Christmas in Peppercorn Street

by Anna Jacobs

  He must have seen Eric shivering, because as soon as he’d found out, he asked, ‘Cups of tea any use to you?’

  All four of them accepted the offer, not just Eric. There was a damned cold wind blowing.

  ‘It’s definitely blood,’ the female forensic officer said suddenly, putting a few of the stained bits of gravel into a pouch as a sample.

  They took several photos then the tea arrived and by that time Luke had come down to join them as well.

  ‘This is just a minor incident, if anyone asks,’ Danny said firmly. ‘We happened to be in the neighbourhood when we heard about a peeping tom and since there’s a child involved, we thought we’d have a look. Right?’

  ‘Right. I’m not a gossip. When will you know what type of blood it is? We need a better restraining order to keep this Douglas fellow away from Claire and Gabby,’ Luke said.

  ‘We’ll do the best we can, but falling over and bleeding isn’t exactly an indictable offence.’

  Just as suddenly as they’d arrived, the representatives of the law drained the last of their tea, got into their cars and left.

  Angus and Luke stared at Eric, as if asking what was going to happen now.

  He held out his arms in a helpless gesture. ‘Let’s get this straight. I’m not in the police force any more. I can suggest things to them or pass on information, and they’ll listen because they know me, but I can’t tell them what to do with it. They, um, already had an interest in this Martin fellow, I will admit, which helped bring them out. But this might not lead anywhere and things rarely happen overnight, so don’t stop being careful and don’t get your hopes up too high.’

  ‘But don’t stop hoping, either,’ Angus put in quietly.

  Luke nodded. An image of Claire’s face came into his mind, something that kept happening. He had something else he was hoping for, too, he admitted to himself.

  ‘If I can do anything to help, don’t hesitate to ask me. I’ll get on to my friend at the council about their CCTV camera as soon as the town hall opens.’ Angus picked up the tray of empty mugs and went back into his house.

  ‘You’ve got a great neighbour there,’ Eric commented as he and Luke walked up the slope together.

  ‘Him and his wife both. I agree. But the situation for poor Claire is frustrating and she’s worried sick. I feel so helpless.’

  ‘Yeah, well. We’re all doing our best.’

  Luke sighed. ‘I know. Let’s hope there’s something on the council’s CCTV recording.’

  That same morning Martin parked nearby and began to keep watch on his parents’ house, looking for an opportunity to catch his mother on her own. His father usually went out somewhere in the mornings.

  When he saw the old man get into the car and drive off, he waited a couple of minutes then opened the front door and walked in without ringing the doorbell. Fancy leaving it unlocked! They must be getting senile.

  His mother jerked in shock when he went into the kitchen. ‘Martin! Oh, you did make me jump. Ring the doorbell next time, please, to let me know you’re coming in.’

  ‘OK. Sorry. I had a few minutes between appointments and thought I’d pop in because it’s been a while. How about a quick cup of tea?’

  He sat down and watched her put the kettle on, asking casually, ‘Dad not around?’

  ‘No, you just missed him. He had to meet someone.’ He watched her lips tighten into a straight line.

  ‘Oh, who?’

  ‘How do I know? He didn’t say.’

  If they were at odds about something, he wasn’t buying into it. He put up with her inane chatting for ten minutes, found out what he wanted, then looked at his watch and said he had to go, breathing a sigh of relief as he left the house.

  He was twitching for some action. That stuff he was taking certainly filled you with energy. He loved that about it. But he’d stop taking it as soon as he’d got hold of Gabby. It wasn’t a good example to set to a child, and anyway, it cost too much.

  But he’d nearly used it up, had better get some more to help him see this through the next few days. His last few hits, it’d be.

  Other people might get addicted. He wasn’t the sort. He could stop taking it any time he wanted. No problem.

  The next thing on his list was to get rid of that damned dog. It had given him away last night by barking. But its days were numbered and that was the last time it’d get in his way.

