It had not been the kind of Sunday Robert liked. He was not
a social animal and Gloria definitely was. She soon had hundreds of friends
thanks to her outgoing personality. Robert was not sure how long he could put
up with it, but since Gloria would be helping out in the shop, he would have to
grin and bear it until a solution to her accommodation problem had been solved
so that he did not have to his working and leisure hours with her. Had he told
Cleo that, she would have pointed out that he had invited her mother to help
him at the shop so he should not complain. She would find a place to live
eventually. Until then he should grin and bear it!
***
***
Gloria did not know that the last occupant was now serving a
prison sentence and Cleo was not going to tell her. She would have to warn
Dorothy not to mention the Laura Finch murder, but Gloria would find out fast,
she reflected ruefully. Gloria was like that. She seemed to invite confidences
and working at the shop would be the ideal place to exchange them. But there
was no turning back. Cleo would have to make the best of it. She and Robert did
not discuss their individual hang-ups about Gloria Hartley.
Gloria had taken the precaution of ringing around to tell
everyone she had arrived back without saying why. On Sunday afternoon, the
cottage in Monkton Way had been hit by a noisy crowd of well-wishers including
all the line dancers Gloria had worked with previously. Cleo had sent them on
to the shop where Robert could deal with them. Even Delilah had popped in to
greet her old friend, but she left almost immediately, not to visit the shop,
but ostensibly to open the bistro, though it was far too early. Julie and Colin
had also come to the impromptu reunion tea-party and were cautioned on the
doorstep by Cleo not to say anything about Laura Finch’s murder and sent on
their way. Colin was proving indispensable to the Hartley Agency, so he could
talk about that. Julie had a camera with her to record the event.
***
Julie was working for a photographer in Middlethumpton and
on call for any photos needed in connection with Cleo's cases. Recently she had
also been called on by Gary to record the scene of a crime - a smashed
jeweller's shop-window - and had photographed some very suspicious looking
characters at the identity parade, though she herself had not been able to
discern which the suspects were. With that in mind, she was hoping to stage an
exhibition of "goodies and baddies" one day. The shady characters in
the photos enjoyed having their photos taken and would be honoured to be
included. The story of the identity parade would impress Gloria. She had not
even asked why Laura had not answered
the phone during her round up of friends.
***
Cleo warned Dorothy not to let Gloria into any trade secrets. That
would not be a problem, Dorothy assured her. She was getting her garden ready
for the winter and hoped that Mr Barker from next door would come to the rescue.
So she would not go to the shop to greet Gloria. That could wait. Gloria
Hartley was not one of Dorothy’s favourite people.
“Robert can help you with the garden,” Cleo volunteered.
“He has enough to do with Gloria.”
"But I can tell her about working at the Wellness
Centre, can't I?" she wanted to know Cleo. It was hard finding something
to talk to Gloria if she did have to talk to her..
"But don't be specific," warned Cleo. "And
tell her it's temporary work at the Wellness Centre, otherwise my mother will
nauseate you with pity. You should tell her that you are writing a book about
women at work, Dorothy."
“Am i?”
“You are now,” said Cleo.
“Well, I’d better get on with it then.”
“The book?” asked Cleo.
“The garden!”
***
Dorothy did not know that Pamela Norton was sure that Cleo
had planted her there as a spy, and was going to fire her next time she turned
up for work. She had visited her brothers Sam and Jam in jail over the weekend
and listened to their latest news and instructions. They warned her that Cleo
Hartley and her old-lady assistant had a finger in every pie in Upper
Grumpsfield and district now Cleo had taken up with DI Hurley. The brothers had
warned their little sister not to let anyone associated with Cleo anywhere near
the Wellness Centre. It should be noted that the information about Cleo and
Gary’s affair had also been acquired through the net of informers the Nortons
cultivated.
Gary often said HQ was vulnerable to being bugged. Informers
informed about any scrap of information that might come in useful one day –
they did not have to judge the value of the information they passed on. The
Nortons had friends everywhere who kept them up to date about what was going on
outside the prison walls. They were not the sort of friends who inspire envy in
respectable citizens, however, being more likely to attract informers and
small-time crooks anxious for a break, preferably into the world of drug
smuggling, kidnapping or prostitution since they were infinitely more
profitable than petty larceny.
***
Sitting at her desk early on Monday morning before leaving
to attend those HQ interviews, Cleo reflected that she was not equipped for
what she liked to call big-game hunting. Her investigations were mainly into
conjugal disagreements, missing pets and lost children, though the latter was
fortunately seldom, not to mention absconding spouses, of which there were
many. It was entirely Gary's initiative that had advanced Cleo to investigating
criminal activities, though he was not always grateful for her perspicacity or
Dorothy’s hunches.
Cleo was curious to find out more about Gary’s impromptu solo
interview with Magda Kelly. Gary thought he had got off Cleo’s questions
lightly, but he was too reticent about the interview with Magda and that
increased Cleo’s curiosity. Cleo thought Gary had been very foolish not to have
an independent witness in the room.
***
Gary welcomed Cleo with an embrace.
“You should not do that her,” said Cleo. “Walls have eyes.”
“Why would it interest anyone, Cleo?”
“It makes us both more susceptible to….”
“…Blackmail?”
“Well…Maybe not.”
***
“Did Magda Kelly make a pass at you, Gary?” Cleo said.
“She tried.”
"You probably asked for it."
“I did not give her any encouragement, if that’s what you
mean.”
“You wouldn’t have to. She’s a hooker for the money, Gary.
If she free-lances, no doubt she knows how to sell what she has to offer.”
"I must admit that it was a mistake to interview her on
her own. Shirley was officially off duty, so she only listened in and there was
no one else around. I recorded it all, but who wants anyone to hear stuff like
that?"
“Opportunity was knocking, Gary.”
“Was it? I did not notice at the time.”
“That’s what I mean, Gary. It is not a good idea for the
head of homicide to be mixed up with a hooker.”
“Come on, Cleo. I never gave her the impression that I was
interested.”
"Couldn't you have put Shirley back on duty?"
"Not officially without prior notification, but she
watched and listened to the procedure."
"I'll bet she did – in that next-door office, and
didn’t intervene."
Gary found himself defending Shirley. Cleo was goading him.
"What do you mean by that? She'd been working for about
14 hours. I could not allow her to carry on."
"But she was hanging around, wasn't she?"
"Well…"
"Waiting for you, Gary?"
"No. Robert is her target now. I’m on the back burner
now."
"Really? Does that bother you?"
"Shirley and I are not an item, Cleo. We could have
been because you don’t want us to be."
"Oh…"
Cleo broke off because she had gone too far. Gary did not
like being taunted. He shrugged his shoulders. Cleo felt sorry for him.
“What’s the problem?” said Cleo. “I thought we agreed…”
“I love you, Cleo. That’s all. And when you goad me…”
“I love you too, Gary, and I think I understand.”
“I don’t think you do,” said Gary.
“Tell me, then.”
“I can’t, Cleo. Not right now.”
“OK. Another time?”
“Another time. Do you have time for an hour at Romano’s
after the interviews?”
“I don’t think it’s a good idea.”
“I can’t think of anything else I want to do,” said Gary,
“but I don’t intend to talk you into something you don’t want. I can’t make
love to someone who’s on a different planet,” said Gary
Cleo got up and said she would not stay. They were hurting
one another. She left Gary feeling terrible. She was shocked and hurt that he could
be tempted by a woman like Magda Kelly. At that moment she decided that the
affair with Gary was over.
Gary did not know what had prompted her to leave. He had
told her that he loved her. Wasn’t that enough? So what about the interviews. She was walking out on
them, too.
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