When Sorry Is Not Enough, page 10
‘After midnight,’ was the disgruntled retort.
This information completely confused Luke. He had to accept Josie wasn’t at home. She’d taken in two lodgers. He remembered vividly when she had bought the house her saying how pleased she was that she wouldn’t need to share with anyone as she could more than meet the mortgage. Running his fingers through his hair he accepted that he knew for sure she was not on duty at Alfredo’s where she was supposed to be working. What was even more alarming was he had known she was working at lunchtime in the restaurant because he had met her there dressed in a red checked apron! So where was she? What was going on?
By the time he had pondered all the probabilities and possibilities the young woman had closed the door on him. He was tempted to knock on the door again and ask the young lassie to telephone for a taxi for him but he decided the long walk home to Sally’s would give him time to think.
Waverley station is always busy, very busy, in the early morning – people commuting all over the country and beyond to England and Wales are dashing about buying tickets and boarding trains.
Lois would normally have driven herself to Inverness but she was suffering from severe morning sickness that was exacerbated by car travel. Bobby had dropped her off on the Waverley Bridge and she was rushing down the brae when she noticed that quite far in front of her was the familiar figure of her mother-in-law, Sally. ‘Blast,’ she hissed inwardly. ‘Bet she’s going to Smithton. The old dears must have told her I was coming today but I really need to be talking to them without anyone else being present. Especially Sally who I just know from past experience will comment on everything I have to say to them.’ Lois stopped to consider if it would not be better to go back home and reschedule her visit to Culloden but then she thought, What good would that do? Flora obviously would not take any advice from herself that had not been approved by Sally. So the best she could do today was to make sure she did not travel north in the same carriage as Sally. This meant she required to purchase a first-class ticket. With her mind now made up Lois lurked behind a kiosk until Sally had purchased her ticket and had begun to make her way across the concourse towards the waiting trains before she approached the booking clerk.
By the time Lois was about to get on the train the guard had his whistle in his mouth so she had no other alternative but to jump aboard the first carriage. Realising that she was standing in a third-class carriage had her screw up her eyes and inhale deeply. Opening her eyes she was delighted to note that Sally was not in the carriage. Good, she thought, and as soon as this train stops at Haymarket to allow other travellers to board I’ll get myself into a first-class carriage where I will be able to work in peace and quiet.
On reaching Inverness Lois decided, because she knew there would be no way she could escape meeting up with Sally now, that she would go to her firm’s offices in town. This would mean she could honestly say to Sally that she should travel on to Smithton and she would meet up with her there.
Allowing her eyes to scan the platform, she was perplexed. There was no sign of Sally. But she had seen her in Waverley station. She saw her buy a ticket. So where was she?
Emerging from the station she was dismayed to find that the rain was relentlessly falling down. Immediately, she summoned a taxi from the outside rank. However, when the driver asked her where her destination was she scanned the horizon before emphasising with a sigh of relief, ‘Smithton village.’
The taxi drew to a halt at the bottom of the brae. ‘Sorry, miss,’ the driver said, turning to address Lois, ‘but see they farm roads – dirt tracks really – don’t do your motor any good. Could you manage on your own from here?’
‘Well,’ exclaimed Lois, who had just taken a pound note from her purse to pay the man and was now opening the door so she could alight. ‘I suppose I must.’ Handing over the pound note to the driver through his open window she forcefully stated, ‘Take your fare and just your fare. I only tip for good service and that is what you haven’t afforded me.’
She didn’t care that the driver, who had immediately turned the cab around and was now racing back to town, was disgruntled. She wasn’t too happy herself about his behaviour.
Her demeanour took a further downward spiral when she looked at the rock strewn and sodden track she was required to navigate in her high-heeled shoes in order to get herself up to Flora and Shonag’s homes.
A disembodied voice was saying, ‘I just said to Shonag that you wouldn’t know to be wearing suitable footwear. So aren’t you lucky that I’ve come down with a pair of my old Wellingtons that I think will fit you.’
Common sense was something that Lois had plenty of, so without a word of protest she leant against Flora to exchange her Saxone shoes for a pair of over-sized, rather grubby and distinctively smelly boots. Then arm in arm, Flora and Lois started to climb the brae.
