A Place of Hope (29 page)

At one point Marcia stared at Chad in shock, then shook her head. Oliver could read her lips. She was saying it wasn’t true. It had surprised him that the engagement had happened so quickly, but he wasn’t surprised about Emily and Chad’s feelings. It was obvious to everyone that they loved one another.

‘We’ll come back in an hour’s time, then,’ Ms Ryling told Marcia.

They got into their car and drove out of the car park and down the road.

‘My husband is having an important discussion with his aunt,’ Marcia said to Oliver. ‘They both asked me to say they’d appreciate it if you left them to talk about this on their own. He is her nephew, after all.’ She walked towards the pub without waiting for an answer.

‘I don’t believe that. Do you, Chad?’

‘Definitely not.’

As they started to follow her, Marcia glanced over her shoulder. With a panic-stricken look, she ran up the steps and slammed the door on them.

They got to it in time to hear bolts sliding on the other side.

‘What the hell has she done that for?’ Oliver looked at Chad. ‘She must know we’re staying here.’

‘Keeping us out means Pilby’s up to something. I don’t trust him an inch. And why hasn’t Emily come out to see us herself?’

He hammered on the door, but no one came to let them in. After a couple of minutes, he gave up. ‘Let’s see if we can get in round the back. Even if we have to break a window. I’m sure Emily won’t mind as long as we get to her.’

Toby picked up the phone in the rear kitchen. He looked at it, then put it down again. What should he do? The horrible man had taken Emily into the flat. He’d dragged her.

Chad and Oliver weren’t here, so Toby had to help her.

Taking a deep breath, he dialled the number and waited. A voice told him to put the phone down and they’d ring back. It didn’t shout at him, so Toby did as he was told and waited.

He watched the entrance to the kitchens. If he heard anyone coming, he’d hide. In the pantry would be best. It wasn’t very safe, though.

He wanted to go to the secret room. Oh, he did. It was safe there!

The phone rang and he snatched it up. ‘Yes?’

When the phone rang, George scowled at it. ‘Don’t answer that.’

Rachel had braced herself to run and pick it up, but it stopped after the second ring, so she sat down again.

‘Must have been a wrong number,’ George said. ‘If it rings again, I’ll answer it.’ He glared at Rachel. ‘If you move one inch towards it next time, you’ll regret it.’

They waited but the phone didn’t ring again.

‘It was a wrong number then,’ George said. ‘Look out of the window, Marcia, and see what those two fools are doing.’

‘No sign of them. They must have gone round the back.’

‘They’d better not come inside.’

‘They’re living here,’ Emily snapped. ‘They have every right to come inside.’

‘They’re not living here any more, I promise you.’

Liz took a deep breath and pleaded in a quavering voice, ‘George,
please
don’t do this. I don’t want you to force Emily to live with me.’

‘You’ll be grateful to me. And so will she once she settles down. She’s been acting in a very confused manner since she came out of hospital. She
needs
my help. And you’ll be able to keep an eye on her.’

‘I’m not at all confused,’ Emily said crisply. ‘You’re just trying to swindle me out of my money. As you’ve already swindled your mother out of hers.’

She saw a tear run down Liz’s cheek, but wasn’t going to back off.

George shouted, ‘I have
not
swindled my mother out of anything. Her money is all there in the bank, perfectly safe.’

‘She needs it to use now. You just want it to be left to you after she dies.’ Emily was frightened that he was going to thump her, but though he seemed to swell up with anger, he didn’t offer her any violence.

‘If you say anything like that again, you’ll be sorry, Auntie.’

‘I shall
not
do as you demand. And I shan’t stop speaking out on behalf of my sister. Whatever you do.’

George raised one half-clenched fist and took a step towards Emily.

Liz began to sob.

‘You are not acting normally, Auntie,’ he said. ‘As Marcia will bear witness.’

Emily held her head up, her eyes challenging him. She didn’t let the sigh of relief out when he moved away from her but did say, ‘I’m acting so normally that I have a geriatric specialist’s word for it that I’m not losing my wits. She’s prepared to testify on my behalf.’

‘I don’t believe you. When did you see one? You haven’t had time.’

She smiled. She’d caught him on the back foot there. But she still held herself ready to duck. She’d never seen anyone look so furious.

Oliver and Chad went round to the back of the barn.

‘That door doesn’t look very strong,’ Chad said. ‘I’m going to see if I can kick it in.’

He threw himself against the door, which rattled but didn’t give. Nor did a second attempt prove any more effective.

‘They make it seem so easy on crime shows,’ he said ruefully, rubbing his shoulder.

‘Let’s both try together.’ Oliver came to his side and they tried several times more, but the door held firm against them.

‘It’ll have to be a window, then,’ Chad said. ‘Which one do you suggest?’

‘Damned if I know.’

They walked quickly along the rear of the strange assortment of outbuildings, once having to clamber over a low drystone wall. The windows had old-fashioned wooden frames, with small panes of glass, which would be much harder to break into. At last they found one which was in a very poor condition by any standards.

‘That one needs replacing anyway,’ Chad said.

‘I’ll just nip back to check whether his car is still out front,’ Oliver said. ‘We don’t want to cause any damage unless we have to.’

He came back a couple of minutes later. ‘His car is still there.’

