What She Saw

by Diane Saxon

  With a jolt, Jenna shoved aside her own weak thoughts of savoury food and paid her younger sister instant attention as she scanned her soft features and clear sea-green eyes, finding nothing of concern there. ‘Comfort? Do you need comfort food?’ Perhaps something had happened at work. Or worse, between Mason and Fliss.

  Fliss’s laughter bounced around the small kitchen. ‘No. Not at all.’ Relief flooded through and Jenna found herself relaxing against the kitchen counter. ‘It turned cooler this afternoon.’

  Jenna hadn’t noticed. She’d been too embroiled in a first-stage interview with Lena, who had already lawyered up before Jenna had got there. The woman then proceeded to cry in a long drawn-out, dramatic waste of everyone’s time for the following two and a half hours.

  Mentally and emotionally drained, Jenna made the decision to have Lena seen by the duty doctor and then settled down in the cell overnight until either the effects of the cocaine that she’d so liberally taken had worn off, or she made a decision to put the performance to one side and answer Jenna’s queries so they could all get on with their lives.

  Eight in the morning was time enough for Jenna to reconvene. Although Lena’s solicitor appeared less than enthusiastic at the early start and suggested 10 a.m. As it didn’t suit Jenna, she rejected it. Her day would be well underway by then, and with so many incidents to deal with, she simply didn’t have the time to waste on a solicitor’s personal preference for breakfast time.

  Jenna raised the glass of red wine to her lips and took a sip, determined not to criticise the divine rice pudding. She gazed around the kitchen in awe. Immaculate, wiped down, gleaming. So her sister had spare time enough on her hands to clean but not a sign of any other food on the hob.

  Jenna glanced down at her work clothes. She could get changed, but if she went upstairs and so much as caught sight of her bed, she’d be asleep in no time.

  Her stomach grumbled out its vocal protest.

  She could always fling on a pan of pasta.

  Fliss slipped the oven gloves on her hands again and turned her back on Jenna, as she slid a small roasting tin out of the oven and put it on the side, followed by a casserole dish. She lifted the lid from the casserole dish. The steam billowed out carrying the savoury scent of something divine enough to hit Jenna's taste buds and almost brought her to her knees.

  ‘Oh my gosh. What have you cooked?’

  With a bright smile, Fliss hooked up a serving spoon and popped it in the casserole dish.

  ‘Are we expecting someone else?’ Jenna asked. She hoped not. Space and quiet was what she needed. And comfort food.

  ‘No, no, I think it's just the two of us tonight. Mason sent me a message to say he was off to the gym with Ryan. Some sort of boy bonding thing going on.’

  Jenna had a vague recollection that it had been mentioned earlier in the day, but it had passed by in the fanaticism of their work. They’d wanted to return to the gym, check it out. Mason’s main reason was to ascertain just how fit young Ryan had become. Jenna suspected he was in for a bit of a surprise. And she couldn’t be arsed with the slide of testosterone kicking in.

  ‘Right. There's a lot for two.’ She’d manage at a push.

  Fliss sent her a bashful smile. ‘He said he might drop by later. Just slip in. So, I'll leave enough for him and pop it in the oven to keep warm.’

  ‘So, this…’ Amusement laced her words as Jenna circled her hand above her head. ‘…All this food isn't just for my benefit?’

  ‘No.’ Fliss did a self-conscious jiggle of her shoulders as she picked up her glass of wine and took a sip as her face pinkened. ‘It's for my benefit. I wanted to do it. It makes me feel good.’

  The warmth in Jenna's chest spread. Fliss was doing things for herself these days. Food was often hit and miss as she was a junk-food addict to the extreme, but when she decided to cook or bake it was because she was in a good place. A place of days gone by when their mum was alive and being in the kitchen was a social event. It brought with it a sense of relief and delight that she'd become so independent.

  Things could have gone quite the other way. After her kidnap, Fliss could quite easily have become a recluse. Almost did, but to Jenna’s surprise and relief, Fliss had turned herself around. More energetic, more vibrant, more determined to live her life than ever before. The advent of Mason in her life had also driven that determination forward. She’d never admit it to him, she’d rather threaten to bury him if he disappointed her sister, but she loved him. Bastard that he was.

