’s okay,’ Rose said.

  ‘Well, at least his deadly sight won’t haunt you forever,’ Sam said.

  I ignored Sam and asked my next question.

  ‘Who would do such a horrible thing?’

  Rose and Patrick looked down at their tea.

  ‘Did you know if he had any enemies? Someone who would want to hurt him?’

  Patrick shook his head.

  ‘I didn’t know him that well, to be honest,’ Rose said. ‘Plus, he never liked us environmentalists. He kept away from us.’

  ‘I see,’ I said.

  ‘Did you notice anything weird that night? Anything out of the ordinary? We were making sure the gala was running smoothly so we didn’t have time to notice anything,’ Sam said.

  ‘Not really,’ Patrick started, but stopped as soon as Remus brought his ball to Rose.

  Alfie was running in circles behind him. Rose threw the ball and both dogs went chasing for it.

  ‘Even something that appears simple to you could be important,’ I said.

  ‘We really didn’t see anything out of the ordinary,’ Rose said and patted his hand.

  Patrick nodded and smiled. ‘I’m sorry,’ he mumbled.

  ‘Maybe Sleazy Meyers saw something. He always digs his nose in other people’s business,’ she said.

  Sam and I looked at each other.

  What did that even mean? And why was she answering for Patrick?

  Fifteen

  We went back at Devi’s café after meeting with the Gardners and stayed there for most of the evening until our work was interrupted by the presence of Daniel and his brownie sweetness.

  He walked in wearing a polo top, unusual attire for the town’s detective, but one I couldn’t blame him for considering the high temperatures that had been gracing our coast for the last few weeks. He greeted us and closed the door behind him. I caught a glimpse of Nick outside, standing by the side of the civilian police-issued Vauxhall, his arms crossed in front of his chest and staring at his boss inside the café.

  ‘Is your pet not allowed inside?’ I asked.

  Daniel glanced at where I was looking and rolled his eyes. ‘He needs the fresh air.’

  I raised my eyebrow. ‘What are you doing here, Detective Anderson?’

  ‘I’m trying to do my job.’

  ‘So are we,’ Sam said.

  Daniel took a seat opposite Sam and me.

  ‘Oh, really, is that true? May I see your badge then, Miss Tully?’

  Sam readjusted her position in the booth and said nothing.

  ‘Exactly my point,’ he said.

  ‘Do you actually want anything, Daniel?’ I asked.

  He glanced at me and sucked his lips.

  ‘Jo, I don’t like you being upset with me.’

  ‘Oh dear, do you know how to apologise or what?’ Sam laughed.

  ‘I’m not apologising for trying to keep you safe,’ Daniel said, not looking at Sam.

  I fiddled with my cup and waited for the show to be over. Nick was still outside, only his attention was absorbed by a beautiful woman holding her phone near his mouth. She tasted of piña colada. Nick seemed far too interested in her, working up all the charm he thought he had, while the reporter stood rigid next to him, remaining professional. I thought she looked familiar. She was one of the lead reporters at the local paper, Haven Herald, who I’d met with when I came back to Haven for an interview, but by the time they got back to me I’d already started my own business. The mix of his chilli and onion soup with her pineapple and coconut cream notes was making me nauseous so I looked back to Daniel.

  ‘I was just with Patrick Gardner. He told me you’d visited him today,’ he said.

  ‘And?’ Sam hurled back at Daniel.

  ‘I was just wondering if he was as weird with you as he was with me?’

  . Daniel’s kind eyes were back, and even though I still hadn’t forgiven him, I wanted to get ahead with the case. And if I could solve this before he did, even better.

  ‘He was very secretive about a lot of things. And his alibi sucked,’ I told him.

  ‘That it does. Going to the bathroom is the perfect excuse for disappearing. Especially if you have no one to testify that,’ he said. ‘And it makes his alibi that much weaker, considering what we found on Arthur.’

  My eyes shot open. ‘What did you find on Arthur?’

  Daniel smiled and sat back on the sofa.

  ‘Daniel, if you don’t tell me, I swear to God, I’ll never talk to you again,’ I said. I was surprised with my forwardness.

  And so was Daniel. He leaned forward again.

  ‘He was wearing an anti-Green badge. Have you seen them around? The ones that say: “Vote for real change, global warming is not real,”’ he said.

  I huffed. Sam put her hand under her chin and squeezed her eyes in concentration.

  Nick entered the café just as a woman in sunglasses and a large fascinator was leaving. Her honey flavour contradicted his spicy one, and if I hadn’t decided it before, I had now. I did not like Nick.

  He came to our table and knocked on it.

  ‘We need to go, boss, there’s an incident on the highway,’ he said.

