Leaning down to make sure that Brown’s collar was securely fastened, Sara’s torchlight picked up the willowy figure of Bergamot coming out of Rosa’s back-yard gate. The vegan one’s mop of red hair was looking messier than usual and her faux-fur coat flapped open. Not wanting to make small talk, Sara just smiled and said, ‘hi,’ as a flushed Bergamot put her head down and hurried past her, heading up the hill.
‘Here she is.’ Sara gave Rosa a friendly kiss on the cheek. Alec was busy sprinkling chocolate on the top of the steaming milk he had just heated up inside.
‘Sorry I’m later than I said I’d be,’ Rosa greeted her. ‘With Mum not home, I had to check on Merlin and then on Hot, who has been up at the Lobster Pot today. He’s having the best time with the Duchess and the pugs; I doubt they’ll even hear the bangs.’
‘We’ve left the radio on for Brown and put him in the back room. He slept through the storm, so I shouldn’t think he’ll even lift an ear.’
‘Bless him.’ Rosa shivered and pulled her hat down further over her ears.
‘How’s your mum doing?’
‘As good as can be expected. I phoned her on the way down here and she was already nodding off.’
‘And Titch and Theo?’
‘They’re fine.’ Rosa’s face broke into a smile. ‘He had eaten a plastic car.’
‘What?’ Sara’s face began to twitch. ‘No! I shouldn’t be laughing.’
‘You can now because everything is OK. Well, as soon as he’s done a poo it will be. Titch and Ritchie are both sat at Titch’s mum’s waiting for it to emerge. And they don’t want to leave him, in case it gets stuck in the garage doors so to speak.’
Alec, who had caught up with the conversation, was now laughing too, fit to burst. ‘Kids, eh?’
‘Don’t, it makes me even more scared about what I’m getting myself into.’
‘You’ll be a natural, Rosa; you wait and see.’ Alec patted her on the arm and went inside to get more cardboard cups.
‘Any word from Nate today?’ Rosa asked Sara.
‘No. I’m a bit annoyed with him to be honest.’
‘I hear you, but he’s troubled. Money problems, I think. Last night I found him in here, with no agenda other than sleeping on the floor. He promised me that he would open up this morning, so I was as surprised as you when he didn’t show.’
‘Oh, really? He’d been so reliable up until now. I wonder what’s changed all that? And if he’s broke, you’d think he’d want to keep working, surely? I just don’t get it.’
A penny suddenly dropped as Rosa looked over at the pub. The Ship Inn was in complete darkness apart from the twinkling fairy lights that adorned the wall in front of it. ‘Now I understand,’ she said to herself.
Sara overheard. ‘Everything OK?’
‘Oh yes, just thinking aloud,’ Rosa prevaricated, for some reason her gut still wanting to protect Nate. ‘I meant to bring some cash down for Danny Green. Do you mind if I just whizz back to the shop for ten minutes?’
‘We’re not busy yet, and I’m sure we can manage on our own. You’ve got enough on your plate so don’t rush and do yourself a damage.’ She pointed to Rosa’s still-flat belly.
‘In or out, this child is going to be coming with me wherever I go,’ Rosa said. ‘I don’t need to slow down.’
‘OK, OK. I just care about you, you know. Off you go. See you in a bit.’
Rosa walked against the crowd of people now streaming down the hill to the beach and the imminent firework display. Maybe something had happened in the pub that night – something too terrible to contemplate. But what would be the motive? Cash on the premises, maybe? But the pub hadn’t been open for a while, so there wouldn’t have been much, and Sheila was so ill, anyone could have taken it quite easily without her knowing, and certainly without pushing her down a flight of stairs.
But Sheila had gone on about ‘the secret’ – what did that really mean? Was it simply that she had intended to kill herself, or was there something more? Recalling the music that she’d heard when she had arrived in the pub made Rosa cringe. It could be a complete coincidence that Nate liked James Arthur too. Thinking back, had the music stopped when she arrived – or had she been so intent on looking after Sheila that she had imagined that too? Lucas had thanked her for leaving the door open – but she wasn’t a hundred per cent sure if she had done that either. Normally she would have closed it behind her. Maybe there had been someone else in the pub? Rosa knew she definitely needed to get her head together for the police interview now. That was for certain.
And, yes! The memories were flooding in now. Nate had been staying in the boxroom upstairs at the pub, and had been far from clear about when he had moved out when Rosa had questioned him. There had been so many lies from him, in fact. About how long he had worked at Sea & Save, and the way that the friend’s house he had been staying at had suddenly turned into a girlfriend’s house. Too many things didn’t add up. But despite all this, he had been so clever in schmoozing her that she had not only paid him for painting the shop but had also given him a job at ROSA’S. A job for which he was getting paid – but now, due to his admitted gambling problem, he didn’t even have enough money to look after himself. When Rosa had told him that she was seeing the police the next day, he had become particularly animated, and it also seemed weird that last night of all nights, he had decided to up and leave.
Feeling annoyed at so many people barging into her down the narrow streets, she took a side road and went through the back gate into the Corner Shop’s courtyard. The bright security light came on. Surprisingly, the back door was not locked. But then again, she hadn’t reminded Danny to lock it and the poor bloke couldn’t be expected to remember everything, especially as Hot would have needed to be let out and in again for a pee before Jacob collected him. Danny had texted her to say that on Jacob’s instruction he had left all notes, totalling a very satisfactory £425, inside a mug in the microwave and that Tina, Alfie and himself were really looking forward to seeing her at the fireworks later.
Putting her bag down on the side in the kitchen, Rosa noticed that all the mugs, even those she had used herself early that morning, had been washed up and were neatly placed on the draining board. There was also a broken one next to a bit of paper, with a note saying, So sorry, I knocked it off the side. He might look like a dodgy character, Rosa thought, but at least Danny had manners. And then again, who was she, to judge someone by a scar? Every scar could tell a story, big or small. She was, in fact, rather fond of hers now. It made her unique.
Her phone beeped the signal of a very long text message. Biggest shit he’s ever done and yes there it was, a tiny blue and now somewhat brown plastic Mini. Sorry, but I’m not coming out. His Lordship is understandably knackered and whingey, Ritch must work and it’s not fair on Mum to leave her to cope. Enjoy the bangs, chance would be a fine thing! See you tomorrow. T X
Still smiling from Titch’s usual irreverence, Rosa opened the microwave and reached inside for the I Love Dachshunds mug that Danny had put in there. The mug was empty. Thinking the cash might have fallen out when he put it in there, she ran her hands around the back, then lifted the glass plate inside – but there was nothing. Going through to the shop, she checked the till; no notes, only coins stared back at her. She noticed that Danny had even tidied up the counter, bless him.