Chapter 38
Vern is in Rosie’s castle. He likes his villa, but he wouldn’t mind a castle as well. He will look up how much castles cost.
He and Lee took a walk into the village this morning. Lee had advised against it, but bodyguards advise against everything. Vern had told Lee that he should chill a little, and Lee reminded him that the rest of his bodyguards were dead, and Vern had conceded the point.
Everyone is worried that Vern is going to be killed. Except Vern. He still can’t explain the note on Esteban’s body, still wants that solved, but nobody is actually going to come after him. Someone is just trying to scare him. But who?
He wishes that Rosie, Steve and Amy would stop chasing Jakob Eriksson around the world.
But how often can he say that without them asking questions?
Without them finding out who Jakob Eriksson really is?
He shouldn’t have told them about Tommy Griffin, that was a mistake, in retrospect.
Griffin has met Eriksson, however briefly.
What if he knows something? Picked up on something?
Yes, that was a mistake. But he’d wanted to make a good first impression. Perhaps he’d got a little carried away? And what if Tommy Griffin actually is behind the note? Finding that out would put his mind at rest.
The We Solve Murders team need to talk more to Georgie, Vern is sure of it.
Georgie set him on this path, Vern has to admit it.
He’d still be selling steroids to meatheads without her.
He should have shared more of the spoils of his success with her.
That would have been the smart thing to do.
People underestimate her, and perhaps Vern has too.
Should he talk to her? Offer her something?
There is a castle for sale on Rightmove. It’s in Wales. ￡4.5 million. Thirty-six bedrooms, needs a bit of work. I mean, in the scheme of things, he’d only be buying it for the sake of buying it, something to spend his money on. Perhaps he should just give Georgie that money? Say thank you?
It’s tricky, because he should give Georgie some money, but it would be cool to own a castle.
Steve was quite right by the way. Maureen in the village shop had tried to overcharge him.
He’d bought two punnets of blueberries, twelve eggs and a Lucozade Sport for Lee and she’d told him ￡12.
50. Vern had pointed out that it should be ￡11.
50 and Maureen had told him he was mistaken and Vern had said that he didn’t think he was and Maureen had told him that if he didn’t like the prices then he could leave her shop.
Vern had said, ‘You must be Maureen,’ and she had said, ‘Must I?’
Vern had thought back to that day in Vegas, the six men around the table, no one wanting to give an inch. Maureen would have fitted right in.
Maureen’s life has taken her to Rosie’s village shop, rather than into an illegal billion-dollar business, but that’s just kismet. If Vern were running this village shop instead, he would also have charged ￡12.50 for an ￡11.50 bill.
Funny where we end up.
In the end Vern had paid the ￡12.50 and stolen two Creme Eggs to make up the difference.
There’s another castle on Rightmove. Devon this time. ￡12 million. Seventeen bedrooms, helipad, swimming pool on the roof. That seems a bit more like it.
Rosie and the team were supposed to be back this morning, and he has had no word of where they’ve gone. That worries him a little, but, really, what could they know?
It would be some incredible detective work to have found out about Connor Brooks, and these guys are good, but surely they’re not that good? He’d booked them off a chat show for goodness’ sake.
They’d been good as gold about the Italian police. The Interpol guy, Ernesto, has been true to his word too, hasn’t been poking into Vern’s business. Vern has enough contacts in Interpol to know that no flags have been raised.
Vern sends the estate agent a message about the castle in Devon.
When you really thought it through, Georgie hadn’t done all that much for him.
He’d have stumbled across the world of wellness in good time.
A castle with a helipad is a better way to spend your money than assuaging an ex-wife. It’s his money!
Everything is good apart from this Esteban business. It’s all very well Rosie and her crew flying around the world on his dollar, but he really would like it sorted. Maybe he needs another word with them?
Vern stretches out in his chair, the sun through the window catching one half of his face.
Where are they? Vern supposes it doesn’t matter all that much. He has to let them feel like they’re in charge.
Really, thinking back, he shouldn’t have hired them. He’d got a little star-struck.
But so long as they don’t find out about Connor Brooks, what harm can they really do?
Vern relaxes. It’s all okay.
So long as they’re not in Málaga!