Chasing a Highland Dream, page 8
Bella wasn’t sure what to say. The man was a stranger, and he was, indeed, all dressed in black, which gave him a kind of cat burglar slash Milk Tray Man appearance. She turned to one of the police in attendance. ‘Can you shed any light on things?’
The male officer with short dark hair and a neatly trimmed beard, who Bella recognised as Maeve’s son, Harris, and the lead member of Coppercaillie, cleared his throat and straightened his face, clearly amused by Isla’s reference to the 1980s chocolate advert. ‘Certainly.’ He nodded, his face now a stoic mask of professionalism. ‘Mrs Douglas alerted us to an intruder and, of course, we take these things very seriously. We attended the scene right away and, sure enough, this man was outside the apartments, loitering suspiciously.’
Isla tugged at Bella’s sleeve. ‘Arabella hen, you remember Sergeant Donaldson, don’t you? He’s single like you, I know him from the day centre, he’s a musician, remember? He’s Maeve’s boy, aren’t you, Harris?’ Isla said as if they were in a coffee shop rather than the midst of a potential crime scene. Bella wanted the stone slabs on the ground to open up and swallow her.
Of course Bella recognised him. His performance at Olivia’s birthday party had been brilliant and she wondered if he was as embarrassed as she was. The poor man must have been in his mid-thirties so definitely not a boy, but he smiled regardless, in spite of his evident feelings manifesting in his red face.
He nodded. ‘Aye, that’s right. You style my mum’s hair, don’t you?’
Isla smiled with pride again and patted her own purple braided hair-do. ‘I do. I like to do my bit.’ Please don’t say for the old folks, Granny. Please— Bella screamed in her head. ‘For the elderly, you know,’ Isla finished, much to Bella’s further embarrassment. Sergeant Donaldson gave a knowing smile but Isla didn’t let up. She nudged Bella. ‘Doesn’t he look handsome in his uniform?’
Thankfully, before Bella could respond, the man in black interjected. ‘Excuse me! I feel like I’m on some bizarre episode of Blind Date here. Can you please uncuff me?’ he pleaded his case again, only louder this time.
‘Not until we ascertain your reason for sneaking around here uninvited,’ Sergeant Donaldson told him.
‘I’m not uninvited. I’m just a bit early, that’s all. I’m booked to stay here!’ the man in black snapped.
Bella’s eyes widened as she heard Olivia gasp and watched as she pushed forward. ‘Aiden O’Dowd?’
‘Yes!’ the man replied in a strained voice. ‘I have said so about half a dozen times now to this purple-haired woman and to the officers, but no one seems to be listening!’
‘Oh, my goodness! But you’re not due for weeks yet! Sergeant Donaldson, please uncuff him, he’s my first paying guest and this isn’t the welcome he was supposed to have.’
‘But if he’s a guest, why is he dressed all in black and acting suspiciously?’ Officer Mel asked in her broad Yorkshire accent, a raised eyebrow told of her distrust. ‘Mrs Douglas says he was talking on his mobile about trying to get into the place.’
Again, the detained man interjected, ‘I was trying to contact Lady MacBain to explain I had arrived early due to unforeseen circumstances but there was no answer. I left messages. I didn’t think it would be a problem as she did say I was going to be her first guest.’
Olivia patted her dress pockets. ‘I’m sorry, Mr O’Dowd, I seem to have misplaced my phone.’ She turned the pockets inside out to prove her point. ‘But perhaps you should have waited until you actually spoke to me before turning up out of the blue. Then perhaps this situation could’ve been avoided.’ Bella watched as Olivia cringed, probably realising she wasn’t helping. She continued, ‘We were only in the gift shop trying out the new products; you should’ve just popped around there.’
‘I have no clue where that even is,’ the man replied in a curt tone.
‘Perhaps you can uncuff him, Sergeant Donaldson?’ Bella asked, guilt niggling at her for her granny causing them a wasted journey. She turned to Isla and whispered, ‘Granny, you could have just called me instead of bothering the police. I’d only been gone half an hour.’
