Christmas in Peppercorn Street

by Anna Jacobs

  When the furniture had been rearranged and the huge silver tree set up in one corner, he helped Gabby up a ladder to fix the star at the very top, standing by her, holding it steady so that she couldn’t fall.

  After that Dee used the ladder to thread the twinkle lights in and out of the top branches, but waved him impatiently away when he tried to stand next to her. ‘I’ve got a good sense of balance, Dad.’

  Gabby hung the lights over the bottom branches, looking round in happy triumph as she finished. Finally, they all took turns to hang various glittering balls and ornaments on the tree.

  ‘That’s it,’ Claire said after a while. ‘It’d be gilding the lily to put any more decorations on it.’

  Gabby sighed happily. ‘It’s gorgeous. Take a photo of it, Mum.’

  So Claire got out her phone and did that.

  They let Gabby switch the lights on the first time, watching her stand utterly still, her face so blissfully happy that her joy communicated itself to everyone.

  ‘Me and Gabby will do our bedrooms now, then you oldies can come up and check everything.’

  ‘Oldies, indeed!’ He pretended to chase her and Gabby out of the room.

  Their laughter echoed back, such a wonderful sound.

  He came back looking happy. ‘My daughter really likes you. I like you, too.’

  ‘And I like her. Very much. She’s a great kid.’

  He took a risk for the second time that day. ‘It’s turning into more than friendship between us, I hope. I think we should see where you and I go for a while.’

  ‘Are you sure?’

  ‘I’m sure I want to give it a try. And on Monday we’ll seek legal help to deal with the obstacles.’

  She nodded, but her smile said as much as words could have done.

  He waited a minute to tell her the other important thing. ‘I’m going to order a takeaway meal for tonight and there will be an extra person to feed because I’ve hired a bodyguard.’

  He tried to say this casually, but she wasn’t fooled. She stared at him, the smile gone, her mouth open in shock, then asked in a croaky whisper, ‘Do you know something I don’t about Martin?’

  ‘No. I’m simply taking the best precautions I can to keep us all safe. Remember, my daughter is involved in this as well, so I’m not doing this just for you and Gabby.’

  She was silent as it all sank in, her eyes huge and fearful. ‘Oh, Luke! It’s horrible to think of that being necessary, isn’t it?’

  ‘Our bodyguard will stay mainly in the basement and on the ground floor level during the night, because that’s how someone might get in. I’ll tell the girls and introduce him to them, but we probably won’t see or hear much from him after he’s settled in, because he’ll need to catch up on sleep in the daytime.’

  When she didn’t speak, he said, ‘You’ve been afraid enough of Martin to run away twice. I would try to defend you if he attacked you, but though I keep myself healthy and reasonably fit, I’ve no particular skill at fighting. I’ve never had to do it, you see, didn’t grow up in a rough area or go to a school where kids fought one another.’

  ‘I’ve brought these troubles to you.’

  ‘You’ve also brought joy to me, Claire, not only by your presence, but by helping me build a bridge to my daughter. I can’t tell you how grateful I am for your help. She just asked me if she could live with me permanently. You can imagine how that delighted me.’

  ‘Oh, that’s wonderful!’

  He waited a moment to let that sink in, then said, ‘Now, we’re in party mode today, remember. No work. No worrying. If I remember correctly, Gabby loves pizzas, but how does she feel about Chinese food?’

  ‘She likes it when I cook it, so she’ll probably enjoy it if you get a takeaway. She isn’t fussy and luckily she doesn’t seem to have any food problems about what she eats.’

  ‘Good.’ He checked the clock. ‘I don’t think those girls will be much longer decorating their bedrooms. It’s mainly draping tinsel around.’

  ‘You must have bought miles of it.’

  He winked at her. ‘And very useful stuff it has proved to be. Once it’s been draped everywhere, we’ll consult the menu and phone through an order. Do you like fizzy wine? Not posh champagne but I happen to have a rather nice fizzy plonk chilling in the fridge.’