  He needed a gun of some sort. He knew better than to offer the creature poisoned food. It’d never taken food from him and would probably bite his fingers if he put a hand near it.

  On that thought, he stopped and took out his phone to ring the guy who supplied him with stuff. Maybe Alec would know about guns as well.

  When he left home, Tom didn’t go far, just down to the nearby park to phone Eric because he didn’t want Hilary eavesdropping again. ‘Any news?’

  ‘Possibly.’

  ‘Can we meet? I feel better discussing important things face-to-face.’

  ‘Of course we can, but not at the moment. We think your son was prowling round the house where Claire and Gabby are staying last night, which means they’re at risk again. I have to make that aspect my main focus for a while.’

  ‘Oh, hell! What’s got into him? He was never this bad before, though he was always an awkward sod.’

  ‘Do you know his blood group? The intruder fell over while running away and we found traces of blood on the gravel.’

  ‘Yes, I do know it.’ Tom gave him the information.

  ‘Thanks. I’ll pass that on to my friends.’

  ‘And about our meeting?’

  ‘Could we leave that till tomorrow, do you think? There are a few things happening around here today.’

  ‘All right. Do you want to fix a time now?’

  ‘I’d rather do that later, if you don’t mind. I’ll ring you once I know my schedule.’

  When he got near his home Tom noticed Martin’s car parked in the street outside, hesitated, then drove past and waited round the corner, parking so that he’d be able to see the car leave through the bare branches of a shrub without drawing attention to himself. He didn’t want to talk to his son until he was more sure of what was going on.

  It was only a few minutes before Martin came out and drove off. The lower parts of the vehicle were covered in mud, which was unusual for him. He was usually fastidious about keeping the car clean.

  Tom waited a few more minutes then went back home, seeing a few details in the kitchen that made him pretty certain Martin had been having a cosy tea party with his mother. He opened the dishwasher and peered inside. When Hilary scowled at him, he decided to speak out.

  ‘Enjoy your cup of tea with Martin?’

  She gasped. ‘How did you know?’

  He pointed to the caddy on the kitchen surface. ‘You keep that type of tea only for him and there are two mugs in the dishwasher.’ He opened the cupboard door. ‘And you opened the packet of his favourite biscuits that you also keep only for him. You didn’t say you were expecting a visit.’

  ‘I wasn’t. He popped in unexpectedly. We had a nice little chat.’

  ‘Oh, good for you. The world is all right if you can chat to your son, and it doesn’t matter what else he does, or who he does it to, eh?’

  Her voice trembled. ‘Tom, don’t.’

  ‘Don’t what?’

  ‘Don’t be angry at me. He’s my son.’

  ‘He’s my son too but that doesn’t blind me to his faults. He’s been stalking Claire and making her life miserable ever since she left him. And recently he set fire to her car. She’s so afraid he’ll try to kidnap Gabby, she’s taken refuge with a friend.’

  Hilary’s face went chalk white and she swayed, so he grabbed her, made her sit down, then got her a small brandy because he didn’t know what else to do.

  He didn’t tell her any other details. He didn’t want her passing information on to Martin about Claire and Gabby.

  When Hilary had regaine
d a bit of colour, he sat down beside her. ‘You have to face it. Martin’s acting so strangely, he may be mentally ill.’

  She just stared at him, eyes brimming with tears.

  ‘Please. I know you love him, Hilary, but don’t turn a blind eye to the possibility of him trying to kidnap Gabby, for her sake. He wouldn’t know how to look after a hamster, let alone a child. Claire always had to do everything in the house.’

  He watched, praying she’d see sense.

  There was silence for a few moments then she nodded. ‘I’ll agree to – to being more open to his faults, if you’ll promise to take me with you when you see that PI again. I agree about making certain he doesn’t try to take Gabby away from her mother, though I’m sure he wouldn’t hurt her. He loves her.’

  Tom hesitated because he didn’t think Martin knew how to love anyone, but didn’t like to push her too far. ‘I promise.’

  He hoped she would keep her side of the bargain. He thought she would, because she loved Gabby too.