Even though it was summer there was a chill in the air and when they arrived in the house, Lois was pleased to see that a cheery fire was crackling in the hearth and that the table was set for lunch.
Lunch had just been cleared away and the three women, Flora, Shonag and Lois, were again sitting around the table. The two older women were very apprehensive. Lois on the other hand was very relaxed, especially as her stocking clad toes were facing the fire.
‘Now ladies, I have already done quite a bit of work on your case. Our office up here has done a wonderful job in getting me all the information I require.’
‘So there could, or might, be something you can do for us?’ Flora babbled before taking Shonag’s hand into hers.
‘Yes. But there’s a lot of preliminary work to be done. Firstly, I will employ a land surveyor to isolate the houses on the land deeds. Draw up new boundaries and …’
‘What does that mean exactly?’ Shonag blustered as her eyes began to pop.
‘Nothing for you to worry about,’ Lois reassured. ‘All that is going to happen, if you and Flora are in agreement of course, is that your homes will always be yours. You will both have a small garden and room for a couple of outhouses which will leave you free to sell off the rest, the majority of the land, which will in turn raise the capital you require.’
Shonag, who was thinking deeply but was unable to grasp all of the implications, could only respond, ‘Mmmm.’
Whereas Flora who was as usual on the ball asked, ‘Are you saying, Lois, that we can stay here and have a wee bit of land to grow some vegetables for our own use and perhaps enough for a few hens to scratch about?’
Lois nodded. Flora nodded sniffed and sucked in her cheeks.
‘But,’ Shonag twittered, ‘we can’t agree to that just now. Surely Flora you’re not forgetting that our four ladies are in a delicate condition.’ She leaned over and patted Lois’ hand before adding, ‘Just like yourself my dear and we must see them through before we agree to anything.’
Lois quickly withdrew her hand from Shonag’s grasp and leaned back. She was confused. She reasoned the expectant girls could not be their daughters. Both ladies were in their eighties. Surely, she went on to think, these two old dears weren’t running a maternity clinic for unmarried mothers. Finally she mumbled, ‘But surely these ladies have families who should be taking care of them?’
Shonag huffed. ‘But we are their family. We have had them since they were calves. Bought them at the Perth sales, so we did.’
Flora nodded. ‘And Lois we just have to be on hand for Nellie.’ She lowered her voice to a whisper. ‘You see as soon as she gives birth she tries to murder the calf.’ She discreetly looked about the room before adding, ‘We just have to get it away from her. Infanticide … well it’s just despicable.’
‘Aye,’ butted in Shonag, ‘but be fair to her, after she’s got over the trauma of giving birth she changes and becomes a doting mother.’
Lois decided not to get involved with the cows’ birthing arrangements but to steer the conversation back on to the drawing up of the new boundaries. ‘Right,’ she said rolling the ‘r’ to indicate it was time to be back to the business in hand, ‘in addition to enquiring into the drawing up of the isolation of your homes I have also tried to estimate what the sale of the rest of your land would fetch.’
‘I’m praying that there will still be enough to fix things for the boys. Our boys are problems but they are our boys and are important to us,’ Flora confided.
Lois smiled. ‘Believe me, you will have more than enough money to sort out your problems.’
Shonag and Flora exchange excited glances before Flora stuttered, ‘More than enough!’
Nodding again, Lois allowed her smile to become a wide grin. Seeing the old ladies’ growing anticipation, their eyes widening, their cheeks flushing, Lois was tempted to tease them by allowing a long pause but she couldn’t be that cruel so quickly she added, ‘Yes indeed. In fact once you take out the houses and small gardens the rest will probably, and I stress probably, bring you,’ she hesitated as she had no desire to over-estimate what the old women could expect, ‘at least twice as much as the developer had offered you for the whole estate.’
Flora and Shonag grabbed for each other’s hands again. ‘See, Shonag,’ Flora gulped, through her tears, ‘this lassie is as clever as our Sally said she was.’
‘She said that?’ Lois chuckled. ‘And what else did she say?’
