Chapter 36 #2
He shifted nearer and his icy rage surfaced from beneath the calm surface.
‘But if you could get Livvy out, she’d sell up and you could proceed.
’ Mark bit the words out. ‘You didn’t have much hope of Livvy making a success of this place, did you?
Except she has. Look at all these people here, supporting her.
The last thing you wanted was for her to make a go of it.
It’s been done many times before. Run down a pub so it can be sold cheaply, then the council agrees on a planning change from business to residential as it can be proved the pub isn’t a viable business.
You lost the first chance to redevelop the site when Livvy bought the pub and so you thought you’d intimidate her enough to drive her out, then you could have a second chance to buy it. And at a rock-bottom price.’
Angel had crept to Livvy’s side, snuggling into her knee and giving her courage.
She found her voice. ‘It was you rattling the kitchen door in the middle of the night. You slashed the tyres. It was you who painted the word “bitch” on my van? I thought… I thought if we weren’t exactly friends then at least you liked coming here.
’ She put a hand to her mouth. ‘And you kept giving me unwanted advice. Confusing me. And I listened because you were a local business owner. A bloody man who knew everything. Oh,’ she spat, in furious indignation.
‘You wanted me to close the skittles alley!’
Angry and astonished murmurings rippled through the party crowd.
‘Old Pete wouldn’t be happy about the alley closing down,’ Austin huffed.
‘He wouldn’t be alone there,’ one of the Ds added. ‘It’s the only one round here for miles.’
‘I can’t believe it was Jason who was scaring our lovely Livvy,’ said an appalled Daisy. ‘What an absolute arse!’
A slightly drunk Tinkerbell stood up and pointed her wand.
‘You stuffed that cat up the chimmley, didn’t you?
’ Jonquil shook her head in disbelief, dislodging her sparkly tiara.
‘I knew it! I knew there weren’t summat right about it when I came and swept this old chimmley here.
It weren’t nearly far enough up there. You killed a cat to shove up a chimmley? ’
There were horrified gasps.
Jason laughed derisively. ‘It was roadkill, dear woman. Long since dead.’
‘It was someone’s pet,’ Jonquil roared, she was being held back by her husband. ‘Decent folk would have taken it to the vet to have the chip checked. You bollocking bastard!’
‘That really upset me, Jason.’ Livvy reached for Angel, taking comfort in the dog’s nose nuzzling into her hand. ‘That poor, poor cat. It preyed on my mind for ages.’
‘As it was meant to,’ Jason snorted.
Mark swallowed his anger, his fists balled.
He shot her a concerned look. ‘It’s worse than that, I’m afraid.
As well as the vandalism and the campaign to unnerve you, I suspect Jason’s been orchestrating other things.
’ He wheeled round to Gerry who was swaying slightly, pint in hand.
Mark fixed his gaze on a red-faced Eli. ‘It’s only a hunch but I think Jason has been encouraging Gerry’s lot to come in here.
And, Eli, they’ve been extorting you to give them drinks on the house, haven’t they?
It’s only a guess but that looked to be the case.
It’s why your profits haven’t matched up, Livvy. ’
‘I’m so sorry, Livvy,’ Eli began to shake, tears not far off. Lucie went to him and put an arm round his shoulders. ‘They threatened to do me over if I didn’t give them what they wanted.’ His face crumpled. ‘I didn’t know Jason was behind it, I swear.’
‘You got a bunch of middle-aged men to bully a teenaged boy?’ Lucie hissed at Jason. ‘And you, Gerry. How could you?’
Gerry shrugged drunkenly. ‘Didn’t mean no harm. Put in a few shifts on Jason’s building site and he said was I interested in another little earner on the side. Paid to drink for free in a pub? No brainer.’
‘It’s stealing, Gerry,’ Livvy said quietly. ‘You were not only intimidating a member of my staff, but you were also stealing from me.’
‘Ah, Livvy, babe. Wouldn’t have done anything to the boy. He’s me own flesh and blood.’
‘I’d like you and your friends to leave my pub now,’ Livvy hissed. ‘I will tolerate no one, no one you understand, intimidating and bullying any member of my staff. You’re barred. For life.’
‘Get out,’ Karl roared. ‘Get out now.’
‘I’ll just finish me pint,’ Gerry slurred. He didn’t have time, his feet lifted off the ground as Karl took one arm and the newly arrived Darrell took the other.