  He missed seeing his granddaughter so much. Wanted to buy her a Christmas present or two, had been looking in the shops. But what was the point unless he was going to see her?

  As he put the phone down after his conversation with Tom, Eric heard the two girls singing Christmas carols in the kitchen and smiled. Lovely voices they had.

  He was feeling worried about the police not managing to pin down Martin about this stalking.

  He was even more worried when Angus dropped round to tell him about the council security recording.

  ‘They got the car, but its number plates were covered in mud. The best we can do is a 6 and 2 in the registration number, and we could tell the make of car at least.’

  ‘I’ll have to see if a vehicle of that sort is registered to Douglas.’

  Eric got a friend to check for him later, and it wasn’t. It was registered to a C. V. Cummings, but when he followed up on the address, it proved to be bogus, a bigger street number added onto the end of a real street that wasn’t that long.

  In fact, the whole day was full of frustrations, which only made him more determined to find a way to catch Martin out.

  Claire and Gabby deserved a more normal life – and if he had his way, that’d start with a normal Christmas this year.

  He smiled. And Claire also deserved to get together with Luke. The fact that they were attracted to one another was obvious to anyone with even half an eye on the game. Them getting together could be one good outcome to this mess, at least. He certainly hoped so. His marriage had been very happy.

  Luke’s daughter had noticed the budding romance as well and was doing her best to give them time together. Eric liked that lass. From what he’d overheard, it sounded as if she deserved a happier life too.

  He suddenly chuckled at himself. He was trying to act like Santa Claus and give everyone a happy Christmas, he who didn’t even enjoy the festive season.

  What would he get into next? He was enjoying not being tied to working for someone else and it was particularly good to be doing jobs that mattered more than departmental statistics, jobs that contributed to ordinary people’s happiness. He’d had a few small successes working his own way in the past couple of years and hoped for a lot more.

  Putting more happiness into the world was a very satisfying way to spend your retirement.

  He wished his wife had lived long enough to share these years with him. She’d have loved to get involved. Eh, he missed her still, could hardly believe it had been five years now since she died so suddenly.

  Luke swung round when someone knocked at his office door. Dee was hesitating near the door, looking nervous. ‘Have you got a minute, Dad?’

  ‘Of course I have. I’ve always got time for you.’

  She returned his beaming smile, looking a bit embarrassed. She clearly wasn’t used to expressing emotions. He was going to change that. ‘What is it?’

  ‘Um, Claire’s trimming Gabby’s hair. She says there’s no reason to look untidy, whatever’s happening. I wanted to ask you about a few things.’

  He gestured to a chair, surprised when she closed the door behind her. ‘I think you’re doing good job keeping Gabby’s spirits up, Dee. Good for you.’

  She shrugged. ‘It’s hard to keep her cheerful. She forgets for a while, but she’s worried sick underneath it all. Claire’s even more worried. The father must be a horrible man.’

  ‘Yeah. I reckon. Anyway, you’re doing brilliantly.’

  ‘I suppose.’ Silence, then, ‘What’s going to happen to them if we don’t find a way to stop that father coming after them?’

  ‘I don’t know. It’s not up to me to decide, but I’ll help if I can.’

  ‘You like Claire, though, don’t you?’

  ‘Yes. Very much. Do you mind?’

  She let out an almost-laugh. ‘Of course not. I love the way you two are with one another. No quarrels. No silly fusses and then making up, like Mum.’

  She took a deep breath. ‘Are you sure you’ll still want me to live with you if, well, things work out with Claire?’

  ‘Of course I am. What brought this on? Do I seem like I’d want to get rid of you?’

  ‘No, but you’re in love with her. Anyone can see that. You might not want me living with you playing gooseberry.’

  ‘Oh, darling, of course I do. I want you and Claire and Gabby. I’ve plenty of love in me, more than enough for you all. I’ve been saving it up for years.’

  She sniffed, fighting tears. ‘That’s such a nice thing to say.’

