Chapter Thirty-Five
When Cassie walked into the Eagle and Child that evening most tables were occupied. It was standing room only at the bar, and from what she could see the back room was packed too. Red Moss’s residents had turned out in force to support their local comedians and enjoy Big Jim’s famous mulled wine.
She scanned the room and her heart sank. Stefan wasn’t there. She hadn’t really expected him to be, even if he had promised her granddad he’d attend – not after the way they had parted at Kerry’s wedding reception. She didn’t have his mobile number so she couldn’t even reach him on his mobile. Perhaps it was for the best… What would she tell him anyway? He had made it crystal clear what he thought of her.
She glanced at the tiny stage that Big Jim had, like every year, erected next to the Christmas tree, and checked her handbag once again for the Post-it notes with her grandfather’s jokes she had bundled together in preparation for the evening. His memory seemed fine these days, but it was better to be prepared.
From the table Big Jim had reserved for her family, she waved at Mason and Brenda, and at Salomé and Cecilia on the other side of the room. Behind the bar Sadie was chatting up Salomé’s new employee. Her friend had been right about Max – or Maximilien, as he apparently preferred to be called. The man was indeed gorgeous. Tall, with green eyes and dark brown hair, he had a winning smile and the talent to create the most delicious pastries, which Salomé had forced on her all week under the guise of doing quality control. It was a shame her stomach was so knotted she hadn’t been able to enjoy them…
She had attended Comedy Night every year since she was a child, but it felt different this time, and not only because it was her granddad’s last ever performance. She felt restless, and worry and sadness weighed heavily on her chest. Every time the door opened her heart stopped, then bumped to a start again. She forced a deep breath in. It was useless. She’d better accept once and for all that Stefan wasn’t coming back.
Big Jim brought over a cup of mulled wine. The worried look on his face contrasted with the bright and cheerful red and green cowboy shirt he was sporting that evening. ‘Hi, Cassie. Where’s your granddad? The show starts in less than half an hour.’
Cassie frowned. ‘He should be here by now… He’s coming with Tim and Rachel. Perhaps their babysitter was running late. Let me check my phone.’
As ‘reigning comedy king’, her granddad would be last on stage but he needed to be there to open the competition and introduce the first contestant.
‘There’s a text from Rachel.’ She read it out, ‘“Small problem with Joseph but on our way now.” I wonder what could be the matter.’
‘Never mind. I’ll ask Sadie to hand out more mulled wine while we’re waiting.’ Big Jim hesitated. ‘Actually, Cassie, I wanted to tell you that Ruby and I don’t believe a word of these stupid rumours flying about in the village… you know, about the burglaries.’
Her smile crumpled as a toxic mix of shame and anxiety churned inside her, making her want to cry all over again. ‘Thanks, Jim. It’s sweet of you to say so.’
‘I believe the police came to see you today.’
‘Nothing stays a secret for long around here, does it?’ She sighed. ‘Yes, that’s true. Two police officers came to see me this afternoon. I can’t wait for them to catch that burglar, whoever they are.’
He put his big hand on her shoulder and gave her a comforting squeeze. ‘We all do, love. The truth will come out eventually, don’t worry. Let me get you more mulled wine to cheer you up.’
He pushed his way through the crowd at the bar, and she checked her phone again. There was no new text from Rachel.
Tom Hays, one of her grandfather’s friends sitting at a nearby table, pointed at his watch and called out, ‘Where’s your granddad? I bet the old rascal chickened out when he heard there were people from London in the audience. The old “What did the policeman say…” or “Doctor, doctor” jokes won’t cut it with them!’
People from London? Her fingers toying nervously with her phone, she glanced around the room, and spotted several of Alastair’s friends standing near the bar. She couldn’t see Nathan but perhaps he was in the back room. If he was here, she would tell him she would not take up his offer. He had given her until the following morning, but her mind was made up and there was no point in delaying their conversation.
She turned to look at Tom. ‘He’s on his way right now,’ she replied with more assurance than she felt.
It was almost half-past eight when Tim, Rachel and her grandfather finally arrived. Tim walked ahead to carve a passage through the crowd, and Rachel linked arms with her granddad to support him. Cassie couldn’t repress a gasp when she saw how ill and frail he looked. His shoulders were hunched, he looked pale and old, and his hand was shaking when he took his tweed cap off and put it on the table.
Cassie put her hand on his arm, worry gnawing at her chest. ‘What’s wrong? You look awful.’
‘Nothing’s wrong, Trifle,’ he answered with a shrug. ‘I got a bit confused with my arthritis medication this afternoon, that’s all. I’m all right now.’
‘What do you mean, you got confused?’
Rachel shook her head. ‘He took a couple of sleeping tablets instead of his arthritis pills. We only realised something was wrong when he didn’t come down to eat his tea, and when even the boys jumping on his bed didn’t disturb him. It took us hours to wake him up, that’s why we’re so late.’
Cassie gasped. ‘Granddad! Did you not look at the box?’
‘I did, pet, but I couldn’t find my glasses. The pills were all mixed up and they looked the same to me.’
‘He’s right,’ Rachel said. ‘The sleeping tablets were inside the box of arthritis medication.’ She looked at him sternly. ‘I don’t know how this could have happened. It could have been extremely serious, Joseph, you realise that.’
‘Aye. I’m sorry, darling.’ He clasped his shaking fingers together on the table, and Cassie felt a rush of love and tenderness for him.
‘I only picked up the box of medication from the cottage last week. In fact, it was Lambert who fetched it from the bathroom cabinet for me. I must have mixed up the tablets ages ago, but didn’t realise as I haven’t needed them for a while.’
Rachel frowned. ‘It was last Friday, the day after our Louis broke his arm. Your knee was aching that day too, and that evening you went to bed straight after tea, and didn’t even read the boys their story. You must have taken a sleeping tablet then too and we didn’t realise. Who knows how long you’ve been doing that.’
Cassie’s grandfather nodded. ‘I suppose it explains why I was falling asleep during the day when you were out at work and waking up all befuddled to find that it was already evening.’
Tim came back with three cups of mulled wine and a pint of orange juice that he placed in front of her grandfather. ‘That’s all you’ll be drinking tonight, Joseph.’ He winked. ‘Mixing alcohol with sleeping pills isn’t a good idea, especially when you have your act to get through.’