‘I can’t argue with a word you say.’ Alex looked up in time to see Dan accompanying her mother toward the snug – or beyond. ‘Damn. I want to talk to Mum on my own. It doesn’t look like that’ll be in the offing too soon. Dan’s sticking to her like a limpet.’
Dan paused to speak to Bill who immediately got up with a kiss to Radhika’s cheek that brought Alex’s eyes and Tony’s together.
‘Well, well,’ Tony said. ‘He’d better not be about to pinch the best assistant I ever had.’ His smile was decidedly artificial.
Dan, Bill and Lily went through the archway toward the snug and the restaurant.
‘I did think my mum would want to tell me what’s been happening as soon as she got here.’ Alex turned her back on the bar and faced Tony. She blinked back tears. ‘This is getting really weird.’
Not more than half an hour passed before the detectives and Lily returned. The men appeared relaxed. Lily smiled, but Tony could feel Alex’s tension.
Lily was the only one of the three to join the group at the bar. ‘My,’ she said lightly, although Tony didn’t like the dark patches under her eyes or the drawn lines around her mouth. ‘I obviously chose a wild day to go AWOL. Forgive me, Alex. Just needed some hours away and I couldn’t know this place would turn into Piccadilly Circus while I was gone.’
‘Everything’s gone beautifully.’ Alex put an arm around her mother’s waist. ‘Let’s hope we get lots more days like it. Preferably without snow storms.’
‘Kev Winslet was going on about the contest for a pub name. Apparently, a lot of people are determined to win that thousand.’ Lily leaned toward Hugh. ‘Don’t tell Doc James but I think I’m going to have a Dubonnet. It’ll help me sleep.’
‘Coming up,’ Hugh said and turned away to find the bottle on a high shelf. ‘And Doc would approve.’ He poured a large glass and gave it to her.
Lily shook her head. ‘This should be enough to knock me out. Thanks, Hugh.’
He gave her a broad grin and went into the kitchens.
The Hill brother and sister had left, Tony noted, although he hadn’t seen them go. ‘The Hills seem like a nice family, Lily. It’s too bad they’re going through hard times.’
‘Yes.’ Lily didn’t sound interested. ‘Gladys gave you my note, Alex?’
‘She left it for me. She was bubbling with excitement over the breakfast success. Liz says she’d like to help her out every day. She’s got an assistant at the dress shop to open up and I gather the early mornings are very quiet.’
‘Is it worth it?’ Lily, ever the pragmatist, asked. ‘For Liz or for us?’
‘I think it might be,’ Alex told her. ‘Let’s give it some time to make up our minds. Is it OK if I ask what Dan and Bill wanted?’
Lily appeared surprised. ‘I thought Dan would have mentioned it to you. Seems they are really busy with the case near Winchcombe. Dan said it’s proving a lot less localized than they’d thought at first. They haven’t had any luck finding accommodations they like elsewhere and they’re used to us, so they’d like rooms here. Since we’re very quiet at the inn, I agreed.’ She gave Alex a worried frown. ‘Did I do the wrong thing? I could just say it’s not possible.’
‘Oh, no,’ Alex said with a quick glance at Tony. She knew he didn’t like it when Dan stayed at the Black Dog – the man’s powerful interest in her was too obvious to Tony. He and Alex had never discussed the subject but they didn’t need to.
‘Mum, are you all right?’ Alex said. She clasped her mother’s wrist. ‘You seem anxious about something.’
With a somber and direct look at her daughter, Lily said, ‘I’m not all right, sweetheart, but I intend to be. You and I have a lot to talk about but first I need to unscramble my brain and decide the best way to approach it all. I wouldn’t be honest if I said I hadn’t had a shock. But I’ve learned a lot I didn’t know before and it’s time I shared it with you. Can you be patient?’ Lily caught at Tony’s sleeve. ‘I can’t explain how glad I am for Alex to have you in her life. We both need good people around us.’ She sipped at her Dubonnet.
How he’d like to hear Alex say those words to him. He set his jaw, trying not to wonder how much longer he could just be Mr Wonderful and not need more.
