Spanish Steps

THE STORY SO FAR

2008-08-19T06:01:00.002+01:00

When they moved out to Spain Fliss thought that Martin was going to be happy with a life of semi-retirement, what she hadn't bargained for was him spending half the week back in London. Tired of being alone Martin started an affair and was all set to leave Fliss when he suffered a heart attack. Now 6 months later he is back working in London during the week and only getting home at the weekend. Fliss is beginning to wonder if their marriage was worth fighting for, or if after her brief fling with Paolo she should think of moving on before it's too late for her to make a new life for herself.

Sophie has given up her well paid job in London to move her family out to Spain to be closer to her parents and to raise her children away from the rat race. Her husband Alistair has promised that he will try to get a transfer to Madrid so that he can spend more time with his family. Sophie hopes that the move will bring them closer together and that the hot Spanish nights will re-inflame Alistair's passion!

Ella, Martin and Fliss' youngest daughter, is a social worker in London. She split with her boyfriend after she finished University and now lives on her own in a dingy bed sit in the capital. During a holiday with Fliss she arranged to meet a friend from work who was in Madrid at a conference. Father Frank and Ella have been friends for a long time but it was the time they spent together in Spain that made Ella realise her true feeling for the young priest. During a late night phone call to her Mum, Ella confesses her love for Father Frank but says that she knows that nothing will come of her infatuation because Frank is dedicated to his calling, but are the priest's feelings quite as pure as Ella thinks?

Michael and Sonny had set up home in a new villa over in the next valley. Everybody thought that they were a happy loving couple but little did they know that Michael was insanely jealous of Sonny's colourful past. It was while Sonny was seeing some friends in Barcelona that Michael grew more and more convinced that Sonny was having an affair with one of his old boyfriends. Without waiting to hear Sonny's explanation, Michael, in a fit a passion, killed Sonny. After the funeral Michael was convinced that he had got away with the murder but later was worried that his friend Clara might suspect that he was hiding something from the police.

Clara Hale lived quietly in a town house in the village. She was a very private person who wanted to keep her past a secret from her new friends. Before she had retired Clara had worked for British Security and she feared that if she was recognised from those days that her life would be in danger. She confided to Justin Crowther, an old colleague, that she recognised Michael as a junior civil servant but he reassured her that Michael was no threat to her. What neither Crowther or Clara were to know was that Michael had disovered Clara had found Sonny's wallet hidden in his villa. The same wallet that Michael had told the Spanish Police had been stolen by Sonny's road side killer. Clara called Michael one night asking for help, she had fallen, broken her leg and was unable to get up. Michael arrived at Clara's house to find her lying on the floor and murdered her to stop her telling the police what she knew but the police alerted by British Security have now arrested Michael and the ex-pat community is buzzing with speculation.

Gloria and Malcolm Westbury have retired to Spain to live out their days in the glorious countryside. When a stranger turns up in their village, little do they realise how their lives are going to change for ever. Gloria is forced to confront her past and confess to her husband that she had a baby when she was only a child herself. Gloria's parents made her put the baby boy up for adoption and never to mention him again. However her grandson Ollie has found her and now she has to confess to Malcolm that she wants to get to know her long lost son while there is still time.

Liam and Cassy's dream of running their own business in Spain was in danger of collapse due to lack of funds when an unexpected business offer from Sophie and Alistair turned their fortunes around. The holiday lets and pony trekking stables are now nearing completion and the two families are looking forward to receiving their first paying guests very soon.

And finally, Ken and Lizzie Jessel might argue and bicker all day long but under the banter they are happy go lucky couple. When Lizzie said that she wanted to start a business importing and selling soft furnishings Ken thought that she was mad. But now he has had to admit that he was wrong to doubt his wife and is very supportive of her new venture into the world of commerce. The only fly in the ointemnt is Lizzie's brother Frankie. Will his little smuggling operation bring unwanted attention from Britiish Customs?

Episode 64 - Rolling back the years

2008-08-14T06:11:00.002+01:00

‘Are you sure that you want to do this darling? There’s still time to cancel if you’d rather not go.’

Fiona was worried about her husband. Simon had always known that he was adopted but in all the years that they’d been together he had never shown the slightest interest in looking for his birth mother.

‘We can’t go back now Mum, they’ve spotted us.’ Said Ollie as he shepherded his parents up the path to Gloria and Malcolm’s villa.

Malcolm was feeling nervous as he opened the front door ‘Thank you all for coming. Gloria is in the kitchen putting the final touches to supper, why don’t we go out onto the patio and I’ll fix us all a drink. I don’t know about you but I could murder a beer right know’ said Malcolm as he led the way through the lounge to the garden. ‘What I can get everyone? Fiona would you like a sherry?’

‘A sherry sounds lovely but I you don’t mind I’ll take it through to the kitchen and see if I can help Gloria. ‘

‘Of course I’ll bring it through in a minute. Simon, Ollie will beer be OK or would you prefer to have a glass of wine.’

‘A cold beer sounds just fine to me’ answered Simon as he slipped of his jacket ‘and I’m sure that this son of mine has been looking forward to a cold beer all afternoon. It must be thirsty work painting indoors in this heat.’ laughed Simon.

Malcolm silently breathed a sigh of relief. All day he had been dreading this moment. How was one supposed to act in a situation like this? He had been worried that Simon might feel as awkward as he felt and that the evening would be a strain but so far so good. Ollie was making light work of the dish of olives and Simon looked far more relaxed that Malcolm had dared hoped.

As he made his way into the kitchen to retrieve the beer from the fridge Malcolm smiled when he saw that Gloria and Fiona were chatting away together.

‘Fiona, let me get you that sherry. Is Amontillado OK?’

‘That sounds lovely, thank you.’

‘Gloria can I tempt you with a small glass?’ asked Malcolm

‘Tonight I think that a large glass would be in order. I don’t usually drink mid week.’ Explained Gloria to a bemused looking Fiona ‘but tonight is a special occasion and I think that I might need a bit of Dutch courage.’

‘I know just what you mean.’ Smiled Fiona. ‘This evening isn’t going to be easy for any of us.’

‘Don’t get me wrong dear I’m not dreading the evening, just the opposite in fact. I have been waiting for this moment for my whole life. You can’t imagine how wonderful it is to know that I am last going to be able to sit and eat with my son and his family. It’s like a dream come true.’

Fiona looked at Gloria standing so proud and tall in her neat little kitchen and felt guilty that she had been so angry with Ollie. No young mother should have been put through what Gloria went through. To give up her baby, never knowing what had happened to him or even who had adopted him. Thank God, she thought as she helped Fiona carry the supper dishes out to the patio, things these days were so different.

As Gloria fussed about putting the lovingly cooked food on the table she felt that her heart was bursting with pride for this handsome man and his lovely family. Watching her son as he passed the dishes around the table she wondered what life would have been like if she had been allowed to marry and bring up her baby herself.

‘Penny for your thoughts.’ Said Simon looking anxiously at Gloria

‘You must think I’m so rude’ said Gloria ‘you’ve come all this way and I’m sitting here not saying a word.’

‘We don’t think that at all. Do we Simon?’ said Fiona quickly

‘No of course we don’t. I was just worried that it was maybe all a bit much for you.’

‘I was seeing you there sitting at the table laughing and joking with Ollie, it reminded me of when I used to go to your father’s house for dinner. They always made me so welcome and treated me like one of the family.’

‘What went wrong Gloria, why weren’t you able to keep the baby?’ asked Fiona

‘You have to realise that things were very different forty six years ago. I suppose it sounds daft to say but things were more innocent then. Clifton and I met at the art class in our church youth club. The first time I met him I fell in love with him. He was so kind and gentle. I was only sixteen and he was my first boyfriend. We used to go walking in the park and sit for hours in the café sharing a cup of coffee and a sticky bun. The world could have exploded around us and we’d never have noticed we only had eyes for each other.

My parents were worried that we were far too young to be getting so serious but I was head strong even then and thought that they didn’t understand what it was like to be in love. Why is it that every generation of teenagers think that they are the first to feel that way? We couldn’t imagine ever being apart and when Clifton asked me to marry him I wanted to tell the world but he was far more sensible and said that it should be our secret until I was eighteen when I would be old enough to get engaged without having to ask anyone’s permission. You must understand that we never planned to sleep together before we were married, it just happened the once, but once was all it took and two months later I realised that I was pregnant.

If we’d been older things would have been so much different. But I was still a school girl and there was no way that my parents would let me keep you. We were both heartbroken when my father forbade Clifton from seeing me again but what could we do, we were still children ourselves.’

‘I don’t blame you. I loved my adoptive parents and they did everything they could to give me a good start in life. I suppose that when I was growing up I did wonder about my birth parents but I was afraid to go looking for you. But now I’m glad that Ollie found you and I hope that we can try and make up for at least some of the past forty odd years.’ Said Simon

‘Oh my darling I hope so too’

Wiping the tears from his eyes, Malcolm stood up from the table and raised his glass ‘I’d like you all to join me in a toast. To our new family’

‘Our new family’

Episode 63 - In the cool of the evening

2008-08-12T06:47:00.000+01:00

Sitting with her feet up against the patio wall Sophie stretched languorously ‘well Cassy you certainly know how to throw a party, what with Gloria’s secret and Mum’s bombshell about Michael’s arrest, it certainly wasn’t dull.’

‘We knew that Ollie was up to something’ said Cassy refilling her glass ‘but we never imagined hat he was looking for a long lost grandmother. I’m amazed that Malcolm’s taken the new so well, I had him pegged as a real old fuddy duddy.’

‘Just goes to show you never can tell. After all who would have guessed that Michael of all people was capable of murder?’

‘I know, it was a total shock. He and Sonny seemed made for each other and as for Mrs. Hale, wasn’t she a dark horse?’

‘Do you realise that you sound like a pair of old fish wives gossiping away out here’ laughed Liam

‘You can’t tell me that you weren’t shocked when you heard that Michael bumped off the old dear. Do you think that she had a thing for him and he panicked when she came on to him?’ asked Cassy

‘No you daft bat’ laughed Liam

‘I suppose it’ll all come out at the trial’ said Alistair pulling up a chair to join them ‘I’ve checked on the children and they are all fast asleep.’

‘Thank you darling, I won’t be up too much later myself, I’m absolutely exhausted. It was a great party though, thank you so much for arranging it Cassy. It would have taken us months to meet so many of our new neighbours, Wouldn’t it Alistair?’ Said Sophie nudging her husband.

‘Yes, yes, very kind’ he muttered distractedly

‘It was a pleasure’ said Liam ‘we just wanted a way to thank you for everything and to help you feel more at home here.’

‘Oh we do’ smiled Sophie ‘this is the best thing we ever did. Isn’t it darling?’

‘Er yes, absolutely, splendid.’ Mumbled Alistair

‘Well I don’t know about the rest of you but I’ve got to be up in five hours to feed the hens, so if nobody minds I’m going to turn in.’ said Cassy draining the last of her wine.

To a chorus of goodnights the four friends made their way back to their own homes.

Alistair looked at Sophie as they walked down through the olive grove. She was so happy, far happier that she had been in London. It was as if she had been storing up all her gaiety for this new life. Her face was glowing with more than the effects of the hot Spanish sun and there was a spring to her step that he couldn’t ever remember seeing before. He was shocked to think that he hadn’t ever noticed how unhappy she must have been before.

He had always thought that Sophie thrived on pressure and that she couldn’t be happy unless she was earning a huge salary to pay for the children’s’ nanny, their grand London house and her top of the range sports car. He was embarrassed to admit even to himself that he never questioned their life back then, he just presumed that his capable, professional busy wife was content with the trappings of wealth that her high pressured job brought.

‘Alistair are you coming up?’ Asked Sophie

‘In a minute, I just want to check my emails.’

‘Oh not now, it’s so late. Can’t you do that in the morning?’ She pleaded

‘I won’t be long, you go up. I’ll be up in a minute.’ Alistair answered as he walked into his study.

Sophie stood in the cool shower and tried to stop the tears from flowing. Why couldn’t tonight be different, she thought. Why can’t you leave that bloody computer for once and come to bed with me?

She didn’t know why Alistair was being like this, what has she done wrong? They hadn’t argued and she had tried her best to show him how happy she was to have made the move from London. She understood that when he managed to get home from Brussels that he was tired and that when they both had hectic schedules it probably did make sense for them to sleep apart sometimes. But things were different now, she was different. She wanted them to be a proper married couple again. OK they were never going to be the kind of people who tore each others clothes off in the hall and had sex on the stairs because they couldn’t wait to get to the bedroom. But that didn’t matter to her because she loved him, with all her heart.

Lying naked on top of the bed Sophie longed for Alistair to come upstairs and make love to her. She wanted to feel him inside her, making love together for the first time in their new home. As she lay on the cool cotton sheets, the warm gentle breeze wafting in through the open window caressing her tanned skin Sophie prayed that her beautiful considerate gentle husband wanted her as much as she wanted him.

Down in the study Alistair fired up his laptop and sat down at the desk. Absently he read through his emails and wondered how long he should wait until he could be sure that his wife had fallen asleep and wouldn’t wake when he finally climbed into bed.

Episode 62 - The BBQ

2008-08-07T06:13:00.002+01:00

That’s what’s so perfect about living in Spain, thought Cassy, you know that if you arrange a BBQ party the weather will be perfect for it.

Cassy and Liam had spent the morning preparing for the party. Liam had moved his sound system onto the patio and was busy downloading the music while Cassy organised Ollie, Sophie and Alistair into setting up the buffet table under the trees, hanging the bunting and stringing the coloured fairy lights through the branches.

‘This really is very kind of you’ said Alistair as he put the final touches to the outdoor lights ‘a party is a lovely way to get to know all our new neighbours.’

Ella smiled from under her large brimmed hat. Their partnership with Sophie and Alistair had been a godsend to them. Within three months of getting together with them their new business was nearly ready to open. The holiday apartments were finished, the bed and breakfast rooms were fully booked through to early summer next year and they even had a tour company interested in Sophie’s pony trekking venture.

After all the sleepless nights that they had endured over the past few months Cassy thought that they all deserved to let their hair down and what better way to do it than to have a party with all their friends, after all this would probably be their last chance to relax before the hard work really started.

Fliss and Martin were the first to arrive and Ollie rushed over to help them carry the salads and cakes that Fliss had prepared that morning. As he ran back from the groaning buffet table Ollie waved to his parents. Colin and Fiona smiled to each other as they made their way across the old farm yard to join the rest of the guests in the garden of the farmhouse.

Colin had been annoyed when they had arrived in Spain and realised that they were staying at Liam and Cassy’s in one of their new holiday apartments. He had promised Fiona that they would treat this trip more like a holiday rather than just an opportunity to meet his birth mother. He was hoping for a small comfortable hotel where they would be able to escape to after what he imagined might be a very fraught visit to his errant son, but Colin had soon calmed down when he realised how happy and contented his son was there. Ollie seemed to have a new energy about him, working all day in the fresh air had given him a glow and Colin and Fiona were relieved that he was happier than he had been for years.

