Grace decided to go back to Frankie. She could just imagine him storming over if she took the opportunity to speak to Gordon now. As she approached Frankie she said, “What’s wrong? You don’t have to shout at me like that!”
Frankie jabbed his finger towards the cafe. “I saw you! Sitting in the cafe, having a cup of tea like you’ve got all day to do what you want. And all the time, I’m in this shop slaving away.”
Grace took a step closer to him. “I know you’re in a bad mood because of some football match but you’re not going to take your bad mood out on me! I have a right to a break and, for your information, I never got to have a cup of tea because I was trying to get away from one of your ex-girlfriends.” Grace shoved the paper-clad sandwich into Frankie’s chest. “This is for you! I hope you enjoy it, if you’re not too mad to eat it.”
Frankie gulped and looked down at the sandwich. He took hold of it and sniffed it. “Is it...?”
“Yes, it’s that disgusting concoction that you love. Are you going to let me in to the shop or not?”
Frankie cleared his throat and mumbled, “Sorry, Grace. I’m being a prat. Of course you deserve a break. Sorry. Hang on. You said, ‘ex-girlfriend’. Which one?”
“Chloe. She’s got purple hair but she said she used to have green hair.”
The colour ran out of Frankie’s face. “Has she got a loud voice? Like a fog-horn?”
Grace nodded.
Frankie grabbed her by the arm and shoved her into the shop. He slammed the door and leant against it. “Grace, what did she say? Did she ask about me? Does she know I’m alive?”
Grace smiled. All his earlier bravado and anger had disappeared. She said, “Yes, she asked about you. She’s written her number on that paper bag. Shall I go back and let her know you’re interested in meeting up again?”
Frankie’s arm shot out. “No! I can’t go through that again. She’s so intense. And so loud! Is she coming over? Quick! Look out of the window!”
“It’s all right, she’s not coming over here.” Grace had an idea. “She might though. Why don’t you take the rest of the day off in case she does? Then I can take the morning off tomorrow.”
“Really? You’d do that? Thanks, Grace.”
“And I’d like the van tomorrow.”
Frankie’s eyes narrowed. “I’m not sure about that.”
“Just how loud was Chloe?” Grace said.
“Okay, you can take the van.” Frankie hunched his shoulders and tip-toed away.
Grace said, “She can’t see you through the door, you don’t have to walk like that.”
Frankie nodded. He stood straight and set off walking at a normal pace. There was a creak as the shop door opened. Like a streak of lightning Frankie shot off through the shop.
It wasn’t Chloe coming into the shop, it was Mrs Brown, one of their regulars.
Pearl had been watching the exchange between Frankie and Grace. She said, “Well done for standing up to him. It’ll serve him right if that Chloe person catches up to him. I take it you need tomorrow morning off for a specific reason?”
Grace nodded. She waited until Mrs Brown walked further into the shop before quickly filling Pearl in about her visit to the hotel. “I have to go back tomorrow to officially look at the honeymoon suite. It would be good if Archie could come with me, he might be able to remember more things. I suppose I’ll have to take the suitcase with me.”
Pearl tapped her chin. “Unless he’s attached to that necklace, the one with the hammer pendant. It seems to have a special meaning for him. He still hasn’t told us the story behind it.”
Pearl was right about the necklace. When the last customer had gone, and Grace had checked the building to make sure that Frankie wasn’t hiding anywhere, she took the necklace outside to the yard.
Within moments Archie appeared at her side. He nodded towards the necklace and said, “So, that’s what I’m attached to.”
“Looks like it,” Grace said. “It’s going to be easier for me to carry this around rather than your suitcase. Do you mind me holding it? It obviously means a lot to you.”
Archie looked at the necklace for a while. “I don’t mind you carrying it, I know you’ll take good care of it. I wish Jessie could have seen it.”
“Perhaps she will get to see it.”
Archie gave a forced laugh. “She might have been the one to kill me, she won’t want any reminders of our time together.”
“Don’t say that, you don’t know who killed you.”
Archie sighed. “I’ve watched enough TV shows, and read enough books to know that the murderer is usually someone close to the victim. Grace, you have to suspect everyone.”
Grace and Archie returned to the shop. Pearl was waiting for them. She said, “He’s right, you know. You need to treat everyone as a suspect.”
“How do you know he said that?” Grace asked.
Pearl gave her a satisfied smile. “One of my many talents is lip-reading. Now, it’s time for you to go home. Take Archie with you and get all the information that you need.”
Grace looked at Archie. “Is that all right with you?”
“Of course.”
Pearl grinned at Grace. “Just make sure you don’t fall in love with him. I know you haven’t had the company of a man for a while but Archie isn’t the one for you!”
With a cackle Pearl disappeared.
Grace shook her head, her cheeks burning.
Archie laughed. “She really is a character, isn’t she? She’ll be mad if she hears me saying this but she cares for you a great deal. And I can see why. Shall we go?”
Grace nodded. She knew Pearl was being ridiculous but it would be easy to fall for a man like Archie, dead or alive.
Chapter 14
Grace decided to catch the bus home, she’d come back for the van in the morning. On the ride home she promised herself that she would look into buying her own car soon.
