by Suzie Twine
“Ellie, have you seen Ellie, Jack’s dog? She’s disappeared.”
“No, I haven’t been out yet. When did she go?”
“Last night. Doreen let her out in the garden. The gate must have been left open. She’s so greedy, she probably went off rummaging for food and never came back, which really isn’t like her.”
“Oh God, I bet Jack’s beside himself!”
“I can’t tell you, I’ve never seen him so upset. Anyway I must carry on with the search. Please keep your eyes open.”
“Adam I’ll help. Which way do you want me to go?”
“Well, I’m going to the barns opposite and round the back. Would you knock at the rest of the houses and ask everyone to check their gardens, maybe you check Bert and Betty’s? I’ve seen Dave already.”
“Sure!”
Lois went upstairs and woke Tom. She pretty much ordered him out of bed, thrusting the cup of tea into his hand. Then told him that she had to go out and when she returned in twenty minutes, it would be time to go. She grabbed a fleece and her old shoes and set off.
As soon as she left the house she heard Jack calling for Ellie, the tone of his voice sounding uncharacteristically despondent. The thought of how Jack would react to the permanent loss of Ellie sent a chill down Lois’s spine. Despite hardly knowing him, she had picked up very clearly that Ellie had transformed Jack’s life beyond recognition. As Lois turned out of the garden gate and onto the road she could see Jack leaning forwards as far as he could in his wheelchair, his paralysed hand flopping down towards the ground. He was checking under the hedges. Jack looked up when he heard Lois approaching. He looked so upset and worried, a lump rose in Lois’s throat. He was about to speak when his gaze moved passed Lois and he let out a mournful cry. Lois looked around to see Adam, with Ellie lying flaccid in his arms. She was soaking wet, with blue foam around her mouth and blood on her tail.
“Jack, I’m so sorry,” said Adam. “Rat poison. She is still alive. I’ll take her to the vet.”
Jack shook his head and beckoned to Adam to bring Ellie to him. Adam lay her on Jack’s knee with her head resting in the crook of his paralysed arm, his good arm over her to prevent her slipping off. Ellie looked up at him and wagged her tail, then went limp. Adam felt Ellie’s chest for a pulse, there was nothing, “Jack I’m so sorry.” Jack bowed his head down towards the lifeless dog, stroked her tummy and began to sob.
Adam put a hand on Jack’s shoulder and crouched beside him. Lois, feeling at a loss as to what to do, thought the best thing would be to go and find Doreen.
The door was answered in seconds. She looked at Lois expectantly, then seeing the tears that were quickly making their way down Lois’s face, knew. Doreen embraced Lois and there they stood for several minutes, both of them distraught at the thought of what this loss was going to do to Jack. Eventually Doreen let go, put the door on the latch and the two of them went to find him.
Jack and Adam were exactly as Lois had left them. Doreen crouched down in front of Jack; she gave Ellie a stroke and, through her tears thanked her for all that she’d done. Then without saying a word she wheeled Jack back to the house with Lois and Adam following. When they arrived at the front door, Adam suggested to Jack that he took Ellie to the back garden, but Jack clung onto the body and for once, Lois thought his words “Oh bugger off!” were exactly what he wanted to say. Doreen put her hand on Adam’s arm, “Don’t worry Adam, can I call you in a while, he needs some time.” He nodded and, with Lois, quietly left, as Doreen tearfully wheeled Jack round to the back of the house.
Lois felt completely flat as she walked back to the cottage. It had been going to be such an exciting day, packing up the flat for the big move tomorrow, but now she felt she wouldn’t be able to raise any enthusiasm. As she opened the front door she remembered her hungover fiancé. Now she really wasn’t in the mood.
Fortunately Tom was well on the way to recovery. He had showered, eaten, drunk several pints of water and found some Alka Seltzer tucked away in his wallet. A vague memory of some of the events of the previous night made him sufficiently aware that he needed to make a major effort to make things up to Lois today.
“Where’ve you been?” Tom asked, giving Lois a hug. She was tempted to push him away, the smell of alcohol was still seeping through his pores, but as he had clearly been making an effort to recover himself, she hugged him back.
