Christmas

by Emily Harvale

  'Unless he used some of the money you'd given him, instead.'

  'Catherine! How can you think such a thing?'

  Cat scanned Mary's face. 'Be honest, Mum. You've been wondering the same thing, haven't you?'

  'No. I merely wondered when the marble would be arriving, amongst other things and when I asked him, he said that there are delays and it's all to do with Brexit and such.'

  'But you don't really believe that, do you?'

  'I do. I did. Until today. No. I have had one or two doubts, I'll admit.' She sighed. 'Life is very strange, Catherine. One minute everything is wonderful. The next minute we're doubting everything and questioning things that earlier we would have said we knew were true without a shadow of a doubt. It was his reaction to the wills. I can't explain it and I don't know why, but something told me this wasn't quite right. And I haven't been able to shake that feeling.'

  'I didn't want to tell you this but Natalia looked at what he'd done at the house and she was less than impressed. She said it's sub-standard work. I'm not sure he's really a builder at all.'

  'What are you saying, Catherine? That he's some sort of conman? That I'm his 'mark'. Isn't that what they're called?'

  'I'm not saying that. But I think you're beginning to wonder if it's true, aren't you? I can see the doubt in your eyes, Mum.'

  Mary hung her head. 'I don't know what to think anymore. I love him. I thought he loved me. But how do you tell if someone is really sincere? How do you know if someone really loves you for you? Or if they love you for some other reason? Or merely want what they can get from you? I've never been good at relationships. Nor has Mother. And let's be honest, Catherine, nor have you. It's the Devon luck with men. It's all bad.'

  'Hold on, Mum. I was lucky with Kyle. Until he died. And I might have been lucky with Amias if you and Granny Viola hadn't decided that was not going to happen.'

  'What? What are you talking about?'

  Mary's horrified expression showed she knew precisely what Cat was talking about.

  'I think you know, Mum. I need to have a conversation with you about exactly what happened eighteen years ago. With you and Granny Viola and me and Amias. But that can wait for another day. For now, we need to deal with you and Jeremy.'

  Mary shook her head. 'No, Catherine. I'm the one who needs to deal with me and Jeremy.' She got to her feet, smoothed down her dress and stared at her reflection in the floor to ceiling mirrors. 'I thought he was the answer to my prayers. It seems I may have been mistaken. It appears I have been wrong about a great many things in my life.'

  Despite being cross with her, Cat couldn't help but feel sorry for her. Mary had been so happy since Jeremy had come into her life.

  'What are you going to do, Mum?'

  'Nothing during dinner. I don't want to ruin everyone's Christmas Eve. But I'm going to ask him to be honest with me. And then I'm going to ask him to move out of Devon Villa for a while. I think we both need time to think. We Devon women are strong, Catherine. Especially when we need to be. You know that better than the rest of us.'

  Cat linked her arm through Mary's and they walked back to the dining room. Jeremy's chair was empty and Cat and Mary exchanged glances.

  'Where's Jeremy?' Cat asked.

  'He went to the loo,' Kyra said. 'About one minute after you and Gran. He'll be back in a moment, I expect.'

  Mary let out a dramatic sigh and slumped down onto her chair. 'I wouldn't count on that, Kyra.'

  'Mum?' A sudden thought dawned on Cat. 'He's got a car. And he's got a key to Devon Villa.'

  Chapter Eighteen

  Amias smiled at Natalia as he and his dad, Alwick were leaving. 'I'm going to miss barging into your home.'

  He watched the door glide shut behind him and waited for the satisfying click of the lock.

  Natalia grinned and wrapped her long, thick cardigan more tightly around her.

  'You do realise there's a real chance of me locking myself out every time I put the bins out, or I go to get something from my car, don't you?'

  Alwick laughed. 'Which is why Amias said we had to put one of these key boxes outside. They're normally found on the homes of elderly people so that care workers and emergency service personnel can gain access if the person has a fall. They're not meant for youngsters like you who can't remember to take their keys with them, or put on the safety catch and remember to click it off again the moment they're inside.'

