Then, a fanciful thought popped into his head.What if I made elderflower wine?He’d seen the home brewing kits in the supermarket—they were reasonably priced, if a little cumbersome.
It was just simple chemistry, right? Brewing and fermenting was just enzymology with its amylases, lipases, proteases and cellulases. He could drink it with his colleagues in the summer… but Wallace said he didn’t want another biocatalytic event, so perhaps it was a bad idea. He could share it with Val, but reasoned it might kill her, and he didnotneed that on his conscience. Oliver was constantly busy with work and the kids. There was always Blake, but…absolutely not.
Choosing to save the elderflower harvest for another day, he trudged back into the house, peeled off his clothes and threw them next to the washing machine. It wasn’t until after his shower he realised just how abysmal he must have smelled. Sweat, blood and death. A stench wholly unique to the job.
Pulling on a T-shirt and denim shorts, he took Bailey for another walk in the woods. She nipped and pawed at his feet, clearly desperate for him to shift so they could run together, but Pember just kept his head down and looked to the path ahead.
Despite stumbling and tripping through the undergrowth more times than he cared to admit, he eventually found himself back at the copse of apple trees. The same sweet smell drifted into his nostrils, and he couldn’t help but pluck one from a low-hanging branch. The sharp crunch of its ruby skin was glorious, and juice dribbled over his chin. He licked his lip whilst staring up at the pale pink blossoms swaying in the early evening breeze.
Then, he panicked. Was it stealing? Would the tree police suddenly appear if they caught wind of his exploits? Pulling outhis phone, he yanked the business card free from where he’d slotted it into the back of the case and texted the one person who would definitely know the answer.
‘Is eating apples in the woods considered stealing?’ Followed by, ‘It’s Pember, by the way. Val’s fine, she and Cherry are arguing in the kitchen.’
He was about to text again, telling him not to worry about the apple thing, when three dots popped up on the screen.
‘Are you felling the whole tree?’came Blake’s reply.
Pember snorted, imagining himself in a flannel shirt and wielding an axe.
‘No, just one apple.’
‘Perfectly legal.’
He sighed and took another bite. ‘Phew. Thanks.’
‘But I’ll have to inform the wildlife officer.’
Pember stopped mid-chew and blinked. He couldn’t tell if the alpha was joking. ‘I understand. I’m sorry,’he replied, just to be sure.
After a brief pause, Blake texted back, ‘I was taking the piss.’
‘Very funny. Does Val like apple pie?’
‘Thinking of felling the tree after all?’
Pember shifted from foot to foot, crunching loudly as he tried to think of a witty comeback. As his fingers hovered over the screen, there came another message.
‘I like apple pie. Does that count?’
Pember’s mouth twitched into a half smile. ‘Do you have crippling arthritis and an unreliable food delivery guy?’
‘No, but I may have frostbite in my toes.’
‘Why?’
‘I’m at the morgue. Lily and I are waiting with the body.’
‘Already?’
‘Yes. Maya helped the pathologist take evidential swabs at the scene. The family were becoming restless again so wethought it safer to move him to the morgue and expedite the post-mortem.’
A pang of jealousy shot through Pember’s belly. Of course Maya was the reasonable choice to take the swabs—she was experienced and thorough, and Pember was… new.
Squashing the feelings, he messaged back. ‘When’s the post-mortem?’
‘Tomorrow morning. As soon as the coroner arrives we’ll get the body booked in. She’s on another case so we’ll be waiting a while.’
Pember glanced at his phone, it was already six thirty in the evening.
