by Issy Brooke
Now his face was going pale, but still he protested his innocence. “Leaving aside the frankly ludicrous allegation that I am somehow trying to cast aspersions on your name,” he said, “I don’t see any connection between me and Alf. I thought this was all about Owen.”
“Owen worked for you!” she shouted, unwilling to let him direct the conversation. That was the key thing she wanted to drive home. It was the link between Owen and Brian, she was sure of it. “His van was full of money.”
There was an unexpected interruption. “That money is mine,” Alf shouted. “From the dodgy vehicle that he sold me. And I want it back!”
“All of it?” Penny shook her head. “The police can tell us how much was in the van. Was it more than four thousand pounds?”
Inspector Travis was texting on his phone while trying to keep up with events. He narrowed his eyes, but before he could speak, a woman spoke.
“Please protect me.”
Penny’s mouth dropped open as Agnes stepped forward, keeping Inspector Travis and Cath between her and Brian. She was white and trembling, and her voice was low, but everyone was perfectly silent. They wanted to hear what she had to say.
“Owen had no protection,” she said. “And so he was killed. Do not let me be killed.”
“Have you a serious accusation to make?” Travis asked her in a quiet voice, staring up at her, his phone still clutched in his hand. “We need to–”
“No. Yes, I need to speak. Owen did work here, Mr Davenport. We all know it. He came here three and four times. He took things and he brought things. You know,” she added meaningfully, nodding at Inspector Travis. “Things. Drugs. But Owen … I am sorry, he was not a good man. He said to me, once, ‘it takes a scammer to know a scammer.’ I remember because I had to use dictionary for ‘scammer.’ But now I know. And he came here again, to make Mr Davenport give him more. Or else. Or else, he would say to everyone, this is what Mr Davenport is really like. And then he was killed.”
“Give him more of what? Work?” Penny said.
Agnes shrugged. “He just asking for more, saying, he will tell.”
“Blackmail!” Penny shouted. “Yes, that’s it. Owen knew what you were up to, didn’t he? After all, he had been in on it, too. He wanted money, or he’d expose you. He didn’t care that it would already incriminate himself, did he? Owen didn’t have a reputation worth losing. You, on the other hand … I see it now!”
Brian was looking increasingly angry, and now there was a wobble in his voice. “It’s all nonsense. And everyone knows that it was Tina’s car that was used, and it came from Alf’s garage.”
“Yeah, and you’d do anything to destroy me, wouldn’t you?” Alf was there, still clutching his half-drunk pint. “You always have.”
“Why would I?” Brian said smoothly. He seemed calmer again, and Penny knew it was because he thought Alf had no credibility. Against a foe like Alf, everyone would surely side with Brian.
Penny couldn’t let that happen.
She shouted, “I know why, Brian! You own the land that Alf’s garage stands on. Alf grew up in this very hotel! Well, okay, it wasn’t a hotel then. But now you own it! Like you own half of Glenfield, don’t you? You want Alf to give his garage up. You were friends once, weren’t you? You went to the same school, you have the same photo in your offices, you’re standing side by side! You went to the same events. Your parents were close. And now … you’re not happy with being a success; you seem to want to crush everyone!”
Alf had raised his drink. “Yeah!” he shouted. “Yeah, she’s got it, hasn’t she now, Brian? You and your family … my mum and dad thought you were helping us out, twenty-odd years ago. My dad’s business had hit a rock, and we needed to raise some finance. Your parents, and you, stepped in. Bought this place, promising to let us stay … and then turned it in to this mess of a hotel. Bit by bit you brought us low. And you can’t stop, can you? Is it just a game to you? A game you have to win, at all costs, just like when we were at school? Do you ever see real people, Brian? Or just a really big game of chess?”
The mood swung. People were frowning when they looked at Brian, now. Someone reached out and patted Alf on the shoulder. He looked shell-shocked, his mouth hanging open.
“And I’m not done!” Penny said loudly.
“Oh, I think you are.” Brian strode towards her, suddenly. A murmur and a series of gasps went through the crowd. Penny looked around, hoping for help, but saw a figure in black and white heading for the back of the hotel.
“Steven’s getting away!” she yelled, pointing. “He’s in on it, too. Stop him!”
Inspector Travis jerked around but now Agnes was clinging to his arm, crying, “Don’t leave me alone.” Cath waded forward, waving her arms and calling to the various off-duty police staff that were scattered around. Two officers, one man in bright shorts and a woman in a lemon sun-dress, took off after Steven, though the man kept a determined hold on his half-eaten hotdog. Brian’s head whipped round and then he started for the main entrance.
“No! Wait, someone stop him.”
