‘I can think of a few explanations. The most likely one is that he was scoping it out. In which case, he would’ve been back well before now.’
‘He wouldn’t have seen anything worth nicking. Apart from my laptop, and every house has one of those. Even the TV is ancient.’
‘So maybe he’s moved on.’
‘And the other explanations?’
‘Were you with him the whole time?’
I nodded. ‘Yes. And there honestly wasn’t anything on show worth taking.’ I shook my head. ‘He genuinely seemed bothered about the house. Could he have been hoping to get some work out of it? Like, have come from a local building firm?’
‘Has anyone contacted you offering to do work?’
‘No.’
‘Maybe he wants to scare you into a cheap sale.’
Thatgot my attention.
‘I’d keep an eye out for anyone making you an offer. And if you want, I can look at your security. Are you sure no keys are missing?’
‘Pretty sure.’
I helped myself to a pink cupcake from a plate on the counter-top. That helped, slightly, so I had another one.
‘What’s your gut telling you?’ Jamie asked, working on his next pancake order.
‘Well, I know someone who’s very keen to buy my house. Although this seems a ridiculously elaborate charade considering what it must be worth. And well beneath a respectable and successful businessman.’
‘Are we talking about Fisher?’ Jamie looked at me, eyes sharp.
‘Yes. Why? What do you know?’
‘I know he’s neither respectable nor successful these days. I’ve got a few things on in the next couple of weeks, but leave it with me.’
‘Thanks, Jamie. I really appreciate it.’
‘One more thing,’ Jamie said, as I grabbed a third cake and stuffed in a scrumptious bite of lemony lusciousness.
‘Mmmf?’
‘Stay watchful, for now. Lock your doors and make sure your phone’s charged. Oh, and talk to that bloke next door. It can’t hurt to have another pair of eyes on it, and he seems to be looking out for you. And, well. Be careful.’
34
As it turned out, before I got a chance to call in on my neighbour (who I might have been avoiding since my call to Ashley) he messaged me:
What time do we leave for this wedding?
We?
I stared at my screen.We?
Was Mack coming with me to the wedding? In all the stress of the past week or so I’d barely had time to think about it beyond trying to find a dress to wear. I’d asked Ellen, but I drowned in her one posh dress that had avoided being chopped up when the triplets decided to make parachutes.
Hesitant to ask Sarah, a good couple of sizes bigger than me, when I mentioned it to Kiko she snorted. ‘No chance. You’d be better off wearing your grandmother’s old dressing gown than one of my monstrosities. Each and every one of them designed to suit a nothing, on-the-road-to-nowhere fuddy-duddy, via Blandsville, Frump-land and a 1998 factory outlet shop.’
‘Fair enough.’ It looked as though I would be wearing one of my sister’s cast-offs. To her own wedding. And if she made any comment about it (and really, it was awhennot anif) and if I felt defensive and stressed (again,whennotif) I might be forced to make a similar remark relating cast-offs to her choice of groom. Which would not end well.
