Don't Feed the Rat!

by Annie Appleton

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Jacob’s blood boiled and thoughts kept spinning through his head. What a horrible man Rupert Fairclough was, with his fake smile, sunbed tan and tailored suits. He wasn’t going to hurt his mother, that much Jacob knew.

  Jacob stepped through the door of Posh Nosh and stood at the counter with his hands shoved deep into the pockets of his lab coat.

  Emily and Peggy stared at him.

  ‘What happened?’ Emily asked. ‘Don’t tell me that McDermott accused you of something else.’

  Jacob shook his head. ‘No. It’s Rupert. He’s blackmailing me.’

  Emily dropped the pen she’d been fiddling with. ‘How?’

  ‘He’s threatened to evict my mother from her home in exchange for us not looking into those stupid building plans of his.’

  ‘Huh...? Is he an idiot?’ Emily said. ‘Doesn’t he realise that this makes him ten times more suspicious.’ She waved her arms. ‘I’m certain now that he killed Godric.’

  ‘Clearly Rupert thinks he has it all under control,’ Jacob said. It suddenly felt as if all energy drained out of him; through his shoes into the floor. He grabbed on to the counter, as if not sure his legs could hold him up much longer. ‘I’m worried about my mum.’

  ‘How’s Dot taking it?’ Peggy asked, absentmindedly wiping the counter clean.

  ‘She was very distressed earlier,’ Jacob said. ‘Didn’t know what was happening to her.’

  ‘Maybe it would be best if Dot stayed with me for a couple of days,’ Peggy said. ‘Until it all blows over.’

  ‘Good idea.’ He sighed. He hadn’t realised how tired he was. Peggy reached across the counter and touched his hand. Jacob didn’t pull back. His cheeks burned. From the corner of his eyes he saw Emily smile. Smarty-pants... Then by accident he made eye contact with Peggy. Butterflies fluttered in his stomach.

  Peggy cleared her throat. ‘Let me cut you a nice piece of Blue Stilton to take to your mother.’ She started bustling about. ‘And later I will help Dot pack a few things so she can stay with me.’

  Jacob’s heart swelled and he smiled at Peggy. She smiled back and for the first time since he’d known her, he noticed how grey her lovely eyes were.

  Jacob and Emily walked along Milbury Road. Emily had finished her shift at Posh Nosh and they were on their way to the allotments once more.

  ‘I found out that Marlee was hanging about Georgie’s allotment to keep an eye on her father,’ Emily said. ‘It seems that many people know about Rupert and Georgie’s affair. Marlee was bullied about it by her schoolmates during lunchtime.’

  ‘Really?’ Jacob shook his head. ‘It’s amazing what teenagers pick up on to make each other’s lives hard. Seems that nothing has changed.’

  Emily looked at Jacob. ‘Were you bullied in school?’

  ‘Well, yeah. But it’s understandable, really.’ Jacob shrugged. ‘I was much smarter than anyone else.’

  Emily snorted. ‘With such an attitude it’s no wonder you were picked on.’

  ‘You think so?’

  Emily wondered if Jacob was joking, but he seemed serious. She smiled. ‘I have a hard time picturing you as a teenager. When was that? In the sixties?’

  ‘No, in the seventies.’ Jacob stared at Emily for a second. ‘How old do you think I am?’

  Emily shrugged. ‘I don’t know. Sixty-five?’

  ‘Fifty-two! The same age as your Uncle Dave.’

  ‘Sorry, but he just looks much younger than you.’ She looked at Jacob, hiding a smile. It was so much fun to wind him up.

  ‘I’m not talking to you any more.’ Jacob walked faster.

  ‘I was joking,’ Emily said and caught up with him again. ‘I know you’re fifty-two.’

  Jacob stopped and stared across the street at the entrance of St Silas’ church. Emily recognised DCI McDermott, who was talking to Hal Simms. Jacob pulled Emily behind a parked car and together they peeked over the car’s roof at the two men. It was impossible to hear what they were saying.

  ‘What are they doing?’ Emily said.

  ‘I don’t know.’

  A large truck passed in between them and the two men, temporarily obscuring their view. When the truck had gone, Hal had almost disappeared around a corner. McDermott stared after him. Then the inspector got in his car and drove off.

  Jacob straightened up. ‘This is the third time I’ve seen McDermott talking to that guy. Why would he do that?’