Archie didn’t appear on the bus and Grace hoped that he was still attached to the necklace. Her worries disappeared as soon as she stepped inside her home.
“What a lovely home, so cosy and welcoming,” Archie said. He turned around, nodding his head appreciatively.
Grace hung her coat and handbag up. She motioned for Archie to take a seat in the living room. She said, “It is a bit small but I like it.”
Archie smiled. “You’ve got a good eye for decoration, I love your style. How long have you lived here?” He suddenly held his hand up. “No. Don’t answer any of my questions until you get yourself a drink and prepare something to eat. You need to look after yourself, Grace. If I was able, I’d do it for you.”
Grace felt a warmth slide down her back at Archie’s concern. Pearl’s warning came back to her but Grace decided to enjoy the moment anyway. She made her way into the kitchen and quickly put together a cheese and pickle sandwich. She threw a bit of lettuce inside to make sure she had some nutrition. With a large mug of tea in her hand she returned to the living room and set her mug and plate on the table in front of the sofa.
Archie sat next to her on the sofa. He pointed to the sandwich and said, “You’re not to speak until you’ve eaten. You can be my captive audience whilst I tell you about myself.”
That suited Grace, she wanted to know all about Archie, and her tummy was starting to growl in an unladylike manner. Grace began to eat and Archie began to talk.
“I worked in the computer business. I’ve always been fascinated by them. I didn’t go to university, I wanted to get stuck in to paid employment as soon as I could. I started off in sales. I was one of those annoying people that phone you up at night when you’re having your dinner. I got a lot of abuse in that job! It was justified abuse too, I was so arrogant, I didn’t care that I was a nuisance.
“I moved on to other companies and started learning more about computer sales. Now, this is the ironic bit, when I got home after a long day I used to get those irritating phone calls! The very same kind that I used to mak
e. I soon realised what a pain they are, you’d think I’d be more patient with the people on the other end but I’m ashamed to say I used to swear at them. It’s the intrusion that used to bother me. How dare people ring up and expect your time?”
Grace nodded through a mouthful of sandwich.
Archie continued, “It wasn’t just the intrusion at home, it made my blood boil whenever a virus attacked my computer. Have you ever had those?”
Another nod from Grace.
“It’s the scam behind those viruses that irritated me. They always wanted you to buy their product to stop the very virus that they had attached in the first place. I knew how to get rid of them but many of my colleagues were taken in by them. I was the one that people came to whenever they got attacked by a virus in the office. We had virus protection but it was never good enough. I was determined to make something better. And I did. Not only does it prevent the virus attack, my system also locates the sender.”
Grace had finished her sandwich. “I didn’t know you could do that. What do you do with that information? Tell the police?”
Archie gave her a wry smile. “The police have enough to deal with. Until there is a better security system controlling the Internet we deal with these matters ourselves.”
Grace’s eyes widened. “What do you do? Send the heavies round? Threaten them?”
Archie laughed. “We don’t have heavies! All we can do is send an email letting them know that we’ve located them and we know how they are operating.”
“Oh. That doesn’t sound very threatening.”
“You’d be surprised. These people are nothing but bullies. Online bullies are cowards as well. As soon as they know they’ve been spotted they usually give up. Or change their operating names. The people in charge are not that clever, we always find their new identity.”
“That sounds like a full-time job,” Grace said.
“It is. That’s dealt with by our fraud department. We have other departments that help people with online security. It’s big business. I think our products are the best on the market. I shouldn’t be telling you this but you look trustworthy, I’m sure you’ll keep this to yourself. We recruited some high-level computer hackers. You’d be amazed at what they can do. They keep a low profile, some of them have been in prison, I think some of them are wanted by the police.”
Grace frowned.
Archie noticed her concerned look. “What is it?”
“It sounds as if you were doing business with some dodgy people. Could one of them be holding a grudge against you? Could one of them have killed you?”
Chapter 15
Archie shook his head. “I don’t think so. I trusted all of them, I often didn’t understand them but I made it clear how much they were appreciated. And I paid them well. They taught me a lot of things. Anyway, that’s enough about my background, tell me about you.”
Grace said, “Nope, nothing about me yet. That isn’t nearly enough information. You haven’t told me about Jessie, or the hammer necklace.”
Archie looked down at his wedding ring and smiled. “Of course, I have to tell you about Jessie.” He brought his attention back to Grace. “Well, my business grew. We offered a good service, we had one-to-one meetings with businesses and made sure they were getting the right product. I was soon the manager and needed bigger office space. Have you seen the buildings down by the canals in Leeds? They used to be warehouses.”
“I have. And I’ve seen the apartments that they’ve been converted in to. I thought the asking prices were a typing error when I saw them online! Is that where you lived?”
“No, but it’s where we set up office. We got one of the warehouses further down the canal. It needed renovating and I’m sentimental over old buildings. I wanted to retain as many of the original features as I could. That’s when I met Gordon West. He’d done work for a friend of mine and was highly recommended. As soon as I met him I knew he was the right man for the job. He gave me detailed quotations, a good price and a starting date. I agreed to everything. He was due to start with his team on a Monday morning in June.