As their guests started to arrive Liam and Cassy were kept busy filing glasses and directing people to the BBQ that Sophie and Alistair had volunteered to run. Standing under the shade of a conveniently placed parasol, Sophie felt that if she was any happier she would burst, Olivia and Grace and settled in well in their new school and already were speaking Spanish with their new friends and even Alistair seemed more relaxed when he managed to get home for the weekend in this new house than he had been in London. Watching Alistair chatting to Lizzie and Ken, Sophie’s heart filled with love for her handsome young husband. If only he could get home more often she thought, life would be just about perfect.

Gloria Westbury stood on the patio by the makeshift bar and tried to pour herself another glass of wine. When Fliss had told her that Ollie’s parents were staying at the farm she had wanted to cry off from the party but Malcolm, dear sweet Malcolm, had persuaded her that now would be the right time to finally meet her son. Watching Gloria’s hand trembling as she tried to pour the wine Malcolm gently took the bottle from her.

‘Come on old girl let me do that for you’ he said ‘why don’t you go and grab those seats under the olive tree for us?’

Gloria kissed her husband on the cheek and quickly made her way down the stone patio. That’s when she saw him, her son, standing with his wife and son chatting to Fliss and Martin. Gloria stopped dead in her tracks, it was too soon, she wasn’t ready for this, what would she say to him, how would she explain?

‘Gloria there you are. I was just telling Ollie’s folks about our golf club and how Malcolm is one of our best players’ enthused Martin ‘I was just saying that Colin should join us for a few rounds tomorrow, sorry Gloria have you met Colin and Fiona?’

Gloria stood still and stared at the handsome man in front of her and with tears welling up in her eyes she held out her hand to her son and said ‘Colin how lovely to see you again.’

Colin took his birth mothers hand and holding it very gently replied ‘I’d like you to meet your daughter-in-law, this is my wife Fiona.’

The years melted away between them as Gloria and Colin sat down on a bench well away from the other party guests.

‘I’m sorry that you didn’t get any warning before Oliver came to find you’ said Colin to this woman who looked barely old enough to be his mother ‘it must have a shock.’

‘I’m just sorry that I handled it so badly’ confessed Gloria ‘poor Ollie, he looked so hurt but I was frightened. I thought that my husband wouldn’t understand and I must admit after all these years I thought that you didn’t want to find me and that my secret was safe. But I never stopped loving you. I want you to understand that. I even have a picture in a locket. They never knew, in the hospital I mean, they never knew that I sneaked into the nursery and took a photo of you on my little camera. They really believed that I would get over it quicker if they took you away from me as soon as you were born and never saw you again. They were wrong; I never got over loosing you.’

Over at the bar Malcolm watched nervously as his wife sat talking to her son.

‘You’d better watch out Malc, I think that bloke has taken a shine to your missus’ laughed Ken as he reached across to grab another bottle of beer from the bucket of ice.

‘Oh I’m not worried it’s just that this is the first time I’ve seen my wife and her son together.’

‘Bloody hell mate’ choked Ken ‘You’ll be telling me next that young Ollie is her long lost grandson.’

Retrieving the bottle of champagne he had buried in the ice, Malcolm scooped up five plastic wine glasses and smiled.

‘That’s exactly what I’m saying Ken and isn’t he a credit to his grandma. Such a lovely young man, we’re all very proud of him.’ Making his way through the garden to his new family Malcolm felt very luck, very lucky indeed.

Episode 61 - Fatherly Love

2008-08-05T12:20:00.000+01:00

Ella threw her mobile phone down onto her bed and stormed into the kitchen. Her tiny flat in North London gave her little enough space at the best of times but tonight she felt that the flat was stifling her, closing in around her. Ella grabbed her keys and ran out into the warm evening.

Without knowing where she was going to she ran off down towards the high street. Pounding the busy streets of North London was no substitute for strolling along the lanes around the villa in Spain but there was no way she could stay in doors.

Ella was angry with herself for not being able to keep her secret from Fliss. Why, she kept asking herself, did she tell her Mum about her feelings for Frank. It had been so much easier when she had kept her love for Frank buried deep inside. But now she had to admit to herself what she had denied for so long and all she felt was pain.

She had known from the first time the handsome young priest had held her arm that she was falling in love with him. Sometimes when she thought he wasn’t watching, she would stare at him striding through the corridors of the hostel and her heart would beat a little faster.

She knew it was madness, an infatuation, a fantasy to think that she could ever have anything more than a platonic relationship with Frank. They couldn’t possibly be anything more than just friends; he was married to the church. There was no way that she would ever be able to tell him how she really felt without risking their special friendship.

Damn it, why couldn’t she feel this way about Paolo. At least if she had fallen in love with the suntanned handsome farmer she wouldn’t have to feel guilty about lusting after his body. But to lust after a priest, dear god how low can you sink.

She knew that she was acting like a silly schoolgirl having her first crush. That didn’t stop her from imagining how it would be to feel his strong arms crushing her body into his, her hot moist lips parting as he kissed her. She longed to run her fingers through his tousled blond hair and slowly undress him. She wanted the first time that they made love to be special. She wanted to savour every part of his strong white body and was dizzy imagining him lying next to her, wanting her as much as she wanted him.

After nearly an hour of wondering aimlessly around the neighbourhood, Ella was surprised to find herself back out side her flat. With tears stinging her eyes she fumbled to put the key in the lock and finally getting the door open she ran into her bedroom and flung herself on to the crumpled bed. Sobbing as if her heart would break Ella curled up and buried her face into the pillow.

***

Father Francis Campbell knelt in front of the altar and bowed his head in prayer, was all this a test of his faith or was he just a weak man?

Frank could remember the first time that he had seen Ella. It was two years ago. He had been on duty with the outreach team over Christmas and had found 14 year old Terry sleeping rough by Kings Cross railway station. The poor lad was frozen and starving and Frank had suspected that he had been working as a rent boy to pay for his drug habit.

The hostel didn’t have the facilities to cope with such a young boy but Ella had taken pity on him and had spent hours trying to find him a place with a foster family, not an easy thing to do at the best of times but a nightmare over the holidays.

Frank smiled to himself as he remembered her battling away with the authorities who had wanted to put Terry before the courts for possession. It was watching her that night, never taking no for an answer, when he knew that she was special. She was so determined to try and help the poor boy that she had still been phoning around long after anybody else would have given up.

He had prayed for help even then, prayed that God would guide him through the feelings that he had never experienced before. When he had been at University a lot of his friends had had girl friends and Frank could understand why, but he had just never felt that he wanted to be with a girl himself. His church was his life and he couldn’t imagine that a woman could awaken feelings of love in him that were stronger than his love of Christ.

It wasn’t as if he was naive, he knew priests had left the priesthood to marry but until now he didn’t realise quite how love worked. You didn’t choose to fall in love, you didn’t wake up one morning and think, the next beautiful woman I meet today will capture my heart and turn my life upside down. It just happens. You meet someone and know, maybe not instantly, it could creep up on you, but at some point you know that you love this person more than you could ever imagine possible. They fill your heart with a longing that hurts. Your dreams are consumed by visions of their loveliness and when you are apart your heart aches so much you think it might break.

His Bishop had been very understanding, it wasn’t unusual he had said for a young priest to have these feelings but Frank had to work his way through them. He suggested that Frank needed time away from the parish. Away from the daily temptations that seeing Ella brought him. That’s why Frank was praying now, praying that Ella would understand why he was going away and understand why he wouldn’t be able to tell her. It was better this way the Bishop had told him, better to get away before the poor girl got hurt. It would be kinder in the long run if she never knew how Frank felt about her.

If this is the kindest thing to do he thought, why does it feel like the end of the world?

Episode 60 - The Silly Fool

2008-07-31T06:22:00.004+01:00

At times like this Gloria’s first reaction was to make tea. Malcolm thought that he could do with a brandy but as it was only just after lunch he supposed that tea would have to do.

Gloria was a firm believer in the restorative powers of a hot sweet brew no matter that it was 32 degrees in the shade, shock was shock.

‘So tell me again when did the police turn up at Michael’s house?’ asked Malcolm putting extra milk into his tea.

‘Lizzie said that the police car passed her when she was on her way down to the village to open the shop, so it must have been about 9 o’clock. As soon as she reached the shop she phoned Fliss to tell her.’

‘And what did Fliss do?’

‘Well apparently Fliss had been feeling guilty ever since she had found Carla. She blamed herself for not going to see her sooner. She thought that the police were going to Michael’s to ask him about Carla so she rushed over to his as soon as she had put the phone down from Lizzie.’

‘So when did she realise that Michael had been arrested?’

‘As soon as she pulled up at his house. That tall officer, you know the one who was here the other day? He was leading Michael out of the house in handcuffs. Poor Michael was sobbing and Fliss didn’t know what to do for the best.’

‘So what exactly has he been arrested for?’

‘Murder. Oh Malcolm it’s ridiculous. The police have made a terrible mistake; poor Michael wouldn’t hurt a fly.’

‘Well they must think that he’s capable of it. I’m surprised though that they told Fliss what they were arresting him for. It’s not as if she’s family or anything.’

‘Oh it wasn’t the police who told her. There was a journalist outside the house and he told her that Michael had been arrested for the murders of Sonny and Clara. The cheeky beggar asked her for a comment. She refused of course.’

‘’Well it just go to show that you never know who you are living next door to.’

‘You don’t believe it do you?’ asked Gloria incredulously. ‘Well I think that there has been a terrible mistake. Michael isn’t capable of murder. Look at the way he helps us with all the fund raisers. And you saw him at Sonny’s funeral. He could barely hold himself together that day.’

‘Maybe that was his guilty conscience kicking in.’

‘Malcolm how can you say that. You saw the state he was in. and why would they think that he had anything to do with Carla’s death, they were friends for heaven’s sake.’

‘I overheard her neighbours talking to Maria the other day. Apparently they had told the police that they saw Michael calling at Carla’s the night she died. They didn’t think anything of it at the time, they often saw him at her house but when the police said that her death wasn’t an accident they went down to the police station and saw our officer Arroyo.’

‘This sounds all very circumstantial to me’ said Gloria as she got up from the table to clear away the tea cups.

‘And what would you know’ snapped Malcolm ‘you don’t know hat’s going on the world half the time.’

‘What’s that supposed to mean?’

‘Well my dear, you must admit, you can be a little naive at times.’

‘Just because I think the best of people, rather than taking notice of idle gossip’

‘It’s not gossip you silly fool it’s a police investigation. Michael has been arrested for murdering two of our friends. Dear god woman one more and he would be a serial killer and you still believe he’s a nice man.’

Gloria couldn’t believe what she was hearing ‘How dare you patronise me’ she shouted

‘Well don’t be so bloody stupid then’ muttered Malcolm knowing that he had gone too far but still unable to drop it added ‘it’s about time that you joined the real world.’

‘And which real world would that be, your world?’ she snapped ‘the very important world of Malcolm Westbury headmaster. Who spent so much time in his precious school doing his very important job that when he retired he didn’t have a life to live anymore, well not in England. Your real world Malcolm? One that meant I had to up sticks and move out here to Spain with you so that you could reinvent a life for yourself?’

Malcolm looked at Gloria in horror. Had she really felt this way all along? He couldn’t believe that she had realised that when he retired he was leaving behind the only life he had ever known. What had happened to the quiet little mouse he had married to turn her into such a bitter woman.

‘Did it never occur to you Malcolm that I might have wanted to stay in England? No I suppose it didn’t, after all what did I have to stay there for. It wasn’t as if we had to worry about leaving children behind. Was it?’ She spat in fury.

‘You know that I wanted a family as much as you did, but we agreed a long time ago that what would be would be. And if that meant that we couldn’t have children then that’s all there was to it.’

‘Malcolm don’t you understand, it was mean to happen.’

‘What do you mean? I thought that you’d come to terms with the fact that you couldn’t have any children?’

‘But I do have a child.’

Malcolm looked at Gloria in disbelief ‘When?’ he asked

‘Before I met you. A long-time before I met you in fact. I was seventeen years old and my parents made me have him adopted.’

‘It was a boy’

‘Yes, I called him Simon, he’s all grown up now of course and I’ve not seen him since the day I gave birth to him.’

‘Why are you telling me all this now?’

‘Because his son has found me. You know him, Ollie, the young chap who was been working for Liam and Cassy.’

‘But he’s’

‘Yes’ laughed Gloria ‘he’s mixed race. Just like my son’

‘Why didn’t you tell me before? Why have you kept him a secret all these years?’

‘Why do you think Malcolm?’ cried Gloria ‘you wanted a child so much how I could I ell you that I had given mine away. Then, as the years, passed it got harder and harder to tell you.’

Malcolm was shocked to realise that his face was wet with tears and reaching out for his wife he clung to her feeling his silent sobs wracking his body.

‘So when do I get to meet this grandson of yours’ he asked through his tears

Gloria looked up into the face of the only man she had truly loved and whispered ‘Soon my love, very soon.’

Episode 59 - The Net Tightens

2008-07-29T06:12:00.001+01:00

The police Comandante lay in bed watching his wife getting dressed. This was Giotto’s favourite time of day, early morning before the madness took over.

‘Will you stop staring at me and get up, you are going to be late for work.’

‘I’m not going into the office. Bernardo is driving me to the train station. We have investigations in Barcelona today.’

‘It’s all right for some’ grumbled Isbel as she brushed her hair ‘some of us can’t go gallivanting off to Barcelona, some of us are stuck in an office all day. Will you be home this evening?’

‘With any luck I should be back by nine o’clock.’

‘I’ll wait dinner for you then.’

Isbel’s cooking was legendary down at the station and Goito knew that the promise of one of her special meals would be just the incentive he needed to conduct his investigations in Barcelona as quickly as possible.

The colonel of the Civil Guard was pleased to think that their outstanding cases were now solved but Goito knew that he would need more than the suppositions of Justin Crowther if he was to arrest Michael Angers for murder, even if Snr Crowther was a member of British Intelligence.

Goito’s team had been working flat out to collect statements from all of Clara Hale’s friends and neighbours and it was during of these interviews that another English couple had mentioned that they had met up with Michael on the Barcelona train only days before Sonny’s murder. With any luck this could provide the lead that Goito’s team so badly needed to secure a conviction.

As his wife left for work, Goito hurried to the bathroom to shower and shave. He knew that he had plenty of time before his junior officer was due to collect him but he needed to hurry if he was to enjoy a decent breakfast before he left the house. Looking in the long mirror, Goito patted his expanding waistline and promised himself for the third time that week that his diet would definitely start tomorrow.

The train journey to Barcelona gave the two detectives plenty of time to reread the witness statements. Gloria Westbury had proved to have an excellent memory for detail and was able to give a full account of their chance encounter with Michael on the train, including, much to Bernardo amusement, a rough description of the clothes he was wearing that day. Some of their most helpful information however came from Scotland Yard who were able to provide their Spanish counterparts with the names of Sonny’s friends who were in Barcelona at the time looking for their new business premises.

Retracing Michael’s steps through the city, the policemen were determined to interview Sonny’s friends. Michael’s explanation to Gloria Westbury for travelling to Barcelona that day had sounded unconvincing even to her and Goito was sure that the new bar owners could hold the key to the mystery.

Referring again to their notes Goito and Bernard turned off the Ramblas into the side street looking for the bar. They found that the Hot Jazz Club was a hive activity with a delivery van blocking the road unloading some very expensive looking leather chairs and inside there were decorators painting the wall above the shiny new bar area. In the midst of all the activity, Goito spotted Andy and Gerry attempting to get the new Gaggia coffee maker to work.

