Chapter 23
Sabrina bought two pairs of black jeans and a set of three T-shirts plus some more underwear. There was change, and she offered
it to Marielle, who wouldn’t take it. “You’ll need it for something, I’m sure. Are you hungry? Let’s go and have some fish
and chips for lunch, shall we, and celebrate your new job?” She pointed across the road. “The Mother of Cod is the best one
around.”
As they neared the restaurant, the smell of fish and chips hit their nostrils and Sabrina’s stomach keened with a hunger she
didn’t know she had.
Marielle pushed open the door and walked in. The restaurant was full, and the waitress was just about to tell them they’d
have to wait for a table when she heard a familiar “Cooee.” Sylvie was waving from near the back, sitting with Diana at a
table for four.
Poor Sabrina , thought Marielle, knowing she was in for some more grilling. She led her young friend over and sat down with her old friends
who were enjoying the last of their lunch.
“How lovely it is to meet you at last, Sabrina,” said Sylvie, wearing her fixed smile, the one that spelled danger. Diana’s
expression was in much the same mold, and her eyes checked out every square centimeter of the younger woman. If she’d had
an X-ray machine handy, she would have checked her insides as well.
Sabrina sat down. She didn’t blame any of Marielle’s friends for giving her the once-over.
She had nothing to hide, and she’d do what it took to make them realize she was genuinely grateful.
She had no intention of outstaying the welcome extended to her.
As soon as she remembered enough information to return to her context , she’d leave and work everything out from there.
As soon as she knew what was and wasn’t safe, because that was the most
important thing.
“Sabrina, this is Diana and Sylvie, two of my closest friends.”
“We’re all Mad Cows,” said Sylvie.
“It’s the name of our club,” Marielle explained. “Diana and I used to work together at the hospital. She was a physiotherapist.
Sylvie owns a beauty salon. I started going there because I heard it was very good.”
“It still is,” said Sylvie. “You should visit. I’ll make sure you have a deep tissue massage on the house. Have you ever had
one before?”
The interrogation commenceth , thought Marielle. The Gestapo would have nothing on Sylvie when she got started. “Let’s order,” she said as a timely waitress
appeared at their side.
“Just fish and chips for me, please,” Sabrina said.
“Twice, then,” Marielle told the waitress. “Tea, bread and butter, please. Mixed white and brown.”
“Thank you,” said Sabrina, then asked where the loo was.
She needed to go even though she knew she’d be picked apart in her absence.
“Different from what I was expecting,” said Diana, spearing a chip.
“Seems decent enough, but then, a practiced con artist would,” added Sylvie. She anticipated Marielle’s disapproval and so
quickly added, “Just looking out for you as a true friend. Allow me some cynicism until I’ve been proved wrong.”
“She’s going to be working for Teddy for a while,” said Marielle.
“Good. He’ll suss her out. Or Flick will. She’ll not be able to fool them.” Diana realized her faux pas immediately. “Not
that I think you—”
“Look,” said Marielle wearily, because she was getting a bit fed up with all this now, “I’ve taken a chance on her because I believe her. I’m pretty sure this woman wants to prove who she is and get back to her life more than anything else, so please stop it, will you?”
Diana dropped her eyes, slightly shamefaced. Marielle had a right to be annoyed when her friends, however well-meaning, were
treating her like a simpleton. She could try to make up for it.
“Marielle, are you doing anything on Sunday night?” Diana asked.
“Yes, I’ll be in hospital with stab wounds from Sabrina,” she replied.
“Okay, I’m super sorry, forgive me. I’ve got two tickets for the theater in Slattercove. They were given to Doug, who really
doesn’t want to go. I thought Sylvie might have them, but she’s said no as well.”
“God forbid,” said Sylvie as her shoulders shivered. “They’ll go to waste if I don’t find a home for them. An acquired taste
I grant you, and certainly not my sort of fun evening.”
“What is it to see, a brass band?”
“If it had been, Doug would have gone there like a shot. No, it’s a psychic. World-renowned, apparently—at least that’s what
it says on the tickets. Psychic Pat.” She fished around in her Mulberry bag and pulled out an envelope. “What do you think?
You and your new friend could go. You never know, Psychic Pat might pick her out and tell her something interesting.”
“Yes, I’ll go to that. Anything’s worth a shot,” said Marielle and reached over the table for the tickets.
Sylvie and Diana said their goodbyes and left the two women to their lunch.
“I really don’t mind that your friends are curious about me,” said Sabrina, pouring the tea. “It’s nice they think so much
about you and are protective.”
“Yes, I get that, but sometimes it goes a bit far,” said Marielle.
“I’d like to think I was a good judge of character, but I did get taken in by a couple of people I lent the flat to.
The last one broke the lock, got into my house, and ransacked the place looking for valuables.
She didn’t find much because I have a safe, but she did leave a heck of a mess. ”
“Then you really can’t blame them for worrying. It’s horrible when your trust is broken.”
Trust. Broken.
That feeling again that her own trust in something was broken. It brought with it a pain deep in her chest this time, the
echo of a persistent ache. She remembered sitting on the edge of a double bed crying, pressing the ring on the chain around
her neck so hard it dug into her hand. Her wedding ring, she presumed. She’d taken it off to signify the end of her marriage
maybe. But that didn’t tie in with why her fingers reached for it often to bring comfort.
The fish and chips were wonderful, the batter crisp, the fish white and flaky, the bread thin and spread with real butter.
“Teddy doesn’t usually throw things at women in the street, least of all a dog’s dollops,” said Marielle. “I did want to point
that out.”
“He must have terrific aim, though, to have landed it so perfectly on that woman’s hair. What a talent,” replied Sabrina.
Both women smiled.
