‘But—’ Luke started to say, but Nessie was in no mood for arguments.
‘Now, Luke. And use soap. Plenty of it.’
‘I’ll go and give Sam the bad news,’ Gabe said, his expression grim.
Nessie threw him a grateful look. ‘Thank you. Let’s hope Emily hasn’t finished for the day and can squeeze in a house call.’ She glanced at the bag he held in disgust. ‘What I don’t understand is where the wretched meat came from.’
‘I can answer that,’ Gabe said over one shoulder as he went in search of Sam. ‘It came from my fridge. I had a plate of sirloin there ready for tonight’s menu and I noticed earlier today that one was missing.’
Nessie felt her mouth drop in a horrified circle as she worked out what that meant. Rats couldn’t open fridges and they certainly didn’t use poison as a dip. A human being had taken the steak and doused it in poison. The question was, who?
Chapter Thirty-six
At first, Emily thought Bucky might need his stomach pumped.
‘I’ll try to induce vomiting first,’ she said, ‘but if he won’t, then we’ll have to take him into the practice for treatment.’
Thankfully, Bucky had obliged in the most disgusting way, by throwing up everything he’d eaten in the previous few hours. Emily had then compounded his misery by giving him activated charcoal to eat to absorb any remaining toxins. And then several anxious days had rolled past, during which Sam and the rest of the Star and Sixpence team watched for any of the terrifying symptoms caused by poisoning. By the time his check-up came round the following Tuesday, Emily happily reported to Sam and Joss that the dog had escaped his experience unscathed.
‘He had a lucky escape,’ the vet said, ruffling Bucky’s silky ears. ‘I don’t suppose you ever worked out how it happened, did you?’
Sam sighed. The problem was that it had to have been a deliberate action by someone who worked at the Star and Sixpence, and neither she nor Nessie were keen to throw unsubstantiated accusations around when there was little or no chance of uncovering any proof. ‘Not really, no,’ she told Emily. ‘Probably just a mix up.’
‘You don’t really believe that, do you?’ Joss asked Sam as they drove back to Little Monkham. ‘Who could possibly have left a chunk of poisoned steak lying around for Bucky to find?’
Sam shrugged; she hadn’t shared her suspicions with anyone so far and she wasn’t about to start now. ‘No idea.’
Joss frowned and cast a sideways look her way. ‘It’s certainly a strange thing to do. I must admit, I’d feel better about going back to Chester next week if we knew who the culprit was.’
‘Whoever it was, I don’t think any humans were the target,’ she said, choosing her words with care. ‘I think we’ll all be safe enough.’
‘That’s not what worries me,’ Joss replied as he manoeuvred the car off the main road and down the narrow lane that led to the village. ‘It’s the collateral damage that scared me – the unintended consequences. What if Luke had touched it and forgotten to tell anyone? What if you had?’
Both were thoughts that had occurred to Sam and Nessie and Gabe as they’d talked things through in the immediate aftermath of the drama. But they’d all agreed that events had probably scared the would-be poisoner and a repeat performance was unlikely. ‘No one got hurt,’ Sam told Joss firmly. ‘Bucky is okay. Honestly, there’s no need for you to worry.’
Joss grunted in acknowledgement then was silent for several long seconds. ‘I’m going to miss you when I leave.’
Sam hesitated. The truth was she’d got used to having Joss around; she would miss him too. But Connor would soon be back from holiday, meaning Joss would be surplus to requirements, and he had his own job at Castle Court to consider. And, quite apart from anything else, there wasn’t anywhere for him to stay at the Star and Sixpence; the sofa was fine as a short-term solution, but it couldn’t work for more than a few weeks. Her mind slipped back to the conversation she’d had with Gabe at the cider festival, causing a stab of disquiet – the last thing she wanted was for him to feel pressured into moving out because of Joss.
‘I’ll miss you too,’ she finally said to Joss. ‘But the baby will be here in a couple of months and we’ll see more than enough of each other then.’
He glanced at her ever-growing bump and shook his head. ‘Two months. It doesn’t seem possible, does it?’
‘No,’ Sam replied. ‘It only seems like five minutes since I came to Chester to give you the news.’