‘I’m sorry gentlemen but as you can see we’re not open for business yet’ called Andy from behind the bar.

Producing their identification cards Goito introduced himself. ‘We are investigating the murder of Sonny Langford and we have been told that you were friends of his.’

‘Sonny was a very good friend of ours and we help you in any way we can.’

Looking at the work men crowded into the small bar Goito asked if there was somewhere they could talk in private. Andy and Gerry led the policemen away from the chaos into the small office at the back of the club.

‘I’m not sure how much help we can be’ said Gerry ‘surely you should be talking to Michael Angers. Michael was with Sonny when he was murdered.’

‘It’s Snr Angers we would like to talk to you about. How well do you know him?’

‘Only through Sonny’ explained Andy ‘funny, he and Sonny were as different as chalk and cheese. Sonny was very flamboyant and lively while Michael is quiet and a bit of a home bird.’

‘What were they like as a couple?’ asked Bernardo ‘would you say that they were happy?’

‘I suppose so’ said Gerry ‘but I do know that Sonny used to get annoyed with him for being so jealous all the time. Michael was even jealous that Sonny was spending so much time helping us look for our new premises.’

‘It wasn’t us he was jealous of’ laughed Andy ‘it was Carl who brought out the green eyed monster in him.’

‘Carl is a friend of ours’ explained Gerry ‘in fact he has loaned us the money for this place, but Carl and Sonny go back a long way.’

‘Do you mean that they were lovers?’ asked Goito

‘Oh it was years ago’ dismissed Gerry ‘but you wouldn’t think it to hear Michael go on. Sonny used to laugh it off but you could see that Michael was uncomfortable with their friendship.’

‘How do you mean uncomfortable?’

‘Jealous. He was jealous of all of Sonny’s old boyfriends. He hated the thought that Sonny had had lovers before him.’

‘In fact’ interrupted Andy ‘Sonny was so worried that Michael wouldn’t have understood about Carl’s investment in the bar he swore us to secrecy about Carl’s involvement. He didn’t want Michael to know that Carl was here in Spain with us.’

‘What did he think that Michael would do if he found out that he had been seeing Carl?’ Asked Bernardo

‘Sonny used to say that Michael threatened to kill him if he ever found out that he had cheated on him.’

‘Oh my god, you don’t think..’ stuttered Gerry

‘I think Senors that we need to speak to Snr Angers again, as soon as possible.’

Episode 58 - One death too many

2008-07-24T06:42:00.000+01:00

Comandante Goito Arroyo Lopez walked out of the police station and into the bar and lit his first cigarette of the day. Whatever he told his wife Isbel, he was still going to enjoy this cigarette with his morning brandy after all how was he supposed to think without nicotine? It was bad enough that the police station was now smoke free without being deprived of his morning hit in the bar. And this morning he felt that he really needed something to help him with the latest death in the village.

Two incomers dead in as many months, his Coronel was starting to ask questions, even the English speaking press were getting in on the act. He needed to clear up these cases and quickly before they started reporting the area as the latest crime hot spot.

Sonny Langford’s murder had seem fairly straightforward at first, a violent robbery late at night that went horribly wrong. Sure his boss had been surprised when he’d found out that Michael and Sonny had been lovers but as far as the English were concerned nothing surprised Goito any more. Isbel accused him of being cynical about foreigners but Goito said he was only being realistic. There were as many different types of Englishmen as there were pebbles on the beach, so anything they did was only to be expected.

But the Russians they were different. The gangs that had moved into the area were running brothels and drugs down on the coast. So to Goito it seemed a natural progression for them to move into muggings and murder. Well let them stay on the coast we don’t want their sort around here.

The old lady’s death was different though. According to her friends and neighbours she was a quiet and law abiding soul. When they first examined the body, the detectives were convinced that she was merely the victim of a tragic accident. It appeared to them that she had slipped in the hall breaking her ankle and that when she had tried to stand she must have fallen again, this time hitting her head with fatal consequences. But not all her friends were so sure and Senora Hale had some friends in very high places.

Goito Arroyo had been assigned to investigate by the Coronel personally. Apparently there had been phone calls from London to some very senior members of the Civil Guard expressing concern that the old lady’s death shouldn’t be dismissed as an accident.

So here he was, as if he didn’t have enough on his plate with the Langford murder, he now had to investigate the old lady’s death too. Sipping his brandy and lighting his second cigarette Goito opened the autopsy report that the pathologist had sent over to him earlier.

Wading through the medical jargon it didn’t take Goito long to realise that the old lady’s friends were right. Clara Hale hadn’t died as a result of her fall. The pathologist was convinced that his investigations proved that she had been suffocated. Her mouth and nose had been covered, probably by a hand until she had stopped breathing.

The Comandante looked up from the report and sighed. He had promised Isbel that he would be home early tonight, she wanted to go and visit her father for his birthday and the old man was expecting them for his party at eight o’clock. His shoulders stooped as he walked out of the bar, not many things scared Goito but his wife’s anger when she realised that he would be working late yet again, was enough to make the toughest of men afraid to go home.

Back at his desk and fortified by the nicotine and alcohol, Goito called his officers into a meeting. What he need now was as much information as his detectives had managed to gather about both cases.

Around the room one of the junior detectives has been compiling a story board of all the evidence from Sonny’s road-side murder and this seemed as good a point as any to start from. Seeing the timeline of the investigation in front of him trigged something in the detective’s memory. Buried somewhere in all this was a link to both these cases, he just knew it.

‘Comandante, the Colonel wants to see you.’ Goito turned from the board and snarled at the young officer who had broken into his train of thought.

‘Can’t you see I’m busy’ he snapped

‘I’m sorry sir but the Colonel says that he needs to see you urgently.’

Goito grabbed his jacket and stormed up to his boss’s office ‘You wanted to see me Colonel.’

‘Yes Comandante Arroyo, come in. Please let me introduce Mr Justin Crowther. Mr Crowther is here about the death of the English woman Senora Hale. He thinks that he might be able to help you with your investigations.’

Goito glared at the Englishman, that’s all I need he thought a British Bobby telling me where I’m going wrong.

Justin Crowther uncrossed his long legs and stood to shake Goito’s hand ‘Comandante I’m very pleased to me you. Please sit down, the Colonel has very kindly offered me the use of his office for the rest of the day.’ Taking this as his cue to leave, the senior policeman hurriedly picked up his briefcase and left the room.

‘You must be a very senior policeman to have my Colonel being so generous with his office.

‘No, Comandante Arroyo, I’m not a police officer at all. I work for the British Government, the intelligence service to be precise.’

‘Goito looked stunned ‘Why is British Intelligence concerned about the death of an old woman in southern Spain?’ He asked

‘Because Clara Hale was one of us, retired of course but none the less we still like to think that we can look after our own, no matter how old they are.’

It took Crowther nearly two hours and several cups of strong coffee to tell Goito about Clara’s history in the service and when Goito thought that he couldn’t be any more surprised Crowther dropped the final bombshell.

‘A couple of months ago I had a late night phone call from Clara. She was worried that an old colleague of ours from another government department had recognised her. You must understand in our line of work the last thing any of our retirees need is to be recognised. As a policeman you know better than most that there are some very dangerous people out there. People who would pay dearly for information about an agent who they might hold responsible for, shall we say, some past indiscretion.’

Goito’s mind was whirling with everything he had learnt about the woman who had fooled her friends into believing that she was just a poor old spinster living out her final years in the sun. Could it be that she too had been a victim of the mysterious eastern European that had attacked Sonny. How ever mad it might sound, could there really be a Russian hit man on the loose in his patch?

‘You said that she had recognised somebody from her past. Did she tell you who it was?’ He asked

‘Yes she did’ said Crowther ‘it was Michael Angers. Sonny Langford’s lover. So now you understand why I thought I could help.’

‘Yes Senor Crowther, I understand a lot. I think that I should have another little chat with our Senor Angers but this time I think that it will be him that will need a lawyer.’

Episode 57 - All the lonely people

2008-07-22T06:36:00.000+01:00

I had a lovely time last night. Some of the young Mums from the school arranged a girls’ night out. Yes I know that they are a lot younger than me, but we all seem to enjoy the same things, good food, stimulating conversation and the opportunity to get out of the house for a while and pretend that we are grown ups.

I don’t think that Martin was too amused though. He went out to the golf club as soon as I left the house, it’s a shame that he never wanted to take me out on a Friday night. I was supposed to be grateful for a quick drink in the club house after golf on Saturday, if I was lucky. Well I’m sorry but I have finally started to take control of my life and I’m enjoying it. I suppose that this is what being an independent woman is all is about.

Talking about independent women, I must give Clara Hale a ring soon. I haven’t seen her for ages, come to think of it I haven’t even seen her at the market, I hope she’s OK. It’s lovely that she is getting on so well with Michael. Gloria was saying that he has been really good to Clara, taking her shopping and even having her over for lunch once a week. With everything he’s been through lately I’m amazed that he can still be so thoughtful of others.

I phoned Michael earlier to ask how Clara was but Michael said that he hadn’t seen her since last week. Apparently they were having lunch together when the police called for him to go to the station. He’d left Clara to lock up the house and walk back to the village because he didn’t know how long he was going to be with the police. But he said that he’d phoned her later that evening and that she sounded fine then.

Gloria said that she hasn’t seen Clara for a while either so maybe she is poorly, well no time like the present I’ll give her a ring now if only to put my own mind at rest.

That’s strange her phone is just ringing out. I would have thought that she would be home now, after all it is lunch time and I know that if she does go shopping it is always of a morning before the siesta. Maybe there’s a problem with her phone, well the only way to find out is to go down and see if she is alright. It’s a lovely day and the walk will do me good.

It’s been ages since I’ve had the time to walk down to the village. I’ve been spending a lot of time looking after Grace and Olivia for Sophie. Not that that is a hardship, I absolutely love being able to see so much of them. When we first moved out here I missed my little granddaughters dreadfully, they are so adorable. Even so it is nice to have a day all to myself when I can catch up with my friends. I suppose I should be spending it with Martin as he is only home for the weekend but he has his golf today and I probably won’t see him until this evening when he will want picking up from the club house.

I wonder if I’ll see Paolo working on his farm, I hope not, that chapter in my life is well and truly over. I nearly fainted when Ella told me how he had been flirting with her and how she might have been tempted by him if she hadn’t have been so in love with Frank. Now don’t get me wrong, I know that he’s a free agent and that I have no right to be sanctimonious about this but did he have to pick my daughter to make a move on, for heaven’s sake it’s no time since we were rolling around in the hay together. What is that man’s problem, is he looking to bed the whole of my family, is he going to hit on Sophie next? No it’s best I don’t see him for a long time or I’ll have to learn enough Spanish to be able to tell him what a randy old bastard I think he is.

It’s a good job I didn’t drive down here today. I’d forgotten that there is a fiesta in the village this weekend. The police have been busy with the traffic cones and a lot of the side streets have been closed off for the procession. It would have been a nightmare finding a parking space by Clara’s house.

That’s strange, her curtains are still drawn, maybe she is still in bed.

‘Clara are you there, is everything OK?’ I call at the front door.

‘Senora are you calling for Senora Hale?’

Clara’s next door neighbour calls leaning at of her first floor window.

‘Yes Aina, have you seen her today’

‘No I think that she has gone away her curtains have been closed all week and I haven’t heard moving about in her house.’

‘That’s strange Michael didn’t mention that she was going away and I’m sure that she would have told him. I’m getting worried now. Is there any way that we can get to the back of her house?’ I ask

‘Yes Senora down the little alleyway and through the gate at the end. Would you like me to come with you?’

I have a terrible feeling about this and I must admit that I’m grateful that I don’t have to do this on my own.

Aina has come round with her husband Bernardo and it is with some trepidation that the three of us make our way down the narrow passage between the houses.

‘I’m sure that Senora Hale is fine’ says Bernardo, not looking sure at all ‘it was only the other evening that her friend called to see her and I’m sure that he would have said if she was unwell.’

Letting ourselves into the pretty little courtyard I try the kitchen door and find that it is unlocked. The kitchen is dark with the curtains closed and the three of us are fumbling around before Aina opens up the curtains and Bernardo and I walk through to the hall.

And that’s when we see her. Clara’s twisted dead body is lying on the cold hall tiles. Before we can stop her Aina follows us through the kitchen and her screams are drowned out by the band walking in the road outside leading the procession through the village.

Episode 56 - Honey, I’m Home

2008-07-16T06:33:00.000+01:00

Martin stood at the arrivals gate and scanned the waiting crowds. Impatiently he looked up at the large wall clock, the damn woman is late again he seethed. Too many things were changing in Martin’s life and he wasn’t happy about it. Before he was ill he knew his place in the scheme of things. He travelled back to London on a Monday with a case full of freshly laundered clothes and arrived back at the villa on the following Friday tired after a busy week to Fliss waiting for him with a light supper and a weekend planned with a few rounds of golf and drinks with friends. All very civilised and ordered.

In those days he never had to worry about whether he had enough clean shirts for the week or if his suit was back from the cleaners. It was understood that Fliss took care of things like booking the pool man and sorting out the gardeners. He didn’t have the time to be worrying about whether the car tax needed renewing or if he should switch utility suppliers on the apartment in London.

But since his heart attack it seemed to him as if his whole life had changed and not for the better. He felt that some weekends he was home Fliss treated him like an inconvenience, just one more thing that she had to schedule into her busy timetable. He was just another box on the chart that had to be fitted in between her friends, her grandchildren, her charity work, her life…well what about his life.

He wanted things to be the way that they had always been. He wanted to be the most important thing in Fliss’ life and didn’t consider for one minute that he might have been the reason why their relationship had changed after all it wasn’t as if he was still seeing Laura and thanks to Sophie that business with Tony Eagleton was all cleared up. So what was Fliss’ problem?

Martin walked out to the taxi rank seething with the injustice of it all. There was he trying to get home after working hard all week and she couldn’t be bothered to get to the airport on time to meet him. As he joined the long queue of weary travellers waiting for a taxi Michael plonked down his case and sulked like a teenager who has just realised that he isn’t the centre of attention anymore.

Running across the car park Sophie spotted her Dad looking petulant in the taxi queue.

‘Dad over here’ she called

‘Where’s your mother?’ sulked Martin as followed Sophie back to her car.

‘She’s looking after the girls, I said that I would pick you up. I’ve been checking out some stud farms and as I was over this way I thought that it would make more sense if I collected you from the airport. Sorry I’m late I didn’t realise what the time was.’

‘No harm done I suppose’ grumbled Martin ‘but Mum could have told me what was happening. I was just about to give up on her and get a cab.’

Martin’s mood slowly lifted on the journey back to the villa and by the time they were parking up he was a lot more relaxed and looking forward to a long cold drink before having a quiet supper with Fliss and hopefully the promise of an early night together.

‘Grandma look, Grandpa’s home’ called Grace as she ran out of the front door. Before he knew it Martin was being herded into the villa by his little granddaughters who were trying to tell him all about the new goats on the farm and how they had spent the afternoon baking cakes and going swimming. His head was spinning with the noise as he made his way into the kitchen looking for Fliss.

‘Hello darling, I’ve left a cold supper for you in the fridge, just a sandwich and some salad. I had mine earlier with the girls. I hope you don’t mind but I’ve arranged to meet some girl friends for a drink this evening and I’m running late. Sophie darling, would you mind dropping me off in the village on your way home?’

