by Adele Abbott
“Good. Does that mean you’ll go out with me again?”
“Maybe.”
Chapter 6
Susan was the first of the flatmates to wake the next morning. Still half-asleep, she threw on a dressing gown, and made her way out of her bedroom. As she walked over to the kitchen, she sensed that something was different, but it took her a few seconds to realise what it was.
The canary was singing!
“You’re back!” She looked at the cage and did a double take. “Why are there two of you?”
Just then, Neil came out of his bedroom. “Talking to yourself, Susan? That’s not a good sign.”
“I was talking to the canary—err—canaries. There are two of them, aren’t there? I’m not seeing double, am I?”
“That must be Bob’s girlfriend, Tootsie. He said that she’d come and join him.”
Susan gave Neil a puzzled look. “Bob said that?”
“No, err—obviously the canary didn’t actually say anything. I—err—thought that he looked lonely. Maybe Dorothy will get off my case now he’s back.”
“What do you think she’ll make of his girlfriend?”
“Knowing Dorothy, she’ll probably kick her out. She has a heart of stone.”
“Why are there two canaries?” Charlie had just shuffled out of his bedroom.
“Neil reckons it’s Bob’s girlfriend,” Susan said. “We were wondering what Dorothy will do about it?”
“What Dorothy will do about what?” The woman herself had come to see what all the noise was about.
“Bob has a girlfriend,” Neil said. “I was just telling Susan that you’ll probably kick her out.”
“Why would I do that? The cage is plenty big enough for both of them, and if it makes Bob happy, who am I to stand in the way of true love?”
The other three flatmates all stared at her, open-mouthed; they were all wondering who the imposter in Dorothy’s body was.
“What?” she said.
“Are you feeling okay, Dorothy?” Neil had only said what the others were thinking.
“I’m on top of the world as it happens.”
“Is he still in there?” Neil gestured to Dorothy’s bedroom.
“Is who still where?”
“Parrot Man? Is he still in your bed?”
“No, he is not. I came home alone last night.”
“After going back to his place first, I assume?”
“No. We went our separate ways straight after the meal.”
“How come you’re being so reasonable, then?”
“What are you talking about? I’m always reasonable.”
The other three flatmates couldn’t stifle their laughter.
Dorothy ignored them. “If you must know, I’m quite pleased with life at the moment because I’ve managed to raise the rest of the cash I needed, so I can go into business with Tilly.”
“Doing what?” Susan asked.
Dorothy had been so excited about getting the money, she’d totally forgotten that she hadn’t even mentioned the business venture to the other flatmates.
“It’s a—err—food delivery service.”
“What kind of food?” Susan pressed her.
“Err—sandwiches. We’re going to deliver sandwiches to offices.”
“I hope you won’t be the one making them,” Neil quipped. “How did you raise the cash, anyway? Have you been embezzling from the bookshop?”
“You’re going to find out sooner or later, so I may as well tell you. I have some savings, my mother has given me quite a bit, and Donny is going to put up the rest.”
“Parrot Man?” Neil smirked. “What does he get in return? Nothing too kinky, I hope.”
“It’s an investment.”
“I bet it is, and I imagine he’s hoping for some spectacular returns.”
“You’re sick, Neil, do you know that?”
“Does that mean you’ll be leaving the bookshop?” Charlie asked.
“You bet. And I won’t look back.”
As soon as Susan had finished her breakfast, she disappeared back into her bedroom.
“I can’t believe you’re going into the sandwich business,” Neil said.
“I’m not. I only said that because the human was here. We’re actually going to be delivering blood.”
“Blood?” Neil put down his half-eaten slice of toast and strawberry jam. “Yuk!”
“Isn’t that dangerous?” Charlie said.
“Only if we get caught.”
“Are you talking about synthetic blood?” Neil asked.
“No. There’s already any number of places where you can get that. We’ll be selling the real stuff.”
“Where are you going to store it?”
“We’ll hire a small industrial unit somewhere, and fit it out with fridges.”
“You’ll have to make sure Susan doesn’t get a whiff of this,” Neil said. “Or Faze.”
“Thanks for the advice, Neil. I never would have thought of that.”
Just then, Susan came back out of the bedroom, so the three of them fell silent.
“Were you lot talking about me again?” She grinned.
“Yeah,” Dorothy said. “We were planning how to get you thrown out of the apartment.”
“No, we weren’t,” Charlie said. “Don’t take any notice of her.”
“Don’t worry. I never do.”
“I have some good news too.” Charlie beamed.
“Judging by that stupid expression on your face, it must be about Jade,” Neil said.
“It’s her birthday on Sunday, so we’re going on a coach trip.”
“Anywhere exciting?” Susan was thrilled for Charlie.
“Stratford.”
“Stratford?” Neil pulled a face. “Couldn’t you think of somewhere more exciting than that?”
“It was Jade’s idea to go there.”
“What are you going to buy her for her birthday?” Dorothy asked.