‘But I bet the time will fly by,’ Joss went on. ‘I’ll need to hand my notice in soon and start looking round for somewhere to live nearer to the Star and Sixpence.’
This was it, Sam realised, the moment to tell him what Gabe had suggested. But once she’d put that out there, there would be no going back. ‘Great Bardham is nice.’
‘Yeah,’ Joss said and puffed out his cheeks. ‘There are lots of lovely villages. The trouble is, none of them are quite as nice as Little Monkham.’
Sam gnawed on her lip and fixed her gaze on the scenery flashing by. ‘You’ll find somewhere.’
He sighed. ‘Yeah, I’m sure I will. I’ve got time after all.’
*
The hot weather finally broke in the first days of July. In some ways, Nessie was sorry when she awoke to the gentle patter of raindrops against the bedroom window, but she knew the parched grass on the green would be grateful. Sam would be relieved too; Nessie had watched her struggle with the soaring temperatures and, perhaps for the first time, didn’t envy her sister’s pregnancy.
Luke was less impressed by the grey skies.
‘He grumbled for the entire journey,’ Owen said, when he returned from the school run. ‘You’d think he’d never seen rain before.’
‘It has been a while,’ Nessie said, pouring him a cup of tea and placing it on the kitchen table.
‘Not that long,’ Owen said, raising a dark eyebrow. ‘He acted like we needed to start building an ark.’
She laughed. ‘Luke being overly dramatic? Doesn’t sound like him.’
Owen tipped his head in agreement. ‘Speaking of being dramatic, I saw something curious on the drive home. Is it Gabe’s day off today?’
‘Yes, it is. Why?’
‘I think he and Ruby are taking a trip somewhere. They were in his car, heading for the main road pretty early this morning.’
Nessie frowned. Ruby wasn’t famed for being an early riser and she never left the house without a full face of make-up, so if she was going somewhere early enough to pass Owen on the school run, there had to be a good reason. ‘No Micky?’
‘Just Ruby and Gabe,’ Owen replied. ‘I half-wondered if it was a hospital appointment, but surely she’d have asked you.’
‘She has in the past,’ Nessie agreed, her frown deepening. ‘She didn’t mention a trip, either. Not that she tells me everything.’
Owen shrugged. ‘I thought it was odd, that’s all. I’m sure there’s a perfectly simple explanation.’
But Nessie didn’t get the opportunity to ask. Laurie went down with flu, which left them short-staffed now that Joss had gone back to Chester. And since she refused to allow Sam to cover any of his shifts, Nessie was left with no option but to work the extra hours herself. Although she saw both Gabe and Ruby over the days that followed, there never seemed to be time to manoeuvre the conversation around to their unmentioned trip.
Gabe took a very dim view of Laurie’s continued absence. ‘Flu? In July?’
‘You can catch flu at any time,’ Sam pointed out. ‘And I definitely don’t want it, so in some ways I’d rather he stayed away.’
Gabe’s dark eyebrows drew together in a severe line. ‘If he actually has the flu.’
The thought had crossed Nessie’s mind too; there’d been something just a tiny bit insincere about Laurie’s croaky apologies down the phone. But it felt disloyal to admit that to Gabe. ‘I’m sure he does.’
Gabe threw her an enigmatic look. ‘I wouldn’t be so quick
to trust him, Nessie.’
Nessie stared at him, while Sam didn’t even try to hide her confusion. ‘What’s that supposed to mean?’
‘My lips are sealed,’ Gabe said, with a resolute shake of his head. ‘For now, at least.’
He refused to be drawn further, leaving Nessie to spend yet another sleepless night, this time wondering just what it was Gabe knew that she didn’t.
*
‘If Gabe doesn’t intend to explain himself, why say anything at all?’ Sam grumbled on Saturday morning, when Laurie texted to say he wouldn’t be in for his lunchtime shift. ‘It’s not exactly helpful.’
Nessie sighed as she looked at the rota again. ‘We can just about manage over the weekend, if we pull Luiz from Gabe’s waiting staff.’
Luiz was a young man from Brazil, who’d followed the girl he’d met while travelling back to the UK and had somehow ended up in Little Monkham. His light brown curls and forget-me-not eyes made him popular with the pub’s female patrons, but he was also one of the few waiters who had experience of working a bar.