‘No Mum that’s fine. Are you ready to go now?’

‘Just let me grab my bag. Oh and Martin don’t wait up for me, you must be exhausted. I’ll get a cab home.’

Martin looked in disbelief as Fliss practically ran out of the house and helped bundled Olivia and Grace into the back of Sophie’s car. Is this was it has come to he wondered, a cold supper and an early night alone. It wasn’t that long ago when Fliss was complaining that he was the unromantic monster who didn’t have the time for their relationship, now here she was running out on him the moment he came in the door.

Taking his supper from the fridge and pouring himself a large glass of wine Martin sat down in the lounge and wondered why he had bothered coming home at all if this was all he had to look forward to. Drinking the wine in one gulp Martin and threw empty glass down on the coffee table.

Striding up the stairs to his bedroom he decided that even an evening at the golf club listening to Malcolm banging on about the bloody donkey sanctuary was better than sitting here on his own. So throwing his crumpled suit on the floor Martin changed into his cool cotton trousers and a clean sports shirt and grabbing his car keys from the hall table set off to spend the evening drinking with all the other sad buggers who had nowhere better to go on a Friday night.

Episode 55 - Falling over

2008-07-15T06:23:00.001+01:00

When he was safely back home, Michael had finally broken down.

All afternoon he had kept his feelings of terror under control. There was no way that he was going to break down in front of the police chief but the strain of playing the part of the grieving lover was getting to him. Walking along the identity parade he had briefly considered pointing out one of the men. After all it didn’t matter to him which one he chose because none of them were Sonny’s killer. The police officers made no pretence in hiding their disappointment that he hadn’t recognised their suspect. Time and again they kept saying that surely he must remember the face of the man who had murdered his boyfriend.

Lying on the settee Michael’s sobs slowly subsided as the anxiety he had felt all afternoon slowly ebbed away. Sure the police were annoyed when they had realised that they had arrested the wrong man but thinking about it rationally he knew that they were still no nearer to suspecting the truth. He had been very careful to play his part well and he knew that he had given them no reason to suspect that he had lied about the mysterious foreigner who had stopped them on that lonely stretch of road.

All he had to do was keep calm, stick to his story and let the police chase around looking for their next suspect.

Opening a new bottle of scotch Michael poured himself a large tumbler full. It was taking more and more scotch each night to stop the trembling in his hands. He knew that keeping busy meant that during the day he could block out the memory of Sonny’s screams but the nights were different. At night he remembered every detail. At night Sonny’s screams filled the room and he could smell the sickly sent of his warm blood pumping from the stab wound.

So now he drank and hoped that the whisky would help to blot out the memories.

As he tried to get up to refill his glass his legs refused to carry him upright. Michael realised that he hadn’t eaten since breakfast and he had been drinking on an empty stomach. Staggering across the room he stumbled and fell against the edge of the settee. His head was spinning as lent on the sofa to try and stand, as he stumbled forward he noticed Sonny’s wallet lying on the floor.

This didn’t make sense, what was it doing on the floor under the sofa. The last time he had seen it was when he had hurriedly stuffed behind the cushions. But there it was, the soft brown leather stained for ever with the blood of his dead lover. Confused, he bent to pick it up and holding the wallet against his cheek he could still smell Sonny’s cologne lingering in the leather.

The shrill ringing of the telephone made Michael jump and staggering across the room still clenching Sonny’s wallet he picked up the phone.

‘Michael is that you?’

‘Clara, what’s wrong?’

‘Oh my dear I’m so sorry to bother you but I didn’t know who to call. I feel such a fool but I’ve had a little accident.’

The effects of the whisky were slowly clearing as Michael answered ‘what’s happened. Are you hurt?’

‘I fell over the stupid rug in the hall and I think that I’ve broken my ankle. I can’t get up its swollen and very sore.’

‘Don’t move Clara. Stay where you are I’ll be right over.’

‘Thank you so much. I’m really sorry to bother you with this especially today of all days.’

‘Don’t be silly, that’s what friends are for.’

And that’s when it hit him. Standing in the lounge with the walls spinning around him Michael fell to his knees. It was Clara who had found the wallet. Dear God it couldn’t have been anybody else. She was the only person who had been in his house since the funeral. She knows, she knows that I’ve got Sonny’s wallet. The wallet that I told the police the murderer ran off with. But surely she can’t suspect anything not when she has just asked me to help?

With his mind whirling Michael grabbed his car keys from the hall table and staggered out of the house.

The night was hot with a threat of a summer storm filling the air. As he pulled up outside Clara house Michael was sweating and the cotton shirt he had been wearing all day was sticking to his back. Wiping the sweat from his face he made his way carefully up the steps to Clara’s front door.

Peering through the glass panel Michael could see Clara lying in the hallway. He tried the handle and realised that the door was locked.

‘Michael is that you?’ Clara called out

‘’Yes Cara but I can’t get in the door is locked.’

‘Come around the back, the kitchen door is open.’

Michael made his way through the narrow passageway between the houses and into the courtyard at the back of the townhouse. The kitchen door was wide open and Michael walked into the kitchen switching the light on so that he could find his way through the small room.

‘I’m so sorry but I didn’t know who to call.’ Said Clara as Michael walked through to the darkened hall.

Michael stood and looked at his friend lying on the brown tiled floor. With a sense of detachment that he wouldn’t have believed he was capable of six months ago, he saw that her left leg was twisted in an unnatural angle. Kneeling down he tenderly touched her swollen ankle.

A wave of agony shot through Clara’s leg and she could barely hold back the tears as she cried out in pain.

Seeing her lying there helpless and venerable Michael felt no pity for her only a burning rage that she had found the wallet. What kind of game was she playing? Why was she asking him for help when she knew his secret? Could it be that she was such a lonely old woman that his help was better than none? Leaning over her twisted body Michael whispered in her ear ‘Who have you told?’

‘Michael what are you talking about, what’s the matter? Please can you just help me get up?’ Clara was frightened, why was he acting this way, she didn’t know why he was so angry.

‘Don’t play games with me you silly old woman.’ He spat ‘I know that you found the wallet. Have you told the police, is that why they came round to the house this afternoon?’

‘I don’t know what you’re talking about. You told me that they had arrested somebody.’

‘But you and I both know that they had the wrong man don’t we.’ He growled

Clara looked up at Michael, his eyes were burning with fury and as his trembling hands moved to her neck she cried out. ‘No Michael please no……

Episode 54 - Ella's secret

2008-07-10T06:22:00.000+01:00

I’m thinking of having a revolving door fitted to the villa.

So far in the past twelve months I have gone from living on my own all week to having Martin here of a weekend, then Sophie and her family and Ella come over for Martin’s party, then Sophie and the girls came to stay when their house in London was sold, and Alistair was backwards and forwards from Brussels. Then they moved out to their new house and Ella came to stay then we went on holiday then Ella and Frank came to stay now they’ve gone and it’s just me again waiting for Martin to come home at the weekend!

My head is spinning with all the coming and going, I should have a chart on the wall so I know who to expect next, all I need now is for some distant cousin to pop out of the woodwork looking for a cheap holiday in Spain and I will scream…

Ella and Frank very nearly missed their flight last night. I kept telling them that they should check their flight times but did they listen. No they bloody didn’t. They were far too busy exploring the village and taking long walks in the hills. It was nearly six o’clock before they eventually checked their tickets and found out that they only had half an hour to be at the airport. You wouldn’t believe the panic that set in and Ella’s language! it made me blush so god knows what it what doing to the holy Father. They were in a right tizz getting the car loaded and the way that Ella drove off you’d have thought that she was competing in the grand prix.

Sophie and the girls seem to be settling into their new house. It’s a shame that Alistair can’t get to be with them as much as he would like but apparently he is tied up with a big trial in The Hague at the moment. Sophie is hoping that he will be able to get home for a few days at the end of the month. I don’t know how she is managing to cope with everything on her own. She moved into their new house with the girls last week and hasn’t had a moment to herself since then. She’s been busy trying to make the house more homely and seems to have spent every evening either decorating or gardening. It’s a good job that she has Liam and Cassy so close by, at least she isn’t up their totally isolated and she says that young Ollie has been a great help with some of the heavy lifting and stuff.

I’ve tried my best to help her with the girls so at least she doesn’t have to worry about them during the day while she is working. I’ve become a regular now on the school run and have made lots of friends with the other Mums waiting at the school gates. We are hoping to organise a fund raising committee for the little village school. The head teacher would like to be able to take the older children on field trips and we are trying to raise enough for them to have their own minibus. So that should keep me out of mischief for a while.

Oh damn the phone’s ringing, it’s probably Martin calling to ask me to arrange his golf for the weekend.

‘’Hello Mum’

‘Ella how lovely I thought you were Dad’

‘Is he OK?’

‘Yes he’s fine, its just that he usual calls mid week with a list of things that he wants me to get done before he come home at the weekend.’

‘’You’ll have to start charging him for secretarial duties’ laughed Ella’

‘Don’t you dare suggest it to him or he’ll have me glued to the lap top all day working on his spread-sheets. Talking about work have you settled back in to the routine after our wonderful holiday?’

‘Yes unfortunately. I was only saying to Frank this afternoon that two weeks back at the coal face and it feels like I’ve never been away.’

‘You poor thing. I’ll have to come over soon and spoil you with lots of home cooking.’

‘That’s sounds great Mum and I know that Frank would love to see you again.’

‘He seems a really nice chap, you’re lucky to have such a good friend.’

‘I know he’s so sweet he’s even asked if he can take me out to supper this week.’

‘Ella I hope you don’t think that I’m being silly but is it normal, for a priest to take a beautiful young girl out for supper?’

‘Oh Mum we’re just good friends and what’s wrong with friends going out for a meal together? When we were in Madrid we went out together for meals all the time.’

‘But that was different darling, we were on holiday and let’s face it you had me tagging along every night.’

‘Mum stop it, you’re making this sound really sordid. Frank and I are friends and that’s all there is to it. I’ll admit that he is rather dishy in a quiet intelligent kind of way but there is no way that we can ever be more than what we are now, good friends.’

‘Ella don’t shout at me. I’m only concerned for you, for both of you in fact. I can see the way that you look at him, I’m not completely stupid. I was young once as well you know. I just don’t want you to get hurt.’

‘Don’t worry about me Mum. I know that I’ll never have the kind of relationship with Frank that I would love to have so I’m prepared to settle for what I have now.’

‘So you do love him then?’

‘With all my heart but he must never know that or I could loose him. So please Mum, don’t breathe a word of this to anyone, not even Dad.’

‘Of course darling, I won’t tell a soul but promise me you’ll be careful, take it from me, a broken heart takes a lot of healing.’

‘Don’t worry Mum I’m a big girl now.’ Laughed Ella

‘I know darling, that’s what I’m worried about.’

Episode 53 - Broken hearts

2008-07-08T06:10:00.001+01:00

Back at the farm Ollie had parked his campervan in it’s now usual place behind the new holiday apartments. His mind was in such a turmoil when he left Gloria that he was tempted to keep on driving, far away from the farm and the village, far away from the grandmother who had just rejected him. But as he drove away from Los Vista his hurt had turned to anger and driving back up the hill he had decided that what ever Gloria said he would make sure that this was not the end. He had come too far and had spent too long searching for his dad’s birth mother to give up on her now.

Leaving the doors of the camper open to cool it off, Ollie made his way around to Liam’s office.

‘Liam can I ask you a big favour please? Can I borrow your computer again? I need to mail my Dad, there’s something I need to tell him.’

‘Sure no problem. I was finished for the day anyhow. Is everything all right Ollie. You look upset.’

‘No, I’m OK thanks, I just need to speak to my Dad.’

‘Listen, why don’t you give him a bell. We’ve the landline connected now. ‘

‘I’ll pay you for the call’ said Ollie searching in the pocket of his shorts for some euro notes

‘Yes sure, we’ll worry about that on payday. Here use the extension in the office. I’ll leave you to it. Just lock up when you’ve finished, you can pass the key in when you come up for supper.’

Right at that moment Ollie felt a huge rush of love for Liam and Cassy. He couldn’t understand how people who only a month ago had been strangers were now more like a family to him than his own grandmother.

As Liam walked across the courtyard Ollie picked up the phone and dialed his home number.

‘Hi Mum it’s only me.’

‘Ollie, is everything OK. Dad was frantic when he read your email. He’s on the computer now trying to get flights arranged so that we can come out to you.’

‘Oh Mum I didn’t want to upset him. That was never what all this was about.’

‘I know darling, don’t worry we're not angry with you, we just want to be there for you when you go to see her.’

‘I’ve been, oh Mum it was awful. She said that she didn’t want anything to do with me or Dad. Apparently her husband never knew that she’d had a baby and that’s the way she wants to keep it.’

‘’Don’t get upset darling, we’ll sort something out when we get there. That’s what families are for you know. Here’s Dad’

‘Hello son’

‘Dad I am so sorry.’

‘You should have told me what you where doing Ollie. Your Mum has been worried sick about you. We haven’t heard from you for weeks, we didn’t even know where you were. The last time we heard from you were France. You told us that you were travelling, working your way around Europe, having a Gap year for god’s sake’

‘I’m sorry Dad but I knew that if I told you I was what I was doing you would have stopped me.’

‘Yes Ollie I would have done. It wasn’t up to you to look for my birth mother it was up to me, me son, not you.’

Ollie cringed at the anger in his Dad’s words. He was right of course and Ollie knew it. It should have been the son who looks for his mother not the grandson going behind his father’s back.

‘I think I can understand why you felt you had to find her and I’ll admit that there were times when I was your age that I wondered about where I really came from. But son you must had given the poor woman the fright of her life turning up out of the blue like that. We should have done this properly, gone through the proper agencies, given her a chance to get used to the idea and the opportunity to say whether she wanted to see you or not.’

‘You’re right Dad, I was stupid but I truly didn’t want to hurt you and Mum. I just needed to meet her. To find out why I am the way I am and I did. She told me all about your father and how they had met. Dad they met at art class, how mad is that!’

‘So it wasn’t all bad, this meeting with your grandmother?’

‘No, it wasn’t. She’s a nice lady dad. She is just frightened of what her husband would say if he found out about you.’

‘I can’t pretend that I’m pleased about what you’ve done and especially about the way that you’ve done it but maybe some good will come out of all this. Mum and I have managed to reschedule our lists and if I can get the flights arranged we are planning to come out to see you this weekend. Do you think that you could find us somewhere to stay please? It will only be for a week but hopefully that will be enough time to salvage something from all this.’

‘Sure Dad I’ll find somewhere and thanks.’

‘What for’

‘For understanding why I had to find her.’ Said Ollie

‘Don’t worry son we’ll sort this all out. I promise’

Ollie was trembling as he put down the phone but relieve that it was all out in the open now. The hardest part of this whole journey had been keeping it a secret from his parents. And it was with a sense of relief that Ollie decided that he would speak to Liam and Cassy at supper time and ask whether his parents would be able to rent one of their nearly completed holiday apartments. He knew that the first one only needed decorating and furnishing. If he offered to spend the next couple of evenings painting the walls maybe they would agree that his Mum and Dad could stay for a while.

And maybe, just maybe if he could persuade Gloria to meet up with her long lost son.

