Sunday teatime
A strange girl stood in the porch. Bright pink jacket, enormous hoop earrings, black leggings, corn-rowed hair and a big smile … which faded as she heard the noise Jenny was making, and saw that Fifi was trying to make herself small in Ellie’s arms.
There was a crash from the kitchen. What had Evan done now?
Ellie gasped, ‘Coralie! I hardly knew you. How you’ve grown!’
‘Give her here,’ said Coralie, taking a willing Fifi into her own arms. ‘And is that naughty Jenny making all that noise?’ She stepped past Ellie, crossed the hall, and collected Jenny with her free arm. ‘There, now! What you in such a state for, eh?’
Jenny opened her eyes, hiccupped, recognized a superior being and closed her mouth. Her colour faded from scarlet to its usual pink. She hit Coralie’s shoulder and yes, almost managed a smile. ‘Telly!’ she said.
Coralie freed herself somehow, long enough to turn the television off – oh, blessed peace! – only to resume her hold around Jenny. Ellie wondered how on earth did Coralie do that? She hadn’t grown an extra arm, had she? Perhaps those who looked after children grew a third, invisible arm?
Now that the telly was off, Ellie could hear a phone ringing, somewhere. But where? Ah, it stopped.
‘Remember me?’ said Coralie to Jenny. ‘I’m Coralie, which rhymes with “Come to me”. Now, let’s go and find out what your naughty brother has been up to, right?’
When Coralie said ‘naughty’, it sounded like an endearment. Jenny certainly took it as such.
Coralie put Jenny down on the floor but continued to hold her hand, while she said to Ellie, ‘Dad told me you was in trouble. Where’s Susan? I tried next door, but there wasn’t no one in, and no lights on nor nothing.’
‘I don’t know!’ said Ellie, ‘I’m dead worried, tell the truth. I’d better go round there, if you can watch the children for a mo.’
Something hit Ellie’s thigh. Evan, handing her a smartphone. He had biscuit crumbs round his mouth and a biscuit in his left hand. He looked up at Coralie and thought about it. Did he remember her? Perhaps he did? He was a serious little boy. Suddenly, he grinned. He sang, not too much off key, ‘A fox went out …’
Coralie sang along with him. ‘… one starry night! We used to sing that in the bath, didn’t we? What a clever boy you are to remember Coralie. Now, let’s get everyone cleaned up and sitting at the kitchen table, and we’ll see what we can cook for our supper, eh?’ And then to Ellie, ‘You look frazzled. You can leave me with them while you have a cuppa, right.’
Ellie dithered. ‘I was going to cook a joint for tonight’s supper, but … I haven’t even thought about—’
‘We’ll do fish fingers or pasta,’ said Coralie, sweeping the children into the kitchen before her. ‘Which would you prefer, kiddies?’
Ellie didn’t think the children would like to be called ‘kiddies’, but they didn’t seem to object. Coralie had the magic touch, didn’t she?
Ellie’s phone went off, and she jumped a mile.
‘I’ve been ringing and ringing …’ A male voice. Who was it?
‘I tried on the way to the hospital, but … never mind that now. The thing is, they’re going to keep her in, bed rest, they think they can stop it, because it’s a week early. She’s objecting like mad, but I said she had to think of the babe, and … Ellie, is that you? I don’t know what to do about the children.’
It was Rafael.
She said, ‘It’s all right, Rafael. Relax. The children are here with me and Coralie’s arrived and is going to look after them. Susan can stop worrying.’
‘I’ve been going half out of my mind, not knowing what to do, to whisk her off to hospital, or put her to bed. Then she had a show and I panicked, I couldn’t think of anything but getting her there and I knew you and Thomas were around and I did try to ring you but—’
‘We’re all here and doing fine.’ Ellie’s brain went into overtime. What if this … or that? She said, ‘If they keep Susan in, would it be all right for me to ask Coralie to move into your spare room for tonight?’
‘Yes, of course. That is, I don’t know if the bed is—’
‘Relax. This is Coralie we’re talking about. I think you can safely leave it to her to do the right thing. Are you going to stay at the hospital?’
‘I’m biting my fingernails, can’t think straight. What if …? No, of course everything’s going to be all right. I’ll let you know what …’ His voice died away, and then he clicked off.
Ellie wanted to tear over to the hospital. She wanted to ring him back and demand details. She wanted to do something, anything. Poor Susan! But she was only a week early. The baby would be all right if he was born now. If only …!
