Chapter 53
Bridie listened as the fireman explained how Jack had discovered she had a squatter in her theatre.
‘Jack told me that he went into the theatre a couple of weeks ago, searching for someone who has been playing around, scaring everyone, turning lights on and off, making them think it was the rumoured ghost. But clearly she isn’t a ghost at all.
She’s just some homeless person who has been squatting there.
I imagine she was afraid of being discovered and losing her refuge. ’
Bridie listened, still amazed that she had a squatter.
Then again, although she’d taken Kate’s advice and made an inventory, working her way through the rooms backstage and in the basement, she remembered one room that had been locked.
She’d been unable to find a key. With the rehearsals in full swing, she had been far too busy to do anything about it and had decided to leave the room for the moment, even though it was a dressing room – it had a star on the door – and she would have liked to use it.
The fireman continued, ‘Once the theatre started to be revamped, and rehearsals got underway, she was going to have quite the problem on her hands – especially when you started dress rehearsals. She knew that the costumes were all downstairs.’
Bridie thought she recognised the fireman. ‘You’re one of my prop guys,’ Bridie said. ‘I didn’t recognise you in your uniform.’
He smiled, and continued, ‘This evening, when her curtain caught fire, nobody would have heard her cries for help if it hadn’t been for Jack.
He told us that he’d been delivering some groceries to leave outside the stage door when he thought he smelled something.
That was when he heard her cries and burst in to discover that her room was on fire.
She’d been frantically trying to douse the flames. ’
Bridie turned to Oliver. ‘This doesn’t make any sense. I thought he …’
‘Me too,’ said Oliver.
‘Me three,’ Reggie joined in.
‘Now what?’ Bridie said to no one in particular.
‘We apologise!’ Mabel announced. ‘To Jack.’
Bridie turned to Oliver. They’d both assumed it was him, all of it, turning the lights off, moving props around, scaring her cast and crew.
And finally, when she had heard those fire engines, it was little wonder that she’d had a terrible thought; after hearing that he’d filed for planning permission to knock the theatre down, she believed he’d decided to bypass planning altogether and get rid of it himself.
Bridie wondered whether it was true, what Jack had said – that he’d changed his mind about the planning application and had been intending to withdraw? She didn’t believe him when he’d told her that a fortnight earlier, but she did now that he’d saved her theatre.
‘I know what you’re thinking,’ said Oliver. He got out his mobile phone and selected a phone number. ‘Here.’
‘What’s this?’
‘The number of the council planner. Speak to them.’
‘It’s Sunday evening. They won’t be open.’
‘I know. That’s the personal phone number of my friend, the planning officer.’
Bridie tentatively took his mobile. She looked at the number. ‘But will he mind me ringing about this on his day off?’
‘Not at all. Don’t you want to know?’
Bridie nodded. ‘Of course I do.’
Bridie got through, explained she was Oliver’s friend, and asked the question.
‘It’s been withdrawn?’ she eyed Oliver. ‘When?’ Bridie listened, thanked him, and then ended the call.
‘Well?’
She handed Oliver his phone. ‘He withdrew it the very next day after we accused him of sabotage.’
Oliver raised his eyebrows. ‘So, he must have hung back when you and I left that evening, intent on finding out just who had been sabotaging the theatre.’
‘Why didn’t he tell me it was the squatter?’
Reggie was standing behind them. ‘He did. Or at least I think he was going to.’
Bridie turned around. ‘What are you talking about, Reggie?’
‘I saw him outside your shop, that day we came along and painted, and cleaned, and stocked the theatre – and you began auditions until the lights went out, and you told us all to go home. I saw you and Oliver return to the shop, then Jack turned up, about to knock on your door, but he must have seen you both inside. Then a short time later, just as he was leaving the yard, the light went out in your flat.’
Bridie stared at Reggie. If Jack had seen them both go upstairs …
She said to Reggie, ‘Nothing happened.’
Reggie just nodded. ‘I realised that when a short time later, after you were probably fast asleep, Oliver left. His expression in the lamplight as he crossed the yard wasn’t one full of the joys of spring.
I guessed what had happened – he’d finally found out there was no hope for him, because you were still in love with someone else – with Jack. ’
‘Bridie – is that true?’
They all heard the sound of Jack’s voice. He’d come up behind the fireman.
The fireman turned around. ‘Ah, the paramedic is on the war path.’
A middle-aged woman in a green paramedic uniform was marching towards them. She had clearly been in the middle of wrapping his hand in gauze bandages when he suddenly absconded from the ambulance.
