‘Nah! This just means they haven’t had any new members! I can’t believe the caretaker or someone hasn’t tried getting into your old locker before now though. For all they know it could belong to some member who died. How long were they going to leave it?’
‘Who the fuck cares? Let’s just be grateful for their oversight. Now give me a bear hug, Deana Silva!’ Hugging each other tightly, Alex felt more at peace with himself, as his eyes brimmed with tears. Deana had always been his wingman. She was like him and had the same survival instinct. He had taught her and eventually Dante how to handle a gun, but he’d shared secrets with Deana that he knew he shouldn’t have. He didn’t want to frighten or bother Maggie any more than need be, so he confided in Deana.
‘Take this and put it in your room. Hide it well, so that your mother doesn’t find it when tidying up in there.’ Alex put a magazine in the bottom of the gun and checked that it was loaded. ‘The safety catch is on, but be careful, love.’
‘I know, Dad, you don’t have to tell me. What about Dante? He’s a crack shot.’
‘I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it. For now, it’s just you and me. No one knows I had these stashed away at the old golf club. Did anyone see you picking this up?’
‘I don’t think so, Dad. There was no one around, but I couldn’t swear on it.’
‘Well, let’s hope they didn’t. What matters now is that I can protect you all. I feel like a sitting duck knowing there’s a bullet out there with my name on it and nothing to protect myself with. Sorry to lay this on you Deana. You and Dante have had more than your fair share to deal with. You are innocents in all of this.’ He hugged her again. Mentally, Alex felt like he had made such a mess of his life, and more to the point his kids’.
‘Dad, did something happen when those coppers visited the day of the opening?’ she whispered. Watching her father nod his head, she sighed. She’d known something was troubling him, and when he’d asked her to go to his old locker at the golf club, she had a fair idea why. ‘It would kill Mum if we had to leave here. She loves it.’
‘I know. How do you think I feel? It’s the first home we’ve had in ages. You’re settling in at your new college, and Dante likes his new school. But, with these in the house, I feel safer. Put some of those old crates on top of the barrel to disguise it.’
Deana put the gun Alex had given her in the front waistband of her jeans, carefully hidden behind her kitchen apron, and disappeared up the stone stairs again.
Alex blew a kiss to the barrel loaded with guns and went up the stairs that led into the pub, carrying a crate of mixers. ‘Here you go, love, you looked like you were running short.’ Frowning, Phyllis looked along the bottom shelf of the bar and saw that it was fully stocked. Catching her eyeline, he played the fool. ‘You did say mixers, didn’t you, Phyllis?’
‘No, I don’t remember saying that.’
‘Oh God, what am I like? I thought I heard you say mixers. What a waste of time that was,’ he sighed dramatically. ‘Anyway, you take your break now; I’ll cover for you.’
As Phyllis left, Alex went to the front of the bar and asked the usual crowd what they were drinking, pulling their pints of beer with a contented feeling inside of him. Thank goodness Deana had an old head on her shoulders, and he had taught his children well. They would be safer now. Alex was going to make sure of that.
Waking up and yawning, Alex looked at the bedside clock. It was just after 5 a.m., and he could hear the dustbin truck. Realising it was blue bin collection day, Alex jumped out of bed and moved the blinds from the window to peer across at Percy’s house. His bins – all three of them – hadn’t been put out for collection. Finding it odd that none of them were full or needed emptying, Alex decided to mention it to Mark. If anyone knew the secret behind it, Mark definitely would. Running his hands through his black hair, he lay on the floor and began his morning push-ups. He had always exercised and hated being without a gym at his disposal, but for now, this would suffice.
Bleary eyed, Maggie glimpsed the clock beside the bed. ‘For God’s sake, Alex, do you have to do that first thing in the morning every day?’
Panting, he looked up from beside the bed. ‘Would you rather I did my push-ups closer to you?’ He winked.
‘Not this early, and doesn’t your dick ever have a day off? You’re like the emergency services – always on alert!’ Turning on her side, Maggie tried dozing off again, even though all she could hear in the background was Alex puffing and panting while exercising. ‘Talking of exercises’ – Maggie turned back over to watch Alex – ‘Olivia mentioned that the old publican used to let them have use of the pub when it was closed for a Zumba class. I think she’s hinting that we do the same – what do you think?’