  Fliss reached into the drawer in front of her, pulled out two sets of cutlery and handed them over to Jenna. Like clockwork, they interacted so free and easy together with unspoken communication. Jenna reached into the cupboard for three plates, assuming Fliss would prepare one for Mason.

  ‘We were talking about nutrition today at school.’

  ‘Oh yeah?’

  ‘Yes. So, the children were talking, and I'm shocked at how many don't eat at home, or have such poor food when they return and the only meal they have during the day is the one that they get at lunchtime. And some of them are so young, they don't know what they’re doing because the meals are almost self-service. They have no idea that the three chicken nuggets and six chips on their plate is no nutrition at all and it’s not enough to sustain them throughout the day.’

  Fliss’s cheeks flushed with passion enough to make Jenna wonder if her sister’s attitude towards junk food was about to take a complete U-turn and they would be health-food fanatics in no time at all. Jenna smiled. It suited her.

  Fliss grabbed a spoon and scooped chicken casserole onto the three white plates. Bright, vibrant colours spilled across them with chicken, tomatoes, sweetcorn and red peppers in one dish.

  She waggled the serving spoon at Jenna. ‘They need so much more.’ She took a slotted spoon and flipped roast vegetables – parsnips, potatoes and carrots – from the roasting tin.

  Jenna’s stomach gave in and shouted out another loud grumble, but this time in excitement as she drew out a chair at the dining room table. A mouth-watering waft of steam came up from the plate Fliss placed in front of her as she took her own seat at the small kitchen table.

  Within a millisecond, Domino came to rest his chin on Jenna’s thigh and Fleur sang in high-pitched tones until Jenna scooped her up and let her circle around on her lap until she flopped down oblivious to the large black nose she pushed up against. Jenna automatically placed her hand on the top of Domino’s head and smiled up at her sister. ‘Thanks.’

  Fliss served her own dish of food up and the spare plate for Mason, slipping his back into the oven out of temptation’s way of the Dalmatian. She took her seat opposite Jenna and waved her hand over their plates. ‘This, this is what they don’t get. And then I thought how can you criticise? You’re really bad at nutrition. We eat such crap.’

  Exactly what Jenna had tried to tell her sister for the entire length of time they’d lived together. Jenna raised an eyebrow and kept her expression mellow. ‘I know.’ When it was her turn to cook, it was a different matter. She always tried to serve them nutritious meals with interesting ingredients. She loved the spiciness of Indian cookery, the deep richness of Italian food.

  Jenna picked up her knife and fork and barely had to cut into the chicken as it fell apart. She scooped a mouthful of it up and took a bite. This was so much more like their mum’s good old-fashioned traditional satisfying British food.

  The only thing missing that their mum might have added was dumplings. And the only addition to the casserole was the mange tout that Fliss had stirred through at the last minute so they still had a bite to them. But then Mum wouldn’t have even known what mange tout was.

  ‘So, what are you going to do about it?’ Jenna knew Fliss would have already started to devise a plan.

  ‘Something. Definitely something. I’m going to see if we can introduce a better system than trestle tables. Do something that makes their experience less of a chore and more of an oppor
tunity to interact. Mix up the age groups.’ She snapped out a sharp smile. ‘It’s not fully formulated yet, but I’ll involve the PTA, knock around with some ideas and see what we can do to improve matters.’

  Fliss chewed on her own mouthful of food and then poked her fork towards Jenna. ‘So, did you have a good day at work today?’

  Jenna knew her time to speak was coming. She laid down her fork and picked up her wine, took a sip and let the flavour mingle with the savoury casserole. ‘This is delicious. Thank you.’ A divine pleasure. She leaned back in her chair, lowered her glass and smiled at Fliss. ‘I had an… interesting day.’

  ‘Oh, okay.’ Turning the subject Jenna was about to bring up on its head, Fliss interrupted her. ‘Do you think Domino is so much calmer today?’

  Jenna almost snorted her wine out of her nose, but Fliss never even noticed in her enthusiasm.

  ‘I think it’s starting to make a difference having a dog walker when we need one.’

