Effie didn’t have long to wallow, because they sent Winnie to find her and bring her back, and that in itself must have taken quite a while given Winnie’s lack of speed. Effie was both upset about John and about Liv – she’d made a real mess of things. By the time she had dried her eyes and got back to the kitchen, the starters were ready to go out and from then on the kitchen was busier than a hive in summer and the evening flew by in a whirl of plates. Dolly did a great job of directing the mish-mash of waiting staff from her scooter and keeping everything on track, and whilst it wasn’t as slick as Fraser would have wanted it to be, it hopefully seemed good enough from the diners’ point of view. Fraser had set Winnie up in the kitchen doing a final quality check before the dishes left the service counter, and while she was slow on her feet she had an eagle eye and made sure everything looked exactly like the example dishes Fraser had shown her.
The atmosphere in the dining room was infectious as everyone tucked into the food. The diners were making the right noises and gestures and some were taking photos on their phones. There was lots of happy chatter too, which Effie took as a good sign. The foliage was doing its job.
As they cleared away dessert dishes and brought out trays of coffee and Scottish tablet, Fraser came into the dining room to speak to the guests and potential investors and was met by a round of applause. Effie was puffed up with love and pride for her cousin. Dolly wiped a tear from her eye and Effie turned to say something to Liv but found Sheena next to her instead. The events of earlier came rushing back and threatened to overwhelm her. Liv had gone and, despite everything, she missed her.
‘Are you okay, Hen?’ asked Sheena.
‘Head rush,’ lied Effie.
‘You can probably duck out and have a sit-down. There’ll only be the clearing away to do now.’
‘Okay, thanks. I’ll come back for that,’ said Effie and she slipped from the room.
In the library she checked her phone. Another desperate message from John. She bit her lip. She had a decision to make.
About ten minutes later Fraser put his head around the door. ‘Here you are.’
Effie stood up. ‘Do you need me to help tidy up?’ she asked.
‘Nah, I think the guests are going to linger a while longer. That’s positive right?’ He looked unsure.
‘I think so. You did brilliantly tonight. If you don’t find investors then they’re nincompoops.’
Fraser chuckled. ‘I agree. Everything okay?’
Effie flopped back down on the window seat. ‘Not really.’
‘Is it Liv?’
‘It’s John.’
‘You know that’s not his real name, right?’
Tears stung Effie’s eyes and she had to take a moment to control them before she could speak. ‘I do but I don’t want to believe it. Is that crazy?’
‘Noooo,’ said Fraser, sitting down next to her. ‘Maybe a little,’ he added as he gave her a nudge. ‘It’s not your fault. This is this person’s job. This is what they do. They defraud people in the worst way possible.’
‘It’s horrible. John asked me for money again.’ She looked sheepishly at him.
‘Please tell me you didn’t send him any.’
‘I was tempted but I didn’t. He keeps messaging.’
‘Have you not deleted and blocked him?’
Effie stared down at her phone but didn’t answer. She wasn’t a good liar and Fraser had known her her whole life so it was pointless even trying to hoodwink him. ‘Effie?’ he prompted.
She looked up. ‘Do I have to?’
‘You must or they’ll just keep badgering you. I can do it if you’d rather.’ He held out his hand.
‘No, it’s okay.’ She unlocked her phone, and blocked John’s number and email.
‘Well done.’ Fraser patted her arm. ‘Feel better?’
‘Not really. Now I feel awful for what I said to Liv. And there’s no way to put that right because she’s gone.’ She looked at Fraser.
He rubbed a hand over his chin. ‘Sometimes you just have to let people go.’
‘Even the good ones like Liv?’
He scratched his head. ‘I don’t know with Liv. I know what your dad would have said.’
Effie chuckled. ‘That bird’s a rocket; she’s tuned to the moon,’ she said mimicking her father’s strong Scottish accent. ‘But I liked that about her.’
‘I suppose.’ He didn’t sound convinced. ‘She’s about as stable as Bitcoin. One minute she was batshit crazy and doing my nut in and the next…’
‘She is one of a kind,’ said Effie. ‘Look how she stepped up to help – and I know I didn’t behave well but she was trying to protect me from John. She has a good heart. We need people like that in our lives. Don’t we?’
‘I suppose we do,’ he said.
*
Liv found herself sitting in a tiny room at a small police station with only a plastic cup of water for company. She’d never been in trouble before and she didn’t like it. Well, nothing serious anyway: scrumping apples, late return of library books and the one time she was evicted from McDonald’s for accidentally chucking a chicken nugget at someone’s baby.
Now she’d somehow found herself arrested and detained at a police station. She’d almost laughed when Robbie had arrested her, but it had quickly become apparent that it was no joke. She’d pleaded her innocence but Robbie was having none of it. He’d locked up her car and taken her to the police station. He’d had to rush off before she was checked in so he’d left her with an unsmiling bald policeman who had thankfully removed the handcuffs, taken all her details and got her a cup of water. Now she was sitting in a featureless room feeling like she was in a TV cop drama.
Robbie had said that if she’d done nothing wrong then she had nothing to worry about, but as a police officer he had to investigate thoroughly. Her brain started to escalate the situation. What if nobody believed her? What if she’d been framed? Did that mean a trial and a criminal record? The door opened and she jumped. Immediately she feared that made her look guilty.
‘Miss Bingham, I’m Sergeant Robertson. I’d like to ask you a few questions.’
She swallowed hard. This was scary. What if she got them wrong? She really didn’t want to spend Christmas in a cell. Did you even get a Christmas dinner? And if it was would it be haggis?
‘Okay, but can I just say I didn’t do it. The graffiti. It wasn’t me.’