Alex’s strained expression said she couldn’t be patient, or she didn’t want to be. She put her arms around her mother. ‘Yes. It won’t be easy to wait, but I can. I love you, but you know that.’ She pulled away to see Lily’s face. ‘Is Doc coming for you or are you going home alone? If you’re going alone, I’m coming with you.’
‘James is coming. The boys’ aunt is home for a couple of days so they’re at their cottage in Underhill. James and I have Naruto and we’ll take good care of that sweet cat. Don’t you worry about us.’
Her mobile rang and she answered, smiled and said a few words. ‘Off we go,’ she told Alex. ‘James is out front with Naruto. He won’t leave her at home alone – or in the car, of course. Too much responsibility when Kyle’s not there. We’re going to babysit.’ Her smile lighted her eyes and she slipped away to get her coat and leave.
Alex scrubbed at her face and felt Tony pull her into a hug. ‘I’d like to invite you on a holiday,’ he said. ‘Don’t you dare say, no, without thinking. We’ll wait until things cool off here. Your mum and my dad make a lovely couple, don’t they?’
She nodded, yes.
‘We do, too,’ Tony added. He was too cautious to remind her how much he wanted her, and not just as a best friend and lover. His restraint was getting very thin.
‘Yes, we do,’ Alex said. ‘And we’ll make an even lovelier couple if the stinking disasters stop falling on our heads. I’m going to help Hugh close up, then we’ll leave.’
The Burke sisters had gone, driven home by Major Stroud in one of his benevolent moods. Radhika was nowhere to be seen although Tony didn’t know when she’d decided to leave. Dan was not around and neither was Bill. The bar was empty.
‘Best time of the day,’ Alex said, raising her face to Tony’s who gave her more than a peck of a kiss. She kissed him back fiercely and pushed her hands beneath his sweater.
Hugh cleared his throat.
Tony hugged her closer. ‘Ignore him. He’s only jealous.’
‘You’ve got that right,’ Hugh said seriously. ‘Did you know Radhika’s bought a property not far from Green Friday?’ he asked.
That got their attention. ‘Really?’ Alex said. ‘That’s fabulous. She’s stayed in that little cottage too long and I never felt comfortable about it after she was attacked there.’
‘Neither did I,’ Tony said.
Alex wanted to know everything about this major move for Radhika. ‘Seems a long time ago all that happened, but it’s not really so very long when you think about it. Is this place somewhere we know?’
‘I didn’t,’ Hugh said. ‘And it’s practically next door to me. The property is heavily wooded. I looked at it after she told me.’
‘She didn’t tell me,’ Tony said, sounding vaguely put out.
‘The sale only just went through so she probably didn’t want to let everyone know how much it means to her. But like I said, Green Friday is almost next door so she probably thought I’d see her coming and going and think it was strange if she didn’t tell me something.’
Alex raised her shoulders. ‘I’m excited. I’m not going to play dumb about it. Tomorrow I’ll barge in and ask for an invitation to see the place. Is it big? What’s it called?’
‘It’s not small. It’s been empty a long time apparently and she’s having it completely redone, including the gardens. She mentioned she may live in a couple of rooms there during renovation. And she mentioned deciding on a name.’
Tony made a face. ‘She’s not going to want to continue being a vet’s assistant, is she?’
‘Yes,’ Hugh said. ‘She is. And if she wasn’t, she’d have told you. She’s the kind of woman who doesn’t fool around – she comes right out with the truth. She told me one of the
reasons she fell for the property was because it wasn’t too far from the clinic. She’s buying a car, too, and learning to drive.’
Alex gave a breathy whistle. ‘Oh, dear, I can’t imagine that.’
‘Well, start imagining it,’ Hugh said. He stopped and inclined his head, looking out into the room. ‘Excuse me?’ he said. ‘Um, we’re closed, sir. I didn’t see you there.’
Alex swung around and saw Frank Lymer emerge virtually from the cover of a long, heavy curtain behind the door. He stood up and nodded. ‘Just me,’ he said, sounding awkward. ‘I’m waiting for my Gladys. It’s too nasty for her to ride home to Underhill on her own. I can put her bike in the back of my pickup.’
Tony clamped a restraining hand on Alex’s shoulder but she was rigid. ‘She’s coming here from somewhere else, is she, Frank?’ she asked.