‘Gabe won’t be happy about that,’ Sam said.
‘He’ll cope,’ Nessie said stoutly. ‘And in the meantime, I’m starting to feel guilty about Laurie. What if he’s much worse than we think? What if it’s more than just flu?’
Sam gave the idea some thought. ‘Do you think one of us should go over to see him?’
‘Maybe,’ Nessie said. ‘We could take him some meals, make sure he’s eating properly.’
Sam pulled a hesitant face. ‘I don’t mean to suggest that you’re more expendable than me, but it’s probably not a good idea for me to go. It isn’t very caring to drop a food parcel on someone’s doorstep and run away in case they infect you, is it?’
Nessie threw her an affectionate smile. ‘No, Sam. It’s not exactly sisterly, either.’
‘Ah, sisterliness,’ Sam repeated with a solemn nod. ‘You’re much better at that than me. Just don’t bring any germs back with you, okay?’
*
It was midway through Monday morning before Nessie found the time to drive over to the address she had for Laurie. The curtains were drawn at the windows of the little cottage and that morning’s milk was still on the doorstep. Nessie felt a pang of sympathy; just how sick was he?
She had her answer a few minutes later when he opened the door, yawning and bare-chested. His sleep-filled eyes widened when he saw her.
‘Nessie!’ he said, clutching at the door and pulling it almost closed behind him. ‘What are you doing here?’
There was a noticeable lack of croak in his voice, and his cheeks were pink and healthy-looking. Nessie felt some of her sympathy ebb away. ‘You sounded so poorly that Sam and I thought we should check you were okay.’ She lifted up the insulated bag she carried. ‘We brought you some meals in case you weren’t well enough to cook.’
Laurie had the grace to look guilty. ‘Oh. Well, thanks.’ He cleared his throat. ‘I’m actually feeling a bit better today.’
Nessie did her best to squash her rising sense of outrage. Had Gabe been right – had Laurie been feigning illness? ‘So I see,’ she said. ‘These need to go in the freezer. Shall I come in?’
A momentary flash of panic crossed Laurie’s face. ‘I can take care of that. I’m sure you’re keen to get back to the pub.’
He wasn’t alone, Nessie realised with a sinking heart. And, sure enough, a female voice called out, ‘Hurry up, Laurie. I’m getting bored in here.’
‘I didn’t realise you had a girlfriend,’ Nessie said, her tone cool to the point of iciness. ‘Has she been taking good care of you?’
‘Something like that,’ he said evasively. ‘Look, this isn’t a great time.’
‘It’s not, is it?’ Nessie said, wondering how she could have been so gullible. ‘Why don’t you come to the pub tomorrow – say two o’clock in the afternoon? I’m sure Sam will want to be there and we can discuss your behaviour then.’
His head jerked up. ‘Discuss my behaviour?’ he repeated, his eyes hardening. ‘I’ve been ill, Nessie. That’s not a disciplinary offence.’
She thrust the freezer bag at him. ‘Enjoy your meals. See you tomorrow – don’t be late.’
She felt him watching her all the way back to her car, but it wasn’t until she’d started the engine and driven away that she called Sam on the hands-free.
‘Everything okay?’ Sam asked the moment she answered. ‘How is he?’
Nessie pictured Laurie’s healthy glow and sighed. ‘Well, on the plus side, I don’t think you need to worry about catching the flu.’
There was a short pause. ‘Ah.’
‘And on the down side, we might need to look up how to handle things when an employee who is also your brother lies about being ill.’
Nessie heard a low mumbling, as though Sam was relaying what she’d heard to someone else in the room.
‘Gabe says he’s dealt with something like this before.’
‘Really?’ Nessie asked as she negotiated a corner.
‘Not exactly like this, obviously,’ Sam said. ‘But he’s had employees lie about being ill in order to get time off. It’s not the most original work-related crime, after all. Anyway, he says he’ll help us work out how to handle things with Laurie.’
‘Great,’ Nessie said, recalling the hard look Laurie had given her as she’d left. ‘I think we’re going to need all the support we can get.’
*
They decided to hold the meeting with Laurie in the upstairs kitchen, out of earshot of Tilly and Connor, who were running the bar.