Isla gasped and placed her hand over her heart. ‘Och, not a chance. I wasnae about to put you in the clutches of a burglar, he could have been a sex-crazed lunatic for all I knew! And I’m in my nightie!’ She didn’t bother lowering her voice.
The man in black was pale faced, probably due to his ordeal, and looked exhausted. He gave a heavy sigh. ‘I can assure you I’m not. I write about crime, I don’t partake of it.’
Isla’s face lit up. ‘Oh, so you are that writer chappy.’ She stepped forward and held out her hand as Sergeant Donaldson uncuffed the man and helped him to stand. ‘I’m Isla Douglas and this here is Bella, my beautiful granddaughter. We’ll be neighbours,’ she said as if she hadn’t just had the man accosted.
He glared at her. ‘Great. I’ll be sure to keep out of your way.’
Mr O’Dowd in no way resembled the old man Bella had anticipated the crime author guest to be. Instead of a balding head was a thick mop of dark blond hair, instead of a rotund stomach was a rather flat one and instead of an elderly face full of wrinkles was a handsome, smooth exterior aged at around thirty to thirty-five, with piercing blue eyes glaring angrily from it. He was tall and had broad shoulders, the absolute antithesis of what Bella had imagined him to be.
She really would have to stop stereotyping people.
Olivia fumbled in her other pocket, pulled out a bunch of keys and deftly removed one from it. ‘Mr O’Dowd, I apologise for missing your calls but you simply weren’t expected. Now that you’re here, though, you’re welcome to stay, of course.’ She handed him the key as he rubbed his wrists.
‘Thank you,’ he replied sharply. ‘I’ll unpack my car and then, if I’m free to go, I think I’d like to go inside and collapse in a heap, if I may.’ His accent was quite soft and Scottish in spite of his Irish-sounding name.
Olivia nodded. ‘Of course. Absolutely. I’ll have some food and drink brought down for you. Can we help you get your things from the car? Where have you parked?’
‘I thought I’d be best to park out of the way, so I’ve left my car around the side of the block. Although I did notice someone’s abandoned an old heap round there, too, so maybe I should move it?’
Bella’s eyes widened. ‘Ahem… the heap of a car happens to be Fifi, my vintage Citroen, actually.’
He opened his mouth to speak but closed it again, only to repeat the exercise before saying, ‘Vintage? Of course, yes, sorry. I… I thought it’d been dumped. I only mentioned it in case Lady MacBain wasn’t aware and needed to arrange for a tow.’
Bella gasped and opened her mouth to speak, but Olivia interrupted quickly, as if she realised a raft of insults was about to burst forth from her friend. ‘Brodie will come and help you collect your things. Won’t you, Brodie?’
Brodie was clearly finding the whole situation quite amusing but contorted his mouth to dull his grin and nodded. ‘Aye, of course. Lead the way, sir.’
Brodie followed Mr O’Dowd past the police cars and out of the courtyard. He glanced back over his shoulder, smirking, and gave a cheeky double thumbs up signal.
After a few moments, the two men returned with a pile of boxes, two holdalls and a laptop bag. Mr O’Dowd nodded curtly and unlocked the door under the watchful eyes of the gathered group. He turned and gave a tight-lipped smile. ‘I don’t need any further assistance, thank you all. Rest assured I’m not about to trash the place, and I’m quite capable of walking in by myself,’ he informed them.
The group mumbled and chuntered as they dispersed awkwardly. Two of the police officers climbed into their car and drove away hastily. Mirren, Innes and the others followed Olivia in the direction of the gift shop, and Bella followed her granny inside their temporary home.
Once inside, Beau, happy he had fulfilled his duties, circled several times on the rug and flopped down. Within moments, he was snoring.
‘Good grief, poor Olivia. We’ll be lucky if she doesn’t evict us after this,’ Bella said with a huff as she slumped onto the sofa.
‘Don’t be daft,’ Isla replied with a wave of her hand. ‘I was only doing what I thought was right. The last thing I wanted was to stand by and allow Olivia’s property to be broken into and vandalised, or worse, after all the work you’ve put in.’
Bella softened. ‘I know, Granny. You’re right. I’m sorry. I hope there’s no animosity between us and our new neighbour. I don’t know how long we need to be here, but I don’t want to feel awkward if we bump into him.’