  ‘I haven’t had any wine for ages, but yes, I do enjoy the odd glass.’

  ‘Good.’

  She looked a bit overwhelmed and asked yet again, ‘Are you sure – about everything?’

  ‘Absolutely sure. Aren’t you?’ He clasped one hand to his chest and said with an exaggerated pretence of anguish, ‘Oh! Don’t tell me you’ve been lying to me? How shall I ever get over it?’

  ‘Stop that, you idiot.’

  ‘All right. Let’s enjoy tonight. Tomorrow we’ll get serious again and start making plans for the future but today we party.’

  Chapter Fifteen

  The bodyguard turned up at the same time as the Chinese meal was being delivered. At least, Luke assumed that the man with the quiet face and watchful eyes was the bodyguard when he answered the door.

  ‘Just a minute, please.’ He took the paper carrier bag of hot containers from the delivery lad, and dropped a tip in his hand, then turned back to the man standing patiently to one side of the door.

  As the delivery van drove away, he said, ‘Rod sent me. I’m Eric. Apparently you need protection rather urgently, Mr Morgan.’

  ‘Yes. Or more accurately, we may need protection.’ Luke studied the stranger, who was older than him by at least a decade, but looked fit and muscular.

  The man held out a card. ‘Rod said to give you this.’

  Luke checked that it was the business card of Rod’s company, read the words on the back in his friend’s handwriting and relaxed. ‘Ah, good. We’re just having takeaway and I ordered enough for you.’ He held up the bag.

  ‘Thanks. Very kind, but I’ve already eaten.’

  ‘Well, come in.’ He locked the door carefully, then quickly explained the layout of the house. ‘Why don’t you explore and we’ll eat this while it’s hot? I’d sort of assumed you’d keep watch mainly from the lower ground floor, which is no longer in use, but I can switch the heating on down there. It’s up to you, really.’

  ‘Sounds a good idea. I’ll check it out.’

  Luke hesitated before adding, ‘I doubt anything will happen tonight, because it’ll take time for this Martin guy to find us, but with two children in the house, I prefer not to take any risks. Claire and I will come and chat to you about the general background to this situation after we’ve eaten. I know Rod’s briefed you, but you may want more details.’

  He waved one hand. ‘Just walk round, go anywhere you like then join us for a cup of coffee or whatever. I haven’t furnished a couple of rooms yet and there’s chaos in the attic.’

  ‘Good idea. I’ll do that.’

  When he went into the kitchen, Luke explained quickly to the children about a bodyguard coming to sleep downstairs, adding as lightly as he could manage, ‘Just in case there’s any trouble from you know who.’

  Three people stared at him solemnly, then Dee said, ‘Good idea, Dad. I’m taking my hockey stick to bed tonight.’ She stared challengingly at her father and mimicked his words, ‘Just in case.’

  Claire nodded approval. ‘I’ll find something for protection too. Martin can be – well, a bit rough sometimes.’

  ‘I want something to hit him with if he tries to take me away from you.’ Gabby looked at her mother. ‘And I don’t care if he is my father. I don’t like him. He frightens me sometimes when he pulls me about. It’s like a wicked witch has put a spell on him and he’s turned horrible.’

  Luke stared at the three females, who all looked very determined, and gave up any attempt to make light of what he was doing. ‘There’s no fooling you lot about possible dangers, is there?’

  ‘Our car was burnt,’ Claire said. ‘We know Martin could cause serio
us trouble if he found us.’

  ‘He’s dragged me away from school a few times,’ Gabby said. ‘I didn’t like it and I screamed for help but the teacher didn’t try to stop him.’

  ‘We’ll stop him this time, I promise you.’ Dee gave her another of those quick hugs and Gabby held onto her for a few seconds longer.

  Luke thought it terrible that a child should feel like that about her father. ‘We’ll make sure you’re all supplied with a defensive object before you go to bed, if it makes you feel better, though I doubt you’ll need to use them with Eric on guard. Now, if we don’t eat our meal it’ll grow cold and that’d be a shame. The food from that café is always delicious.’