Episode 52 - Catching up with the past

2008-07-03T06:02:00.000+01:00

‘Are sure you don’t mind Liam?’

‘Ollie, I’ve told you it’s not a problem. I’m sure that we can spare you for a few hours. Anyway it’s about time you had a day off. Are you going somewhere special?’

‘No not at all, there are a few things I need to get done and I don’t want to leave them ‘till the weekend.’

‘Well as I say it’s no problem. Do you need a lift down to village?’

‘I’m taking the van thanks, thought I’d make the most of the day and get some provisions while I’m out.’

Ollie couldn’t believe how easily he had fitted into life at the farm. He was even getting used to Sophie’s rather different way of doing things. Cassy and Liam were so laid back but Sophie seemed to him to be a lot more organised. He wasn’t sure if she believed him when he told her that he was just a graduate bumming around Europe for a year. The way she looked at him sometimes made him feel that she was looking right through his story but that won’t matter soon, he thought, after this afternoon he didn’t care who knew his real reason for being here.

The campervan was sluggish with not be used for the past month, so Ollie took it slowly down the hill and coasted the last hundred meters before parking her beside the entrance to Los Vista.

Checking his clothes the best he could in the camper’s small mirror, Ollie locked the van doors and made his way around the pool area to Gloria’s villa. Everything looked so different in the daylight and he had to stop himself from walking up to the patio doors.

He had spent a sleepless night planning what he was going to say to his father’s birth mother. He didn’t want Gloria to think that he was doing all this on a whim, he had to explain to her why he needed to know about her so that he could understand himself better.

Nervously he made his way up the path and was about to knock on the door when it opened suddenly. There standing in the doorway was his grandmother. Gloria looked at him quizzically before asking ‘I saw you coming up the path, can I help you?’

‘This might seem a strange question but was your maiden name Feathers?’

‘Yes but I’m Gloria Westbury now, have been for over thirty years.’

‘Mrs Westbury my name is Oliver Cranford I think that you know my father Simon.’

Gloria clutched the doorframe ‘You’re Simon’s son?’

‘Yes Mrs Westbury and I think that you are my grandmother’

Gloria realised she was shaking as she beckoned the young man into her house ‘Please go through to the lounge’ she said opening the door for him.

‘I’m sorry if I‘ve given you a shock. I did try and phone you but I couldn’t find the words. I have been looking for you for so long I can’t believe I’ve really found you.’

‘Why, why would you want to find me? This all happened so long ago.’

‘All my life I have known that I didn’t quite fit in.’ Ollie explained ‘Nothing was quite right, my Grandfather was a good man but I never really felt that close to him, we were so different. He was a real man's man. Do you know what I mean?’ he asked, Gloria couldn’t speak and just nodded her head. ‘He loved his sport and his cars and was very proud of Dad but then after he died I found out that that he had left nothing to Dad in his will. Dad said he wasn’t surprised and he would have expected every thing to go to Grandma, but it still seemed strange to me and I always felt guilty that I didn’t love my Grandma enough.’ He laughed ‘she isn’t the easiest woman in the world to love but Dad is really good to her and tries his best to get down to see her as often as he can. Not that she appreciates it but that doesn’t stop him going.’

‘When did you find out about me?’ Asked Gloria when Ollie stopped to catch his breath

‘Not long ago. While I was at University I started looking, then just before I graduated I finally found your marriage certificate and discovered your married name.’

‘Does your father know you’re here?’

‘I wrote to him last night and explained that I had found you and that I was coming to see you today.’

‘But why now, why after all these years’ asked Gloria

‘Because I needed to know you. I felt like there was a piece missing from my life and I wanted to see if you could help fill in the blanks.’ He answered honestly

‘But didn’t you consider what I wanted?’ Gloria sobbed ‘Didn’t it occur to you that I mightn’t want reminding about the past?’

‘I’m sorry, I didn’t want to upset you but I had to meet you.’

‘Nobody here knows about the baby. You have to understand how it was then, it was a different age. My parents were horrified when they found out that I was pregnant. Can you imagine their shame? Here was their sixteen year old daughter all ready to start her A level courses and she announces that she’s pregnant.’ Gloria shuddered at the memory ‘My mother was so angry she smacked me across the face. I’ll never forget the sting of her hand on my cheek; it was as if all of her hate was behind that slap. My father just stood there crying, can you believe it, actual tears were running down his face. And that hurt more than any slap, his silent weeping was like a knife in my heart.’

‘Did they make you have my dad adopted?’

‘Oh yes, there was no option. I was far too gone for an abortion though I was still stupid enough to think that they would let me play happy families. Of course there was no chance of that. As soon as they realised who baby’s father was they forbid me to see him again. Dad went around to his family and told them that if he ever came near me, he would kill him. ‘

‘Where was your boyfriend from?’

‘Not far away we met at the church youth club. Oh I see what you mean with him being black? His parents had come over in the fifties from Barbados. Clifton had been born there and lived with his grandmother for a while but as soon as his parents had got enough money together they brought each of the children over to England one by one. It was a lovely family. He had two sisters and a brother. He was a lovely boy, he was so handsome and kind and a wonderful artist. That’s how we started going out together we were both in an art competition in the youth club.’ Gloria smiled at Ollie ‘You have a look about him. It’s around the eyes. Clifton had such beautiful eyes.’

‘Do you know what happened to him?’

‘I heard that he got married and had a family and eventually retired back to Barbados.’

‘Do you have any more children?’

‘No my love, after I gave birth to Simon there were complications. I’ve never been able to have any more children.’

‘I’m so sorry.’

‘Yes so am I. My husband would have loved to have children. I’m just lucky he never insisted that we had the tests. You see Oliver, Malcolm doesn’t know about Simon. And after all these years I never want him to find out. Some secrets are best kept.’

‘But surely you want to see your son again?’

‘No, you don’t understand, I’ve answered all your questions but that’s it. I never want to see you again. I’m sorry but that’s way it’ll have to be. We can never meet again and Malcolm mustn’t ever find out.’

Episode 51 - Mailing home

2008-07-01T05:49:00.001+01:00

Dear Dad

This is probably the hardest thing I’ve ever had to write. Where do I start?

I suppose the best thing I can do is try to explain why I have done the things I have done in the only way I know how.

I suppose it all began in school, the name calling, the bullying. It’s very fashionable these days to say you have to be strong and stand up to the bullies. But you try standing up to the boys I was away at school with, they were a nightmare.

I know that you and Mum wanted the best for me and thought that being a weekly boarder at Ludworth would give me the best start in life but it was a nightmare. It wasn’t just because I was the only black face in the year, it was probably more to do with me. I just didn’t fit in with the whole sporty macho atmosphere.

You know that I have always been happier to sit and paint rather than go out playing cricket but to the other boys that only made me suspect, gay, what ever name they decided to give me that term. So I retreated into myself. It was easier to cope that way. Even when I cam home at the weekends I didn’t seem to fit in any more. I didn’t have any friends and pretending that I was busy with homework was easier than admitting to you both that I was lonely.

But you were right about one thing Ludworth was a ‘good’ school and with my A levels grades I was able to get into a good university. But I still felt apart from the crowd. I suppose that I had spent too much time at school avoiding people and I'd never learnt how to be that sociable but I was lucky and found people who had the same interests as me and I now have a few good friends.

That’s where I started planning this trip. Sitting alone late at night in my student digs I began to wonder about where I came from. Not in any deep philosophical way, just why I loved the things I do. I have always felt that you and Mum were disappointed that your only child was nothing like either of you. I don’t mean my looks, good god EVERYONE says that I’m the proverbial ‘chip off the old block’ even Mum thinks that I am the image of you when you were my age. No I mean more the things that interest us. You are both so gregarious and love nothing more to be surrounded by your golfing chums while I am happiest with a couple of close friends eating a nice meal having a quiet drink.

If you’re both honest you’d have to admit that you were always slightly puzzled why I wasn’t keen to follow you both into medicine. It would have been the most logical thing to do I suppose. Go to medical school. But I knew that I couldn’t be like you and Mum. I just don’t have it in me to be a surgeon. All I ever wanted to do was to make a living from my art work but first I had to find an answer to some of the questions that had been rattling about inside my head for years. Where do I come from? What is my family history?

I suppose that I was about eighteen when I found out that you had been adopted. I don’t know why you had kept it a secret from me, where you embarrassed about it or did you think that I wouldn’t understand?

Granny told me of course. I had gone to visit her one Sunday for want of something better to do. She was as usual moaning about you and Mum not visiting her often enough. I hated it when she criticised you, it was so unfair, when I was little we spent every holiday with her and Gramps when I knew that Mum found her constant grumbling such a trial. She was fussing about trying to wheedle out of me what you were doing that weekend and when I explained that you were both on duty at the hospital she said that she didn’t believe me and that I was covering for you. I was worried that she was going to explode and tried my best to calm her down. That’s when it all came out. How she and Gramps had adopted you as a little baby and had given you every thing and look how you were repaying her.

It was mad, she was ranting about how she had met Gramps when he was working in Bermuda and she was considered a real catch. She kept saying that she came from ‘good stock’ and her mother had had six children so she knew that she was fine. So it was all Gramps fault that they couldn’t have children. I had never heard her so angry, it was as if she had bottled all this resentment for years and now it was exploding out of her.

I hated her for saying all those terrible things and I screamed at her to stop. And then when it happened, she clutched her chest and fell. You know the rest, I got the ambulance and they rushed her off to hospital.

Dad I am so sorry, I should have told you all this before but I was ashamed. I could have killed her with my shouting. I was just so relieved when the hospital said that it was an angina attack and that she would be fine. But she did me a favour I suppose. If she hadn’t have lost her temper I might never have known the truth.

The story of your adoption made a lot of things clearer to me. I had always felt different and now I knew why. But I had to know more and I wanted to find your birth mother before it was too late.

I know that I should have asked you but I was scared that you would say no, leave the past where it is, but I could I had to find her. And I have. She’s here, living in Southern Spain. She’s married to a retired Headmaster and seems a good woman. I haven’t spoken to her yet, I’ve tried but each time I phoned her I lost my nerve and couldn’t think of what to say. But I’ve made up my mind I am going to go and see her tomorrow.

Wish me luck Dad

All my Love

Ollie

Episode 50 - The House Guest

2008-06-25T06:04:00.000+01:00

‘Are you sure that Fliss doesn’t mind me staying’

‘Frank will you stop worrying. I’ve told you a hundred times, Mum is only happy when she has a house full of people to fuss over.’

‘Well it’s very kind of her, especially with your sister and the children here as well.’

Ella smiled, it was lovely to see Frank so relaxed and happy. She was thrilled when Fliss had suggested that Frank might like to come back to villa with them after the conference had finished. This was just what he needed she thought, a couple of days walking in the sunshine, eating Mum’s home cooking and being surrounded by her lovely family.

‘What are you smiling at?’ Asked Frank

‘Nothing’ she laughed, ‘I’m just happy. Mum and I had a great holiday and I really enjoyed meeting up with you in Madrid for the conference and this is the icing on the cake, a weekend of being spoilt.’

‘I can understand now why you love coming over here so often. Your parents have a wonderful home and this scenery is gorgeous.’

‘Just wait ‘till we get down to the village you’ll love it. I don’t think it’s changed much in the past hundred years. The buildings are made from a beautiful red stone that seems to glow at sunset and I love all the fabulous smells you get walking around, fresh bread from the bakery, the herbs on the market stalls and of course the fabulous aroma of baked lamb from Maria’s, believe me Frank, Maria husband’s cooking is to die for.’

‘Aren’t you tempted to up sticks and live out here like Sophie has done?’

‘On days like this when the most taxing thing I have to do is stroll down to the market and buy the salad for dinner tonight, yes I’m tempted. But then when I’m back in my flat and getting my bag ready for work the next day I wonder how I could ever think of leaving my job. Does that make sense?’ Asked Ella

‘’Yes it makes perfect sense. You are a dedicated professional woman doing a job that is vital and if I may say, doing it really well. You are very highly thought of you know. Not only with the people you help but I’ve heard nothing but praise for you from your colleagues’

‘Oh stop it Frank, you’ll have me blushing. I’m just part of a small team with too much work and not enough resources but we try our best.’

Frank stopped walking and turned to hold Ella’s hand. ‘You do more than that Ella, you give the people you help hope and not many people can do that. Some of these men haven’t spoken to someone who cares like you do for years and in some cases never at all. Don’t underestimate the effect you have on some of these people.’

Ella looked down at her hands nestling in Frank’s. His long thin fingers were curled around hers, holding her with a tenderness that she hadn’t felt from a man in a very long time. She slowly curled her fingers to return Frank’s grasp and sighed deeply ‘I love my job Frank, you know that but there should be more for me than just work. It’s different for you, you have your faith and your parish duties but when I close the door when I get home of a night there’s only me, and I get lonely sometimes.’

Dropping Ella’s hands Frank reached across and ran a finger across Ella’s blushing cheek ‘I hadn’t realised Ella, you always seem so happy and in control.’

Ella laughed, ‘I’m sorry Frank, I am happy, most of the time, I don’t know what came over me I don’t usually get so maudlin.’

‘Don’t be silly, you’re not being maudlin, you’re just being honest. Does Fliss realise how you feel?’

‘Good heavens no, and you mustn’t tell her, she has enough problems of her without me adding to them. Come on Frank the day is too nice to spoil with all this nonsense, let’s get the shopping done and treat ourselves to lunch at Maria’s. I want you to sample some of Carlo’s cooking. You look like you need fattening up.’ And with a playful shove on the young priest’s back Ella ran off down the hill.

Ella was still giggling as she ran around the corner and nearly bumped into Paolo who was loading his tools into the back of his pick-up truck.

‘Ella, what a lovely surprise, I didn’t know that you were back. Did you have a good journey with Fliss?’

‘Oh Paolo it was fabulous, we had a wonderful time and as you can see I was very careful and didn’t get burnt.’

As Fr Frank came jogging around the corner then stopped suddenly when he saw the tall handsome stranger with his hand on Ella’s sun tanned arm.

‘Ola padre’ said Paolo hurriedly putting his hands in his pockets.

‘Paolo this is a friend of mine, Father Frank this is Paolo he has the farm next to the villa.

‘Ola Paolo, you are very lucky to live in such a beautiful place.’

‘Thank you Father, it’s hard work of course but I am very lucky to have such beautiful neighbours. Are you showing the Father our beautiful countryside?’ He said smiling at Ella’s blushes.

‘We’re off to the market then I promised the Father that I would take him to Maria’s for lunch.’

‘You will have a lovely meal Father. Maria has the finest restaurant in the village.’

‘Thank you yes Ella has been telling me how special the food is.’ Frank stammered.

As they walked off down the hill Ella’s mind was whirling. How could this be happening, one minute she was standing holding Frank’s hand, feeling her body tingle as his fingers softly gripped hers and when those gentle fingers touched her hot cheek she had to stop herself from kissing his sweet moist lips. This man is a priest, her head was shouting, he’s just being kind and sweet the way he is with everyone. But her heart, dear god her aching heart was longing to feel his lips on hers. Life would be so much easier if she could feel this way about Paolo. There would be no heartbreak she thought, only a passion that was an unspoken promise in his deep dark eyes.