‘A Zumba class – where?’
‘Well, I suppose we could put the tables and chairs aside; it would give them enough room. He used to let them use one of the rooms up here, but we couldn’t do that now. He used to charge them £50, and Olivia’s friend does the classes.’
Sitting on his haunches, Alex took a breath. ‘If you want to do it, then do, but I wouldn’t charge that amount. Why don’t you say, if there are more than ten people, you take twenty pounds, or a pound for every Zumba queen who turns up? That way the woman will make money, and Olivia will be eternally grateful. Between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. would do it, then the cleaner will have done her stuff, and after all their hard exercise, I am sure they would need some form of drink to quench their thirst. Can I get on now?’
Starting his push-ups again, Maggie gave a wry smile. Realising she was never going to get back to sleep, she pushed back the duvet and got out of bed. ‘I’m going to put the kettle on. I was thinking,’ she laughed as she opened the door, ‘the Zumba queens, as you call them, have a personal trainer on site. Maybe you could be the Zumba king.’ Looking down at Alex on the floor, she saw him raise his head and glare at her underneath his dark eyelashes as the sweat poured down his face. She couldn’t help laughing as she went into the kitchen.
6 THE MYSTERY UNFOLDS
During his days, all Alex seemed to have to do with his time was observe and watch the neighbours. It was a lovely area, he had to admit, but it had hidden depths, he was sure of it. Seeing Mark with his head under another car bonnet, he strolled over. ‘How’s it going Mark?’
‘All right Alex, trying to fix this.’ Raising his head from under the bonnet, Mark rubbed his oil-stained hands with a rag.
‘Isn’t that your mobile van for call-outs?’
‘Yeah, it’s broken down again. I need to sort it out. I’ll pop in for a drink later. Oh, by the way, do you have a spade? We have, but it’s a bit bent at the end. Percy asked me earlier if he could borrow one.’
Thinking to himself, Alex nodded. ‘I think there’s one in the old shed. What does he need it for?’
‘Apparently he wants to plant something or other, pretty big by all accounts and he needs a big hole. He’s got a heart problem so I’ve offered to dig it for him; I don’t suppose you fancy giving me a hand?’
Still looking at Mark’s battered old mobile mechanic van, Alex couldn’t help wondering why a man who advertised fixing other people’s cars had problems with his own. Was Mark a mechanic who couldn’t actually fix cars? That puzzled him. ‘Yeah, I’ll give you a hand. Let me find that spade and I’ll give you a shout later. It will get me from under the women’s feet. That bloody Zumba class is driving me bonkers, even Phyllis and Pauline turn up early to join in, then they all turn purple and sweat. I thought it would be all young birds with everything in the right places, but, God no. It’s all wobbly bits flying in every direction and none of them know their left from their right, and that includes your wife!’ Alex grinned.
Mark burst out laughing. ‘It wasn’t Olivia’s brain I married her for, it was definitely her tits!’ Mark winked and laughed. ‘She knows left is the side she wears her watch on, but if she ever takes it off, she is well and truly stuffed!’
‘How’s Mark? I saw you talking to him,’ Maggie asked as Alex arrived back at the pub.
‘Old Percy has a hole he needs digging; I’m going to give him a hand. I’ve seen an old spade in that shed, it will keep me out of mischief.’
‘Have you seen that bloody dog of his?’ laughed Maggie. ‘It’s got three legs, cancer tumours all over its stomach and it sounds like it has a smoker’s cough. Emma said he’s refused to have the dog put down, but I’m surprised it’s still standing. And to make it worse, it’s called Skippy!’ Maggie had tears running down her face she was laughing so much.
Frowning, Alex looked at her. ‘I didn’t know he had a dog; I’ve never seen him walking it.’ Alex’s curiosity was well and truly piqued. ‘I’m going to get the spade now; this is something I really have to see.’
‘Mark! I’ve found that spade. Do you want to do it now? It shouldn’t take long. What’s he planting?’
‘Yeah, why not? While it’s daylight.’ Leaving the bonnet of his van up, Mark rubbed his hands on a cloth that was more oil stained than his hands.