  He used the key to open the front door again before putting the key in the box and shutting it as Natalia stepped back inside the doorway.

  'Hmm. Thanks for that. Do I have to remember the combination for this key box? Because you know what I'm like with codes, don't you?'

  It was Amias' turn to laugh. 'Which is why both Dad and I have got it on our phones. And so has Josh. If you get locked out and can't recall the key box combo, call one of us. We've put it on your phone, but you'll forget what it is and delete it, knowing you.'

  'Oi. I'm not completely stupid, you know.'

  'Not completely,' Amias agreed, grinning as he pulled his ringing phone from the pocket of his jeans and glanced at the screen. 'It's Cat.' He beamed at Natalia and turned away as he answered the call. 'It can't be 9.30 already, can it? I'm still at Natalia's. Wait. What? Slow down, Cat. What's happened? Say that again.'

  'I said that we were right about Jeremy. At least we think we were. He and Mum have had a row and we think he may be on the way back to Devon Villa. He's got a key and we think he may take some stuff. He can take his own stuff, but nothing else. We've tried to call a cab but there's nothing available and it'll take us ages to get there. Is there any chance that you could go round and see if he's there? I know it's a lot to ask and I know you're going out but I don't know who else to turn to.'

  'Of course I'll go round. You're saying you think he may steal something? Seriously? And you think he'll be there now?'

  'He left about ten minutes ago, so it'll take him a little while to get there in this weather. It took us about forty minutes earlier, but it was daylight then.'

  'And what do you want me to do? Insist on going in with him and waiting while he gets his stuff? I can do that.'

  'Yes please. And make sure he doesn't take anything. I'm not saying he will. I'm just saying we're not sure.'

  'And you'd rather be safe than sorry. I get that. Er. Does Mary know you're asking me?'

  'She knows.'

  Amias laughed. 'And she trusts me?'

  'This isn't funny, Amias. This is serious. And if I'm honest, no. She doesn't. But at this point in time she trusts you more than she trusts Jeremy.'

  'I'm not sure that's a glowing endorsement. But fine. I'll go right now. Where will you be? I'll call you when he arrives. Just one thing though. What if he doesn't? Is there a key somewhere else? Or do you want me to sit outside in the car all night? Which I'll do, if you want me to. But I'd rather be inside in the warm.'

  'Annie has a key. She works in Bella Vista. And I'll either be at the hotel or at the hospital, but I'll keep my phone on, regardless.'

  'I know Annie. Will you ask Mary if it's OK for me to get it and go inside?'

  'Hold on.' There was a muffled sound before Cat spoke again. 'She says, “needs must”, which is her way of saying she'd rather invite the devil and his hordes than you, but she has no choice.' Cat sighed down the phone.

  'Thanks. She might want to remember that she's asking me a favour.'

  'She's not. I am.'

  'OK. That's different. I'll call you later. Hold on. Dad's insisting on coming with me. Although I'm not sure he knows where or why. But he clearly thinks I'm twelve and need some help.' Amias laughed again. 'Best not tell Mary that though.'

  'I won't. Thanks, Amias. I owe you for this.'

  'And I'll ask for payment. But it won't be money, Cat.' He rang off and grinned.

  'What's going on?' Natalia asked. 'Did I hear you mention Jeremy?'

  Amias gave a brief explanation.

  He wasn't sure he
believed it. It seemed a bit far-fetched. But then again, there were men who saw women as cash cows and took advantage of them financially as well as emotionally. Was Jeremy Stone one of them?

  He had asked around about Jeremy, as he'd promised, but no one seemed to know the man, or anything about him. Amias had even asked his friends in the police but there was no record of a Jeremy Stone. That was a good thing. If Jeremy Stone was the man's real name, of course.

  'Can I come too?' Natalia was clearly excited.

  'No. You've got to stay here and look after Josh. We'll pop back later and fill you in on the details though.'

  'I thought you were going to the pub tonight.'

  'I was. But now I'm going to Devon Villa.'

  Natalia came outside to give them her usual hug goodbye and the door glided shut behind her.