Frank was silent as he walked next to Ella, his mind too was whirling with an emotion that he thought he would never have to confront. He prayed silently to God to help him resist what his heart was longing for. To hold this beautiful, perfect creature in his arms and breathing in the heady aroma of her warm sun kissed skin whisper to her how much he wanted her.

Episode 49 - Two's company?

2008-06-24T05:55:00.001+01:00

This has been a fabulous trip, I just love this country. It’s such a shame that the majority of foreign tourists only go to the costas because there is so much more to Spain than just the beautiful beaches.

I absolutely loved the drive through the mountains. The scenery was breathtaking and then finding places like the wonderful castle at Almansa was so special. Every day there were new sights to see. Like wandering through the steep narrow streets in Alcala del Jucar and spotting the spectacular views of the steep gorge far below the city. One of my favourite towns was Belmont, which has a special quiet beauty on the famous Don Quijote trail. But if I really had to choose the most interesting place we’ve been to so far, it would have to be Toledo. It is absolutely magical.

When we were in Toledo I started chatting to a young Dutch couple who are trying to visit as many cities that have been awarded Capital of Culture as they can. They were so cute, they are travelling around in a battered VW camper van and look like they could do with a good meal but that hasn’t stopped them getting about. They started their journey earlier this year in Liverpool so they could enjoy the start of the 08 celebrations before heading north up to Glasgow. Then it was back across the channel and down France to Lille, then across to Porto. And now they are in Spain and have been to Salamanca.

I would love to see Salamanca even if it does sound like a character from a James Bond movie. Apparently has been designated a world heritage site and has the oldest University in Europe. I must admit I hadn’t realised that Spain has the second most UNESCO World Heritage sites in the world, but I think that I’ll have to leave visiting them for another trip, we’ve here in Madrid for another two days and then we’ll have to start making our way home. Martin is due home next weekend and Ella will have to get back to London for work next week but if I’m honest I would love to find myself a battered old campervan and take to the road.

Ella laughs at my daydreams of spending the summer driving around from one site to another without a care in world. She keeps asking if I’m having a mid-life crisis, cheeky bugger, I just long for the freedom to go where I want when I want without having to worry about anyone or anything. I’m probably turning into an old hippy, well a girl can dream can’t she?

I don’t know, maybe I’m getting a bit old for roughing it on campsites. Ella has really done a marvellous job of organising this holiday and I’ve been spoilt staying in some lovely hotels. Bless her, she even managed to book us into a parador, I have always wanted to stay in one and this was just wonderful.
It was a castle the Virrey de Toledo. I felt like a princess but even the little country pensions we stopped over in were lovely. The swankiest place we have stayed in so far has to be this hotel in Madrid. It’s right in the middle of the city and has a garden terrace and joy of joys, a pool. Can you believe it, an hotel with a pool right in the heart of the city. I had a long cooling dip in it after lunch today, absolute bliss.

Ella and Fr Frank have gone to another lecture this afternoon. I had enough this morning. Don’t get me wrong it was very interesting but a lot of it went right over my head. It isn’t as if I don’t have sympathy for the homeless and I have so much admiration for the work that Ella and Fr Frank do in London but I couldn’t take another three hours of sitting in a dark lecture without dropping off. Does that make me a bad person? Probably but what the hell, the sun’s shining, the shops are open and I’ve got a credit card burning a hole in my purse so I’m off to make a dent in the overdraft and look for a nice picture for the villa as a souvenir of the holiday.

I’m not sure what time Ella is due back but I’ve arranged to meet them both in the hotel restaurant at nine o’clock. Ella was right by the way, Fr Frank is a lovely chap but what she didn’t tell me was how young he is. There was I expecting a middle aged priest in a flowing black gown and in walked a handsome young chap in a black suite. If it hadn’t have been for the dog collar I would have thought he was a young City banker. I do wish she’d warned me, I must have looked a right fool standing there with my mouth open!

I wish I knew what I should call him, Ella just calls him Frank but I don’t want him to think that I’m being disrespectful. It does seem mad though, calling someone young enough to be my son, Father. Not that I’ve seen much of them. They have been spending a lot of time at the conference centre, that’s why I suggested that we could all meet for supper this evening. He has arranged a full day of site seeing around Madrid for us tomorrow and I didn’t fancy spending so much time with someone I barely knew. So this evening will be a good opportunity for me to get to know him a bit better.

It’s funny when you see him Ella together. They get on like an old married couple. They have so much in common, their jobs at the homeless hostel, their love of travelling and even their taste in music. It’s strange to think that they can never be a proper couple and I must admit I’ve wondered if the circumstances were different if they would be together. Oh well I suppose we’ll never know, he’s a priest and that’s that. At least they seem to have a wonderful friendship and that’s more than some people get in a lifetime together.

Episode 48 - White Van Man

2008-06-19T06:24:00.001+01:00

Frankie reached across to the empty passenger seat and picked a new CD from the bag, that’s more like it, he thought, a good blast of Rod Stewart to help the journey go quicker. To the sounds of Maggie May blaring from the speakers Frankie wound down the window of his van and lit a cigarette.

For Frankie life didn’t get any better than this, in this monthly trip he was making more money than he had for years. It wasn’t only what his sister Lizzie was paying him to bring her stock down from London, though he had to admit that she was probably paying him over the odds for the trip, no it was the nice little sideline he had going for the return trip. It hadn’t taken Frankie long to realise that driving back to the UK with an empty van didn’t make sense. Not when he could load the van with cheap Spanish booze and cigarettes to sell at a handsome profit back in Essex.

This sideline in contraband had started innocently enough with a few cases of beer for a mate’s party but had soon escalated to the point now where he was supplying a number of clubs around his home town with wine and spirits at far less than they could buy legitimately. And even the smoking ban hadn’t dented his trade in smuggled cigarettes around the local car boot sales. No, Frankie was a happy man, he had money in his pocket and as long as Lizzie wasn’t serious about getting Ken to find a new supplier he was content to carry on doing the run for as long as he could.

He was getting more careful with his route now though. No sense in getting Customs suspicious, his paperwork was all in order for the outward journey but he had seen too many vans being stopped on the homeward ferries to get complacent. So now he was varying his route across the channel and there were enough ports in France to ensure that he wasn’t spotted as a regular traveller by some over enthusiastic Customs Officer. Tapping his hands on the steering wheel to the strains of Maggie May Frankie smiled to himself, it wasn’t for nothing that his mates had started calling him Frankie the Fox, it took cunning to outwit the authorities and with his luck Frankie was confident that with only another couple of trips he would be able afford that nice little motor he had his eye on. Foxy by name he thought, Foxy by nature.

As he approached the village Frankie used his mobile to phone Ken, ‘Kenny on my way in, do you want this stuff at the shop or in the garage?’

‘Bring round to the villa, Lizzie wants it loading in the garage so that she can get it unpacked before we take down to the shop.’

‘OK mate, no problem I should be with you in about 10 minutes. Get the beer out the fridge I’m on my way.’

Ken was unlocking the garage as Frankie pulled up in his white van and handing him the cold bottle of beer Ken started the laborious business of unloading the new stock from the back of the van.

‘I’ll bet you’ll be glad to see the back of this lot’ said Ken as he stacked the last box in the garage.

‘Nah’ said Frankie settling himself on a sun lounger ‘now I’ve got a proper lock on the van doors I’m not worried. Bit hairy for the first few runs though. Never really felt safe having a kip in the service areas on the motorways knowing that any bastard might come along and rob me blind while I slept. But it would take more than a set of bolt cutters to get this lock of now.’ He laughed.

‘Well you won’t have to worry about that for much longer. Lizzie thinks that she has found a new supplier for her stuff. Apparently the Chinese firm she has been getting her stuff from use an importer in Gibraltar so she has got me looking for a local delivery firm to bring the stuff up from there.’

Frankie knocked over the sun lounger as he stood up quickly ‘What are you talking about new supplier; I thought I told you that I would carry on bringing the stuff over.’

‘Calm down mate’ said Ken backing away

‘Never mind calm down’ roared Frankie ‘I told Lizzie last time that I need this job to get my stuff back to the UK’

‘I’m sorry mate but we’re not running this business just so you can play at being a smuggler.’

‘You stupid old man, this isn’t a game. I’m supplying some very hard men back home and they aren’t going to take kindly to finding out that their supply of cheap booze is going to dry up.’

‘I’m sorry Frankie but that isn’t our problem. Don’t you realise that you have been pushing your luck carrying so much stuff back. It’s only a matter of time before Customs find out what you’re up to.’

Frankie lurched forward and grabbed ken around the neck ‘Is that a threat old man?’

Using all his strength Ken pulled Frankie’s hands away ‘No you mad bastard, it’s a warning. You’ve been luck so far but it can’t last for ever. You’re defrauding the tax man and they aren’t stupid. It won’t be long before they’ll get on to you. Too many people know what you’re up to and all you have to do is upset one of them and they’ll shop you.’

‘Don’t you worry about me. I know what I’m doing.’

‘That’s the problem Frankie, you don’t. Don’t you realise that if you are caught it’s not only you that’ll be going down for this? If Customs find you with the stuff they are going to ask themselves why you’re making all these trips and it won’t take them long to put two and two together and make five. Then they’ll start looking at me and Lizzie and think that we are part of this racket. It’s not just you that could be looking at a stretch for this. No Frankie, this is it, it’s over. And you’ll just have to get over it.’

‘We’ll see about that old man. Don’t think that this is the end of it.’ Said Frankie

Ken was shaking as he watched his brother-in-law climb into the van and slam it into gear before screeching off through the gates of Los Vista trailing a cloud of dust behind him.

Episode 47 - Who's there?

2008-06-17T06:09:00.000+01:00

‘Good morning darling. Do you want some juice?’ Asked Malcolm, as he finished laying out the table for breakfast.

‘Not this morning, I think I’ll just have coffee. I had a terrible night, weird dreams, must have been all that cheese we had after dinner.’

‘Didn’t get to me. I slept like a baby.’ Said Malcolm as he helped himself to a large bowl of muesli ‘Do you want me to make you a fresh pot?’

‘No you start, I’ll make the coffee. Aren’t you going to the club this morning?’

‘Yes, I’ve arranged to meet Ken at the first tee at eight o’clock. What have you got on today?’

‘I promised Sally at the donkey sanctuary that I would go through the books for her. They have to get this year’s figures to the accountants by the end of the month and nobody has had the time to go through them yet.’

‘Well that should keep you busy for a few hours. Would you like to come up to the club house for a spot of lunch later? It might make a nice break from all that book keeping.’

‘I don’t know if I’ll have time. Let me se how I get on with the accounts. What time do you think you’ll back at the club house?’

‘Not sure, probably about one o’clock.’

‘Well if I’m finished I’ll meet you there otherwise I’ll see you back here this afternoon.’

‘Don’t work too hard’ called Malcolm as he picked up his golf bag and turned the key to open up the patio doors. ‘That’s funny they were already open, have you been out this morning?’

‘No darling I haven’t been awake long, we must have forgotten to lock the doors last night.’

‘Strange, it’s usually the last thing I do before I go up to bed. Oh well lucky we have the all night security patrols, back home we would have been robbed in our beds. Even so we’d better be more careful in future; you never know who’s watching you these days.’

‘Yes dear, you’re right, after all look what happened to poor Sonny’

‘Exactly. Well I’ll have to shoot off now or I’ll be late for Ken. Bye Darling see you later’

‘Bye, have a good game.’

***

Gloria yawned and rubbed her eyes as she put down her pen. Walking into the kitchen she realised with a start that she had worked through lunch and it was now three o’clock. Well, she thought, with the size of her waistline, missing lunch for one day wouldn’t hurt but right now what she really needed was a strong cup of coffee. Carrying her cup out onto the patio Gloria moved her sun lounger into the shade.

‘What’s that?’ she said as the wheels of the lounger skidded to a halt. Bending down she noticed a small rectangle of clear plastic caught under the front wheel. ‘It must have fallen out of Malcolm’s wallet.’ She said to herself, putting the plastic in her pocket. Lifting the hot coffee to her lips Gloria looked across the gardens towards the communal pool. It wouldn’t be long now before the pool was filled with families making the most of the long school holidays. Gloria looked forward to seeing Los Vista busy with children running about having fun. A lot of the full time residents resented the yearly invasion but Gloria loved to see the families returning year after year and seeing how the children had grown.

When they were first married Malcolm, fresh out of teacher training college, had longed for a family. Over the years he resigned himself that it wasn’t meant to be and poured all his energy into his job. In those days, Gloria thought, being childless was just one of those things you had to get on with. But it didn’t stop hurting, no matter how old you were.

The ringing of the telephone snapped Gloria out of her day dreaming and hurrying indoors she picked up the receiver

‘Hello, 769218’

Gloria waited for the caller to speak, ‘Olla, is anyone there?’

Straining Gloria could faintly hear someone breathing ‘Hello, who is?’

Feeling more and more anxious Gloria shouted down the phone ‘who is this, what do you want?’ Suddenly the line went dead and Gloria looked down at her trembling hands.

At the public call box in the village Ollie put down the receiver and cursed himself. Why couldn’t he speak, why couldn’t he tell her that he knew her secret, what was he frightened of. After all these years of searching he had finally found her and now when he had the chance to talk to her why was he standing here crying like a baby?

***

‘Cassy do you know where Ollie is, I wanted to ask him to shift some stuff down to the house’

‘He said he had to go down to the village.’

‘What’s he gone there for?’ Asked Liam. ‘There’s nothing open at this time of day. Everything is closed till four o’clock.’

‘I don’t know, I didn’t ask but he did say that he’ll be back before the workmen finish their siesta.’

‘Do you think he’s got a girlfriend down there?’

‘Liam, how should I know, I’m not his keeper.’

‘No my little sweetie but you are just about the nosiest person in the world and nothing usually gets past you.’ Laughed Liam

‘That’s not fair. I am not nosy.’ Said Cassy indignantly ‘I just take an interest in what’s going on around me.’

‘Take an interest’ laughed Liam ‘your interrogation techniques are legendary. Do you know your Mum told me once that if she ever wanted to know what your Dad had been up to all she had to do what set you on him? The poor man never stood a chance of keeping a secret from you.’

‘Can I help it if people trust me?’ Said Cassy

‘So what have you found out about Ollie, does he have a pretty little girl crying herself to sleep over him?’

‘I don’t know what he get’s up to. It’s not as if he’s rude or standoffish, quite the opposite he’s a lovely boy, but it’s strange, anytime I’ve ever asked him anything I come away feeling that I know less than I did before I asked.’

‘I know just what you mean, I asked him the other day about his degree but by the time we’d finished talking I realised that I had told him all about my time at Uni and still hadn’t found out even which one he had gone to.’

‘Do you think he is doing it deliberately?’

‘The more I think about our young friend the more I think that he is hiding something. ‘said Liam ‘and it’s beginning to worry me.

Episode 46 - A Traveller's Tale

2008-06-12T06:14:00.001+01:00

Ollie toweled himself dry and hurriedly put on his last clean t-shirt and shorts before leaving the nearly finished holiday apartment. The past few weeks living in his camper van at Liam and Cassy’s farm had been an unexpected bonus for him. Access to a hot shower and Cassy’s cooking had restored the energy he had lost on his long drive south.