  Emily shrugged. ‘Maybe to interview him about Godric?’

  ‘Yes, I suppose that is the most logical reason.’ They walked on.

  ‘What other reason could he have?’ Emily said.

  ‘I don’t know. Perhaps he’s trying to get them to do things for him.’

  Emily stared at him. ‘What do you mean?’

  Jacob looked down at his hands. He shuffled his feet. ‘I have a theory, but it’s better if you forget I said anything.’

  Walking on along Milbury Road, Emily wondered again if Jacob knew more about the henchmen being in town. After all, he hadn’t told her that he talked to them himself the evening before. What was it that he was holding back? Something about McDermott and the henchmen? Or had it really something to do with the henchmen being after Jacob? But why would he then say that McDermott had something to do with it?

  Then Emily remembered Priscilla talking about a missing boy.

  ‘You know,’ she said. ‘Priscilla came into the shop, but I saw her tease Marlee about Rupert’s affair as well.’

  ‘Hmpf.’ Jacob shrugged. ‘That doesn’t surprise me, really. Priscilla is not a very nice person.’

  ‘She mentioned a missing boy and a family secret,’ Emily said.

  Jacob’s eyes flitted in her direction. He cleared his throat, but didn’t answer.

  Emily rolled her eyes. ‘Has it got something to do with your computer project?’

  ‘Priscilla doesn’t know what she’s talking about.’

  ‘Well, she seems quite on the ball with everything that goes on around Milbury.’ Emily stopped walking and Jacob faced her.

  ‘Priscilla is an interfering busybody with too much time on her hands.’ His voice was sharp. ‘Please stop asking about my project.’

  ‘But why? What’s the big secret? You’re practically my uncle. I have a right to know what is going on.’ She glared at him, hands on hips. Her blue eyes flashed.

  ‘There’s nothing to know.’ Jacob walked on and ignored Emily as she snatched some leaves off an ivy that grew on a wall. She caught up and they walked on in silence. Emily couldn’t believe Jacob. More secrets. Could she actually trust him? She thought about it for a while. Well, if Uncle Dave and Aunt Peggy trusted him, so probably could she, but Jacob wasn’t making it easy.

  Emily sighed deeply. Then to break the silence she said, ‘Did you hear anything interesting during your second visit to the police station this morning?’

  Jacob thought for a moment. ‘The police station. That seems like a long time ago... um... Yes, someone broke into Godric’s shed, but they don’t know why. Also, the police found evidence on Godric’s clothes and they want to use DNA to find out who left it there.’

  ‘What sort of evidence?’

  ‘I don’t know.’ Jacob shrugged. ‘A hair perhaps, or skin flakes. In any case, they took a DNA sample from me for comparison.’

  ‘Can they just do that?’

  ‘They can, because I was under arrest,’ Jacob said. ‘But I’m not worried about the evidence matching my DNA. I simply wasn’t near Godric’s body.’

  They were nearing the allotments. Emily realised that with the henchmen hanging about and Jacob’s secrets, she had all but forgotten about Rupert and his plans.

  ‘How do you think Rupert found out about us knowing about the building plans?’ Emily said.

  Jacob scratched his chin. It made a rasping sound. ‘That must have been Georgie, as we talked to her about it yesterday.’

  ‘I guess you’re right.’ Emily n
odded. ‘Is Rupert really that stupid to have all the suspicion point towards himself?’

  ‘Well, Rupert is counting on the blackmail working and that we won’t dare to continue asking questions.’

  ‘Are you going to stop looking into it because of Dot?’ Emily glanced at Jacob, who shook his head.

  ‘Not at the moment. In fact I think we should talk to Georgie to find out what she really knows about the plans.’

  They entered the allotments from Milbury Road. When they came to the crossing of the paths, they noticed Ian Fraser as well as the Jeffersons looking in the direction of Georgie’s allotment. There, a uniformed policeman stood looking about him as if he expected trouble.

  ‘What’s happening?’ Jacob said to Ian.

  ‘The inspector is talking to Georgie. He seemed serious.’

  At that moment Abe Monday exited the allotment, followed by Georgie and McDermott. The policeman took Georgie by the elbow, but she shook him loose. Tears streaked her face.

  ‘Looks like they’re arresting Georgie,’ Emily said. ‘We’re too late.’