  'Damn,' she said. 'Amias. I've locked myself out. I can see this door is going to be a pain in the proverbial.'

  Amias let out a laugh. 'The door is fine, Natalia. You're the pain in the proverbial.'

  He shook his head as he let her back in using the key from the key box outside. With a final wave, he and Alwick got into his car and drove towards Devon Villa via the Bella Vista restaurant on Coast Road.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Cat waited patiently for Amias to call, but by the time she, Mary and Kyra, together with Ben and Diana finally got a cab and made it back to the hospital more than an hour later, there was still no call or message.

  'It's a good sign, Mum. It means Jeremy may not be going back to the house, after all.'

  They had told Ben and Diana as little as possible about the situation and merely said that Mary and Jeremy were reconsidering their relationship. Which was true in a way.

  'Or it means something has happened. His things are at the house. He'll have to go back.'

  Cat thought about it for a while as they entered the hospital and slowly made their way to Granny Viola's room. Diana and Ben were hanging back just a little as if they knew the Devons wanted a bit of space to talk.

  'But he didn't have much, did he? I mean, he didn't bring much with him when he came to stay. I'm sure I only saw a couple of holdalls when he moved in. He told you he was only planning to be in Merriment Bay for a week when you met him in the pub, remember?'

  'That's true. And no, he didn't have much with him, you're right.'

  'So he would only return to the house if he actually planned to rob it. I'm not sure if I'm imagining this, because of the situation, but when we went back to the house today, he brought three holdalls out with him, and another when we brought out the bags of presents. I assumed you'd asked him to bring several days' worth of clothes, in case you wanted to stay at the hotel for longer, but perhaps he already knew he might be leaving tonight.'

  Mary stopped in her tracks. 'Are you saying that he may have already taken his things? That he packed his bags this afternoon, in case?'

  Cat nodded. 'And that he may have already taken a few things he wanted from the house. Perhaps I should ask Amias to check the silver.'

  Mary bristled slightly. 'Is that a joke, Catherine?'

  'Sort of, but then again, not really. I'm serious, Mum. He may have decided this afternoon that things weren't going to go his way and to cut and run. He may have put a few 'goodies' in one of the holdalls he put in the car this afternoon. Oh God. And I left him to bring in the presents. Did he, Mum? Did he take the presents to your room? Are they there?'

  Mary shook her head. 'No. He said he was going to take them to your room. And he only brought one holdall up to ours. There was a change of clothes for us both, but nothing else was in it.'

  Kyra gasped. 'Are you saying he's stolen our presents? I hope Amias kills him.'

  Cat wrapped an arm around her daughter. 'I don't think Amias will see him, sweetheart. I think Jeremy Stone has gone. And yes, he's taken our Christmas presents with him.'

  Chapter Twenty

  'We've changed the locks,' Amias said, after Cat had called him to tell him the news about Jeremy. 'And we've had a look around, as you asked, but as I've only ever been here once before, when I carried Kyra up to her room, I don't really know if anything's missing or not. But there were jewellery boxes in what I assume must be Viola's and Mary's bedrooms, and both were open and empty, so I think we can safely say he took the jewellery. Your room and Kyra's looked untouched.'

  'Oh God. The bastard. Although both Granny Viola and Mum only used to keep costume jewellery in those, so it may not be as bad as we think. Assuming they still keep the good stuff in the safe.'

  'There's a safe? I didn't see that. He couldn't have put that in a holdall though. Sorry. That wasn't funny.'

  'I think we could all do with a bit of humour at the moment, to be honest. God, this is all so depressing. Mum's putting on a brave face but I think, deep down, she's devastated. She loved him and trusted him. At first.'

  'I wish I'd made more of an effort to find out about him. But everywhere I looked and everyone I asked came up with nothing. He isn't even on social media. Maybe that should've warned me.'

  'Hey. I wasn't on social media until I started writing to Ben.'

  Amias heard the catch in her voice and knew she hadn't meant to say that. He couldn't stop the twinge of jealously rising up inside him but he cleared his throat and forced himself to smile. Hopefully, that would help him sound less irritated than he felt.