Ellie told herself to calm down. Rafael was at the hospital. Susan was in the best possible place for her at this moment. Ellie had other calls on her time. She couldn’t go rushing to the hospital to act as mother when she had three little ones needing attention, not to mention the problem of Archie and Nancy … Oh, my goodness! Ellie had forgotten Nancy. She must be in quite a state, but surely Thomas would rescue her and … was the spare room bed made up here?
Calm down, Ellie. Think. Put your priorities in order. The children.
Ellie listened out. Joyful noises and squeaks of children happily making a mess came from the kitchen. The television was blessedly silent, but somewhere a phone was ringing. The landline in her study? Ellie got there just before the caller hung up.
It was Patsy. Agitated. ‘Mrs Quicke, I’ve been trying and trying to ring you back. That photo you sent me. Where did you get it?’
‘My husband took it this afternoon. It’s of a young man called Archie, who used to work for Walker & Price but whom we think has thrown in his lot with Streetwise, their competitor. He was waiting outside Nancy Price’s house this morning, trying to bully her into selling the estate agency. Do you know him?’
‘Yes. I’m sorry to say, we do. Can you tell me how you’ve come across him? Has he actually broken the law?’
That was a strange question. But Patsy wouldn’t ask without good reason. Ellie tried to think straight. ‘I don’t know that I can prove anything criminal. Would circumstantial evidence do you?’
‘Yes. Feel free to use the word “alleged”.’
‘Very well. You know I’m involved in the charity which takes condemned properties and turns them into affordable accommodation? Yes, this is relevant. Do you want some details?’
‘Yes, please.’
Ellie went on to explain the problems affecting Walker & Price, for whom Archie worked … the suspicion that he’d switched loyalties to work for Streetwise. She added that Archie had lost his driving licence some time ago and had been accepting lifts from a girl who rides a motorbike. A girl answering to that description was seen defacing the window of the agency, and she’d been accompanying Archie around while he tried to bully Nancy Price into selling the agency for a pittance.
Ellie said, ‘I have personal knowledge of all that. Now for the “alleged” bits. I think it was either he or she who set up the nasty events which brought W & P to its knees, and I believe it was either Archie or his girlfriend who firebombed her house last night. And, if you want to let your fancy roam, then you might think it worthwhile checking in your road to see if Archie or the motorbike girl were responsible for posting the fliers which advertised your house as a brothel.’
‘Anything else?’ A stony voice.
‘Jocelyn knows something about this, and the knowledge is tearing him apart.’
‘How could he possibly be involved?’
‘I don’t know! Through an old friend, perhaps? Someone he cares for and is shielding? I thought at first it might be his father because someone in good odour with the council has been pulling strings to shut down police enquiries on the death of Mr Walker. The latest blow is that the council has rescinded the permits for the charity to develop that rundown street we bought. Councillor Hallett appears to be on the side of the saints, so … does Jocelyn have a friend or contact who could fill the bill?’
No comment on that. ‘Anything else?’
‘Yes. I don’t think whoever started this campaign – King Rat, as you might say – actually firebombed Nancy’s house or killed Mr Walker in person. He or she probably didn’t think it through. He or she may simply have expressed annoyance that their takeover bid for Walker & Price was not welcome, and this annoyance was picked up by someone who took the hint to harass the people who were obstructing the boss’s wishes, and who ran away with it. They probably thought a little hassle here and a threat there would do it, and when it didn’t, they got more and more creative.’
‘Jocelyn wouldn’t.’
‘No, of course he wouldn’t. But he knows something. I believe he knows who King Rat may be. I believe he doesn’t know how to stop what’s happening except by moving back in to protect you and the others. Patsy, I need to know who or what it is that he’s protecting. And I agree, it’s probably not his father who seems to be squeaky clean if a bit of a bully.’
There was a long, long silence. Finally the girl broke it. ‘Jocelyn said that this last year living with us has been the happiest in his life. Apart from the first few weeks when Brendon was being a pain, we were all really good friends. Quite often we’d all sit in the back room or the garden and chat of an evening. Sometimes I’d chat with Mrs Jermyn over the fence. We all went to Jocelyn with our problems.’
‘Even you?’
‘I didn’t at first. Not for a long time. But when I understood that he was interested … He was such good company and … Only, you see, I’d promised my family that I’d go back home and teach when I got my MA. So I told him how it was with me. My father and mother are not well and my brothers have married and moved away.’
‘And Jocelyn said …?’
‘A married woman can teach anywhere, and that her husband’s job might mean flexible working conditions.’
‘Ah. He sort of proposed and you sort of promised to consider his proposal while pointing out the problems?’
Patsy gave a sad little laugh. ‘Yes, I thought that was what he meant but then Brandon died and he left and I was so angry with him that I said … things.’
‘This is all about family, isn’t it? Yours and his.’