‘Och, dinnae worry, lass. I’m sure he’ll calm down after he’s had a sleep. He’ll realise it was all a misunderstanding.’
‘I hope so.’
Isla leaned forward in her chair. ‘What did you think of him then?’
Bella huffed air through puffed cheeks. ‘I thought he was understandably frazzled, poor guy.’
‘Not him, I meant Harris, the police sergeant. Handsome close up, don’t you think?’
Bella rolled her eyes. ‘Stop trying to fix me up, Gran.’
Isla shrugged, clearly trying to portray innocence in her hunched shoulders and sweet smile. ‘I’m asking what you thought of him, that’s all.’
Bella rubbed her hands over her face. ‘He was a handsome man with very kind eyes. Happy now?’
Isla straightened her spine and beamed. ‘Aye, that’ll do for now. He’s got a good, secure job and his own house. Never been married, doesn’t drink or smoke. Doesn’t do drugs, doesn’t go out partying.’ Blimey, what does he do? Bella thought. ‘He’s musical, likes nature and being outdoors. Knows all the wild birds.’ Isla was beginning to sound like a bloody personal ad. ‘Husband material, wouldn’t you agree?’
‘Granny, how many times do I need to tell you I’m not looking for a husband? And if I was, I’d find my own.’
‘Aye, I know. But if he was to ask you out, would you go?’
Bella had to end the conversation in any way she could. And fast. ‘I dunno. Like I said, I can find my own boyfriend. Now can I please go back to the party?’
Isla folded her arms across her chest and pursed her lips. ‘I’m not stopping you.’
Bella pushed herself up from the comfort of the sofa and stood. ‘Okay, don’t wait up.’
Bella closed the door of the apartment behind her and waited to hear her granny lock it with a click before she stepped outside.
The night was crisp and clear and the square horseshoe shape of the stable block acted as a shelter from the gentle breeze. Her breath formed puffs of cloud as she exhaled into the air. The lack of up light meant the display above her was rather magnificent. Tiny pinpricks of light were scattered across the inky dark sky and as her eyes adjusted, she could make out the Milky Way, a cloudy band of clusters of stars stretching across the night. For a moment, she didn’t feel the cold, and all thoughts of stressed, handcuffed men and musical police officers dissipated. For a moment, she revelled in the silent wonder of the umbrella of darkness above her.
The gravel crunched beneath her feet, and she wrapped her jacket tightly around her as she made her way back to the gift shop. When she arrived in the warmth again, the few remaining people were chatting and finishing off their glasses of beer. Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Silver Spring’ played on the newly installed sound system and Bella began to relax.
She noticed Sergeant Donaldson and his co-worker Mel were still there, much to her dismay. She made her way over to Olivia in order to avoid him. It was embarrassing enough to have her eighty-five-year-old granny referring to another octogenarian as old right in front of her son, but to have that granny blatantly try to fix her up with that son in front of a crowd of people just added insult to injury.
‘Hey, are you okay?’ Bella asked Olivia.
Olivia smiled and shook her head. ‘I should be asking you that. Can you believe he just turned up like that? I wish he’d let me know sooner he was coming early, like a week or so, instead of ringing on my mobile and then turning up unannounced when I hadn’t approved it, and sneaking around like that. Your poor granny. She must have been terrified.’
Bella smiled too. ‘Nah, she’s a tough old boot. Nothing much fazes her. You saw what she did to Kerr with her handbag on the night of the fashion show. Anyway, don’t worry; she was right as rain when I left her. I feel so bad for the poor guy. He must be wondering what he’s let himself in for.’
‘Oh no, don’t be silly. I think he probably knows he made a mistake.’
Sergeant Donaldson approached them, and Bella flitted her gaze around the room, anywhere that meant she could avoid eye contact with him. He cleared his throat. ‘Lady Olivia, PC Sherburn and I shall go now if you’re happy everything is sorted.’
‘Have you had a drink and a snack at least?’
He raised a hand. ‘No, it’s fine, we’re heading back to the station to hand over but thank you.’
‘Thanks, sergeant. I’m so sorry you had a wasted journey, but it was better to be safe,’ Olivia replied.