Drew didn’t hesitate. He ran first, and was soon followed by a succession of local men and two have-a-go women who all wanted to be part of the fun and games. Brian disappeared, hitting the ground under a flurry of arms, and there was shouting and screaming. Penny couldn’t tell what was going on, but was sure that the result was going to be a few broken limbs. Hopefully, only Brian’s.
The two police officers re-emerged, with Steven walking unwillingly between them, scowling. Cath strode over to the pile of bodies that were pinning Brian down, and ordered people to stand up, one by one, until the swearing and sweating form of Brian emerged. He scrambled to his feet, and unleashed a torrent of abuse at Cath, ending with:
“So I expect you to arrest everyone.”
“I will start with you,” Cath said.
“On what charge?”
Cath glanced back at Inspector Travis. He nodded.
“Murder.”
Chapter Twenty
“How was your first week at school?” Penny asked brightly. She was delighted to see Destiny and Wolf as they came onto the forecourt of Alf’s garage, and even more delighted that they had a carrier bag of food with them.
Wolf grinned. “They have an amazing library and an even more amazing science lab,” he said.
“You’re not right in the head,” Destiny muttered. “That’s just weird. You’re supposed to be good at arty stuff or sciencey stuff. Not both.”
“Or neither, in your case.”
“Stop it, the pair of you, now. So, Destiny. How was school for you?”
The sullen teenager shrugged. “S’all right, I suppose. I’ve got to be there. It wasn’t as exciting as that time we–”
Penny hushed her with a glare before greeting their mother who had arrived just after them. “Hi, Ariadne!”
“Hi, hi everyone. Wow. This looks great! I’m so sorry I can’t stop for long.”
“Are you on your way to the dogs’ home?”
“Er, I’m on my way to see a business advisor in Lincoln, actually, at the bank.” She blushed slightly.
Penny put her paintbrush down and stared. Around her, various members of the community continued with their decorating and cleaning and general repairs. Alf stood in the middle of it all, overwhelmed, and mostly silent. Penny thought that if he did speak, he’d cry.
“What business advisor?” Penny asked.
“I’m going to set up a dog walking business,” Ariadne said in a rush, and then she looked down as if she was waiting for the negativity.
“That is wonderful.” Penny remembered the slightly incompetent dog walker she’d seen when she had been out with Kali. “There is definitely a gap in the market locally, and you would be perfect.”
“Oh … thank you. Thank you!”
Wolf looked up from where he was leaning over the carrier bag, foraging for some chocolate. “Yeah, and now you both have to hug. Go on.”
<
br /> They did so. Penny squeezed Ariadne tightly, and whispered, “I am so proud of you, little sis.”
“Don’t make me cry, I’ve got make-up on,” Ariadne hissed, fighting her way out of Penny’s embrace. “Yeah. Right. So, I’m off. Kids, be good.”
Penny sighed contentedly as she watched her go. “She’s taller.”
“Of course she is,” Destiny said. “You know, we all are. Wolf! Wolf, don’t eat all those. Hey–”
Penny left the two siblings squabbling. It seemed the perfect idea; probate had taken a while since Owen’s death, and Ariadne hadn’t been left with much, but it was enough to keep her going. The money in Owen’s van had mostly been returned to Alf, to help him to pay off some creditors and much of the rest of the loose cash had been claimed under the Proceeds of Crime legislation.
Penny walked over to where Gaz was kneeling on the floor, digging up a rough patch of land that bordered the edge of the land. “Hey, there.”
“Hey. So, it’s all over, and well done to you.”
“The murder thing? It felt over right from the start. It was everything else that it affected that’s the thing, and that’s all still going on.”
“How are the kids? It’s a few months now since … well, they lost their dad.”
“Looking at it like that,” Penny said, “I don’t think they will ever get over that. But, they will learn to cope with it better. It’s still complicated for them and I reckon that when they hit the usual teenage problems, especially now they are back at school, it will come up from time to time. But they’re sensible. They will cope.”
“Good. I’m glad. Get them going out on walks with Edwin. He’s a good guy to talk to. Maybe, you know, if they need a male figure in their lives. Drew, too. He’s solid.”
“And you.”
“I’m not around for much longer,” he said, sitting back on his heels. He dug the trowel into the ground a few times, to no apparent purpose. “There’s something I need to investigate in Edinburgh.”
“Oh?”
“And that’s all I’m telling you,” he said. “But thank you for not blabbing about me.”
She felt awkward. “I did, a bit,” she said. “I told Cath a few things … because I thought it cleared your name.”
“The end justifies the means?”
“I’m sorry.” She meant it. It seemed worse because the information she’d passed on hadn’t been relevant.
He sighed. “Well, I’m leaving, and it all came right in the end, and I certainly don’t waste time with grudges.”
“You’re too forgiving.”