  Jenna clamped down on hysterical laughter and gulped to rid herself of the wine stuck at the back of her throat. She let out a delicate cough as she hid a smile behind the glass. She took another sip to soothe her throat.

  ‘Is this the first time you’ve noticed the difference?’

  ‘It is. I thought it wasn’t going to work. He still seemed so energetic after she’d taken him out that I’ve been supplementing it by running him out as soon as I get home as well, just to calm his energy levels down.’

  Jenna’s lips twitched and she rolled them in on themselves to stop the laugher bursting out. ‘That’s not surprising.’

  With overexaggerated casualness she placed her glass on the table and picked up her fork again. She popped a little more food in her mouth and chewed.

  ‘What do you mean?’ Fliss’s smooth brow wrinkled.

  ‘I mean, I don’t think Domino has been properly walked by Lena.’ She trapped Fliss’s gaze across the table and cocked her head to one side in a little tease her sister was soon to acknowledge.

  Fliss’s confusion grew. ‘I don’t understand. If he’s not been getting a proper walk, why is he so content tonight?’

  Jenna dropped her chin down to stare at the semi-comatose dog, contentment in every line of his body as he pressed the heavy weight of it onto her thigh.

  Her sister flicked a hand over the table at her dog. ‘I thought he was so much more relaxed.’

  ‘Well, he certainly is, because if nothing else he's had mental stimulation today.’ Jenna pointed her finger at her sister. ‘You would not believe what has gone on. Do you want to know?’ She narrowed her eyes at her sister as Fliss placed her fork down by the side of her plate with a sharp snap and swiped up the wine again.

  She didn’t know whether to laugh or… Oh, what the hell? She laughed.

  She scratched the top of Domino’s head and he moaned his contentment. ‘Did you know Domino is a drug pusher in his spare time?’

  Fliss’s mouth dropped open, jaw slack. ‘What?’

  ‘Yes, Domino spent the better part of today at the police station with me. After which I took him for an extra walk in my precious refs time to make up for the fact that he probably hadn’t been very far on his trek with your dog walker. The lovely Lena. Together with the three other dogs that he was with.’

  Fliss jerked upright.

  ‘It’s supposed to be a one to one. I’m bloody well paying her for that. What the hell?’ Was she more concerned that her dog had been used to push drugs, or that she’d been overpaying for a non-exclusive service?

  ‘Well,’ Jenna grinned, warming to the subject and her sister’s shock. ‘I wouldn’t pay her this time because he’s been earning her more than enough money.’

  Eyes wide, Fliss gawped at her. ‘What the hell?’

  Jenna chuckled, thrilled by her sister’s response. ‘Your dog walker comes highly recommended.’ She whipped her hand in a circular motion and pointed her finger. ‘And your friend who made that recommendation is currently being questioned about her contacts.’ Jenna raised her hand to stop Fliss from exploding. ‘Oh no, she’s not involved.’

  Fliss still managed to splutter out her disbelief. ‘I don’t believe Lena would do that. Surely not.’

  Jenna raised her brows. ‘No, I didn't believe it either.’ She gave a quick shrug, irritated with herself for her oversight. ‘And I’m a police officer, you’d think I’d have picked up on something.’ She poked her forefinger against her chest. ‘Just as you and I had no idea, neither did your friend. She told Mason that Lena had come from a recommendation via her husband’s work, so she doesn’t even know Lena personally. I’m not even sure where the original recommendation came from, but obviously that’s what we’ll investigate. However,’ Jenna leaned forward and pointed a finger at Fliss again, ‘we’re going to have to make alternative arrangements for Domino for the time being, until we find somebody that we can actually trust. And, honest to goodness, next time, I’m going to do a security check on them. Because I had no idea, none, that this woman would use other dogs, who she’s been making a fine living from, to push drugs.’

  Fliss met her gaze straight on. ‘How the hell do dogs push drugs?’

  Jenna’s stomach gave another protesting growl. She picked up her knife and fork and started to eat again. She chewed and swallowed. ‘Oh, let me explain.’ The thrill of it tickled her. ‘She picked up the dogs from each of the houses. When we saw her, she had a shih-tzu, a black Labrador, a greyhound and a Dalmatian. Why she didn’t use something less obvious than that combination, I don’t know. Four black Labradors would have been more advisable. Anyway, because she had a Dalmatian, I spotted her immediately. It took me a split second to realise it was Domino.’