‘Mr Harrison, I told you not to leave the ambulance until I was done wrapping those burns, and I insist you also come to hospital just to be on the safe side. Now give me that hand!’
Jack looked at the paramedic crossly. ‘I’m fine. Please look after Isobel.’
‘Isobel,’ Bridie repeated.
‘Is it true?’ Jack asked, turning back to Bridie.
Bridie opened her mouth to answer, but unfortunately Oliver got there first.
‘Yes, it’s true,’ Oliver answered while Bridie stood there open-mouthed. ‘I stayed with her a bit that evening, because she didn’t want to be alone, but nothing happened. She was drunk. She was lost, pining for someone she thought had betrayed her.’
‘You did betray me,’ said Bridie, finally finding her voice and directing her comment at Jack, wishing with all her heart she hadn’t been such a fool that night, too drunk to listen to her heart, and seize her chance with Oliver instead.
‘I wouldn’t have followed through on the plan – I swear,’ said Jack. He knew she was talking about the planning application he’d submitted.
‘Why? Why did you submit those plans in the first place?’ Bridie said.
He furrowed his brow. ‘I hated that theatre so much because it stole you from me. I always wanted to get my hands on it, and when I found out you had it … I wanted it even more.’
Bridie stared at him. ‘You held a grudge against a building all these years? That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.’
‘Yeah,’ he said sheepishly, avoiding eye contact with Bridie and her little entourage of shopkeepers, who were standing behind her, staring at him too.
‘What changed your mind about the planning application?’ Oliver asked.
‘And saving the theatre?’ added Bridie.
Jack raised his eyebrows. ‘What do you think?’ Bridie said, ‘You changed your mind because you thought this time I wouldn’t leave. Because of the theatre, I would stay this time if I could make a success of it. It really wasn’t you, was it, sabotaging the theatre?’
‘No, it was not.’
Reggie said, ‘Excuse me for interrupting, but did I hear you right, Jack, when you told the paramedic to go and look after Isobel?’
‘Yes. She’s over there, sitting in the ambulance.
Think she’s got smoke inhalation, but she’s going to be okay.
Silly old woman. I’ve been bringing her groceries, even though she’s been keeping out of sight, but I knew you had a squatter, Bridie.
I just couldn’t tell you after I thought … ’ He looked from her to Oliver.
Jack continued, ‘Look, I knew that you would be wrapping up the rehearsals soon.’
‘How did you know that?’
‘It’s a small town. Aldeburgh is buzzing with excitement over the reopening of the theatre.
I seem to overhear snippets of conversations wherever I go.
You know, I left notes with the groceries, offering her money, a rental place, anything I could think of to get her out, but she wasn’t having any of it. ’
‘She told you this?’
‘No, not to my face. She returned my notes in the empty shopping bags hanging outside on the door handle of the stage door, telling me she would not accept charity. She was homeless. It was ridiculous. But she was so stubborn, refusing to leave. Actually reminded me of you, Bridie, stubborn as hell, and very single-minded.’
Oliver said, ‘Why didn’t you call the police?’
‘And say what? She knows that theatre like the back of her hand, knows where to hide. They’d never find her.
And besides, the rumour around town has been that it’s me sabotaging the theatre, and I know for a fact there are some police officers involved in your production.
So, you can see my dilemma. I was keeping a low profile myself.
There was no way in hell I was going to call them. ’
Bridie looked over at the ambulance. ‘Isobel Raine is in that ambulance?’
Reggie was staring at it too. ‘It can’t be, after all these years. How do you know it was her?’
‘I went to investigate after you accused me of sabotage. I found a locket, on the floor. It must have fallen from the dressing table. It had the initials I.R. I thought of that actress who disappeared all those years ago called Isobel Raine, and wondered if she’d made a reappearance, and that was your mystery saboteur. ’
‘What locket?’ Bridie asked. ‘Where is it now? Did you give it back to her?’
‘No, I left it hanging on the shop door handle that night. Didn’t you find it?’
Bridie shook her head. ‘What could have happened to it?’ Hannah asked, standing next to her, staring at Bridie.
Bridie said, ‘Do you think a customer spotted it that morning, on their way into the shop, and took it?’
‘Probably,’ said Hannah, sighing. ‘Sorry, Bridie.’
‘It’s not your fault,’ Bridie quickly said.
‘It’s mine,’ Jack admitted. ‘I should never have left it there.’
‘No, you shouldn’t have,’ said Maisie.
They all turned to look at her.