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Jake leaned back in his chair and laced his hands behind his head. He said to Maggie, “Where are you going to start with your investigation?”
Maggie had no idea where to start, but she wasn’t going to admit to that. She quickly thought about all the TV crime shows she’d watched. “I’ll start with the victim. I’ll find out all I can about Harvey Chester.” She nodded a few times. “Yes, that’s where I’ll start. I’ll find out if he had any enemies. Oh, I already know he had enemies. DCI Dexter told me that. And I know about his death threats. I’ll easily find out who Harvey’s enemies were.”
“And how will you do that?” Jake asked.
Sam said, “Jake, stop questioning Maggie. She’s already told Delia she’ll investigate Harvey’s death, so she must know what she’s doing.” He smiled at Maggie, but she saw the flicker of doubt in his eyes.
“I do know what I’m doing,” she said confidently. Then her shoulders sagged. “I don’t know what I’m doing. But I’ll figure it out. Somehow.”
“Would you like some help?” Jake offered.
Maggie smiled at him. “I would, thank you. Delia said Harvey had a website, and he was on social media. Could you have a look on your computer for them?” She swiftly realised she’d said the wrong thing. “Oh no, you don’t need to. I can do it myself. Of course I can do that simple thing. If I get stuck on anything, then I’ll ask for your help. Anyway, you must have plenty to do.”
Jake removed his hands from behind his head, and began to tap on his computer. “I’ll get Harvey’s website up. We’re a bit quiet at the moment anyway.”
Maggie cast Sam an uncertain glance. “Is that true?”
Sam replied, “It is true. We’re waiting for a big contract to come through. It’s a company we’ve used before. If they agree to our increased prices, then we’ll be inundated with work.”
Without looking up from his keyboard, Jake said, “It was my idea to put the prices up. Dad never charges enough. Maggie, come over here. I think there’s a problem.”
Maggie frowned. “A problem?” She moved over to Jake and sat next to him.
Jake pointed to the screen. “There’s no mention of Harvey Chester online. No website. No social media. There is a notice about his death, but that’s all.”
Maggie peered at the screen. “Who are those other Harvey Chesters? Are you sure they aren’t the one we’re looking for?”
“No, they’re not the one we want. When Dad told me about the death in your garden, and what you told him about it being a possible murder, I looked for Harvey’s online presence then.” He flashed her a grin. “In case you got yourself involved.”
“And did you find something then?”
“I did. He had one website, and he was very vocal on social media. I scanned through his posts, and the comments. He was a man with strong opinions, and lots of people disagreed with him. I didn’t look at his website, though. I wish I had now. But it’s gone. And his social media accounts have gone too.”
“Isn’t there any record of him? I thought once things were posted online, then they’d be there forever.”
Jake nodded, and began tapping away again. “There should be a record somewhere. I’ll dig a bit deeper. It might take me a while.”
“Thank you,” Maggie said. She glanced towards the door at Jake’s side. She knew from her previous visits that it led to the kitchen. “Could I make you a drink?” She looked at Sam. “Would it be okay if I went into the kitchen? Or am I being too cheeky?”
“You’re not being cheeky at all,” Sam replied with a smile. “You’re now a member of staff.”
“On a trial basis,” Maggie reminded him.
“On a trial basis,” Sam repeated. “Let me give you the grand tour of our kitchen. It won’t take long.”
He stood up and walked over to the side door. Maggie followed him into the kitchen area.
Sam opened his arms. “Ta-da! Here it is.” He lowered his arms. “You’ve seen it a few times before anyway. Any questions?”
Maggie looked around the small room. “No. It all seems obvious enough. A fridge. Oven. Microwave. Sink. And the toilet’s through that other door.”
“Help yourself to anything in the fridge, unless Jake’s written his name all over it. He’s quite possessive when it comes to his food. My van’s usually in the yard, but the yard is big enough for you to park there if you need to. Saves you getting the bus here. You can squeeze in next to my van.”
“Thank you. I like the little table you’ve got over there. Is it an antique?”
“It is. I got it from a chap in Kirkgate Market years ago. I don’t think he’s even there now. The chairs creak a bit when you sit down, but they seem sturdy enough.” He turned to face her. “You don’t have to take this job, even on a trial basis. I won’t be offended if you change your mind.”
“I don’t want to change my mind. Do you want me to?”
“No, not at all. I think you’d be very good at it. But I thought you were looking into other jobs. Something at the library? Isn’t that what you said last week?”
“Yes. They have offered me a job. I worked there years ago. I liked the work, and the people were lovely. But...” She shrugged. “I want to help people more. People who have nowhere else to turn. People who are desperate. Like I was when we first met.”
“Even though it could be dangerous?”
“Yes, but I can do something about that. I could take self-defence lessons.” She gave him a hopeful smile. “I can do that, can’t I? Would that help?”
“It would, and I know the person who could help you with that. And I could give you some training too.”
Maggie smiled. “What kind of training? Would you teach me how to do that funny walk of yours? That one where you look left and right, and then over your shoulder.”
Sam lifted his chin. “I’ll have you know, Ms Kelburn, that particular walk has taken me years to perfect. And it is very effective.” He lowered his chin, and gave her a gentle smile. “There are a few things I can show you about personal safety. And, of course, you’ll need to know how our surveillance equipment works. Those will be a great help to you.”
Maggie’s eyes widened. “Yes. I want to know all about those. Can I test them? All of them?”
“One thing at a time. You can test them on me and Jake. I’ll have to let you know about privacy laws too. We don’t want anyone suing you. Let’s make a cup of tea and discuss it more. I’ll have to draw a contract up for you, and get your bank details.”
“But I thought I was on a trial? You don’t know if you’ll be employing me yet.”
He looked into her eyes, which made Maggie’s heart miss a beat. He said, “I already know you’re going to be wonderful. Everything about you is wonderful. Maggie, would you—”
“Maggie,” Jake bustled into the kitchen, “we’ve got a situation.”