  She paused to give one silky ear an affectionate rub. ‘She then took them in her car to what we believe is a house she shares with her boyfriend, a drug pusher. She attached drugs to the dogs’ collars, and then trotted around her neighbourhood on the pretence of walking the dogs. Well, technically, they were walking, but not in the fashion all the owners imagined. Why would any of us even think to double-check a dog and a dog's collar?’

  Jenna continued to scoop small forkfuls of food into her mouth as she carried on. ‘I’ve never come across it before but Chris Bennett the dog handler had. We’re going to be doing spot checks.’ She gurgled at her own joke as she traced the black markings on Domino’s head.

  ‘So, she went door to door. And when the people open the doors, they greet the dogs. Slip the drugs away. Pop the money back onto the collar in a little pouch attached there.’

  ‘A pouch?’ A flash of confusion crossed Fliss’s face. ‘He’s never had a pouch when he gets home.’

  ‘Of course not, she would have removed that when she was in the car before driving Domino back home.’ She snickered. ‘The only walk Domino had was a house-to-house visit. He wasn’t having long, indulgent runs in fields as we’d been led to believe.’

  ‘But she sent me a picture each day.’

  ‘Yes, she probably just stopped somewhere, let him off the lead for five minutes and took a quick snapshot. But I said he didn’t seem any different. He still seemed full of energy, as though he hadn’t even had a walk. You pay for two hours, twice a week. And it made no difference. Two hours was a hell of a long time for her to have been dropping off drugs, I can tell you, although you have to factor in the dog pick up from various locations. We’ll be tracking all that down. Unfortunately, we didn’t manage to get the whole pattern, but she’s in for questioning and we won’t be letting her go anytime soon.’

  ‘Well, he's obviously quite settled tonight.’ Fliss peered over the top of the small table at him and his ears flickered in acknowledgement. Fleur let out a contented grumble and kicked him in the snout.

  ‘He certainly is.’ Jenna scratched the top of his head and his eyes blinked and then closed again. ‘He was a good boy. Good boy,’ she lowered her voice to an affectionate growl. He wagged his tail and pleasure filled his half-closed ey
es. ‘He spent a little time with Jim Downey being forensically checked and some of the time in the courtyard while I put my paperwork in order. He was with two other dogs and had the time of his life. And then, before I dropped him home, I took him for a walk. Let him stretch his legs out. All in all. That's why I never got much to eat today. A baguette sometime earlier, which barely touched the sides. Especially after I had to run.’

  ‘You ran?’ Disbelief echoed through Fliss’s voice.

  ‘Don’t be funny. I can run. If I need to.’ Damned if she’d confess she could barely bloody well keep up. That was for her to know and Fliss to find out…

  ‘If something’s chasing you.’ Her sister knew her too well.

  Jenna scraped her plate clean and leaned back. ‘I was doing the chasing.’

  Fliss continued eating. ‘Good job I made you some decent food then.’

  ‘It certainly is.’ Appreciation flowed from her voice. She took a quick look at the oven. ‘Are you sure Mason will want all of that?’ She pushed a little pathetic into her voice. ‘He’d never know.’

  Fliss pointed her knife at her. ‘You leave his dinner alone.’ She laughed as she laid her cutlery across her empty plate. ‘Your face earlier when I said I made rice pudding. It was priceless. Worth hanging on to see your response when you thought that was the only thing in the oven.’

  Jenna stared at her sister across the table and said nothing. Waves of contentment warmed her heart. It was good to see Fliss happy.

  ‘Would you like some?’

  Jenna’s stomach gave a little hip hip hooray and she abandoned the thought of swiping Mason’s dinner in preference for the sweet fix she was about to have.

  With a gentle nudge, Jenna pushed Domino’s face from her lap, scooped up Fleur and came to her feet, popping the little dog back down on the padded seating of the chair.

  She gathered their crockery and cutlery and made short work of putting them in the dishwasher as Fliss served up their rice pudding.