The man nodded. ‘Oh, absolutely. Never apologise for calling us out if you feel we can help.’ He turned to Bella. ‘Nice to meet you officially, Arabella. It’s good to put a face to a name as they say. Your granny’s quite the character.’
Bella laughed lightly as her face warmed to furnace level. ‘That’s one way of putting it. And please, call me Bella.’
‘In that case, I’m Harris,’ he replied with a warm smile that brightened his whole face. Apart from the night of the birthday party, he always looked quite serious. She resisted the urge to say he should smile more often then perhaps he wouldn’t appear so intimidating.
‘I’m Mel,’ the female officer said as she held out her hand.
‘Good to meet you, Mel,’ Bella said as she shook it. ‘That’s a Yorkshire accent, isn’t it?’
Mel nodded with a grin. ‘Aye, it is. Well spotted. West Yorkshire, actually.’
‘How come you’re up here?’
‘My husband Neil’s job, he bought a garage, does car repairs. Glad we moved, though. Love it up here.’ Bella instantly liked Mel. She had a warm smile and an accent to match.
Bella nodded. ‘Oh, good. I love it too but I’m slightly biased, I suppose, as I was born up the road. Anyway, thanks again, Mel and Sergeant— I mean Harris.’
Harris smiled, gave a single nod and turned to his colleague. ‘Come on, Mel. Let’s get back to the station.’ The female officer smiled and silently followed him out of the gift shop.
‘Did you send some food down to the writer bloke?’ Bella asked once the police had left.
‘I did. Uncle Innes took it. He’s such a diplomat, I thought it best. He says Mr O’Dowd had calmed down and was very happy with the apartment, so that’s a relief.’
‘Well, that’s good. I hope I can keep out of his way. I get the feeling I’m not going to be entirely popular with the guy.’
Olivia nudged her. ‘Don’t be daft. You’re popular with everyone.’
Bella smiled widely. ‘Aye, if only that were true.’
13
The following morning, Bella felt surprisingly fresh considering the beer, wine, whisky and cheese combination of the night before, not to mention the drama. She had woken earlier than normal for a weekend and had lain there for a while in the cosy room, thinking the bed was way too comfy to get out of without at least giving sleep another chance.
After unsuccessfully trying to return to the dream she’d been having about being serenaded by Harry Styles, she decided to get up. She could hear her granny’s loud snores coming from her bedroom; the excitement of the flood and then the police the night before must have knocked her for six, which wasn’t at all like her. She was up before the lark under normal circumstances.
After taking a quick shower and dressing in jeans and a warm jumper, Bella pulled on her jacket, left her granny sleeping, and decided to take Beau for his morning constitutional around the grounds. He wagged his tail eagerly as she clipped on his harness. There would no doubt be deer and rabbits around and she couldn’t trust the little fella not to go darting off to chase something.
As she stepped through the front door into the fresh morning air, she inhaled a deep breath and smiled. There were definitely worse places to wake up in. It was a bright but chilly July Saturday at around 7.30 and the sun was on its ascent. She could see the huge, majestic oak trees above the roof of the stables swaying gently in the breeze, making a low whooshing sound that reminded Bella of the sea. The flower-filled planters in the centre of the courtyard glistened with tiny droplets of water that resembled diamonds when the rising sun glinted on them, and even though it wasn’t yet warm, the air was fresh and clean. It was a shame this arrangement was only temporary; she could get used to having this view on her doorstep and she was determined to make the most of living in such a beautiful place.
She spotted sudden movement by the entrance to the courtyard. Unfortunately, Beau saw it too and let out a high-pitched yip, at which point he yanked her forward and she tripped over her feet trying to gain some purchase on the damp cobbles. In the commotion, Beau’s lead slipped through her fingers, rendering him free to pounce, and he went shooting off like a bullet.
‘Beau! Come back right now!’ Bella screeched.
Of course, the inquisitive canine did no such thing. Instead, he went barrelling into the figure, all dressed in grey, who cried out and fell to the floor with a loud ‘Oof!’
‘You should control your bloody dog!’ the man shouted at Bella as he removed AirPods from his ears.