  Daniel cocked his head and asked for more information.

  ‘It seems that those hippie Unified Green protester freaks have blocked the road. The guys need all the hands they can get,’ he explained.

  ‘Crazy people,’ Daniel said, shaking his head and shooting out of his seat. ‘Alright, catch you later, ladies,’ he said and left.

  ‘Well, I hope Patrick Gardner didn’t do it. DC Cottons will have a blast out of it, won’t he?’ Sam said.

  ‘Well, it seems that once again, we’re at a dead end,’ I said.

  ‘I’m not ready to give up yet. But now, we need to prepare for your first official date with Kit.’

  I sighed. ‘But—.’

  ‘No buts. We shook on it.’

  ‘So when are you asking Ollie out on a date?’

  ‘Uhm, when I see him next,’ she said.

  I crossed my arms. ‘Uh huh,’ I said with as much sarcasm as possible.

  Kit turned up at my door with a minute to spare and played with Alfie while I finished getting ready upstairs. Sam had helped me decide on my attire for the evening and therefore I had avoided the eternal, pre-date jitters and panic of having nothing to wear.

  All I needed to finish up was to blow-dry my hair and put on my turquoise blouse and black trousers.

  Ten minutes later, I glanced in the mirror and saw none other than my usual self.

  ‘Well done, Jo. This is supposed to be a date.’ I muttered, fluffing up my hair.

  On second thought, I didn’t know why women always had to go out of their way to impress the man, transforming into a completely different version of themselves in the hope that the man would like something that was not the real them.

  This was who I was, and if Kit, or anyone else for that matter, didn’t like it, they could do one.

  I smiled at my reflection and went downstairs. Kit was wearing a chequered shirt that was tight in all the right places and a pair of skinny blue jeans ripped at the knees and matched by a pair of varnished mocha-coloured shoes. His hair had been styled with gel and stood at an angle. It seemed as if he’d made the same decision to come to this date as himself and I liked him all the more for it. I couldn’t imagine anything worse than us in fancy clothes we would never wear in real life, trying to make conversation.

  ‘You look gorgeous,’ he said and kissed my cheek.

  I felt warmth envelope my face.

  ‘You too,’ I replied.

  He smiled. ‘Are you ready?’

  I nodded and we exited my house. We walked through the passage on Culpepper Mews that passed right by the side of Kit’s pub and came out the other end on Seaside Way, where we proceeded east of the town and followed the stream of night-goers wi
th the backdrop of the setting sun.

  We reached La Roca and took a seat at the bar while they got our table ready. La Roca was tucked away between two house entrances and was a low-ceilinged restaurant made to look as if it was carved inside a rock cave. It had been the talk of the town when it opened fifteen years ago, and now it was a staple of Haven-on-Sea and a Michelin star eatery.

  I ordered a spiced apple and ginger mojito and Kit got a bergamot and smoked orange mai tai with a few spiced nuts to nibble on while we waited.

  ‘How is the investigation going?’ he asked.

  ‘Slow. Every lead is a dead end. It’s quite frustrating,’ I admitted.

  ‘I was reading in the papers that suspicion is on Patrick Gardner. Is there any truth in that?’

  I shrugged. ‘Maybe. We don’t know yet. He was acting suspicious when I was asking him about the night of the murder, but no solid proof. You know the media, though. They will spin anything to make a good story.’

  Our cocktails were set down on the bar and we took a good look at them. My drink came in a mini jug with two green and white striped paper straws while Kit’s mai tai arrived in a hollowed pineapple. We raised with our cocktails.

  ‘Anyway.’ I sighed and took a sip of my mojito. The rum gave me the kick I needed. ‘Let’s not talk about dead bodies and sneaky murderers.’

  Kit chuckled. ‘Ask me anything you want.’

  ‘Let me think,’ I said, circling my straws around the rim of the glass. ‘I know you’ve lived in London for a few years and you’ve been a manager for a while. And I know you’re from Kent. But what about your family? Do you have any brothers or sisters? What do your parents do? Have you got any nephews or nieces? Do you go back home often?’

  ‘Woah, woah, woah.’ Kit stopped me.

  Had I insulted him?

  I froze while I mentally reprimanded myself for going in with the third degree.

  ‘I’ve got a terrible memory. Let’s take it one at a time.’ He chuckled and I relaxed again. ‘I’ve got a sister who’s off in Edinburgh having some gorgeous babies and I hate her because she’s so far away and I can hardly ever visit. My parents are both still in Kent and running a breakfast café. My dad should have retired years ago, but he couldn’t leave my mum on her own, and my mum can never stay still so I doubt she’ll be stepping down any time soon.’