Ted laid his guard’s uniform out on
the bed, folded it neatly, then squeezed it into his sports
bag.
Marjorie came into the bedroom, wearing rubber gloves and carrying a
duster and an aerosol of furniture polish.
‘My
stomach’s still not right,’ she complained.
‘I don’t think I could face sausages ever again.’
‘It
can’t have been the chipolatas,’ repeated Ted for the umpteenth time.
‘Or anything you’d eaten.
I had exactly the same as you and I was
alright. It must have been a virus.’
Marjorie
squirted a jet of lavender polish onto the dressing table.
‘It’s funny,’ she mused, ‘you used to moan
about having to change into your uniform at work.
All the time.
But recently you’ve stopped complaining.’
She
stopped polishing, her head turned slowly like a tank turret and her eyes fixed
him in her sights. Ted concentrated on
zipping his bag.
‘I
expect I’m getting used to it,’ he said, his voice light and inconsequential.
He could feel the twin lasers of
her eyes boring into him. He glanced at
his watch and cleared his throat delicately.
‘I shall be back later than usual tonight.
There’s been a change in the rota.’
He
had arranged to meet Donald for a quick drink after work.
Marjorie noticed the crafty little smile that
was teasing the corners of his mouth as he picked up his bag and shuffled
towards the door. She knew something was
up but had no idea what it was.
‘Oh,
before you go,’ she said. ‘There’s
something that’s been bothering me.’
He
stopped in the doorway. All traces of a
smile had vanished.
‘When
I phoned Freda and Alec and said I’d come down with a stomach bug, Freda said
you’d phoned up on Friday morning to cancel.
I said you couldn’t have done. I
wasn’t taken ill until the afternoon.’
Forcing
himself to look her straight in the eye, Ted said, ‘Well, there must be some
explanation. I wouldn’t have known you
were going to be ill in advance, would I?’
He gave a small nervous chuckle and glanced at his watch again.
‘Bloomin’
heck! Is that the time?’
‘Never
mind,’ she said, as he made his getaway.
‘We’ll talk about it later.’
*
Maggie let herself into the Maidstone
chip shop, which had just closed for the afternoon, glad to find Sharon
on her own. Sharon’s
mouth fell open as Maggie handed her a brown envelope.
‘What’s
this?’
‘It’s
your wages made up to the end of the week.
And you can count yourself lucky you’re getting paid.’
‘What
have I done wrong?’
‘Oh
come off it, Sharon: Gary’s
told me everything.’ Sharon
dropped the envelope unopened into her handbag and started to leave.
She stopped in the doorway and told
Maggie: ‘It weren’t my fault, Mrs
Branston .It was Gary.
He come on really strong.
Wouldn’t take no for an answer.’
Maggie
smiled humourlessly. ‘Oh well, Sharon.
Thank you, anyway.’ Sharon
frowned. ‘What for?’
‘For
confirming my suspicions.’
*
‘Sorry I’m late,’ said Nigel as
Mary Fernhill slid into the passenger seat.
‘Only I had a tender to get out this morning and I was running a bit
behind.’
He
sniggered naughtily, as if caught out by a daring double entendre.
Humouring
him, Mary returned his smile and said, ‘I haven’t been waiting that long.’
As
he drove off, Nigel glanced at his passenger and frowned.
The dress she was wearing was just a trifle
loud. Perhaps that teashop in Eastbourne
was not such a good idea.
‘Something
the matter, Nigel?’
‘I
thought we might have some tea in Eastbourne.
Only...’
‘Oh,
I like Eastbourne.’
Suddenly
Nigel’s mobile phone bleeped insistently.
He braked sharply and swung the car to the side of the kerb, oblivious
to the obstruction he was causing. He
assumed an important expression as he answered his mobile.
‘Excuse me.
It might be a client.’ But his
expression changed to one of slight panic.
He had forgotten that he had given Jackie his mobile number.
‘No
– er – sorry. I can’t talk now.
I’m in a meeting.’
He
clicked off the phone and shoved it into the glove compartment.
‘I
don’t want to mix business with pleasure,’ he said smoothly.
‘Now then, let’s head for that nice teashop
in Eastbourne, where we can have that serious talk.’
IN EPISODE FOURTEEN ON TUESDAY
Mike discovers his son’s secret and
Nigel has an awkward scene in the teashop.