Travelling down from Kent in his battered camper van had seemed a romantic way to get down to southern Spain as cheaply as possible. He knew from friends that he would be able to supplement his rather meager funds by finding work on farms and vineyards along the way. But what nobody had warned him was quite how lonely you can get when all you have to look forward to at the end of the day was a few hours sleep snatched at the edge of the road with only a pan of boiled rice for supper. But three weeks of labouring and three square meals a day meant that Ollie was probably fitter now than had ever been.

After nearly six months since leaving home he knew that the end of his personal journey was in sight and that all the hardships would be worth it if he didn’t fail at this last hurdle. It wouldn’t be long now before he would be able to do what he had come all this way for. His friends thought that he had been mad to spend so much of his spare time at University gathering the information he need for this to work. The hardest past was keeping it all from his parents but he knew that if his Dad even had an inkling of what he was planning it could have caused a terrible rift between them. But Ollie knew that what ever his Dad might say what he was doing was the right thing. Not just for him but for all of them. All he had to do now was keep his nerve and hope that he could rely on Liam and Cassy’s hospitality for just a few more weeks. He needed to be close to the Los Vista for a little while longer.

‘You’re looking very smart, off out this evening?’ asked Liam as he handed Ollie his wages in crisp new euros.

‘Just going into the village for a couple of beers’ answered Ollie running his fingers through his wet hair. ‘I said I would meet a few of the boys after supper.’

‘Well don’t spend all your wages on drink’ laughed Liam.

‘No chance of that I’m saving as much as I can to fund the rest of my travelling.’

‘’You’re not planning on leaving us just yet are you. There’s still a good couple of months work here if you want it.’

‘That’d be great’ said Ollie ‘I’m in no hurry, as long as I’m not getting in your way.’

‘I don’t know what we’d have done without you these past few weeks. Cassy was only telling Sophie the other day that she is already thinking of as one of the family.’

‘You’ve both been very kind and I really appreciate you letting me stay here.’

‘As long as it’s not too quiet for you here, not exactly the costas is it.’

‘No’ laughed Ollie ‘but it’s exactly where I want to be right now.’

Liam watched as Ollie strode off down the hill to the village. What a strange thing to say, he thought and wondered to himself what Ollie was really doing here and was there more to their new friend than met the eye?

****

It was nearly midnight before Ollie left his friends in the bar. All evening he had been looking at his watch waiting for it to get dark so that he could make his excuses and leave. He had to work with these guys all day and didn’t want them to think that he was being rude by leaving too early. The trouble was that in Spain a lot of young men wouldn’t dream of going out until they had finished supper with their family and that could be any time after ten or even eleven o’clock at night. Ollie’s body clock after three years at University was used to late nights, but hard physical work rather than sitting in a lecture hall all day meant that by midnight he was usually ready for his bed. Tonight though, he needed to be alert. If what he had learnt in the village this week was correct then his quest was nearly complete but he needed to be absolutely sure before he could carry on. Tonight he had to make sure he was right.

Keeping to the edge of the road out of site from any cars that might pass, Ollie made his way up the hill out of the village. In the distance he could see the lights of Los Vista glowing in the darkness. If he was careful, he knew that he could climb over the wall of the golf club without being spotted. For the past three nights Ollie had been watching the security men arriving at the complex. He knew that that they locked the main gates at midnight and only the residents' swipe cards could open them until the morning. Checking the time again Ollie knew that he had about 30 minutes until the next security patrol was due, so he had to be quick.

Running between the villas, Ollie made his way carefully to the Westbury’s. Just as he thought, all the lights were off and everything was quiet. Using a thin piece of plastic to force the lock, Ollie quickly opened up the large patio doors. Switching on his low voltage torch he slipped into the villa. There must be something here, he thought, rummaging through the papers in the hall bureau, finding nothing he turned and spotted Gloria’s large handbag on the floor next to her arm chair.

Nervously he searched through the coins and tissues until right at the bottom of the bag buried deep in the lining Ollie felt a metal chain. Carefully he made a small slit in the seam of the thin silk lining and found a silver locket. Holding his breath he carefully opened the stiff catch to reveal a tiny picture of a new borne baby. Through the tears welling in his eyes he quickly put the locket in his pocket and returned the bag back to its place beside the chair. Closing the patio doors quietly behind him Ollie ran back to the wall as quickly as he could.

Safely back n the campervan Ollie suddenly felt dizzy and realised that he was still holding his breath.

Episode 45 - An Inspector Calls

2008-06-10T05:46:00.000+01:00

While Clara finished laying the table Michael opened the bottle of wine that had been cooling in the fridge. Going to Michael’s house for lunch had become a regular weekly event for Clara since Sonny’s death. She knew that she was taking a chance that Michael might recognise her after all these years but she was still convinced that Michael wasn’t telling the police the whole truth about Sonny’s murder.

It wasn’t as if there was anything specifically that she could base the suspicions on, merely a feeling that all was not quite as it seemed. Why for instance was Michael acting as if Sonny hadn’t been such a big part of his life? There were no pictures of him around the house and Michael never brought him up in the conversation. She knew that everybody reacted to grief differently but even so Michael’s reaction was unusual to say the least. Surely after so many years together Michael would want to talk about his lover if only to remember the good times that they shared together. No, something wasn’t right here and Clara was determined to get to the bottom of it.

She had to admit though that he was a very good cook and an excellent host. Every week, without fail, he would meet up with her to go shopping in the market and then after helping her carry her groceries home he would drive her over to his house for lunch. Most times he would offer to drive her home again after they had eaten but Clara enjoyed the walk back across the valley to the village and all the regular excise was keeping her fit.

If only she could reassure herself that Michael really didn’t have anything to hide she knew that she would be quite happy to carry on with this rather unexpected friendship.

‘Tuck in Clara before it get’s cold’ said Michael putting the food on the table ‘I remembered you saying how much you liked white asparagus and I managed to get some this morning specially.’

‘It looks absolutely delicious but you shouldn’t go to all this trouble for me.’ Said Clara, helping herself from the steaming dishes of perfectly cooked vegetables.

‘It’s no trouble I enjoy cooking.’

‘And I enjoy eating, so we complement each other perfectly’ laughed Clara ‘Did Sonny have a good appetite? I suppose in his profession he had to watch his weight’

‘Oh Sonny loved to eat and he was one of those lucky people who could eat anything any never put on an ounce.’ Michael said wistfully.

Clara looked at Michael sitting with his head bowed and immediately felt guilty for prying ‘I’m sorry Michael I didn’t mean to upset you.’

‘No it’s me who should be sorry but I still can’t talk about Sonny. Does that sound heartless? I don’t mean it to; it’s just that it’s all too painful still. It hurts too much to remember.’ He added enigmatically.

Changing the subject quickly to avoid any further awkwardness she asked Michael if he was still thinking about joining the golf club. He had mentioned that he was considering it, much to Clara’s amusement.

‘I’m still not sure’ said Michael who looked relieved that the conversation had moved on ‘I quite fancy the exercise but I’m not sure if I would fit in with the crowd down there.’

‘I think as long as you don’t get involved with Ken Jessel’s set you should be OK. From what I hear they spend far too much time in the bar and not enough on the course.’ Said Clara primly

‘Do you play?’ asked Michael

‘Good heavens, no dear. Not my kind of thing at all. If I want to go for a walk I don’t have to hit a ball around to do it.’

‘Clara, you are priceless’ laughed Michael, and they were both still laughing when the door bell rang. ‘Who can that be’ wondered Michael as he got up from the table ‘I’m not expecting anybody.’

Putting down her knife and fork Clara slipped away from the table and moved quietly over to the dining room door. In the hall way stood the police chief she has seen questioning people in the village after Sonny’s murder. Not wanting to be caught eaves dropping Clara stood back so that she could overhear without being spotted.

‘I’m sorry to disturb your lunch senor but I would like you to come down to headquarters with me. We have arrested a man that we believe was involved with the murder of your friend and we want to see if you recognise him in, how you say – a line-up?’

From her hiding place Clara could see Michael turn pale and she thought for a moment that he might faint.

‘I am sorry to distress you senor, would you like to ask somebody to accompany you?’

‘No’ said Michael hurriedly ‘but can I just tell my lunch guest where I’m going please?’

‘Of course Sr Angers. I will wait outside in my car for you.’

Clara quickly moved back to the table as Michael came into the room. ‘Is everything alright dear? You look quite shaken.’

‘It’s the police. They think that they might have found Sonny’s killer and they want me to go and try and identify him.’

‘Oh Michael you must be so relieved. Don’t worry about a thing here. I’ll clear up before I go. Unless you want me to wait here for you until you get back.’ She added

‘No don’t worry, you just get off home.’

‘Will you phone me dear?’ She asked ‘just so I know that you’re OK’

‘Yes of course, I’ll phone you tomorrow.’

Watching as Michael climbed into the back seat of the waiting police car, Clara closed the front door and made her way back to the dining room. What a shame they hadn’t managed to finish the delicious lunch, she thought. Clearing away the plates into the kitchen Clara dropped a fork and bending down to pick it up noticed a leather wallet under the coat stand in the hall. Thinking that Michael had dropped it in his haste, she opened it up only to realise that it wasn’t Michael’s at all. In her hands she was holding Sonny’s wallet. The same blood soaked wallet that Michael had told the police that the thief had snatched from Sonny’s dead body.

Putting the wallet back where she had found it Clara swiftly gathered up her belongings and left the house slamming the front door closed behind her.

Episode 44 - Sisterly love

2008-06-05T06:06:00.000+01:00

Sophie laughed as she watched the hunched figure of her sister struggling through the Arrivals Hall carrying a huge rucksack on her back.

‘What’s so funny? Ella grumbled, as she bent carefully to kiss her sister, without toppling over under the weight of her luggage.

‘You’ laughed Sophie ‘I’ve just spent the afternoon telling Mum that she won’t need to pack much for your holiday and look at you, you can barely walk under the weight of your bag. You must half of your wardrobe strapped to your back.’

‘Well it bloody feels like it.’ Moaned Ella ’I had a right panic trying to pack for this trip. I wasn’t sure if Mum would expect us to dress up of an evening or if she was planning on going to swanky restaurants while we are in Madrid. So in the end I just crammed in every dress I own.’

‘So I can see. Come on let’s get that rucksack loaded in the car and get you to the villa.’

‘Do you know what I’m really looking forward to? A long relaxing swim, then a large glass of something cold and alcoholic before sitting down to one of Mum’s famous family meals.’

‘I’m sure that can be arranged madam.’ laughed Sophie as she watched Ella struggling to lift her bag into the back of the estate car.

‘Excuse me senorita, can I help you?’

Ella turned and was surprised to see Paolo standing behind her.

‘Hi Paolo, that would be really kind, thank you, as long as I’m not stopping you catching your flight.’

‘No. I’m here to collect my Aunt, she’s been on holiday.’

‘Well luck for us she has’ said Sophie ‘or we’d never have lifted that bag into the car. I think my sister must be planning to take Mum away for two months rather than two weeks.’

‘You are going on holiday with Fliss?’ asked Paolo

‘Yes we are planning to drive up through the mountains and then head north to Madrid.’

‘But you do realise it will be very hot in Madrid at this time of year?’ warned Paolo ‘Madrid is much better to visit in October or November, when it is nearly winter and a lot cooler.’

‘’Oh we won’t have much time for site seeing on this trip. We are going there for a conference and hopefully that will be in a beautiful cool air conditioned hall.’ Ella laughed.

Paolo frowned as he looked Ella’s pale arms ‘Even so you must be very careful on your holiday. Fliss is used to our strong Spanish sun I think, but you are only used to English summers. The air in the mountains is very clean and it would be very easy for you to burn that beautiful English skin.’

Ella blushed as Paolo ran his finger across her pale arm. Glancing at his watch Paolo hurriedly said ‘I’m sorry but I must go. My Aunt’s plane is due to land very soon and I would not like to keep her waiting. It has been very nice to see you both again.’

Sophie stood biting her lip to stop herself from laughing as her sister blushed an even deeper shade of red and flustered as she said ‘Yes, it’s been lovely to see you too and thank you again for your help with my huge rucksack.’

‘You are most welcome’ smiled Paolo ‘ and I hope that we can meet again before you have to go back to England.’

‘I hope so too’ stuttered Ella as she watched him walk across the car park.

‘Ella!’ exploded Sophie in laughter ‘You are such a flirt’

‘Nonsense, I was just being friendly.’

‘Any friendlier and you would have had his trousers off.’

‘Sophie what a terrible thing to say, I’m shocked, I didn’t know you had such a dirty mind.’ Said Ella, as she burst into laughter.

‘Come on let’s get you to the villa before you get the chance to pick up any more strange men.’

‘You have to admit Sophie, Paolo is rather dishy.’

‘I can’t say I’ve ever noticed.’

‘Don’t lie. I’ve seen you looking at him when you think nobody is watching you.’

‘Well maybe just a quick glance when he’s working away on that farm of his.’

‘There’ laughed Ella ‘I knew it and you a happily married woman.’

‘Just because you’re on a diet doesn’t mean that you can’t look in the cake shop window.’

‘Oh Sophie, you are priceless, where do you get these sayings from?’

‘Mum probably. You’ll have to be careful or you’ll come back off your holiday sounding like her as well. Talking of Mum we’d better get a move on or she’ll be thinking that you’ve missed your plane.’

‘How is Mum?’ asked Ella as they were driving out from the city. ‘I mean is she really doing as well as she says to me or is she just trying to put a brave face on things to stop me worrying about her?’

‘It’s strange really. I’ve always thought that Mum was so dependent on Dad for everything. I suppose because she gave up her job to move out here and I wasn’t really sure what she did with herself all day. I thought that she was living her life in Dad’s shadow.’

‘And isn’t she?’ asked Ella

‘No she isn’t. I suppose I saw the real Mum after Dad had his heart attack. She was so organised and in control. She surprised me.’

‘I was only thinking the same thing the other day.’ agreed Ella, ‘I’ve always thought of Dad as the stronger of the two. He was so confident and successful and Mum seemed to be in his shadow somehow.’

‘Well not any more. Don’t get me wrong, she’s still the same Mum, loves cooking and playing with the girls but now she seems, I don’t know how to describe it, somehow more self assured. It’s as if she’s just realised that she’s still a beautiful woman with a lot of living ahead of her.’

‘Maybe it was the shock of dad’s illness.’ Speculated Ella

‘Or maybe’ said Sophie ‘it was the shock of realising that Dad had been planning to leave her. I don’t know Ella, but she acts now as if nothing would faze her and if you could hear the way that she talks to Dad sometimes, it is so funny, she says exactly what’s on her mind and bugger the consequences. It’s as if she’s saying to him, this is me and I’m not changing for anybody.’

‘Well good for her. It looks like this holiday has come just at the right time for her.’

‘You are going to have a fabulous time sis, just as long as you can find some good looking Spanish men to lug your rucksack around for you.’

With the sun roof open to catch the warm breeze Ella and Sophie giggled as they headed up to the villa and their waiting Mum.

Episode 43 - Summer Holiday

2008-06-03T06:59:00.000+01:00

I can’t believe I’m standing here in my bedroom looking at a pile of dresses strewn across the bed trying to decide what to pack for my holidays. It’s like being a teenager all over again. If I’m not careful I will pack so much stuff that I won’t be able to close my case.