Flora mused before replying, ‘Just that you were a lucky lassie to have snared her Bobby.’ And thinking she was imparting good news she added with a chuckle and a patronising nod, ‘And that you’re doing so well now because his common sense has rubbed off on you.’
Although burning indignation was now beginning to boil up inside her, Lois decided that retaliation was not a good idea – especially as gentle Flora and Shonag would never knowingly insult her. It was just that they belonged to a simple culture where malice and intrigue were alien to them so they would not have been aware of the slights in Sally’s comments. So with a disarming smile she sweetly asked, ‘Talking of my dear mother-in-law, are you expecting her here today?’
‘No. No,’ replied Flora. ‘She said she wouldn’t be able to come up this month.’ Flora became pensive before mumbling, ‘Aye, said something about her priority was to get herself up to Peterhead. Do you think she’s considering buying her fish for the pubs there?’
Lois could only shake her head. Knowing Sally she knew full well that fishing would be her reason for going to Peterhead but not to purchase boxes of it – no, she would be visiting Joseph Kelly, the young lad Bobby was working on an appeal for. Shaking her head and sighing, Lois conceded that Bobby would have a hard job convincing his mother that he was capable of carrying out his remit without any assistance from her.
Reluctantly Luke opened his eyes and fished over to the table to lift his watch. Eleven thirty it registered. Time he was up and acquainting Sally with his worries about Josie. He would have done that last night but by the time he arrived at Seaview Terrace it was gone one thirty and the household had bedded down for the night.
Maggie was still in the process of clearing away all the breakfast dishes when he entered the dining room. ‘See, Luke,’ she began as she brushed some crumbs from the middle table, ‘if you’re giving your mind a treat and think I’ll be serving you up some breakfast or early lunch – think again. I’ve five rooms still needing changing.’
‘Sally hasn’t given you a hand?’
‘Nope,’ was Maggie’s terse reply as she began to leave the room dragging a vacuum behind her.
Racing after her, Luke called out, ‘What time did she leave for the Four Marys?’
Maggie banged the vacuum against the wall before turning to hiss, ‘She left at seven this morning. And she may well be in the Four Marys now but she told the taxi driver to take her to the Waverley train station.’
‘The Waverley? The train station?’ Luke shrieked. ‘Where the hell was she going?’
Maggie offered a shrug before stating, ‘I don’t know. But she said she wouldn’t be back until late … very late … and once more the skivvy of the year that I am – I am left with this entire place to square up.’ She lifted up the vacuum again before sniping, ‘So if you don’t mind I have to get on. And please don’t tell me you don’t know how to switch the toaster on because I’m not blooming interested.’
Luke decided there and then not to bother with breakfast. As to Sally, he would have to wait until she returned to speak to her. But what he could do now was go and find out where Josie was and what was going on with her.
He arrived at Alfredo’s in time for a late lunch. To his surprise Josie was on duty and she smiled as she showed him to the cramped table for one in the corner.
It was quite disconcerting for him that before he could speak to Josie on private matters customers required her service. ‘Speak to you later,’ was all Josie said before taking up her waitress duties.
An hour passed before Josie came over to Luke’s table and sat down. ‘Oh,’ she exclaimed, ‘see this family business of ours, you just have to muck in and do anything that requires doing.’
‘Family of yours?’ Luke questioned in a derisory tone.
‘Yes,’ Josie, who was well aware that Luke was mocking her, rejoined quickly, ‘and when Victor and I marry then I will take over here while he is opening up another restaurant down on Leith Walk.’
Luke’s contemptuous laughter rang around the salon. ‘Josie,’ he spluttered, ‘Victor is married to Anna and as far as I am aware this is still a monogamous country.’
Now it was Josie’s turn to cackle. ‘Oh, Luke, you are so old fashioned. Victor still being married to Anna is just a small inconvenience.’
‘That right?’
‘Yes, Anna has decided to live permanently in Italy. She finds the climate here a bit on the chilly side.’
Luke had to stop to close his gawping mouth before being able to say, ‘Are you saying she is divorcing Victor because she doesn’t like the cold?’