“I was going to ask Susan for advice on that.”
“Charming.” Dorothy rolled her eyes. “What’s wrong with asking me?”
“I—err—I just—”
“It’s okay. I’m going to be too busy with the new business to think about presents for your girlfriend.”
“I’ll be glad to help you, Charlie,” Susan said.
“Thanks, Susan. By the way, has anyone seen Pretty recently?”
“No, thank goodness.” Dorothy gestured to the bird cage. “Now that there are two of them, I don’t want that cat anywhere near this apartment.”
“I’m getting worried about her. I haven’t seen her for a few days now. What about you two?”
Neither Neil nor Susan had seen her either.
“I’m sure she’ll turn up.” Neil stood up and started for his bedroom. “Can you spare me a minute, Charlie?”
“Sure.” Charlie was pleased for an excuse to get away from Dorothy. “What is it?”
Neil waited until they were in his bedroom before saying, “You did say the coach trip was on Sunday, didn’t you?”
“Yeah, why?”
“You do realise what day that is, don’t you?”
“No, what?”
“It’s the full moon.”
The colour drained from Charlie’s face, and he slumped onto the bed. “What have I done?”
“Can’t you change the trip to another day?”
“How can I? Sunday is Jade’s birthday, and she’s already booked the seats.”
“What are you going to do?”
“I might be okay. If the bus is on time coming back, I’ll just about have time to get to the Range in Candlefield before—” His words trailed away.
“Before you turn into a giant wolf, and tear your girlfriend to shreds?”
“Don’t even joke about it, Neil.”
***
For the first time in as long as she could remember, Dorothy had a spring in her step. As soon as she’d showered and dressed, she ran upstairs, an
d hammered on Tilly’s door.
“Whatever’s wrong?” Tilly was still wearing her dressing gown. “Have you run out of synthetic again?”
“I’ve got the money. For the business!”
“Really? That’s great. How did you manage that?”
“Can I come in?”
“Sorry, yeah, come on in. I’m going to have a coffee. Do you want one?”
Once they had their drinks, and were seated at the breakfast bar, Dorothy brought Tilly up to speed about her finances.
“Are you okay with Donny putting up part of my money?”
“Yes, provided he understands that he’ll have no say in the running of the business. That will all be down to you and me.”
“Yeah, he said as much. He’s just hoping for some return on his investment.”
“I bet that’s not the only thing he’s hoping for.” Tilly grinned.
“It’s a purely business arrangement.”
“If you say so. It’s got nothing to do with me, anyway.”
“I wouldn’t tell him this, but I actually enjoyed my date with him last night.”
“It was a date, then?”
“No, I didn’t mean to call it a date. It was just dinner.”
“If you say so.”
“Anyway, enough of Donny. What’s the plan regarding setting up the business?”
“First things first, we need to find suitable premises. Now you’ve raised the cash, I can start looking today.”
“I wish I could help, but I still have to go into the bookshop.”
“That’s okay. When will you be handing in your notice?”
“Today. I already have my resignation sketched out. I can’t wait to see Molly’s face when she finds out I’m leaving.”
“I’ve already sourced a supplier for the fridges. They’re second-hand, but they’ve all been reconditioned, and they come with a six-month guarantee.”
“Sounds great.” Dorothy checked her watch. “I’m sorry, but I’ll have to make tracks or Neil will go without me.”
“No problem. We can get together tonight and work through the other details.”
***
Susan was glad to have her own car back. Not just because it was more reliable than the wrecks that Neil usually drove, but also so she didn’t have to put up with the petty squabbling—mainly between Neil and Dorothy.
She’d been giving careful thought to the ongoing investigation into the murders that had supposedly been committed by some kind of wolf-like creature. So far, she’d heard several fantastic stories, but had nothing by way of solid evidence. It was time to take a different approach.
“Morning, Stella. Have you spoken to your brother-in-law?”
“I called him last night, and told him that I was going to take his job. That’s still okay with you, isn’t it?”
“Of course it is. I’m just glad you’re going to be okay. Have you told Flynn yet?”
“No, I thought I’d wait until you came in.”
“Before you do, can I tell you about a job I’d like you to do for me?”
“Of course.”
“I need you to do more research in the archives. Can you go back the same number of years as you did for the murders. This time, though, I’m interested in any stories related to the sighting of wolf-like creatures in and around Washbridge.”
“Wolf-like? I’m not sure what you mean? You’re not talking about werewolves, are you?” Stella laughed.
“Of course not—that would be ridiculous. To be honest, I don’t really know what I expect you to find, but I’m hoping you’ll know it when you see it.”
“Okay. I’ll do my best.”
“Thanks.”
***
It was Charlie’s late start, so he hadn’t taken a lift with Neil. As soon as the others had left, he went downstairs and shouted Pretty, but there was no sign of her. He knew it was stupid to worry about the cat, but he couldn’t help but feel responsible for her. After ten minutes, there was still no sign, so he went back upstairs. As he was getting changed, he spotted Greta through the magnifying glass.