‘Do you know who did do it?’ he asked.
‘No. Can I go now?’ She stood up and the sergeant motioned for her to retake her seat.
‘Just a few more questions.’
She picked up her water with a shaking hand. They both looked at the water jiggling inside and she put it down again. Why did she feel like she was a criminal?
‘Why do you have a spray can in your car?’ he asked.
‘It’s not my car. It belongs to my sister – Charlotte. She always buys one to match the car because she’s an obsessive forward planner and she likes to be prepared for everything. So if she dings it she can fix it straight away.’ The words tumbled out like toffees out from a Quality Street tin. She realised she’d be rubbish under interrogation.
‘And what colour is the spray paint in the can that Police Officer Williams retrieved from the car?’
‘It’s black. But it won’t be called black. It’s a BMW so it’s probably called dingy midnight charcoal or something stupid.’ She smiled but Officer Robertson didn’t smile back. ‘It’s black,’ she added just to be clear.
Sergeant Robertson stared at her and her pulse picked up. Had she said something wrong? At last he spoke. ‘You’re free to go.’
The relief was huge. ‘Oh thank heavens for that.’ It was a rush of joy like she’d never experienced before, almost worth the stress of being interviewed but not quite. She got up and the sergeant showed her to the front desk where she had to sign a form to get her car keys and spray paint back.
‘Thanks and merry Christmas,’ she said suddenly feeling like Scrooge on Christmas morning now that life was as it should be.
The desk sergeant walked away. Liv turned around to be met by a very empty police station. ‘Um, excuse me. Is someone taking me home. Not all the way home because that’s in Blackburn but back to my car?’
‘It’s not a taxi rank; it’s a police station,’ said the desk sergeant. Not exactly helpful.
‘Can you direct me to a taxi rank?’
‘It’s in town. About two and a half miles that way.’ Again no help at all.
‘How do I get back to my car?’
‘Call someone to get you.’ He shook his head like this was a very stupid question.
‘Can’t Robbie take me. It’s his fault I’m here.’
‘PC Williams was called to an RTA.’
‘Fair enough. That’s definitely more important.’ She realised her phone was in her bag, which was in the boot of the car. ‘I’ve not got my mobile.’ Maybe she was going to be stranded there. ‘Can I use your phone please?’
He huffed and puffed before passing her a handset. ‘Thanks. Um sorry to bother you again but could you look up a phone number for me please? It’s the Lochy House Hotel. Actually it’s the restaurant bit if that has a different number.’ There was lots of tutting as he took the handset back, looked in his computer, tapped a number into the phone and grumpily gave it back to Liv. ‘Thanks – you’re very kind. Definitely on Santa’s nice list,’ she said with her sweetest smile. There was an awkward pause as the phone rang out and the police officer stared at her. At last it was answered. She mouthed what was happening and he shook his head slowly.
‘Good evening, Bonnie Scott’s. How may I help you?’
Liv wished she had taken a moment to plan out what she was going to say but then why change a habit of a lifetime? ‘Effie, thank heavens it’s you.’
‘Who is this?’
‘It’s Liv. Please don’t put the phone down.’ Liv crossed her fingers. ‘I’m really sorry about the whole John thing. I shouldn’t have interfered.’
There was an unnervingly long pause. ‘It’s okay. Fraser agrees with you. He thinks John is a fraud. I think Janet might have cursed me. A couple of months back I was in the woods and I heard—’
‘Sorry to interrupt you, Effie, but this is kind of urgent. I got arrested and I’m—’
Effie gasped. ‘What did you do?’
‘I was done for cattle rustling.’
‘Really?’
‘No! Robbie arrested me on false pretences and now I’m stranded in a police station in…’ It dawned on her that she had no idea where she was. She put her hand over the receiver and whispered to the bored-looking police officer. ‘Where am I?’
‘Planet earth,’ he replied.
‘You should do stand-up. You know if you ever stop loving this job as much as you clearly do now.’ She gave him a cheesy grin. ‘Location, please.’
He shook his head at her. ‘Fort William.’
‘Thank you so much.’ She removed her hand from the receiver. ‘I’m at Fort William police station and I need a lift back to my car.’
‘That’s good because Robbie works there. He’ll bring you back.’
Why were things so much harder than they needed to be. ‘He’s been called to an accident.’ The officer cleared his throat and tapped his watch. ‘I really need someone to come and get me. I don’t know anyone else around here. Sorry.’
‘Okay. Um, I’ll sort something out.’
‘Great, when do you think they’ll get here?’ But as she was asking the question she heard an ominous click. ‘Effie, are you still there?’ There was no answer.
Liv handed the phone back to the police officer. ‘I love what you’ve done with your hair,’ she told him as she smoothed a hand over her own head. ‘So shiny.’ He shook his head at her. ‘I’ll wait over here.’ She pointed at two sad-looking chairs.
‘No. I’m already late locking up.’
‘Police stations don’t close do they?’
‘This one does. I’m sorry but you’ll have to wait outside,’ he said with a shrug.
Outside it was cold and dark. This wasn’t funny.
‘You okay?’ asked the officer as he locked up. Apparently having a brief moment of concern.
‘Absolutely fine. Thanks for asking.’ She grinned at him whilst trying to hide her chattering teeth.
‘Goodnight then,’ he said pulling up his coat hood and striding off.
Time ticked by. She had no idea how long she was standing there but it felt like forever. In reality it was probably only about forty minutes. She had visions of Effie appearing through the darkness riding Ginger. But would Effie be able to venture that far given her issues? Liv wrapped her arms around herself and hugged her coat in an attempt to keep warm. Could she trust Effie to sort something out? Or was hypothermia going to set in and she’d be like a human ice pop?