Josie nodded. ‘Yes, the three of us sat down last Monday and we worked it all out to our mutual satisfaction.’
‘Oh Josie, don’t tell me you’ve been on the happy pills again?’
‘No. It’s all true. So if you’re here on Sally’s behalf again to beg me to come back, the answer,’ Josie now flicked a napkin over Luke’s table, ‘is no. Josie, doormat Josie, is getting married and soon.’ Josie now pointed to the owner’s name above the front door. ‘Her name will be up there.’ Luke was nodding and then shaking his head in turns. His eyes bulged and his mouth gaped. Josie, amused at the effect she had on him, mischievously added, ‘Imagine it, dear brother, up there it will not read Anna Castello but Josephina Castello!’
It was after eleven when Sally’s taxi drew to a halt at her guest house. After paying off the driver she ran lightly up the steps. She had hoped that Maggie would have gone to bed but she thought it was a forlorn hope as the bottom floor lounge light was burning brightly.
‘Sorry I’m late,’ Sally called out as she opened the door to face Maggie’s wrath.
‘And so you should be,’ replied Luke.
Sally allowed her travelling bag to slip from her hand as she sank against the wall. ‘Oh, Luke,’ she exclaimed, ‘you’ll never know how wonderful it is that you are here.’
Luke winked and laughed. ‘Oh I see, you thought you were going to be faced with the wicked witch of the north.’
Sally nodded before kicking off her shoes. ‘I had to go to Peterheard to try and make sense of something that just dawned on me.’ She halted before adding, ‘Look I’m just dying for a cup of tea. C’mon through to the kitchen and we can have a good natter about it all.’
The tea was brewed, the kitchen was filled with the wonderful aroma of freshly toasted bread and Sally and Luke sat facing each other. ‘Fancy telling me why you went to the prison?’ Luke asked as he lazily stirred his tea.
Sally placed her cup back in its saucer and she dragged her hands down over her face and blew out her cheeks. ‘Remember,’ she said slowly, ‘you asked me to remember what I could about Irish’s trial. Anything that didn’t seem right then and seems even now to be,’ she hesitated, ‘to be … oh well, Luke, I just know it couldn’t have been like they said. But … but I was afraid to say anything in case I’m wrong. You see I would be so upset if I built up Irish’s hopes and then saw them dashed.’ She hesitated and began biting her bottom lip as she wrung her hands. ‘You see I couldn’t do that. It would be better if I just kept quiet.’
Luke nodded in agreement. ‘So he had no idea why you were visiting?’
Sally shook her head vigorously. ‘No, I told him I was just passing and I thought I would pop in and see him.’
‘He would believe that right enough,’ was Luke’s scornful reply. ‘And how did you get him around to telling you about … well him being stitched up?’
Sally offered a shrug. ‘Just asked him if he could tell me exactly what had happened on the night Marie was killed as I had heard so many conflicting stories.’
Luke seemed amazed at Sally’s simple attempt to get Irish’s confidence but he had to admit she probably would get some sort of story out of him. Perhaps, he mused, there was going to be a breakthrough. The necessary breakthrough that was required if Bobby and himself were ever going to get anywhere with Irish’s appeal. After drumming his fingers on the table he stood up, picked up his chair, took it over and placed it closer to Sally. ‘Look,’ he said placing his hands over hers to stop her wringing them, ‘just take it easy and tell me what you think is wrong. You’ve no need to worry. I will carefully analyse what you say and you’re right, we will not go forward with anything unless we know positively that we have questions that need answers.’ Luke leaned back and placed his entwined fingers behind his head. ‘Now,’ he drawled, ‘take your time but let me be hearing from you.’
Sally looked up at the ceiling as if there was someone there who could help her remember exactly what had happened at the prison. ‘It is just that Irish said part of the case against him was that he had gone up Leith Walk to the Chinese takeaway the night before Marie was killed and not on the night of the tragedy. He is clear that the Leith CID interviewed the Chinese owners several times because they were unsure which night Irish had gone to their place. In the end they confirmed to the police that it was not the night Marie was killed but the night before.’