  ‘I mean it.’ He dared to lean forward and give her another hug.

  She hugged him back and muttered, ‘I love you too,’ in a husky voice, then dashed out of the room.

  She needed a lot of reassuring, he thought sadly. Angie hadn’t been the best of mothers. He should have realised that sooner. And he hadn’t been the best of fathers, should have made more fuss about being kept away. He’d never forgive Angie for that.

  He was going to try to be the best father he could from now on, though. Oh, yes!

  But first they had to deal with Claire’s damned ex. Somehow. Whatever was needed. Luke didn’t care what it cost, what he had to do. He just wanted it done.

  He was determined to free Claire, so that they could explore their growing affection for one another. He wanted their children to consolidate the relationship that was building between them, too, and if things worked out as he expected he hoped they’d feel as if they were truly sisters.

  Was it so much to ask?

  That evening Tom took Hilary out for a drink at the local. He refused to take no for an answer. ‘You’ll only sit and brood, if we stay in.’

  ‘There’s a programme I usually watch on the telly.’

  ‘Record it. We’re going out if I have to drag you by the hair.’ He did a pretend macho pose and it was so not him, he could see amusement soften her irritation with him.

  ‘Oh, all right, you fool. Just for an hour.’

  Fortunately they met some friends in the pub and the outing went on for over two hours.

  When they got back, they found one of the back windows broken and various goods missing, including all the old family silver.

  Hilary sat down and sobbed when she found the locked cupboard hidden under the stairs broken into and empty. ‘We thought this cupboard wouldn’t be obvious behind the vacuum cleaner. We were so wrong and Martin was right about this.’

  ‘When were you talking to him about that?’

  ‘Yesterday. It just came up, I suppose. He was saying he’d like to see the family silver again. I said I’d get it out from under the stairs next time he came.’

  Tom gave her a quick hug, then phoned the police.

  He felt fairly sure that it was Martin who’d broken in but when the police came, they said the footprints in the garden looked more like size twelve and Martin was size ten, so it couldn’t be him.

  ‘Looks like this person was an amateur, and didn’t make any effort to hide
his footprints, though he doesn’t seem to have left any fingerprints. Well, anyone who watches TV knows not to do that. There is this, though. We found it on the floor under the stairs.’

  The policeman held up a crumpled piece of dirty sticking plaster. ‘Looks like it came off a recent injury, because there’s some fresh blood on it. It isn’t yours, is it, sir?’

  ‘No. Definitely not.’ He looked at Hilary and she avoided his gaze. ‘Did Martin have a plaster on?’

  ‘No.’

  But he could tell she was lying.

  When he was seeing the officers out, Tom made sure he was out of Hilary’s hearing before he said, ‘If you find the blood on this is B negative, you might take a look at my son. The police have another sample that might be his.’

  ‘Your wife said he wasn’t wearing a plaster.’

  ‘She was lying. I can always tell.’

  ‘Ah. Is he likely to have broken into your house? Don’t you get on with him?’

  ‘Might have been him. He’s been acting very strangely lately.’ He hesitated, then added, ‘And he’s stalking his ex.’

  ‘What size of shoe does he take?’

  ‘Size ten, but he could have worn a bigger size to confuse the issue. He’s not stupid and I wouldn’t put anything past him lately. I, um, think he’s got mental health problems.’

  ‘I’ll add that information to the report, sir. Thank you for being honest with us.’

  When he went back inside Tom said, ‘I know you were lying. Was Martin wearing a sticking plaster?’

  She shrugged. ‘I said he wasn’t.’

  Don’t keep lying to me, he thought, but didn’t say it. What was the point? He started to clear up the mess of broken glass. Hilary sat down in the kitchen, staring into space and making no effort to help him.

  ‘It’s just one thing after another lately,’ she said after a while. Then she went back to watching him clear up, not saying anything or telling him he’d missed a corner. Which wasn’t like her. She usually fussed over every job in their immaculate house. And chatted to him if they were together in a room.