Ellie thought, And mine. The pressures, the guilt, the levers of power.
Patsy said, ‘Families, yes. Mine is straightforward enough; even in this day and age in my family the boys go out into the world and the girls stay home to look after their parents. It’s much the same for Jocelyn, except that he’s drawn the short straw, being the one needed to stay at home. He was an afterthought, you see, arriving ten years after his elder brother, Avery. Avery took after his mother’s side of the family, being tall and good looking. I don’t think his mother ever loved Jocelyn. She handed him over to a nanny to be brought up and she laughed when Avery poked fun at Jocelyn. Nowadays you’d call the name-calling and sly jokes “abuse”.
‘Jocelyn was and is pretty bright, but no matter how well he did at school, his parents didn’t seem to notice. It was always Avery this, and Avery that. They were outraged when an aunt left her fortune to Jocelyn and not to Avery. Even now Jocelyn’s apologetic about having money.
‘He doesn’t complain about Avery’s treatment of him, by the way. We only understood what had been happening because Avery used to visit us occasionally after we moved in. He was oh so smooth and oh so deliciously, fashionably handsome. With a snake’s tongue! He’d come in and yell for “Fatso!” or “Baldy” and make jokes about overweight puddings. He’d tell us tales of how Jocelyn as a toddler had been slow to talk and stammered. Brandon was the same but easier to ignore because he told such stupid lies about Jocelyn that nobody believed them. Also, he didn’t have Avery’s presence.’
Ellie said, ‘That’s horrible.’
Patsy half laughed. ‘That’s family for you. Avery thought we’d laugh at his “jokes” but we didn’t, and eventually he stopped coming. Jocelyn doesn’t think himself hard done by. He sees that his brother’s charm and good looks ease his path through life and he says “that’s life” and gets on with it.’
Ellie understood. ‘It’s that inner strength and tolerance which made Jocelyn the hub of the group?’
‘Yes. Once we’d made it clear to Avery and Brandon that we were Jocelyn’s friends, everything went along much better. Actually, we made Jocelyn practise saying, “Oh, grow up, Avery!” We made him say it over and over until he started laughing and … well, it got to be a catchphrase. Every time one of us did or said something stupid, we’d say, “Oh, do grow up, Avery!” It helped.’
Ellie said, ‘Yes, I can see that Avery’s words must have hurt, and your teaching Jocelyn how to stand up to his brother must have helped. I suppose Jocelyn had that parade of totties to prove to himself – and to you – that he could get a girl in spite of what Avery said?’
‘I was never quite sure, but yes, I suppose it was just that. Avery” evil, you know. He makes my skin crawl. He took Mona out a couple of times. The second time she came back in tears. Her breast was black and blue where he’d grabbed her. He’s a nasty piece of work. I suppose I ought to say “allegedly”, but I won’t.
‘We had some quiet months until one evening in May Jocelyn followed me out into the garden with a bottle of wine and a couple of glasses. He hardly drinks at all normally, but that night he did. He said the cancer treatment his mother had been undergoing had failed and that the tumour was inoperable. He said she hadn’t long to live. She wanted constant attention and reassurance. Avery said he wasn’t able to spare much time to be with his mother because he was going through a second divorce and had to attend to his business affairs. His father said he’d do early mornings and evenings and could Jocelyn return home and do the rest.’
‘The tyranny of the weak?’
‘Yes. Oh, Jocelyn saw it all quite clearly. He knew his mother really wanted Avery beside her but that if her favourite wasn’t available, then Jocelyn would have to do.’
‘But he didn’t go home?’
‘Well, there was a problem. He’d contracted to do this research job for a year and wanted to continue with it. He said he recognized that he was being selfish, that he owed everything to his parents and could see their point of view.’
Ellie said, ‘Humph!’ Loudly.
Patsy replied, ‘Agreed. I pointed out that he was managing to fulfil his work commitments with ease. He has a fine brain, you know. He’s had some job offers already which would make anyone else weep with joy, but he wanted this one last year before deciding in which direction to go. He covers up his serious nature with his idiot-about-town act. It had taken me a while to see through it—’
‘Because of the way Brandon and Avery treated him?’
‘Well, yes. Anyway, we talked it through and Jocelyn decided to carry on with his research job but spend almost every afternoon with his mother fetching this, and doing that; most of the time I think she just needs someone to listen to her complaints. He allowed himself one evening a week to take out a totty but then he’d burn the midnight oil to make up for it. He managed pretty well until that terrible evening when Brandon fell out of the top window. After that, Jocelyn’s mother and his aunt staged a scene, begging him to go home. His mother’s temperature shot up and … Oh, you can imagine it, can’t you? So back he went.