“That was the Monday that my life changed. Gordon turned up with his team, one of which was his daughter, Jessie.”
“Your Jessie?” Grace asked.
“Yes, my Jessie. She’s a skilled carpenter. She took my breath away. She turned up in denim overalls and big industrial boots. Not a speck of make-up on her face, she didn’t need it, she’s beautiful. She’s got this elfin kind of face with spiky short hair. She hates me saying this but she has the cutest dimples when she smiles. I fell in love with her on the spot. I think Gordon suspected immediately from my face, his attitude changed towards me soon after that.”
“Why?”
Archie shrugged. He waved a hand towards his face and said, “I tend to attract a lot of attention. I used to get asked out a lot by women and I was too polite to say no. I suppose I got a reputation as a playboy. Not true, by the way. There was another person on Gordon’s team, Rob, he took an instant dislike to me. I heard him and Gordon referring to me in less than satisfactory terms Rob is about ten years older than Jessie but it was clear that he liked her.”
“Did you ask Jessie out straight away?” Grace picked up her mug of tea. If someone like Archie ever asked her out she would say yes immediately.
Archie grinned. “Yes, but she resisted my charms I think she believed the gossip about me. And it didn’t help that Rob was adding to the rumours.”
“Why didn’t you put her straight?” Grace asked.
Archie shrugged. “I could hardly confront her dad and Rob and call them liars. I thought we could become friends first. And we did when she tried to kill me.”
Grace choked on her tea. She wiped her chin and put her mug down.
Archie explained, “She was on a ladder working on one of the old doors. I didn’t know she was there and I barged through the door. She screamed and dropped her hammer. Straight on to my foot. I nearly bit through my lips trying to keep my curses under control. I saw the twinkle in Jessie’s eyes and she was trying not to laugh, but there was also concern on her face. She insisted on taking me to the hospital, much to Rob’s disgust. Luckily for me there was a long waiting time at the hospital, about six hours I think. It was long enough for Jessie and I to talk, to get to know each other.”
“And you got together after that?”
“We did, despite the hard looks from Gordon and Rob. I think I just about won Gordon over but Rob and I were never going to be friends.”
Without thinking Grace said, “He’s just become a suspect.”
Archie looked as if he was about to disagree. He paused, and then nodded. “You could be right. Now you know the story behind the hammer necklace.”
“That’s very romantic. If Jessie isn’t ...” Grace began.
“The one who killed me?” Archie concluded.
“Yes, if she didn’t kill you I think it would be nice to give her that necklace. What do you think?”
“That would be lovely. And for the record, I don’t think Jessie was the one who killed me.”
Grace didn’t disagree. She’d dealt with enough murder cases now to know that people were capable of lying about love.
Archie settled back into the sofa, his hands resting behind his head.
Grace said, “Why are you looking at me like that? That’s quite a mischievous look. Do I want to know what you’re thinking?”
Archie’s grin widened. “I’ve seen your laptop over there. How would you like to become a computer hacker?”
Chapter 16
“Hack in to what?” Grace asked in a high-pitched voice. “I can’t do something illegal!”
“It’s not illegal, not really. Well, it is but we won’t get caught,” Archie said.
“Never mind ‘we’, it’s me that will get the blame.” Grace paused as she thought about something. “Will it help with our investigations?”
“It certainly will.”
“Wi
ll I get caught?”
“No. I’m going to help you install some of our company software. Think of it as a cloaking device, lots of companies have them. Grace, look at me.”
Grace did so. Archie gave her an earnest smile. “You don’t have to do this. I don’t want you to do anything you’re uncomfortable with.”
Grace relented. “If it helps us to find out who killed you then I’m in. Are we going to hack in to police records? Look at witness statements? Can we look at the coroner’s report?”
“You’ve been watching too many television programmes. I was going to suggest the hotel’s CCTV system. It’s one that my company installed. The hotel doesn’t keep recordings from that far back but we always do, just in case a customer needs them. We could look at the day of the wedding, see who was there.”
Grace couldn’t hide the disappointment in her voice. “So, we’re going to hack in to your old company?”
“Yes. Don’t look so disappointed, it’s still a tricky thing to do.” Archie wiggled his eyebrows. “We can always break into MI5 after that.”
At Archie’s instructions Grace fired up her computer. Archie was shocked at the low level of security that she had in place. “It’s a wonder your identity hasn’t been stolen. I could work out your passwords and bank information in two minutes.”
Archie gave instructions on how to upload several security programmes along with the cloaking programme he’d first mentioned. In a few clicks Grace was looking at The Sycamore Hotel’s logo. Archie told her to type in the day of the wedding. Two camera angles came up, one from behind the main reception desk, and one from outside the ground floor lifts.
“This should give us all we need,” Archie said. He pointed to the screen. “Look, 8 a.m. and you can see the caterers arriving. And here are the flowers. And there I am.”
“You were there early,” Grace said.
“I wanted to make sure everything ran smoothly. Fast forward a bit. Okay. Stop. Here is the happy father of the bride.”
Murder Vows (Storage Ghost Murders Book 4) Page 5