  He began taking the tops off the containers and Dee got out some spoons and forks while Claire passed out plates.

  It was all very normal behaviour on the surface, but the tension was there underneath.

  Eric eavesdropped unashamedly outside the door of the kitchen, because that was the best way to find out the truth about what his clients were like. He’d been unable to believe his luck when Rod told him who he’d be guarding. Fate, blind chance, call it what you will, had tossed the people he was searching for right into his hands. How often did coincidences like that happen?

  If they read about it in a novel, most folk would dismiss it as unbelievable, but he’d seen amazing coincidences a few times during his career as a policeman, as if fate was occasionally squarely on the side of law and justice.

  Not very often, but more often than you might expect from sheer chance.

  Since his retirement, he’d helped out on a few delicate cases that Rod didn’t want messed up, if it could be prevented – cases that were worth sorting out. It was a wonderful way to semi-retire, picking and choosing which cases you worked on.

  It particularly suited him that this job was about preventing violence to two children. Rod trusted him, knew he wouldn’t get into a physical confrontation if it could possibly be avoided. But he would keep them safe.

  He couldn’t always prevent violence though. No one could.

  The big unanswered question was whether he was going to tell Tom Douglas about this, since the two cases were so closely connected. No, not yet. This job would give him an excellent opportunity to find out what Claire Porter and her daughter were really like, not to mention the man she was now living with.

  If Tom was doubtful about his own son, then Eric needed to be even more careful than usual about giving him information that might leak to Martin.

  When offering him the job, Rod had spoken very highly about Luke Morgan but Eric liked to make up his own mind about people.

  The clatter of spoons on plates, followed by a reduced level of conversation in the kitchen, indicated that they were eating so Eric went upstairs, checking out the rooms and the layout of the house, peering out of windows and then coming quietly back down. He’d remember the house as a pattern of rooms in his brain, like a rough architect’s drawing.

  The lowest floor of the house felt rather cold and damp after the warmth of the upper levels and had a sad, neglected look to it, with thick dust on most of the shelves and surfaces. Switching on the lights one by one, he walked through the various rooms which had once made up the servants’ quarters. It was bigger than some flats.

  This would have been a busy area in those days, but now all was quiet as he checked it out, even looking for places from which he could watch the gardens outside without being seen.

  You could never be too careful in a new place.

  Once he’d gone round that floor, he felt the old-fashioned water-filled radiators, relieved that they were starting to warm up. Strange house, this, with the lower part at the back abandoned and old-fashioned, while the rest had been modernised about twenty years ago, if he were any judge.

  He made sure all three outer doors were locked. The one furthest away from the stairs had been unlocked and creaked when he opened it, as if the hinges needed oiling. He wondered how long it had been like that, but he was quite sure by now that no one was hiding in any part of the house.

  He went back up the first half-flight of stairs to the door into the garage. That one didn’t have a lock on it at all. Not good. He checked the door at the far side of the garage which led directly outside, shaking his head in disapproval. It might be locked but the door itself was a flimsy thing.

  He’d suggest a few things, could fit heavy bolts and better locks himself, preferably before the following night. That ought to be enough to keep out an ex-husband coming here to cause trouble.

  He thought Luke was right in his guess that the ex wouldn’t have found out where Claire and Gabby were yet. You never could tell, though. Some people could be very cunning.

  Thoughtfully he put on his night glasses and leant forward with his hands on a lukewarm radiator, staring out at the garden. It’d be easy enough to approach the house unseen from front or back but he’d be able to see anyone who trespassed clearly when wearing these.

  Luke had been right to get help if Tom’s son was potentially dangerous. Eric agreed absolutely that you couldn’t be too careful where children were concerned.

  With Christmas coming at the end of the month, there would be a lot more coming and going of strangers than usual, with deliveries of items bought online.