‘It’ll be cosy with four of us in here,’ Nessie said. ‘But the office feels too formal.’
Gabe grunted. ‘I think formality is exactly what you need.’
Nessie gave a small shake of her head. ‘Maybe, but this is Laurie we’re talking about. Different rules apply for family.’
‘And, actually, it’s four and a bit,’ Sam said, easing down onto one of the chairs with a sigh.
‘Or five and a bit,’ a clear smooth voice added.
Nessie whirled around to see Ruby standing in the doorway, a manila folder in her arms. ‘Ruby! What are you doing here?’
‘I’ve come to add my two penn’orth,’ the older woman said, as though it was the most reasonable thing in the world. ‘What else?’
Nessie glanced at Sam, who looked equally confused. ‘But—’
‘I have evidence to present,’ Ruby said, her eyes gleaming. ‘Gabe and I have been doing some detective work.’
‘Detective work?’ Sam said. ‘What are you talking about?’
Ruby tapped her nose. ‘Don’t worry, darling, you’ll understand later.’
Laurie’s expression was incredulous when he arrived at 2.15 p.m. ‘What, no Henry?’ he said, his voice thick with sarcasm. ‘Maybe we could hold a séance and channel Franny.’
‘Would you like a tea or a coffee?’ Nessie offered, determined not to be side-tracked. Gabe was right; a little formality might help focus Laurie’s mind on the consequences of his actions.
‘No, I don’t want a cup of tea,’ Laurie said, his lip curling as he sat down. ‘Let’s just get this over with.’
Sam fixed him with a level stare. ‘I must say, you don’t look like someone who has dragged themselves off their sickbed to be here.’
He shrugged. ‘What can I say? The meals Nessie delivered have worked miracles – I’m feeling better.’
‘You’ve been off for over a week,’ Sam went on, as though she hadn’t heard. ‘We’re going to need a doctor’s certificate to confirm your illness.’
‘Seriously?’ Laurie said, with an incredulous-sounding laugh. ‘You can’t just take it on trust? I’m your brother, for god’s sake.’
Leaning against the kitchen counter, Gabe muttered under his breath.
Laurie turned to glare at him. ‘Got something to say? Or are you just sticking your nose into family business again?’
Gabe glowered at him. ‘O
kay, Laurie, let’s talk about family, shall we?’
Nessie blinked, nonplussed, and Sam didn’t seem to understand the conversational switch either.
Laurie went still. ‘What’s that supposed to mean?’
‘I’d like to tell you a little story,’ Ruby cut in, causing Laurie’s gaze to swivel her way. ‘It’s about a man called Andrew, who had his faults but was still trusting and good at heart. He always tried to do the right thing, even though there were many times when he didn’t quite manage it.’
Now it was Laurie’s turn to mutter, although Nessie thought she detected a hint of pallor beneath his rosy complexion now.
‘Andrew liked to believe the best of people,’ Ruby went on. ‘So when a woman he’d become romantically involved with assured him the baby she was carrying was his, he took her at her word.’
‘I wondered when this would come up again,’ Laurie said scornfully. ‘I’ve shown Sam and Nessie my birth certificate. Andrew Chapman is clearly listed under Father.’
‘I don’t doubt that he is,’ Ruby said, and Nessie had the sense that the older woman was starting to enjoy herself. ‘As I said, Andrew wouldn’t have questioned such a colossal statement. But just because he believed it to be true does not make it so.’ The last few words came out whip-fast.
Laurie shook his head. ‘You’re crazy.’
‘We took a trip to the place where you grew up,’ Gabe said. ‘Had a very nice chat with a man called Peter Henderson. He remembered you and your mum very well.’
Ruby leaned forwards. ‘As you’d expect, considering they were married. Peter seemed to think the wrong paternal name had been recorded on your birth certificate, Laurie. He seemed to think it should have been him.’
Nessie gasped. ‘Is that true?’ she asked, turning to stare at Laurie.
There was a hunted look in his eyes and a sheen of sweat glistened on his forehead. ‘Nice try. But, legally, Andrew Chapman is my father.’
‘Legally?’ Sam echoed in disbelief. ‘What about biologically? Are you actually related to us at all?’
Last Orders at the Star and Sixpence Page 32