Frank shifted from foot to foot. He took off his cap and his thin hair clung to his head. ‘She said things went really well and she thought there would be more work for her to do than you all thought at first. I expect she’s still doing dishes in the kitchen.’
Alex looked at Hugh who shook his head slightly.
‘Frank,’ Tony said. ‘Did Gladys know you were coming to pick her up?’
When the man shook his head, no, they all sighed with relief. ‘Have you called her?’ Hugh said.
‘I just thought she must be busy, so I’ve been waiting in the corner here,’ Frank said. His face had grown pale and he wound his cap between his fingers. ‘She was coming home this afternoon but when she didn’t, I thought I ought to wait for her to let me know when I should come, this being a new job. She shouldn’t ride her bicycle home in this weather – not when it’s dark.’
‘She’s not here,’ Hugh said.
Frank looked from one of them to the other and rushed from the pub. Alex caught up with him outside and about to get into a small pickup. ‘Hold on, Frank. Don’t go off like this. She’ll be all right.’
‘I knew I shouldn’t let her come here. There was nothing wrong with her job at the Strouds. She loved it there until you suddenly asked her to work for you. She hasn’t been the same since.’
SIXTEEN
What a hellish night it had been.
Twice before leaving the Black Dog Alex had called the Lymer’s cottage in Underhill. The first time Frank had told Alex he didn’t need her help. In response to the second call he said she should mind her own business because they were private people who took care of their own business. When she asked if Gladys was all right, he suggested she was only pretending to care and hung up.
After that, in the very early-morning hours, she had made a call to the Gloucester Constabulary and tried to explain that she wasn’t really putting in a missing person report because she wasn’t sure anyone was missing, but she hoped they would keep an eye out for someone looking like Gladys Lymer, just in case. The officer on the booking desk had been polite but Alex could tell he thought she was another whack job. Finally she asked that Dan O’Reilly be informed when he made contact and left it at that. With Tony spreading his fingers over his eyes and shaking his head, she’d been too embarrassed to push further.
Tony persuaded her to go home with him for what was left of the night, not a hard sell when the kindest place she could imagine was in his arms, in his bed.
They both moaned when the alarm and the clamoring dogs woke them in the morning.
It was almost nine in the morning by the time Tony drove them down the ice-slick hill toward Folly with the relaxed confidence of long practice. He held Alex’s hand on top of his thigh and the flex of muscle brought her comfort – and a desire to go back up the hill with him. She’d left her anorak in her own vehicle and they had the heat blasting in Tony’s, but still his bed appealed more.
‘You OK?’ he asked.
‘OK,’ she told him quietly.
As they drove past her mother’s cottage, Alex peered at the front windows. All curtains remained closed. ‘Mum opens the curtains as soon as she gets up. And takes in the milk.’ The milk still sat in its mini metal crate on the front step.
Tony whistled, softly and tunelessly, then said, ‘Well, we don’t like to think about our parents as sexual beings, but—’
‘No, we don’t,’ Alex said quickly, and felt silly for the reaction at her age. ‘But they would have gone to your dad’s house anyway. Because of looking after the boys. I expect my mum closed her curtains last night and …’
‘And?’ Tony prodded.
She almost took her hand away but thought better of it. ‘The boys aren’t at your dad’s this weekend. Their aunt’s at the cottage and they’re with her. Let’s forget it. They’re grown-ups. Where they sleep is their business.’
He turned in at the Black Dog and gave her a wide smile. Alex pinched his leg.
Tony pressed the brakes. ‘What’s going on? I just realized how many cars and vans there are here.’
‘We don’t open for morning coffee for almost an hour,’ Alex said. ‘Oh, damn, do you think they’re gathering here to send out search parties for Gladys?’
‘We’ll find out soon enough.’ Tony backed out onto the road again and parked at the curb a few yards away.
They jumped out of the Range Rover and ran back toward the pub, the dogs in hot pursuit.
‘I’ve got to keep an ear open for my pager,’ Tony said, taking Alex by the hand. ‘They’ll be calling about that mare. If she’s not ready soon she’ll need some help.’