“Morning, Greta.”
“Hi, Charlie. Aren’t you at work today?”
“It’s my late start.”
“How’s that new girlfriend of yours?”
“I’m not sure I’d call Jade my girlfriend, but we are going on a coach trip together on Sunday.”
“I’m really pleased for you. You deserve to be with someone nice. I feel so lucky to have found Lewis.”
“Look, Greta, I’m not sure if I should mention this or not—it could be nothing.”
“Mention what, Charlie?”
“Yesterday, when you were out, I saw Lewis.”
“Oh?”
“He was here with Bunty, but you probably already knew about that.”
He could tell by her reaction that she didn’t. “Bunty told me that he’d called to say he couldn’t come over. That’s why I went out.”
“She probably made a mistake.”
“You know as well as I do that she didn’t. She can’t bear to think that I might be happy.”
“I’m really sorry, Greta. Will you be okay?”
“I’ll be fine,” she sobbed, and without another word, disappeared back into her house.
Sometimes, Charlie could swing for Bunty.
***
Neil was in his office when his phone rang.
“It’s Selena.”
“Hi.”
“I wanted to confirm that I’ve put you down for those two gigs I told you about.”
“Great.”
“You mentioned that you’d been working on an all new act?”
He’d only said that to try to persuade her to take him back, but he couldn’t admit to that now. “That’s right. It’s pretty spectacular.”
“Good. I’m looking forward to coming to see it.”
“There’s really no need. You already have more than enough on your plate.”
“Let me worry about that. I’ll feel much better about future bookings once I’ve seen your new act.”
“Wouldn’t it be better if I came into the office some time, and gave you a quick performance?”
“I’d much rather see you perform in front of a live audience, so I can watch their reaction. In fact, I’m quite looking forward to it.”
“Me too.”
Chapter 7
Molly was waiting for Dorothy outside the shop. “So?” Molly said while checking her reflection in the window.
“So what?”
“How did the date go?”
“Firstly, it wasn’t a date. It was just dinner.”
“So you keep saying, but I still want to know how it went.”
“It was okay, actually.”
“When are you seeing him again?”
“Can we go inside the shop?” Dorothy unlocked the door, switched off the alarm and led the way inside.
“Will you be seeing him again?”
“Why are you so interested in my love life?”
“It is lurve, then?”
“You’re impossible. I have more important things on my mind right now than Donny.”
“Such as?”
“Such as, I’m going to hand my notice in today.”
“Don’t be daft.”
“I’m deadly serious.”
“You can’t do that! What will I do?”
“The same as you always do, I suspect. As little as possible.”
“Why are you leaving? Have you got another job?”
“I’m going into business with Tilly.”
“You mean that thing you mentioned the other day? I thought you couldn’t raise all of the cash?”
“I managed to find the rest.”
“Oh?” Dorothy could practically see the cogs turning in Molly’s head. “Hold on. Donny is giving you the money, isn’t he?”
“It’s none of your business.”
“He is! I knew it. You must have really sho
wn him a good time last night.”
“Don’t you start. I’ve had enough of Neil and his lewd suggestions this morning.”
“Come on. Seeing as you’re leaving me behind, the least you can do is tell me what happened.”
“When we were having dinner, he mentioned that you’d told him about the business opportunity. Something you didn’t have my permission to do, incidentally.”
“Don’t give me that. If I hadn’t told him, you wouldn’t have the money, and you wouldn’t be able to start your own business.”
“Fair enough.”
“And what happened after dinner? Were there any afters?”
“No, there weren’t. He was the perfect gentleman.”
“Really? That must have come as a disappointment.”
“What’s wrong with this thing?” Dorothy tapped the computer keyboard. “It won’t come on.”
“Shall I go and get Nobby to come and look at it?”
“You better had.”
While Molly went next door to Nerd Central, Dorothy took out the slip of paper on which she’d scribbled the notes for her letter of resignation.
“Nobby isn’t going to be in until after lunch.” Molly was back. “I told them to make sure he comes straight around here as soon as he gets in.”
***
Susan couldn’t fault Greg’s punctuality. Most of the men she’d known had acted as though tardiness was some kind of virtue. Greg, on the other hand, was invariably early.
“Have you been here before?” he said.
“Yes and no. Before I moved to London, this place used to be a greasy spoon café. They did a fantastic fry-up back in the day.”
“I think you’ll find it’s changed a bit since then.”
He wasn’t kidding. Top Notch was the kind of restaurant that always made Susan feel a little uncomfortable. She was never sure if she was supposed to eat the food, or take a photo of it.
“Do you come here often?” She was staring at the offering on the miniscule plate in front of her, trying to work out exactly what it was.
“I’ll let you into a secret.” He laughed. “This is my brother’s place. I get to eat here for free.”
“And there was me, thinking you were made of money.” Susan looked around. “Is he here now?”