  He’d go round after they all went to bed and check that they’d locked everywhere on the floor above, windows as well as the front door. Up a few steps here, down a few steps there. It was a strange house. He’d not like to have to navigate it for the first time in the dark, as an intruder would have to. That was another advantage their side had: they knew the terrain.

  He heard footsteps coming down from the kitchen and turned as Luke came in to join him.

  ‘Would you like to meet everyone now? I should warn you, the girls and Claire are intending to take weapons to bed, so don’t be surprised if they brandish them at you.’

  Eric blinked. ‘Weapons!’

  Luke let out a huff of laughter. ‘Yes, hockey sticks and rolling pins.’

  Eric chuckled. ‘Whatever makes them feel better. Should be peaceful tonight.’

  ‘Yes. But if you think we need someone else to keep us safe as well as you, then we’ll hire another guard from tomorrow onwards.’

  ‘Might be a good idea. It’s a big house, with a lot of doors leading outside. You could easily improve a few weak spots, though.’ He explained.

  Luke nodded. ‘Do it.’

  ‘I’ll nip out to buy the stuff tomorrow, then.’

  ‘We’ll take down a mattress and bedding from one of the spare bedrooms so that you can rest tomorrow.’

  ‘Yeah, good. I won’t be sleeping tonight, though.’

  Eric followed Luke upstairs, accepted a cup of coffee and was introduced to the others. Nice family group they were, even if they weren’t really a family. He liked the look of them all. Decent was the word he used mentally. One of his favourite complimentary things to say about someone.

  Then he went back down to the lower level and left them to it, though he’d be coming up and down to the kitchen and front door level during the night.

  You did a lot of thinking on these night watches and as time passed, he couldn’t help worrying about what to do about Tom Douglas, whether to tell him.

  Did the man think his son was dangerous? He was certainly desperate to find his granddaughter again without the son knowing. The Christmas season could do that to you, make you want to catch up with people you’d once cared about. Eric was always glad that he got on well with his own family when he had to help people sort out the tangled and hostile relationships other people had to cope with.

  Tom didn’t seem a fool, though, not at all. If he’d hired a PI to find his granddaughter and asked Eric to keep what he was doing secret from his wife as well as his son, there must be a very good reason.

  The night passed peacefully with no sign of anyone watching the house, let alone trying to get in.

  The dog came down
to check on Eric a couple of times when he moved about to keep himself awake. Lovely animal she was. But would she make a good watchdog? Probably not. She was altogether too friendly, even with a stranger like him. Pity. Dogs could be very helpful.

  Luke and his guests stayed at home on the Sunday, planning over breakfast how to spend their time.

  ‘Gabby and I can keep each other company if you need to get on with your work, Claire,’ Dee offered as they finished eating.

  ‘Would you mind? Only I’ll get paid nicely for my present project, and it never hurts to build up some savings.’

  ‘In case you have to flee?’ the teenager asked bluntly. ‘I thought you were going to stay here.’

  ‘I am. But you never know what will happen or what you’ll need. And anyway, I’m pretty short of money and Gabby’s going to need some new clothes soon.’

  Luke saw his daughter’s embarrassment at this revelation and intervened. ‘If you girls can keep an eye on each other, I’ll keep an eye on the lower parts of the house and the gardens while Eric grabs some sleep. Don’t try to leave the house, Dee.’

  ‘We’ll have to let Helly out.’

  ‘When you do, come and find me first and leave Gabby inside.’

  She nodded.

  Gabby looked upset at that, but luckily Dee got out the board games and that distracted her.

  As the morning passed, the games provided a break from reading or fiddling around on the computer and caused much laughter.

  The sense of trouble approaching seemed to hover, though, whatever they did to pass the time. No one said anything about it aloud, but Luke could see that they were all braced for … something. Who knew what?

  Why would that man deliberately make people afraid of him? he wondered. Or in his case, make him wary. Martin had been doing it over many years, from what Claire said. Luke had always hated bullies.

  When Claire came into the kitchen part-way through the morning to make herself a cup of coffee, he checked again to make sure she hadn’t changed her mind about consulting a lawyer and making a stand.