‘Go now.’ Alex was panting. ‘I’ll manage whatever’s going on here.’
‘I’m not leaving you until I see what’s going on.’
The door slapped open and Hugh jogged to meet them. ‘I’ve been watching for you,’ he said and grimaced. ‘There’s nothing bad so don’t get exercised. This is really weird but Gladys showed up on time this morning. Frank brought her and came in to make sure one of us was here. That had to be it. He looked around as if a mad axman was likely to jump out from somewhere and attack them. He didn’t say two words while Gladys went back to the kitchen, only put more wood on the fire like he was making sure Gladys would be warm enough in here. Then off he went muttering about how he’d be back to get his wife later.’
Alex and Tony looked at each other. Alex blinked and threw up her hands. ‘I didn’t remember to put out a sign that there’d be no breakfasts served this morning. What an idiot. I wasn’t thinking.’
‘I didn’t think to do it either,’ Hugh said. ‘Just as well as it turns out. Come in and have coffee. Have you eaten?’
‘No,’ Tony said. ‘Suddenly I’m starving. If you’ve got a spare pig you could slap on the spit, go ahead.’
‘I might if there was time,’ Hugh said, leading the way inside. ‘We’ve been a bit busy. Liz Hadley was able to come in again, thank goodness.’ He held the door open for Tony and Alex. Bogie ran between her feet to get into the warmth and she caught herself on the doorjamb. Katie was only slightly slower. ‘I think Liz is hoping this turns into a regular thing. She’s juggling a lot but seems to manage well enough.’
Alex slammed her boots down on the mat inside the door, knocking off chunks of icy snow. ‘We’ll have to see if the business stays steady after the thaw sets in.’ Once inside the bar she stopped and looked around. ‘Amazing. This is more than yesterday, isn’t it?’ The place was packed, including the up-room, and there were people waiting for tables.
‘I wonder how many places serve tea while you’re waiting?’ Tony said. Those in chairs along one wall and standing in groups, held cups of tea and coffee and looked pleased with the entire situation.
Hugh hadn’t put on a coat to greet them and went straight back to work, serving those who liked a little nip – or not so little – with breakfast.
‘In the kitchen,’ Alex said. ‘I need to see if Gladys’s attitude gives anything away. I don’t care about the excuses – and being private people hardly explains a thing – something happened yesterday and I’m going to find out what it was.’<
br />
‘Sweetheart,’ Tony said, addressing his remarks via an unwavering examination of her mouth, which never failed to reduce her to jelly and with feelings she couldn’t explore at this moment. ‘If there’s anything concerning, it should go to the police. Right away. But what could there be? This is an ordinary couple with an ordinary life. They’re happy with it but they could have had a little spat. Happens to the best of us.’ He gave her a too-sweet smile.
‘I happen to know there are fresh crumpets from George’s – gift from the sisters to celebrate the start of a new venture. If you want some – toasted and dripping with fresh butter from Wheedley’s Farm and creaking under a mound of homemade raspberry jam – you’d better get into the kitchen now. Or that poor mare will be paging you herself. Just come and give me moral support – not that I’m going to say much. Keep your eyes and ears open. Really listen to what’s said.’
Firelight leaped over glittering horse brasses on the fireplace. The room was warm and intimate. Even the garlands of dried hops along blackened beams, showing signs of needing replacement, took on a sunny yellow that was almost Christmassy. Liz smiled brilliantly as she hurried between tables with loaded trays and the customers chattered so loudly the conversations had risen to shouting point.
Tony caught her by the hand and towed her through the room and behind the bar. They passed the two walls of spirits bottles, some exotic ones kept on the highest shelves. These were relics Alex hardly remembered and certainly couldn’t be sure what they contained. They would have to be explored one day – when she was older and had much more time.
The heat in the kitchen might have been overpowering if Gladys weren’t working with windows thrown wide open. In the absence of wind, at least the still cold of the frozen morning mitigated bone-melting steam from kettles and pans to say nothing of hot and popping fat.
‘Good morning, Gladys,’ Alex said with enough alacrity to grate on her own nerves. ‘My goodness, people love your breakfasts. This is wonderful.’
Whisper the Dead Page 12