“Not at all. Just too lazy to waste energy on pointless stuff. I’ve got international companies to infiltrate and huge malpractices to expose, you know? Does it make you feel any better if I say that your actions don’t really matter to me?”
“Sort of, and also that’s really insulting.”
“Yeah.” He grinned, though, and she felt better. “I ended up getting involved with that housing nonsense in the end,” he said. He stood up and brushed the dirt from his heads.
“Really? How, and when? Did you discover the newts?”
“I don’t know anything about the newts. They’re protected, aren’t they? No, last week. I happen to know a few ethical investors.”
“But they can’t build on the land.”
“They can’t build on most of the land,” Gaz said. “All of Tina Fairmore’s investors pulled out when it was revealed she had been scammed by the boiler room fakes. As it happens, though, about twenty per cent of the land is fit for building, newts notwithstanding, and the council are happy to support social housing there. She isn’t going to make much profit, if any at all. But she isn’t going to lose out, and I reckon it will be good for her in the future.”
“Oh! That’s good news. Do you know what will happen to the rest of the land?”
“Nature reserve,” he said, “as it always should have been.”
* * * *
Alf had disappeared. She asked around, and was directed into the office. She poked her head around the door, curious.
“Hi, Penny.” Drew beckoned her in. He was sitting at the table, now cleared of the old paperwork, accompanied by a grey-haired man in a plaid shirt, and Alf, who was sitting with his hands wrapped around a chipped mug full of tea.
“Sorry, I don’t mean to interrupt,” she said.
“We need a break,” the grey-haired man said. “Okay, I need a break, at any rate. Alf, could I make use of your facilities…?”
Drew stood up and they walked outside. The air was chill, now. He looked tired, and she said so.
“It’s the hotel, I suppose,” he said. “I don’t know what I’m going to do. Now it’s closed, half my income’s gone.”
“At least it’s only half,” she said. “Many of the staff are completely lost, now.”
“Yes, of course. Do you know what happened to Agnes?”
“She’s moved to Boston and got work in a care home. I think she’ll be happier doing that. It’s closer to what she trained for. And once she passes those English tests, she’ll be nursing.”
Drew nodded. “And Steven’s in custody with Brian. Kris got some part-time work in Lincoln, I hear. The others … I am sure they will be okay.”
“Don’t worry about it. Worry about yourself. No, wait. Don’t worry about yourself! You’ve got that work at The Acorns School, haven’t you?”
“Yes, and actually that’s the head teacher, in there. We’re talking with Alf about running some hands-on courses here. Between you and me, Penny, even with all this–” he waved his hand at the hive of industry all about them “–he still can’t make a go of his garage, not in these economic times. He will never be able to compete against the big chains with their loyalty cards and their bulk buying power. But maybe we can send him in a different direction. Apprenticeships and training, courses in mechanics, that sort of thing. We’re going to talk to some local colleges, too. I’d like to see some kind of bridge between school and work for teenagers who just hate all the academic stuff.”
Teenagers like Destiny, she thought. I bet she would be a great mechanic.
“That is amazing.”
Drew smiled. “I can’t take credit for it.”
“Yes, you can. And you must. Well done, you.”
“And what about you?” he said. “Look around. I can’t believe so many people want to help Alf.”
“By helping Alf, we’re helping ourselves,” she said.
Drew linked his arm into hers and pulled her into his side. She felt warm, and didn’t dare look up at him. “There’s an upside to the hotel closing,” he said. “I’ve got more free time.”
“What are you going to do with it?”
“Relax, and enjoy it. Rediscover my place in this community.”
“You’re such a part of it already!”
He squeezed her. “It’s an ongoing process,” he said. “You can’t take it for granted. Alf had lost his place, but now he’s back. You’re not from round here, but Glenfield would be different without you.”
“I’m not going anywhere.”
“I’m glad,” he said. “I’m very glad.”
The End
…for now.
Also out: Book One, Small Town Shock (http://amzn.to/1EILMdu)
And Book Two, Small Town Secrets (http://amzn.to/1ys54BJ)
And Book Three, Small Town Suspicions, (http://amzn.to/1FTyfO5)
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Author’s Afterword
This is the bit you don’t need to read, but if you enjoyed the book you might want to find out more.
I’ve got a website at http://www.issybrooke.com where I have more information about the characters, about Lincolnshire, and the fictional town of Glenfield - including a map. It’s a work in progress.
The dog in this story, Kali, is based on our own rescue dog, a Rottie cross called Stella. That’s her on the cover of this book.
There are more books coming in this series - soon.
Oh, I’m on Facebook here – https://www.facebook.com/issy.brooke – and Twitter here – @IssyBrooke.
Thank you for reading.
Issy.
Table Of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty