‘What would you do if reception informed you one of the guests was attempting to leave without paying?’
Mallory frowned and looked down at her jeans. She’d had plenty of excruciating interviews over the years, but this was the dumbest question yet and an indication of the type of job she’d be taking on. She’d be paid to stop guests pilfering from their hotel room, advise them against swimming in the sea after drinking alcohol and to keep an eye out for disgruntled employees. The day-trippers weren’t the hotel’s responsibility because the family of Margaret Taylor still owned the island. Alex had bought the former convent and its buildings. The gift shop belonged to the hotel but not the ice-cream booth. Mallory would be working evening shifts, seven in the evening until one a.m. followed by a two-hour break when she would still be on call, and then three a.m. until seven when Alys would take over reception to check out guests. She was unlikely to get the hooligans as you’d expect in other security jobs. The hotel didn’t take group bookings. Maximum four to a party and no hen or stag dos. It sounded easy enough. She caught Alex’s eye and saw he was waiting for an answer.
‘I’d suggest to them they’d accidentally forgotten to pay and perhaps they’d like to make their way to reception. In the meantime, I’d radio the boat at the harbour and ask them to delay a few minutes until payment had gone through. Just in case.’
Mallory could see Alex hadn’t thought of doing that. He smiled, his mouth a thin line.
‘In any case, we have their credit card details with the charge pre-authorised.’
‘Then no need to get the boat involved,’ Mallory conceded, which won her another narrow smile.
From the window, she could see the sea, which had taken on a darker hue. The changing colour of the water fascinated her, as did the boom of the waves hitting the cliff beneath them. You could spend all day just watching and listening to the sea, which was perhaps what the city escapees who booked rooms at the Cloister did.
Alex put down the paper he’d been reading his questions from and regarded her. It gave Mallory a moment of fleeting panic. On cue, her leg wound began to seep through her jeans. She’d worn black on purpose, of course. The utilitarian clothing and dark colours were what any boss would expect from a security guard, and she’d done a pretty good job of hiding her limp as Alex had shown her around the resort.
‘I appreciate this job is below what you’re capable of.’
She forced a smile. ‘As you know from my CV, I’ve now left the police. While I readjust to civilian life, I think the Cloister is the perfect place to consider my next steps in my career.’
Alex nodded. It was a good ploy on Mallory’s part, one she’d rehearsed on the boat coming over to the island. If the hotel was drawing clientele by advertising itself as a place for reflection, then she would appeal to its unique selling point.
‘What exactly happened? You mention in your application that you were injured in the course of your work.’
The image of her assailant’s knife ripping through her thigh flashed into Mallory’s head. ‘I was with my partner, Shen, returning a former prisoner back to jail for breaching his licence conditions. He attacked me with a knife and I sustained damage to my leg and shoulder.’
Again, the memory of lying on the pavement while the paramedic performed CPR came back to haunt her. Ever since the incident, she’d sought to downplay her injuries, first to the occupational health consultant and then to her bosses. Feeling Alex’s eyes on her, she forced a smile.
‘And you’re able to undertake the duties I’ve set out for you?’
‘Of course,’ said Mallory, ignoring the spasm in her leg.
‘OK. Well, I see you have a medical statement saying you’re fit to work. There’s the issue of accommodation,’ said Alex, massaging his forehead. ‘There are three rooms set aside for live-in staff at the back of the building. Most of our employees, however, are local and come over by boat each day. I can let you have one of those rooms.’
‘What about the lodge I saw earlier? Alys mentioned a guest had wanted to rent it. Would it be suitable for me to use?’
He screwed his eyes in incomprehension. ‘Lodge? Oh, I see what you mean. I call it the cabin. Lodge is a little grand sounding until we get it renovated. Won’t you need to be onsite in case of an emergency?’
‘It’s a five-minute walk at most. I’d expect to be working with a two-way radio anyway. The thing is, if you’re looking for a night manager, the lodge will be somewhere quiet to sleep in the day. It doesn’t stop me being contacted if any problems arise.’
She saw Alex consider the proposal. ‘The island is hardly noisy, but I take your point. Perhaps you’d like to take a look first. It’s a little spartan. There’s no smoking in there or anywhere on the island. Do you have a problem with that?’
‘Not at all,’ said Mallory.
The phone rang and she saw him frown. ‘I’m sorry, I need to deal with this.’ He swung round to open the door of his small office. ‘Alys, can someone show Mallory inside the cabin?’
‘I’m not sure there’s anyone here who’s free,’ said Alys, standing with a phone in her hand.
‘I can show her if you like.’ A thin girl with pale hair was pulling on a puffa jacket that was slightly too large for her.
Mallory rose, wincing as she put pressure on her leg.
‘You sure you’ve got the time, Elsa fach?’ Alys’s eyebrows were raised in surprise. ‘I know it’s time for you to go, the boat leaves in five minutes.’
‘I’ll give you an extra hour overtime,’ shouted Alex, and pushed the door shut.
The girl looked across at Mallory, her eyes huge pools of brown under the hood. ‘I’ll take you to the cabin.’
‘And you’re…?’
‘Elsa. I’m one of the room attendants. I’ve just finished my shift but I don’t mind showing you round.’
‘You clean the hotel?’ asked Mallory.
Elsa zipped up her coat. ‘Basically, yes, although Alex often asks me to help out in other areas.’
‘You like it?’
‘It’s OK.’
Alys went into the room behind reception and emerged with a key, which she handed to Mallory, not Elsa. ‘Make sure you lock up after you.’
‘So you don’t live on the island?’ asked Mallory as Elsa led her across the lawn.
‘Oh no, my mam wouldn’t let me do that. She likes me back home at night.’
‘Who exactly lives in?’ asked Mallory. ‘I forgot to ask.’
‘Just Alex, Alys on reception and Tom the chef. The rest of us live on the mainland and come over each morning.’
‘What if the weather’s bad?’
‘Owen usually knows the forecast and it’s not far even if the sea is rough. There’s a room for us to stay overnight if we think there’ll be a problem, but the island is closed from Christmas week until Easter so we avoid the worst of the weather.’
‘It sounds like Alex has it all worked out.’
‘The shift rota works like clockwork. It’s an OK job until I go to college next year.’
As they neared the lodge, Mallory saw the wood had recently been stained deep mahogany.
‘It’s not as nice inside,’ said Elsa, ‘but it’ll make a nice cwtch. Somewhere for you to relax. I come in here once a week to give the place a dust.’
The door opened easily. It was a large room and her first impressions from when she had peered through the glass were confirmed. The place was tidy but drab – a room that hadn’t yet been subject to the design makeover Alex had given the rest of the resort. A single bed was pushed against a wall, its mattress at least clean. The sofa, however, had seen better days.
‘There’s a bathroom here.’ Elsa opened a door and Mallory looked in. It was decent enough with a turquoise suite probably fitted in the 1970s. The girl paused, pursing her lips. ‘Do you like it?’
‘It seems OK.’ Mallory glanced around the space.
‘You don’t want to stay in the hotel?’ asked the girl.
‘I’d like a bit of distance when I’m off duty. Do you understand?’
‘Oh, I understand.’
Mallory decided to ignore the cryptic emphasis of the girl’s words. ‘What was the place used for?’
‘When the Cloister was a convent, the housekeeper lived here. The religious sisters liked the main house to themselves.’ The girl made a face. ‘My Auntie Joanne was a housekeeper for a while. She has stories about living here.’
‘You’ll have to tell me about them sometime.’
The girl shrugged.
‘You think I’d be better off in the room inside the hotel?’ Mallory asked the girl, picking up on her mood.
‘Oh, no.’
Mallory frowned. ‘Why not?’
‘This cabin’s separate from the convent. You won’t come to any harm here.’
‘But I might at the hotel?’
Aware she was being enigmatic the girl smiled. ‘Never mind me. You’ll be all right in here. I’ll add you to my cleaning rota. When I’m on duty, I’ll do the room for you.’
‘All right. Thank you.’ It was a relief to get back into the open air. Mallory, conscious that her wound was now sticking to her jeans, was feeling queasy and needed a lie down. They turned to see Alex walking towards them.
‘Sorry about the interruption. If you’re keen, I’m happy to offer you the position. The two previous applicants weren’t at all suitable.’
He didn’t look happy. Alex, for all his quiff and old-fashioned charm, could spot when something was off. He glanced at her leg. ‘How soon can you start?’
‘This week. I just need to return to London to tell my son about the job and collect some clothes.’
He stared at her. ‘This week?’
‘If it’s all right with you. I can make sure my referees are on standby to reply to you by my return.’
Astonished, Alex looked at Elsa who kept her eyes lowered. ‘Why not?’ he said finally.