“It’s all part of a much bigger story,” said Marielle.
“My son is about to be driven out of business. Next door to him was an empty shop. He and the newsagent on the other side own their properties, but the rest of the row are leased from the council. There was an agreement in place that none of them could trade in direct competition with each other. But the council have reneged on that and are allowing an Italian restaurant to take it over, one from a relatively new chain that seems to have set up in Yorkshire. Not only that, but they’re attempting to take our car park away from us for them to use, digging up some nonsense about the legality of the wording on the deeds which might allow them to serve us with a compulsory purchase order.
Even if it’s rubbish, it will cost us money to fight it and we’ll need a specialist solicitor.
We can’t get any help from our councilor, the one who got all the votes by promising to serve his ward.
No surprise really as he happens to be the brother-in-law of the deputy leader of the council, James Stirling, although he seems to be more in charge than the leader from what I’ve heard.
He and the council cabinet are just one big old boys’ club, and no one would ever dare vote against him on anything.
You met Stirling’s wife this morning, along with his defecating spaniel. ”
“A chain, you say? Which one?”
“Ciaoissimo. Have you heard of them?”
Ciaoissimo. Why did that name ring a bell? Why did it trigger off an image of herself sitting at a table, eating a sandwich, reading
about them? And why did the memory come with a sensation that wasn’t particularly pleasant?
“Of course, Councilor Stirling will get the police onto Teddy if he hasn’t already. I have no idea why he and his cronies
are being so bloody hostile. I tell you, if I ever find out they’ve been given a backhander by Ciaoissimo, I’ll go for their
jugulars. All we’ve heard from them by way of an excuse is that they want to encourage healthy competition. It’s a travesty.
They’re making things up as they go along.”
“Councilors have to have declared any business interests, surely,” said Sabrina. “They can’t manipulate and overturn decisions
to fill their own pockets.”
“It seems they can do what they want if they cover their tracks well enough. There has to be some murky secret, but how can
you find out? Stirling could hide behind a spiral staircase, he’s that twisted. The dirty tricks campaign against us started
with the decision to install Ciaoissimo next door. You should read the vile reviews about us on the internet that have suddenly
sprung up. There has to be a connection.”
A man’s voice in Sabrina’s head: Forget about this one.
“Are you okay, Sabrina?” asked Marielle. Sabrina looked suddenly far away, tangled up in thoughts. “Sabrina?”
Sabrina snapped back into the here and now. “Yes, I’m fine,” she said.
As they left the Mother of Cod, a police car passed them and Marielle said a very heartfelt “Oh no,” because she had an inkling where it was heading.
“Do you mind if I just check... ?” she asked Sabrina, quickening her pace.
“Of course.” Sabrina fell into step with her.
Sure enough, when they got to Teddy’s, the police car was parked outside and Teddy was talking to the two policemen occupants
on the pavement away from the sight of his diners. Flick was also out with him, putting in her two penn’orth.
“How long have you known me, Craig? Am I the sort of person to throw turds at women’s heads without good reason?”
Marielle recognized Craig immediately. He’d been at catering college with her son before deciding to change tack and join
the police. The older policeman was Constable Travis; everyone in the town knew him, respected him, and liked him. He was
a solid, fair, seasoned copper whom they sent into schools when they needed someone to make warning speeches and actually
be listened to.
“I hear what you’re saying, Teddy, I really do.” Craig was scratching his head. His hands were clearly tied and he was trying
to wriggle out of the binding.
“Dog fouling is against the law and the council give a fifty-quid fixed penalty that does not exclude councilors’ wives,”
said Flick. “This is not the first time she’s done it either. In fact, she’s making quite a habit of it. It just happened
to be the first time we caught her in flagrante delicto .”
“She said it was the first time and she hadn’t noticed the dog had done it,” said Craig, which caused Flick and Teddy both to burst into laughter.
“She says she always clears up and showed us the poo bag holder attached to her lead as... evidence,” Travis said in a
way that suggested he was skeptical of her account.
“Ah, well, if it’s evidence that you want,” said Flick, fumbling around on her phone, sweeping the screen with her thumb until she found what she was searching for. She held it up to them. “Here’s a film of some CCTV footage.”
Teddy flashed her a look of amazement before he viewed the film with the policemen. It was of Wendy Stirling walking slowly
past the restaurant, loitering, doubling back, clearly giving her spaniel every opportunity to empty his bowels. It looked
crystal clear that she was very aware of what was happening, staring into space just after the dog had crunched itself into
position. The footage continued until Mrs. Stirling started threatening and flapping her sullied hand around.
“One hundred and eighty!” said Craig, clearly impressed.
Travis turned to Teddy. “I think that’s plainly an offense on the part of Mrs. Stirling. Maybe, Teddy, if you stick to collecting
evidence in this way rather than lobbing spaniel shit at women who think they’re above the law, it would make the situation
so much more clear-cut. Neither of us wants to arrest you. Stirling can cause trouble in an empty house; don’t give him bullets
for his gun, lad.”
“Thank you,” said Teddy, appreciating what they were saying to him.
“Where did you get that footage from?” Teddy asked Flick when they’d driven off.
“Simon.” Flick thumbed toward the newsagent next door. “When I was picking up some milk, I overheard him saying that he’d
had some new state-of-the-art CCTV cameras fitted at the front, so I thought it was worth a shot asking him if he had any
footage. Might be an idea if we get some. Anyway, back to work.” And she sauntered off back toward the restaurant.
“You need to put that girl’s wage up,” said Marielle. “Go on, Teddy, you have customers.” Teddy gave his mother a kiss on
her cheek and then returned to his duties.
“What next?” said Marielle, shaking her head. Because she was sure as eggs were eggs, there would be another offensive to
follow.