  As the three policemen and Georgie walked past, McDermott gave them a glare.

  ‘I’m glad there seems to be another suspect,’ Jacob said. ‘Maybe I’m off the hook now.’

  ‘Let’s hope so.’

  With their intended target gone from the allotments Jacob and Emily felt a bit forlorn. Ian Fraser went back to his carrots and even the Jeffersons lost interest.

  ‘What do we do now?’ Emily asked.

  Jacob nodded his head to Godric’s allotment. ‘I think we should find out why Godric’s shed is so interesting that it was broken into.’

  The crime scene tape still hung across the entrance to Godric’s allotment. Jacob looked over his shoulder at the Jeffersons, but they were now focussed on tying a large net around their cherry trees.

  ‘Let’s go,’ he said and ducked under the tape. Emily followed.

  While Emily rooted around the allotment itself, Jacob made his way to the back of Godric’s shed. Why not take the opportunity to take a quick look at the new species of rat. He hoped Emily wouldn’t notice, as she would probably start nagging again. And after their somewhat tense conversation earlier, he didn’t want to upset her again. Not now that she just seemed to have calmed down again.

  Jacob peered around the back of the shed. The dark rat was sitting near its nest. Jacob pulled his notebook out. But what was that? The rat was accompanied by a common brown rat. How interesting! They mixed? What if they were breeding? Would there be bicoloured baby rats? Jacob scribbled some notes in his notebook. Unfortunately the rats waddled off. Jacob watched their tails disappear in the undergrowth.

  Back at the front of the shed Jacob tried the door. It wasn’t locked and Jacob went inside.

  It was a rather large shed. Larger than his and Jacob suspected that it was even larger than society rules allowed. Being a chairman apparently had its advantages. Well, if you discounted getting murdered...

  The shed was filled with the general stuff one would expect in an allotment shed. Gardening tools and bags of potting soil. But it was clear that someone had searched the shed. Tools were taken from the hooks on the wall and the bags of soil dragged away from the wall. What were they looking for?

  Or was it all a set-up? Perhaps it was a plan to frame him for the murder. What if McDermott had asked Hal and Clyde to break into the shed in order to make him look suspicious? Jacob did not trust policemen, especially the ones higher up in the ranks. However, framing an innocent man would be a step too far. Even for McDermott.

  Jacob’s eye fell on a picture frame that lay face down on the workbench. Strange. What was it doing here? Jacob picked it up and stared at the faces of four people, all dressed in old-fashioned clothes.

  Emily poked her head around the door. ‘Come and have a look at this!’

  Jacob put the picture down and joined Emily outside. She held a pinkish flower petal on her outstretched hand. ‘I’ve checked, but there are no such flowers on Godric’s allotment.’ Jacob looked around. She was right.

  He took the petal and studied it. ‘I’ve seen this before, but where...’ He looked up at the sky. ‘On Georgie’s allotment!’

  It was only a short walk to Georgie’s allotment. They found the plant in question in the corner, next to her shed.

  ‘Now we finally have proof that Georgie knows more than she says,’ Emily said. She carefully wrapped the petal in a tissue and put it in her pocket.

  She smiled, then held up a flat hand in the air. ‘Give me a high five, professor.’ Somewhat awkwardly, Jacob obliged.

  * * *

  Paddy

  Vinnie and I had made our way back up the hill. It had been a bit disconcerting to see a two-legged so deliberately stare at us. Especially one who didn’t seem scared. Vinnie said that White Coat had been coming around to look at him for a while, but that he didn’t mind. This was one two-legged who seemed harmless. I actually had to agree with him. White Coat was around a lot, always looking at snails and bees, or hiding away on his allotment.

  Now I sat on the garden wall listening to Pete and Eddy, who were discussing if omens were real or not.

  ‘Of course they are,’ Pete said. ‘My Great-grandma Arabella showed me a whole host of them when I was a little’un.’

  ‘But did they come true?’ Eddy said.

  Pete’s ears drooped. He shook his head. ‘I don’t remember. I was too little.’

  Vinnie sighed. He had wandered off a bit down the wall as soon as the conversation had turned to omens, but he was still listening.

  ‘Squirrels don’t have omens,’ Eddy said. ‘We are famous for our gut feeling.’

  ‘Really?’ Pete said with a smile. ‘I have never heard of that.’