I wonder what Ella is taking, probably just a small holdall if I know her. She’ll think I’m mad to even be worrying about what to take but I don’t want to embarrass her by looking too mumsy.

I’m really looking forward to this holiday with her. It will be lovely to get away from the villa for a couple of weeks. I don’t seem to have had anytime to myself for the past few months what with Martin’s illness and now Sophie and the girls moving in until their house is finished. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining but it will be nice to be away from everything for a while.

Martin is back working in London during the week now and only home for the weekends but he is being a lot more sensible about the traveling. He is only away for three nights a week rather than four and isn’t dashing off for the plane at some unearthly hour on a Monday morning anymore. I’m not sure how long all this will last before he starts slipping back into his old ways, or is that me just being mean?

‘Mum, what are you doing? You’ve got enough clothes out for two months never mind two weeks. I’m sure Ella won’t be worried about what you’re wearing.’ Says Sophie walking into my bedroom carrying a cup of coffee ‘here, I thought that you might need a caffeine hit.’

Thank you darling, I’m getting myself into such a muddle. Do you think that we’ll need to dress for dinner of an evening?’

Sophie stands by the bed laughing at my confusion ‘Do you really think that Ella will have booked hotels that have a dress code. Knowing her you’re more likely to have rooms in B&Bs and little road side inns. You’re probably best to pack lots of cool things for the traveling and a couple of pretty dresses just in case.’

‘You’re right, I’m just being silly, but this is exciting. It’s been ages since I’ve been on holiday. Dad isn’t that keen on going away anymore. He says that he has everything here with the sunshine and the golf and the beaches and I suppose he’s right in a way. After all they were the kind of holidays that we used to take after you girls had left home, golfing trips to the med, a nice hotel for me and a selection of good courses for him. The trouble is I think that I want a bit more than that now. I fancy traveling and site seeing again. Do you remember some of the trips we took when you and Ella were teenagers? Going to see the pyramids in Egypt, that wonderful Caribbean cruise and driving around Italy. We had some wonderful times together.’ I sigh wistfully

‘I remember being stuck in the back of the car with Ella having to listen to Enid Blyton tapes for hours on end while you and Dad argued about how to get out of Florence before the rush hour started.’ Laughed Sophie

‘Oh you rotten thing’ I laugh throwing a cushion at her ‘we had some really lovely holidays. I remember you falling I love with that young waiter in our hotel in Rome. You used to spend hours choosing what to eat so that you could stare at him over the menu. What was his name?’

‘Luigi, Isn’t it funny I’d forgotten all about him. Oh my, he was so handsome and I had such a crush on him.’

‘And didn’t he know it. He used to flirt outrageously with you. I thought that Dad was going to blow his top when he asked if he could take you dancing.’

‘And I was mortified when Dad came over all masterful and said in his most pompous voice ‘do you realise my daughter’s only thirteen’ I’ve never seen a boy move so fast.’ Laughed Sophie, the tears running down her face.

Standing here looking at Sophie I can’t believe the difference in her since she and Alistair decided to move out here to Spain. It’s like having my old daughter back again. She is so happy and relaxed, not at all like the stressed over-worked monster that was out here for her Dad’s birthday. She looks so pretty in her shorts and t-shirt, so carefree and young again. Is it just me or does every woman in a business suit age 10 years?

‘What are you day dreaming about now Mum?’

‘You, my love. You look so happy, I’m so glad you’re here’

‘I’m glad too Mum, it’s the best thing we’ve ever done. I know that I still don’t get to see Alistair as much as I’d like to but hopefully when he transfers to Madrid we’ll at least get to see him every weekend.’

‘And talking of Madrid I’d better get this packing finished before your sister arrives. Are you still OK to collect her from the airport?’

‘Yes it’s all arranged. I’m collecting the girls from school first then driving straight out to the airport. They are so excited about seeing their favourite Auntie again even if is only for one night.’

‘They’ll have plenty of time with her when we get back from our travels, she isn’t due back at work until the end of the month.’

‘I envy you Mum exploring the mountain villages and trips to Toledo and Madrid. You’re going to have such a good time even if you do have to go to that boring conference.’ Said Sophie

‘I think it sounds very interesting’ I say defensively ‘and I’m looking forward to meeting Ella’s friend.’

‘Father Frank? Do you know anything about him?’

‘Only that he’s young, in his first parish and is very committed to his parishioners’.’

Sounds a barrel of laughs’

‘Ella says that he’s really sweet and he’s looking forward to showing us around Madrid after the conference. I’m sure that we’ll have a lovely time I just don’t know what I should call him. I haven’t met that many priest before. Will I have to call him Father?’

Sophie looks at me and laughs ‘I think that you should stop worrying to learn to chill.’

She’s right of course, no more worrying, we’re all going to have a lovely time and I’m going to learn to chill.

‘

Episode 42 - Who is this guy?

2008-05-29T05:54:00.000+01:00

Cassy was just putting the finishing touches to the lunch when she heard Sophie’s car pull up outside the farmhouse.

Sophie waved to the site foreman as she made her way around to the kitchen.

The builders were sitting under a tree in the small wood at a table they had fashioned from an old door propped up on some spare breeze blocks waiting patiently for the salad that Cassy had promised them. The table was already groaning with the bread and cheeses that they had brought with them and Ollie was filing their glasses with the cheap red wine that he had bought from the local cava.

Work on the new house was at last starting to take shape but with early starts the builders were ready for their lunch at mid day and a long siesta in the afternoon before working through to the early evening. So much more sensible thought Sophie, than trying to work through the hottest part of the day, as long as they were on schedule how ever they organised their day was fine by her.

Putting her bulging briefcase down on the kitchen table Sophie marveled yet again at how organised Cassy was. When they had first met during those dreadful days just after Martin’s heart attack, Sophie had thought that Liam and Cassy were just another couple of new age hippies looking for a life away from the rat race back in the UK. What she didn’t realise until much later was just how committed the Stratton’s were to making their new business a success.

Sophie looked back with embarrassment to those days when her job was her passion. The problem was that is was a passion that left little time for anything else in her life. How could she have been so stupid, Sophie wondered for the hundredth time, there she was living for work instead of working to live. Well those days were well and truly over. Now, all her energy and commitment was for her family and their new life in Spain.

Selling the house in London hadn’t been a problem, and after paying off their substantial mortgage they still had enough equity to be able to put in the finance to the holiday business and have the new house built.

The tantalising smell of warm bread made Sophie realise that she was hungry and leaving her bags in the kitchen she wandered outside to look for Cassy. Standing at the kitchen door Sophie peered down to the little wood and saw Cassy laying a large wooden bowl down on the builders’ makeshift table. Sophie laughed to herself when she realised that Cassy was now providing lunch for the workmen, no wonder, she thought, the house is shooting up, with her running a café for them.

‘I see you’ve noticed Cassy’s latest venture’ said Liam wandering out from his small office ‘home delivery.’

‘I don’t know where she finds the time’ said Sophie in wonder ‘I barely remember to feed myself never mind a dozen hungry workmen.’

‘She doesn’t want Ollie to feel awkward at lunch time’ explained Liam ‘all the other workers bring something for the table and want to share it with him.’

‘Who’s Ollie?’

‘The young chap in the long shorts, the one pouring the wine.’

‘I haven’t seen him before, is he new?’

‘’Didn’t Cassy tell you about our mystery man? He turned up in his campervan one day looking for work. He says he’s on his Gap year, traveling around Europe but Cassy thinks there more to it than that. You know what she’s like; she has him running away from a shattered love affair. He’s traveling alone with a broken heart looking for a new love.’ Alistair laughed

‘That sounds like Cassy.’ Said Sophie shaking her head ‘I suppose he couldn’t just be a student taking a year out.’

‘No far too boring’

‘What’s far too boring?’ asked Cassy walking into the kitchen, kissing Sophie on the cheek and lifting Abbi from her pushchair all in one effortless move.

‘I was just telling Sophie about young Ollie.’

‘He’s such a sweetie.’ Sighed Cassy ‘works all day on the site and is perfectly content to sit around talking to us old fogies every evening after dinner. At his age most young boys would want to be out clubbing or at least mixing with people of their own age.’

‘Is he staying her with you?’ Asked Sophie incredulously

‘No, he’s staying in his campervan behind the barns but I’ve said that he can eat with us if he wants to. I couldn’t bare the thought of him sitting on his own every night eating cold baked beans straight from the can.’

‘Cassy you are incorrigible. You know nothing about this boy, he could be a thief or on the run form the police.’ Said Sophie horrified that her friend could be so naive as to let a stranger virtually move in with them.

‘Now who’s got a vivid imagination?’ laughed Cassy ‘Ollie is just a sweet young boy, far away from home and probably a little bit lonely.’

‘And I suppose the fact that he’s good looking has nothing to do with all the hospitality you're lavishing on him.’ Laughed Liam

‘I hadn’t noticed’ said Cassy flicking at his legs with the tea towel.

‘Of course you hadn’t’ laughed Sophie ‘but seriously what do you know about him, where is he from, what does he do for a living?’

‘He’s just finished University, I think he said that he’d been in Wales studying Earth Science, what ever that is.’ said Liam ‘I guess he’s just traveling. It’s not that unusual, Cassy and I spent time wandering around India when we graduated. In fact that’s where we met. We were both working in a school out there teaching English and when we finished we did the usual back packer trail before ending up on the beaches of Goa.’

‘Didn’t you take a year out after you graduated?’ asked Cassy

‘No, I had a job offer from Crabtree and Wright waiting for me. I’d had an internship with them the year before and they’d offered me a position with them on the strength of that. It seemed far too good an opportunity to turn down. And I suppose that I’m not really the backpacker sort. I enjoy my creature comforts too much to want to rough it around the world. I’m more of a five start hotel kind of girl.’

‘Well we’ll just have to hope that the builders manage to get your house built before the paying guests start to arrive’ laughed Liam ‘otherwise you’ll be joining us and living in the middle of a building site.’

‘Heaven forbid’ said Sophie looking worried.’ They should be finished in plenty of time, shouldn’t they?’

‘As long as Cassy’s cooking doesn’t kill them off.’ He laughed

Episode 41 - A Stranger in Town

2008-05-27T05:43:00.002+01:00

Liam closed down the spreadsheet and stood up from his computer desk smiling to himself. Since Sophie and Alistair had bought their bottom field, Liam and Cassy were beginning to see that their dreams might just come true.

They had put in so much buying the finca up in the hills and had realised that getting the renovations done to the farmhouse would be a struggle financially, but nothing had prepared them for the time it would take. Getting the tradesmen organised and the materials bought and paid for before their deadline of the autumn had become a nightmare.

Liam knew that he was lucky to be able to continue doing the job he loved in Spain but even the best coders in the world didn’t make the kind of money they needed for all the building work that needed doing to the finca.

Back home in the UK all the home renovation programmes on the TV made it look so easy. The only thing that seemed to go wrong for them was that the builders had to wait for the rain to stop. What the programmes didn’t tell you was just how long it could take to even get the plans approved., never mind scheduling in builders who always seemed to be ‘just finishing another job mate’. Days had stretched to weeks and weeks to months before the Strattons even had running water in the kitchen.

And all the time there was the worry that their savings would run out long before the builders had finished. What a difference being solvent made, thought Liam. No more worries about getting the money together to pay for a new roof before booking the roofer.

Sure they had worried at first about going into business with the Sophie and Alistair, it was after all a big step, but financially it made so much more sense than them struggling to cope on their own for the next few years. They had spent hours in meetings together planning how they wanted things to develop and who would be responsible for which part of the business.

Alistair was going to be a very much sleeping partner, his job was based in Brussels at the moment but eventually he hoped to be able to transfer to Madrid. Even the he wouldn’t be onsite for the day to day problems whereas Liam knew that working from home meant that he could organise his day sufficiently to enable him to be on hand for any problems that might crop up with the business.

Sophie had come up with some brilliant ideas for renovating the big barn into holiday apartments and Cassy had agreed that she would be happy to run them as long as she could employ some locals to help with the maintenance and cleaning. Converting the stables for the pony trekking business had been all Sophie’s idea and over the past month or so she had spent hours researching and planning the project.

At last, thought Liam, it looks like it might just happen. The builders had already put a digger in the bottom field to start levelling the ground ready for the foundation to be laid for Sophie and Alistair’s new home. Cassy had insisted that the plans for their house should incorporate keeping as many of the trees from the old woodland as possible. She loved the fact that the finca was remote and enjoyed the isolation but even she realised that if they were to live their dream that would have to share their space, their little bit of heaven.

‘What are doing staring out of the window?’ Cassy asked, walking into Liam’s small office carrying baby Abi on her hip. ‘I thought you were busy getting the figures for the barn conversion out to Sophie?’

‘It’s all done and winging it’s way to her as we speak’ Liam turned from the window and put his arm around his beautiful wife. ‘We are doing the right thing aren’t we’ he asked

‘I can’t see how we could have stayed here otherwise. The farmhouse was turning into a money pit and with the best will in the world, renting out three bedrooms for bed and breakfast wouldn’t have brought in the income to pay off the loans. No. I think that we did the only sensible thing going into partnership with the Montgomery’s.’

‘Do you worry that it won’t be just our dream any more?’ He asked taking Abi from Cassy’s arms.

‘I suppose I did at first but if we’re all sensible about it I don’t see why it shouldn’t work out fine.’

‘I’m sure you’re right, I’m just being a worry-boots. I wonder if Mr Rolls had these worries when we went into partnership with Mr Royce?’ pondered Liam

‘Probably, but then they didn’t have their wives there to sort them out’ laughed Cassy walking out to the kitchen ‘Liam, there’s somebody coming up path from the lane, can you see who it is please.’

‘Sure, come on Abi let’s go and investigate’ and carrying the baby on his shoulders Liam made his way out to the front of the farmhouse. ‘Hi there’ he called to the stranger ‘can I help you?’

Standing outside the door looking dusty and tired was a young man dressed in crumpled shorts and a grubby t-shirt. ‘I’m sorry to bother you but I noticed all the building work you’re having done and wondered if you needed any labourers?’

‘I know that the builders on the bottom field have a full crew but we could do with someone for a couple of days up here at the barns. It’d only be lugging building material up the drive and some general tidying up.’

‘Anything would be great, thank you.’

‘Where are you staying, it’s a bit of a hike up here from the village everyday.’

‘I’ve got an old campervan parked up on the other side of the hill.’

‘Doing the Gap year are you?’ Liam laughed

‘Yeah, something like that.’

‘Well if you’re going to be working here for a while why don’t you bring the van round to that field next to the barn? There’s running water and we’ve even managed to get the toilets plumbed in to one of the apartments so you can use that if you want.’

‘That’d be great. Oh my name’s Ollie by the way.’

‘Hi Ollie, I’m Liam, this little squirt is Abi and my wife Cassy is in the kitchen getting some lunch ready. Have you eaten? Do you fancy something to eat?’ Asked Liam

‘As long as your wife doesn’t mind?’ asked Ollie hopefully

‘I won’t mind what?’ asked Cassy coming out of the house drying her hands on a tea towel.

‘Young Ollie here joining us for lunch.’ Said Liam

‘Of course I don't mind, the more the merrier. I hope you’re hungry, I’ve made enough soup to feed an army.’

‘Great’ laughed Ollie following them in to the farmhouse ‘I could eat a horse’