“I’ll explain in the car. We’re late, lets go. We don’t want our man with a van to give up on us.”
Tom had already loaded his car with everything Lois had left by the door. She did a quick check of the list she’d made the previous day, then took the keys from Tom. There was no way she’d let him drive anywhere today. And off they went.
Lois filled Tom in on what had happened that morning. She had put some tissues up her sleeve before they left, knowing it would be difficult to tell him without crying. She tried to dab her eyes as surreptitiously as possible. Lois had never been good in sad situations. She always cried her way through sad films and books. “Jack’s days are going to be so empty without Ellie, she’s been his constant companion. And Doreen, poor Doreen, having seen Jack through his stroke, to see him now, no doubt sink into another depression. Plus her own grief at losing Ellie, it’s just so sad.”
“Where did Adam find her?” asked Tom.
“I’m not entirely sure, but I know he said he’d go and look for her at the barns, and ‘around the back’, whatever that means.”
“That must have been the barns he showed me the other day, opposite our house. Lots of rats over there, but who would have put down poison without using a safe container? That’s just bloody stupid. We ought to find out who’s responsible. Presumably the groundsman from the manor would have done it.”
“It’s a bit late now Tom, she’s dead.”
“What about the other dogs. I’ve seen Annie and Dave’s two go through the hole in that hedge, imagine if they died too!”
Lois told Tom to phone Annie and make sure she knew what had happened, so she didn’t let Rupert and Reaver out unaccompanied until the source of the poison had been found and sorted. When Tom had put the phone down Lois asked, “So, how was the night out with the boys?”
“Do you know, strangely, I can’t remember much about it. I knew they did a great range of locally brewed beer in the pub, but I hadn’t planned to try them all! I remember getting very wet on the way home and that’s about it.”
“You said, or should I say you slurred something last night about fish pie and creme de menthe.” At the mention of which, Tom became tinged with green.
“Oh dear, no wonder I’m feeling a tadge under the weather!”
The traffic going into London was predictably slow, so they didn’t arrive at the flat until ten thirty. There wasn’t a parking space within two hundred yards and there was no sign of Ed or his van in the entire street. Lois gave a sigh, thought briefly about Jack and Doreen and decided having the packing man not turn up was not such a disaster.
They went into the flat, collecting the mail from the doormat as they went, then Lois rang Ed. He was coming, but had got caught in traffic and would be there within fifteen minutes. That gave them time for a cup of tea and a soft biscuit (Tom was never good at sealing up packets or using air tight containers). “So,” he said, reaching for Lois’s hand across the table, “was I very sick last night?”
“Very sick? Yes Tom, I think very sick would sort of cover it.” Lois thought for a moment, “But hang on, very sick, then very sick again. That would describe it better. Or even, producing copious volumes of vomit. How about that?”
“Ok, ok, I get the message. Please stop before I do it again!”
She looked up from the bank statement she had been pretending to concentrate on. She smiled at him. “I’m not sure our little willow tree will survive the experience and you might have to go and rescue some turf to replace the patch of lawn which will almost certainly die! Still I suppose it’s a good thing you w
ere sick, think what you’d feel like now if you hadn’t been.” She thought for a moment, “Actually, forget the lawn, you may have died. Half a pint of creme de menthe! What were you thinking?”
“Funnily enough, I can’t remember what I was thinking, but probably something along the lines of, ‘wouldn’t it be funny to drink half a pint of creme de menthe!’”
“I wonder how Richard is. I went round to their’s for a drink with Debbie last night. She said he’s got his first private patient going to the house this morning. That could be interesting!”
The doorbell rang and, to Lois and Tom’s relief, there stood Ed and Co., fully laden with packs of flat cardboard boxes, tape, packing paper, coloured stickers and marker pens. Lois breathed a sigh of relief; it looked like they might be going to be really well organised. “Well, what shall we do?” Lois asked Ed as he started taping boxes together.
