‘Arnold – his wife died, sudden-like.’
Jake turned back to find the old man taking off his pince-nez. He put them beside the book on the table.
‘May I?’ Jake sat in the vacant leather chair opposite and leaned forward to place his empty glass on the brick hearth.
‘At first he came to live here awhile because he couldn’t bear to return to his empty house in the village.’ The old man continued, ‘I knew how that felt when my wife died – god rest her soul.’ There was a moment’s contemplative silence. ‘But after some time, I suspected he was staying on for other reasons – not that I was complaining, mind,’ he added quickly, ‘I like company.’ He picked up his glass of lemonade from the oval table beside his chair and took a sip.
‘Other reasons?’ said Jake.
‘I had a neighbour – Martha.’
Jake nodded.
‘She lived next door until she took ill. Very nice lady, kept herself to herself mind, but I could always call on her to run me an errand, and she always had time for a friendly natter over the garden fence.’
Jake smiled.
‘Arnold – he rather took a fancy to her, see.’
Jake did.
‘But we think she had a man friend already.’
‘Man friend?’ Jake didn’t understand the turn of phrase.
‘Yes, used to visit her, regular-like. He was a smart looking fella, always turned up in a fancy car – different one each time. Poor Arnold didn’t think he’d be in with a chance. Especially after I heard them talking in the garden; said he was building them a house.
‘Building them a house?’
‘Yeah, but she didn’t sound that pleased about it, said she liked where she was just fine. I must say I was pleased to hear that because she was such a nice neighbour. Not soon after that she nearly burnt the place down and mine with it. That’s why it’s boarded up next door. She had a lucky escape; left a pan boiling on the stove and clear forgot about it. Took her to hospital and that was the last I saw of her or her man friend.’
Jake nodded. So, that was when she’d returned to Cedar Grove to live out her days under supervision. Jake instinctively knew who that man friend was who visited – it wasn’t what the old man thought. It was her brother. It was Aubrey.
‘Did she have any other visitors?’
‘Only Arnold. He’d find any excuse to pop next door; would she like her lawn mowed? Would she like this, would she like that? I kept telling him to leave the poor woman alone. But he wouldn’t give up, and before long they were going to the pictures and having quiet little dinners at hers. Honestly, the women of today!’ He downed the remainder of his lemonade and put theempty glass on the table beside the book. ‘I’m sure it was all quite innocent, but oh how Arnold loved the excitement, the thrill of being theother man.’
Jake didn’t want to bring up who the man was who’d been visiting Martha. Instead, he asked, ‘Did she mention her son – Ralph?’
‘She had a son?’ The old man looked surprised. He raised his eyebrows.
‘But Arnold’s not in any kind of trouble, if that’s what you’re thinking.’ Jake wasn’t sure why he’d said that. Of course he wasn’t. He was dead and gone. Jake still had it on the tip of his tongue to ask,do you know why someone is impersonating your son?
The old man rose from his chair. ‘I think it’s time you left.’
‘I’m sorry for your loss,’ Jake said quickly.
‘Look here, I don’t know what you’re after or who sent you, but I want you to leave.’ The old man moved surprisingly quickly to the front door and opened it.
Jake walked past him and out the door. He turned around in the porch. ‘There was some misunderstanding. I came here to, um … to check he is dead. Jake winced. He shouldn’t have said that, but it was obviously in the back of his mind.
The old man eyed Jake: his face softened.
‘If you don’t believe me, about my son,’ he said before closing the door, ‘visit the old oak.’
‘The what?’
Chapter 47