‘I understood in a way but I was also angry with him for giving in. I said he was a Mummy’s boy and other things. I wish I hadn’t. He said he’d sort out the lease for us. Something went wrong there, but he’s promised to deal with it.’
Ellie looked at her watch. What time was it? Patsy was giving her some good stuff, but Ellie couldn’t concentrate. Coralie seemed to be coping well in the kitchen, but poor Susan! And where were Thomas and Nancy and … She pulled her mind back to the present.
She said, ‘All right. I get the picture. So who is the villain, the father or the brother Avery?’
‘Avery the brother. Jocelyn admires his father for switching from business magnate to charity and council work. He made his money in communication technology. He’s supposed to be shedding his workload by handing the business over to Avery. He doesn’t intend standing for re-election to the council, but hopefully will continue with his charity work. He seems to be on the side of the angels.’
‘Avery’s been married twice? What’s his current situation?’
‘Not sure. I believe he’s toting around another wealthy, Botoxed woman. Somebody with money. An heiress or something. Mama and Papa Hallett are anxious for Avery to produce children, and hopeful this latest woman will be able to do the deed.’
Ellie’s brain wasn’t in good working order. She was trying to deal with three sets of problems at once, and not succeeding. But she did say, ‘You wanted to know where I got the photo of Archie from. Does that mean you recognize him?’
A long pause. Then: ‘I’ll get back to you on that.’ And off went the phone.
Ellie looked at her watch again. Where was Thomas? And what was happening with Susan? And where was the bedlinen for the spare bedroom?
Sunday evening
Thomas’ car turned into the driveway and parked, closely followed by another vehicle which Ellie didn’t recognize. Thomas helped Nancy out of his car on to the driveway, while a complete stranger got out of the second car.
Incredibly, Nancy was smiling.
Thomas opened the boot of his car and took out a couple of large suitcases. The strange man did the same from his car. The three of them were laughing and chatting, very much at their ease. Nancy retrieved a laptop and a tote bag from the back seat of Thomas’ car. And yes, she was still smiling.
What on earth was going on?
Ellie could have screamed with frustration.
How could they lark about when the world was tumbling down around our ears! What about Susan? What about the firebombing? What about the children?
She threw open the front door and stopped short.
Thomas had a black eye and a cut on his cheekbone, while the stranger had a large plaster on his forehead. Both men showed signs of having been in a roughhouse. Bloodstains, crumpled shirts. And big grins.
Nancy was flushed and bright-eyed. The two boys hadn’t been fighting over her, had they? No, of course not. Ridiculous!
Thomas carried in the two suitcases, stopping to kiss Ellie’s cheek as he passed her into the hall. ‘Home is the traveller, home from the sea. Metaphorically speaking, of course. Nancy, do come in. Let Hugh bring in the rest of your stuff. Ellie, this is Hugh. He’s the kind neighbour who got Nancy a new door yesterday and has offered to help take all her valuables out of the house.’
Nancy beamed at Ellie. ‘You’re so kind, Ellie. Everyone’s so kind. I can’t believe how kind everyone is.’ Nancy was hyper. She was riding high but actually on the verge of tears. The moment she relaxed, tears would come. Yes, here they came.
Ellie said, ‘You’re safe here. Come and sit down. Cup of tea in a minute.’ She ushered Nancy into the sitting room, only to be brought up by the sight of the children’s toys all over the carpet, at which Nancy started to giggle … and so, after a minute, did Ellie.
Tears forgotten, Nancy helped Ellie shovel everything back into the ottoman while the men piled the luggage in the hall and joined them. Hugh was a big man, very like Thomas in build. Also bearded, a little younger, perhaps. In his fifties? Casually but expensively dressed. Wedding ring.
Ellie turned on the men. ‘You’ve been fighting?’
They both grinned. Thomas said, ‘Young Archie got a bit pushy. We told him to leave Nancy alone, but he was beside himself. Lost it. Started shouting that she had to sign his papers today, that minute! We closed the new front door on him. He tried to kick it in. Hugh went out to reason with him, and the lad took a swing at him. I remonstrated, so he picked up a stone from the garden and threw it at me. Wham!’
Hugh laughed. ‘That’s when Thomas here picked the lad up and carried him, screaming, to the road and dumped him there. Was he surprised! And when he got to his feet and was going to charge us again, he found most of our neighbours, including Abby, of course, had come out to see what the shouting was all about. Abby phoned the police and when he objected, we told him to sit down and be quiet. And he did.’