  Eddy glared at him. ‘It’s true! We just know when something feels right or wrong.’

  At that moment Cecil sprinted by on the path. ‘Hey, you old fleabags.’ He squinted up at us. ‘I’m building a new prank, so you’d better beware...’

  We watched as he disappeared down the hill.

  ‘What does your gut feeling say about that?’ Pete asked Eddy.

  ‘Trouble.’

  ‘No it isn’t,’ I said. ‘He’s just trying to rile us. We’d better ignore him.’

  ‘I agree with Oracle Paddy.’ Vinnie had moved closer again. ‘Now let’s change the subject. I’m sick of omens and guts.’

  In the distance a dog snorted. Mad Maggie came down the path with her dog. For a change it was walking in front of her, nose to the ground, as if it was tracking something.

  ‘Find them, Major, seek!’

  My gut immediately told me something was wrong. ‘This is not good.’

  ‘What do you mean?’ Vinnie asked.

  ‘Her telling the dog to find us. Just like the Mad Maggie in Great-grandma Arabella’s ratlore.’

  ‘No, she doesn’t mean us, does she?’

  Mad Maggie and the dog came closer. She scanned the hedges with her eyes. ‘Find, Major. Get me some of those dirty rats.’

  I jumped up and pulled my left ear twice and right ear once. It didn’t help. Mad Maggie still came closer. The dog snorted. A cold dread now settled in the pit of my stomach. My fur started to itch. I needed to get away from here. I couldn’t just sit on the wall and let the dog find us. Mad Maggie would kill us!

  I jumped off the wall.

  ‘What are you doing?!’ Vinnie’s voice reached me, but I didn’t react. ‘Come back, don’t be so childish!’

  I couldn’t help it. I had to hide.

  Behind me Vinnie jumped off the wall as well. Pete and Eddy followed. The movement made the dog look up. It started barking and pulled at the lead.

  ‘Yes! We’ve got them,’ Mad Maggie said. ‘Get them, Major, get them!’

  Mad Maggie and her dog started chasing us. I wasn’t able to think straight any more and in a blind panic I ran down the hill, followed by Vinnie, Pete and Eddy.

  Halfway down, I
looked over my shoulder. To my horror Mad Maggie and the dog were gaining ground fast. I had to do something. I ducked into an allotment.

  ‘You’re not going to escape so easily!’ Mad Maggie followed us on to the allotment. Her dog was now hot on our heels and the others were panicking as well.

  ‘What are we going to do?’ Pete said. He gasped for air and was now the last in line, the dog snapping at his tail.

  Suddenly I saw a tall pile of buckets in front of me. In a flash I wondered what on earth they were doing here, piled up like that. Then I was on top of them and unable to stop from running headlong into them. With a bang I bumped into the bottom bucket with my shoulder. A pain shot through it. I came to a stop. The pile of buckets teetered.

  ‘Nooooo...’ Cecil’s voice came from a distance.

  I saw the buckets slowly tumble over. The first one hit Vinnie on the head, who fell to the ground, all groggy. The second bucket toppled over and trapped Pete underneath it. Then a final bucket hit the dog on the head. It stopped in its tracks, dizzy.

  The chaos was complete. I ran towards Vinnie, who picked himself up off the ground, gingerly feeling the giant lump that was forming on his head.

  ‘I’m so sorry you got hurt, Vinnie,’ I said. ‘It’s all my fault.’ Vinnie looked at me a bit funny, as if he didn’t realise what had happened.

  Mad Maggie watched from a short distance. Her shrill voice pierced the air. ‘This was done on purpose! You have it in for me and my dog.’ She pulled the dog away on its lead. ‘Look what you’ve done to him.’ She put her arms around its neck and checked if it was alright.

  Then she left the allotment, the dog still wobbly on its feet. ‘I’ll get you for this.’ She glared in our direction, but none of us cared.

  Cecil was now on top of us. He jumped up and down in frustration and yelled in my face. ‘You destroyed my prank, stupid old rat!’ I ignored him and grabbed Vinnie by the arm. Like the dog he was still wobbly on his feet.

  Then Pete’s voice came, sounding hollow from under the bucket. ‘Hey, what’s happening? Let me out!’ Eddy pushed the bucket over and Pete emerged. He looked about him, then burst out laughing. ‘Did we destroy your prank? That’s so funny!’