‘They also have six cousins. And three grandparents. My wife also very much enjoys a good show.’
‘It can’t be front row, then. In the general front-ish area? This deal’s a lot cheaper than taking them all to the pantomime.’
Stanislaus grinned. ‘Are you guaranteeing a pantomime-quality performance?’
‘Are you questioning it? We’ve got Santa-day Night, performed by the Christmas Day Twins.’
He narrowed his eyes. ‘Will my children have heard of them?’
‘Maybe.’ Mary gave a nonchalant shrug. ‘Either way, the concert’s called “Everyone’s a Santa”. This is your chance to start the ball rolling, Santa Stanislaus. Which means, of course, our appreciation for the brilliant Stan’s Fabric Merchants will be clearly displayed in the programme, including a half-page advert.’
He upped another twenty pounds to her offer, and the deal was sealed.
‘You’ve done a lot of that before,’ Beckett said as they walked back to the car, his admiration clear.
‘I have. Usually brokering contracts for things that would otherwise be thrown away, but in far larger quantities. I never dreamed I’d be haggling over lime-green netting.’
When they arrived back at the church building, Mary went to tell Sofia about the deal she’d made with Stanislaus, so Beckett ended up chatting with Bill for a few minutes.
‘Has he been okay?’ Beckett asked as someone helped Gramps zip his coat up.
‘An absolute pleasure. He smashed me at chess and draughts.’
Beckett frowned. ‘Please be honest with me if he was rude, or upset anyone.’
‘Not at all.’ Bill dismissed this with a shake of his head. ‘The guys loved trying to puzzle out his riddles.’
‘Okay.’ Gramps had been a pleasure? Beckett was still absorbing this riddle when Bill handed him a slip of paper. ‘You asked about care agencies? Here’s a few that’ve been recommended.’
‘Thank you.’ Beckett scanned the list. ‘Do you know if any of them provide care to people with dementia?’
Bill gave him a sideways look. ‘I don’t. But, Beckett, Marvin remembered the name of half the people here, which is about the same as me on a good day, and I’ve known some of them forever. He’s sharper than a steak knife. What on earth would make you think he has dementia?’
Beckett shrugged. ‘Oh, you know. He’s not been formally diagnosed yet, but the signs are starting to show. Forgetfulness, confusion. A couple of days ago I found him digging up a plant with a dessert spoon in the middle of the night, wearing only pyjama bottoms and a vest.’
Bill’s eyes studied him. ‘Did he say why?’
‘Nothing that made sense.’
‘Aye, well. No harm in a chat with his doctor. I’d wager decades of experience that he knows exactly what he’s doing.’
Then how come he walked straight past the taxi Beckett had been driving for six years and tried rattling the handle of a strange car?
Once back in Bigley, Mary helped clear out the remaining clutter in the living room, before insisting Beckett went out for an hour. He tried to protest that, having already been out, he was perfectly fine staying in, but Mary was still in boss-mode, and before he knew it he found himself bundled out of the front door.
‘It’s not about what you need today,’ she insisted. ‘We’re getting Gramps and me used to each other, remember? So you can leave him with me when you really need it.’
With no excuse other than the truth, that he preferred hanging out at home with Mary than going out by himself, which he didn’t know how to express without sounding worryingly stalkerish, he checked the time and headed off into the village, planning to return an hour later, and not a minute more.
When he did come back, almost two hours later, the living room was virtually unrecognisable.
Mary had taken down the net curtains hanging at the large window overlooking the back garden and draped a throw she’d found in a cupboard over the back of the tired sofa. She’d rearranged the smaller furniture and added a couple of lamps, which Beckett vaguely remembered seeing somewhere lying around. The swirly rug had gone, every surface gleamed and she’d done something with the remaining photographs and other bits and pieces so that the overall effect was cosy, yet so much calmer. The room appeared about twice the size.
‘How did you do all this?’
Mary smiled. ‘Gramps helped.’
‘What?’