“Well, every box we pack, you seal and write wos innit and which room t’ pud it in at the uvver end. And anyfink delicate tha’ you don’ trust us wif, you pack yerselves. Ok? And, any chance of a cuppa?”
By one forty-five the packing was finished and Ed was eager to load the van. “We cud do the ‘ole fing t’day if yer want. Plen’y o’ time,” Ed said to Tom, who felt like Ed was talking in a foreign language. Ed could see that Tom, who stank of booze, couldn’t understand. He wondered what a nice woman like Lois was doing with an alcoholic.
“Move, today?” Ed said very slowly, in an attempt to help Tom get the message, “To Buck-in-am-shire?” Fortunately Lois overheard this as she was coming into the room. Tom looked like he had glazed over, his lack of sleep and alcohol consumption catching up with him.
“That would be brilliant Ed! Do you think there’s time?”
“Yeh, easy.”
“Go for it then!” said Lois, feeling really excited for the first time that day.
At ten o’clock in the evening, Tom slumped onto the sofa and Lois sat on his knee and hugged him. “Home sweet home!” she said with a broad grin.
“Luxury isn’t it? Sitting on a sofa,” said Tom, eyes closed, feeling exhausted and hungry.
Lois felt completely drained, even though Ed and his three helpers had done practically all the work. They had been absolutely brilliant, really well organised and very efficient. It was so lovely to see the cottage with their furniture in, it made it feel real at last.
There was a quiet knock at the door. It was Dave and Annie, with a bottle of champagne and sandwiches.
Annie gave Lois a huge hug. “What an emotional day!” she said, smiling and trying to blink a tear away at the same time. “Welcome,” she hugged Tom, “and may I take this opportunity to say how delighted we are that you’re here! What luxury, chairs to sit on!”
Dave opened the champagne. “Just a spot for me please Dave,” said Tom, suddenly feeling queasy at the sight of the alcohol, “not feeling quite myself.”
“Ah yes, I heard you popped out for a pint with the lads last night. Thought you were looking a little green around the gills old boy!” Dave slapped Tom on the back, “You’ll know what to expect next time! Anyway, let’s raise our glasses. To Harewood Park!”
“To Harewood Park!” the others chorused.
Annie, being forever practical and seeing how tired Tom and Lois were, asked if their bed was made up. When Lois said no, Annie found the bedding that had been dragged, with the deflated blow-up mattress, into the baby’s room and made up their double bed.
Annie and Dave finished their champagne and said they would leave Tom and Lois to get to bed. “Any news on Jack?” asked Lois.
“Mm, not good apparently,” said Dave. “I saw Adam earlier. He had been round to offer to bury the dog. Both Doreen and Jack were very upset and, the organisation that provided her for Jack, want to come and collect the body and have a post-mortem done, which really doesn’t help.”
“Life can be very unfair can’t it?” said Lois.
“It certainly can,” said Annie, with Dave nodding in agreement behind her. “Anyway, we’ll leave you to it, see you over the weekend no doubt?”
“I hope so. Thanks for everything,” said Lois as she and Tom waved their goodbyes. Having closed the door, exhausted, they went straight up to bed, in luxury.
20
Lois and Tom woke late on Friday. Lois felt very relieved that the move had been completed the day before and that they had the next three days to get the house ship-shape before Tom went back to work. She went down to make breakfast and while waiting for the toast to pop, in an actual toaster, and the water to boil, in a real kettle, phoned Dean.
When Lois mentioned the lack of plumbing for the washing machine, Dean laughed. “There is plumbing for it, have you not noticed?”
“Apparently not.” said Lois. She had looked for it. Oh God, this was embarrassing.
“It’s in that little outhouse bit by the outside loo. Oh look, I’ll pop over, I’ve got nothing on today, well clothes obviously,” Lois laughed weakly, “but no work. I’ll come and do any odd jobs you want doing. You okay to be on shopping standby?”
“Yep! No problem.”