Thomas grinned. ‘Well, it helped that another of the neighbours – no names mentioned – had armed himself with a cricket bat and said that in his opinion, Archie could do with a good thumping. That’s when the lad thought he might scarper, but we formed a sort of circle of bodies around him, and he sat back down again. There wasn’t a scratch on him, but Hugh and I were bleeding freely, which made quite an impression when the police arrived.’
Hugh nodded. ‘They asked if we wanted to charge Archie with assault, and I wasn’t sure but Thomas said yes, because the lad had been warned off before, and couldn’t be trusted not to do it again. There was a general chorus of assent from all of us, so they took Archie off in a police car for further questioning and Thomas and I have to go down to the station tomorrow morning to press charges. Which we will.’
‘Archie hit me first,’ said Thomas, happily. ‘I didn’t hit him back. I just picked him up and shook him about a bit.’
Ellie said, ‘My heroes! Tell me, was the girl on the motorbike hanging around? He’s got no other transport.’
Thomas and Hugh looked at one another.
Hugh was doubtful. ‘Don’t think so.’
Thomas said, ‘We ought to have checked. I didn’t see her, but I wasn’t looking.’
Nancy patted streaming eyes. ‘I’m not crying. I’m happy. Really I am. Hugh was wonderful. And Thomas. And Abby said we ought to have photographs of the damage they’d done to the men before she took them into her kitchen and cleaned them up, and so we took photographs of everything: the injured boys, the new door, the damaged house, the blood and the stone that Archie threw.
‘Hugh said we ought to take photos of the damage to the window at the agency, too. Archie had taken photos when it happened, but … well, I don’t know what’s got into him, I really can’t believe that he … But I do realize he’s changed so much from what he was that … And he didn’t give me any pictures of what happened at the agency so on our way here we diverted to the agency to take some more shots of the closed notice at the front just in case Archie … Well, I really can’t rely on him any more, can I? You know, I really thought he was going to kill Hugh!’
She reached out her hand in Hugh’s direction. He caught it and held it tightly.
Hugh may be wearing a wedding ring, but he’s carrying a torch for Nancy! Uh, oh!
Nancy continued, ‘I can’t believe how well everything’s turning out. Hugh’s son has been unhappy working for a tourist firm in the city. I’ve known him since he was a baby and he’s a good lad. He’s helped us out in the past over holiday times and now he’s going to leave his old job and come to help me restart the agency, and if it works out, I’m to make him a partner and oh, I keep thinking of the moment when Archie threw that stone when I thought …!’
Hugh did the right thing. He sat beside Nancy and put his arm around her in a manner most unneighbourly. She closed her eyes and relaxed against him.
Ellie, wide-eyed, looked a question at Thomas, who said, ‘Widow and widower, brought together by a strange set of circumstances.’ Thomas was smiling.
He needed a cold compress on that eye!
Ellie began to relax. If Thomas approved, then all was well. And, she could hear the children playing in the garden, with happy little screams, and Coralie’s voice urging them on … and the telephone ringing. Her smartphone?
She’d put it down somewhere? No, it was in her pocket. ‘Yes?’
Rafael, gabbling. ‘… so I can’t … only … the children …’
‘Slow down. Say that again.’
‘Susan. Is. In. Labour. They couldn’t stop it!’
‘Susan’s in labour? Oh, but … look you must stay with her. We’ll look after the children. Relax! Coralie’s here to help.’
Confused noises from the other end of the phone. Was he crying? He must realize he’s responsible for Susan going into labour early, and for leaving the children unsupervised. But now was not the time to scream at him.
Ellie said, loudly and clearly, ‘Rafael, you’ve behaved like an idiot but there’ll be time to grovel later. The children are all right here, and your place is with Susan. So get on with it!’
A mumble. He killed the call.
Ellie faced three puzzled faces. ‘Next door. Susan’s gone into labour. I said we’d look after the three children.’
Nancy shifted, sitting upright. ‘Oh. Well, that’s … You can’t be expected to look after me as well. Look, I can manage. I’ll go to a hotel—’
Hugh was about to protest but Ellie got there first. ‘Nancy, not to worry. I’ve arranged for someone to look after the children. We have a spare room en suite upstairs. Hugh will carry your things up for you. Straight ahead on your right at the top of the stairs. I’ll find you some bedlinen to make up the bed. You have a little rest and come down in a while, when we’ll have a nice quiet meal together. There’s no need for you to make any decisions for the time being.’
Thomas said, ‘You’ll stay for a meal too, won’t you, Hugh? I usually cook at weekends, so when you’ve seen Nancy settled you can join me in the kitchen and we’ll put something together. But first, I’m going to print off the photographs we’ve taken.’