  'I meant the fact that I came up with nothing and that no one had heard of him, rather than anything about social media. Is Ben taking care of you and Kyra and Mary? You've all had a dreadful shock.'

  'Yes. I mean, he's been kind. But we're fine. As Mum's always saying, we Devon women are made of strong stuff. I suppose we should call the police. But then Mum would have to get back to the house and see what's missing. No point in calling the insurance company. I think inviting a thief and conman to live with you probably breaches their terms. I'll ask her about the safe and the jewellery. It's behind the long mirror in the hall. Would you look to see if the mirror has moved and whether or not the safe is open? I don't think Mum would've given him the combination though.'

  'I'm in the hall now and the mirror's on the wall. Hold on. I'll check behind it.' He did, and when he checked the safe, it was locked. 'Nope. It's locked, so he didn't get in there. And yes, you should call the police but Mary will have to talk to them. I can call my friends in the force if you like and one of them can come and get her and bring her back here to look around. I'd offer to come myself, but I don't want to ruin her day even more.'

  'Thanks, Amias. I'd really appreciate that. I'll speak to her now and let her know that's what you're doing. And thank you for changing all the locks and for everything else. Thank you for being there, especially when I really needed you.'

  His heart skipped a beat.

  'I'll always be here for you, Cat. Whether you need me to or not.'

  She didn't respond right away and he remained silent. Had he said too much? Had he scared her off already? Or was Ben Mitchell being more of a comfort than she was saying?

  God how he wished he was at the bloody hospital.

  'That means a lot. Thank you, Amias.'

  'There's no need to thank me, Cat. Is there anything else you'd like me to do? I'll call you when I've spoken to my friends in Merriment Bay police, so check your messages if you're going back into Viola's room and switching off your phone. I shouldn't be more than fifteen minutes or so.'

  'I'll do that. What about the keys?'

  'Dad and I will wait here until Mary arrives.'

  'Your dad? Is that wise?'

  Amias laughed. 'You're right. It's probably not, but as we came in my car, it's either that, or me taking him home and then coming back. Which I'll happily do, if you want. It'll only take a couple of minutes each way, but we had planned to go to the pub together and meet some friends, later.'

  'No. Driving in this weather is bad enough. It's silly to do extra trips just because two people hate one another. Perhaps he c
ould wait in the car though when he knows they're on their way. But if you're still going out – and of course you should, it's Christmas Eve – you could leave the key somewhere safe.'

  'Er. I think that defeats the object of changing the locks. People always look for hidden keys. I'll tell you what I can do, if it's OK with you. I can give the keys to whichever of my friends comes to get Mary. I can drop the keys into the station on our way to the pub. Unless you want me to stay here.'

  'No. That's a brilliant idea. If your friend, or whoever is happy to do that, that would be great. Go out and have fun. You've wasted enough of your Christmas Eve already.'

  'It wasn't a waste, Cat. It was a pleasure. I'm not sure what else I need to say or do to convince you of that. But I still think we need to talk. And the sooner the better as far as I'm concerned.'

  'Yes. And we will. As soon as possible. But perhaps tonight isn't the best time. My head's all over the place with this business. And you haven't heard the worst part yet. The bloody man even stole our Christmas presents.'

  'You have got to be joking! I hope for his sake he has gone as far away as possible because if I get my hands on him, well, let's just say he won't be the only one spending time in jail.'

  'Amias! Then I really hope he has scarpered. Because jail is the last place I want you.'

  Amias laughed to himself as they said goodbye for now and he rang off. At least she had said she wanted him. In a roundabout way.

  He was hurt and sad that she was going to have such an awful Christmas and that he couldn't even be there to share it with her.

  He had an idea. The pub could wait.

  'Dad. We're going to the police and then we're heading back to Natalia's and after that, if it's OK with you, I'm driving to Eastbourne to the hospital. I'm friends with some of the doctors and nurses there and I'm sure they'll let me in even if it's very late. I'm going to make sure Cat and Kyra and also Mary and Viola get at least one Christmas present each, although I'll have to borrow them from Natalia.'