Lois went and looked in the outhouse. She’d only been in it once before, seen it was full of spider’s webs, a rusty old fridge and an old do-it-yourself brewing kit, and had backed out quickly. The outhouse was a narrow building adjoined at one end to the outside loo and the other to the small porch-way containing the back door that then led into the kitchen. When Lois stood outside looking at the arrangement, she couldn’t believe they hadn’t thought to knock it all into one so they had a utility room and an internal downstairs loo. Oh well, too late now, she couldn’t bear the thought of more dust now that the furniture was all in place. She opened the door to the outhouse and stepped in cautiously. Yes, still lots of cobwebs and yes, plumbing for a washing machine, fantastic, one less thing to worry about.
The day passed quickly. It transpired there was very little for Dean to do. Not only had Lois not noticed the plumbing, but also, much to her embarrassment, she had failed to spot the outside sensor light that George had mounted by the front door. It simply needed to be switched on from inside the house! Lois thought what a clever idea it was having an over-ride switch. Next time her husband was throwing up in the front garden she could turn it off in case anyone walked by.
Dean and Tom cleared out and cleaned the outhouse. Lois refused to help, exaggerating her fear of spiders a little as an excuse. Then Dean, with minimal help from Tom, carried the washing machine and drier through from where Ed and co. had left it in the middle of the kitchen floor. Dean then plumbed in the washing machine. Lois was relieved to get some washing done, the foul smell of stale vomit had been lurking in the house since Wednesday and she hoped washing all their clothes and bed linen would clear it.
The remainder of the day was spent unpacking the boxes that the movers had not had time for, mainly books, some office files and kitchen equipment. Dean put up two lines of coat hooks, one by the front door and one by the back and mounted their pictures and framed photos on walls throughout the house, as instructed by a rather pernickety Tom. Lois ordered a lawn mower online, they needed one ASAP, so, without giving it a great deal of thought, she ordered something big, green and moderately expensive.
In the early evening Lois and Tom walked to the pub for supper. On the way back, they could not resist going to Richard and Debbie’s to see how they’d managed the previous day. Richard opened the door and smirked at Tom like a naughty schoolboy. He invited them in and offered tea or coffee, adding with a chuckle, that he wasn’t allowed alcohol at the moment. They were just sitting down at the kitchen table, when Debbie came in from the garden with a huge washing basket full of clothes from the line. Richard leapt up from his seat at such a rate that Tom thought there must be a disaster about to happen.
“Let me help you with that Darling!” Richard said, taking the basket from Debbie and disappearing through the kitchen door with it.
“What was all t
hat about?” Lois asked Debbie.
“Ah, he’s trying to wheedle his way back into my affections after his bad behaviour on Wednesday night.” They smiled at each other.
“Come on then, tell me how he disgraced himself and I’ll tell you what my lovely fiancé did,” said Lois.
“I think I’ll go and give Richard a hand with the washing!” Tom said, making a hasty exit in search of comradeship.
Debbie picked up Richard’s tea and began to sip it. “Well. I’d left fish pie in the oven for them as you know, Richard was bound to invite Tom and Adam back here. They came in at about eleven thirty and were making so much noise; I came down and told them, in no uncertain terms, not to wake the children. Richard said they would be quiet, that the lads were just having a bite to eat, and would then be off home. I noticed the whisky bottle on the table at which point Richard said, like a five year old doing something he shouldn’t, ‘I was just showing them the bottle, the label, we’re not going to drink it.’ And Tom and Adam stood behind him, trying to look serious and nodding their agreement. It was very funny; I wish I could have filmed it really.
“Anyway, I took the whisky away, shut the kitchen door and left them to it. When I woke at two in the morning to find Richard still not in bed, I came downstairs to see what was going on. I went into the kitchen first and found an empty bottle, creme de menthe of all things, and three half pint glasses with a shade of green lurking in the bottom. Then I went and looked in the rest of the downstairs rooms until I found him, in the study.”
Lois, covered her eyes in preparation for what disgusting description was to come, she knew it was going to be bad after Richard’s response earlier, two days after the event.
“Oh Lois, you cannot imagine the mess!” Lois thought she probably could, but left Debbie to continue the story. “Blood and puke all over the carpet!”