‘You heard what Livvy said. You’re barred,’ Karl yelled. ‘We don’t want your sort in Lullbury Bay.’ To boos and applause, Gerry was ‘escorted’ out, his pals following on.
Livvy shook her head at Jason. ‘Why? Why would you do that?’
He raised one pale brow, shrugging carelessly.
‘Fun. Because I could. Because if word spread that you were serving obnoxious drunks other customers would stay away.’ He turned on Mark.
‘You’d better have firm evidence of all you’ve accused me of.
You’ll be hearing from my solicitor first thing in the new year. ’
Mark made a violent movement towards him but was blocked by Simona.
‘I’m not sure it’ll get that far, Jason sweetie,’ she said, gesturing to the room.
‘We have fifty or so witnesses to Gerry’s confession.
As for the rest of it, we’ll hand over the evidence to the police and they’ll take it from there.
’ She shrugged her thin shoulders. ‘And if it doesn’t reach court, I rather think it won’t matter.
Your reputation in this town is shot, isn’t it, darling?
I don’t think you’ll ever work in Lullbury Bay again. ’
‘And the customers didn’t stay away, did they?’ Fabio suddenly spoke up. ‘We’ve been more or less solidly booked since we opened. People like what we do here, they like Livvy and the food and the welcome.’
‘We do!’ Austin yelled. ‘We liked the board games afternoon too.’ There were cheers.
‘The mince pies were delicious.’ This was from Aggie. ‘I had twelve.’
‘Oh, so our much-lauded chef speaks. Got anything else to add, Fabio, or should I say, Fred?’ Jason sneered. ‘About your role in my little scheme? I mean, after all, if we’re in the mood for confessions, we may as well have yours. Don’t you think your boss has a right to know who she employed?’
‘Fabio?’ Livvy turned to him. She wasn’t sure how much more she could take.
Fabio let loose a violent-sounding stream of Italian.
‘ Bastardo. Si, I’ll come clean.’ He nodded urgently, then sucked in a breath, his nostrils flaring.
He took Livvy’s hands. ‘It’s what I was trying to tell you earlier.
Jason wants everyone evicted from the flats where my mama lives.
It’s another of his redevelopment schemes.
Only she’s refusing to leave. He said if I took this job, he’d hold off until she…
’ he paused and swallowed, unable to say the words.
‘Oh, Fabio, that’s awful. But I don’t get it,’ Livvy was baffled.
‘I mean that’s a truly horrible, vile thing for him to say but–’ she let the sentence trail as understanding dawned.
‘You promised to sabotage the restaurant in return.’ Her eyes widened in shock and she felt her gorge rise.
At her side, Angel sensed her distress and whimpered.
Fabio nodded hopelessly. ‘But, when it came to it, I couldn’t do it.’
‘Professional pride?’ Livvy couldn’t hide the derision. She didn’t believe him. She snatched her hands from his.
‘Of course. Livvy, I beg you to believe me. I couldn’t risk my reputation.
’ He shrugged hopelessly. ‘I had ideas, made plans but I couldn’t see them through.
I had my status as a chef to protect, yes, but it was more than that.
Right from the start, I came to admire what you were trying to do here.
’ He looked at her from under thick dark lashes. ‘I came to admire… you.’
Livvy heard Simona give a little hiccough of distress.
‘Think it’s time you went, Jason,’ Mark said, hard steel in his voice.
‘Because if you don’t,’ at this he gazed speculatively at those behind him, the partygoers looked murderous, ‘I may not be able to guarantee your safety.’ Somehow Mark’s words, uttered with quiet warning, held more menace than if he’d yelled.
‘A lynch mob?’ Jason sneered.
Karl and Darrell took an arm each, ready to march him out, just as they had done with Gerry.
‘Get your hands off me,’ Jason bit out. ‘Or–’
‘Or what, Jason?’ Mark asked. ‘You’ll call the police? I think they’d be very interested in what we have to say.’
Muttering, Jason grabbed his Father Christmas coat and strode out. Karl and Darrell followed. The pub erupted into jeers and boos.
Livvy’s throat constricted with tears. It was too much.
It was all too much. Her vision dimmed and she swayed.
Vaguely aware of supporting hands leading her, she sank into a chair.
In the distance she heard Brittany snap into action and say, ‘Party’s over, darlings.
No more drama. Off you go. Time to go home.
Oh look at the snow! Get home safe and Happy Christmas! ’