‘I’m not leaving Emily alone with him any longer than I have to, so . . .’ Chad hefted the stone he’d picked up near the wall, a big, uneven chunk that had fallen off it. He hurled it into the window with all his strength, smashing several of the small panes and cracking one of the connecting struts.

It thumped to the ground inside in a shower of glass shards, but the wooden struts were still intact.

‘They certainly built these houses to last,’ Oliver said ruefully. ‘I’m surprised no one’s heard the noise.’

‘If they have, I hope they won’t come to investigate till we’re inside.’ Chad studied the ruined window. ‘I think we can get in here. Some of the wood at this side is rotten. See.’ He took off his jacket and used it to grip the struts and wrench them out.

He clambered up on the window sill and used a stone to knock the remaining shards of glass away from the frame. Even so, as he clambered through, he cut his hand and cursed. ‘Can you get in after me? Be careful of the glass.’

Oliver clambered up on to the window sill, moving much more slowly than Chad had done.

‘Catch me up.’ Dropping his jacket full of splinters and wiping the cut on his shirt, Chad ran off towards the front of the house.

All his thoughts were centred on Emily. He wasn’t letting that bully hurt her.

Ms Ryling sat in the car, a frown on her face. ‘I’ve had the office making enquiries and Tapton is a well-respected lawyer round here. I should have checked that earlier, but I was too busy settling in. Talk about being thrown into the deep end. This is a devil of a thing to happen in a new job.’

Her companion frowned. ‘You mean, you’re not sure Pilby’s telling the truth?’

‘Not as sure as I was. He’s very plausible, but today his wife seemed . . . a little furtive, don’t you think?’

‘She did look worried, I must admit.’

‘But the handwriting expert told the CEO it was Emily Mattison’s signature.’ Ryling shook her head in bafflement as she stared at the inn. ‘If this wasn’t the best prospect for our new housing development, I’d be suggesting we look elsewhere for land. Family quarrels aren’t only the devil for garnering bad PR, they can cost the earth in legal expenses.’

‘The CEO’s very set on this project. It’s his final one with the company.’

Ryling rolled her eyes. ‘Beware men departing the company and wanting to leave their mark.’

‘Are you really going to advise the CEO to back away from it?’

Ryling paused, then shook her head. ‘Not without more proof. After all, the handwriting checks out. But I’m going to scrutinize everything extremely carefully and move forward as slowly as I can.’

‘Rather you than me if you have to tell the CEO to back off.’

‘I’m paid to tell him when to back off. And if he doesn’t like what I say and gets me fired, I can always find a new job. I only accepted this one to be near my husband’s elderly parents. I’d far rather live in the south.’

Toby listened to the man on the phone. He said ‘Yes’ when he understood. He said ‘I don’t understand’ sometimes. Miss Penelope had told him to say that.

The man began to speak more clearly. He didn’t use long words. Toby listened carefully.

‘Do you understand that, Toby? We can be there in an hour. Can you tell Emily that?’

‘I don’t know. Not if that man’s with her. I’m frightened of him.’

‘Well, do your best, lad.’

‘Yes, I will. I always do my best.’

‘You were right to phone us. Well done.’

As he put the phone down and stared at it, Toby heard running footsteps. He peeped out of the kitchens and saw Chad. Thank goodness!

But Chad went into the flat and then the big man started shouting again.

He was a very bad man.

Toby stayed where he was.

George swung round. ‘How the hell did you get into the pub?’

Chad pushed between him and Emily, slapping the other man’s hand away from her. ‘Are you all right, darling? He hasn’t hurt you?’

‘I’m all right, much better now that you’re here.’ She touched his arm once, then faced her nephew.

Footsteps pounded towards them and Oliver ran into the room, puffing slightly. He stopped by the door to stare round, assessing the situation. ‘Why are you keeping my client here against her will, Pilby?’

‘I’m looking after my aunt’s interests. After all, she signed the contract, she has money owing to her and this fellow is after it.’ He jerked his head at Chad as he spoke.

Marcia called from near the window, ‘The people from Barton and Halling have come back.’

Oliver immediately walked out and they could hear the bolts sliding on the front door. His voice echoed from the front bar. ‘Do come in. We need to get some things clear.’

George growled something under his breath, then said to Emily, ‘Remember who’ll suffer if you do this.’

‘Don’t listen to him,’ Liz quavered. ‘I don’t want anyone forcing you to live with me, Emily.’

Emily watched her sister press one hand to her chest, which she did when her heart was fluttering. ‘You sit quietly, Liz dear. We’ll work something out. Maybe you can come and live near me.’

‘Easier for you two to live together,’ George said. ‘I have another job lined up abroad. My mother will definitely need help. It’s that or put her into a care home.’

Marcia looked at him. ‘You never told me that you’d got another job, George.’

‘It wasn’t settled. I was waiting to be sure.’

‘Not the Middle East again?’

‘No. Australia.’ He ignored her look of astonishment and turned back to his aunt. ‘So you can see why I’m anxious to get my mother settled.’

‘What has persuading me to sell this place got to do with that?’ Emily demanded.

He smirked. ‘I don’t need to do any persuading. I keep telling you, it’s already sold. The CEO has had your handwriting checked by Parkers, the top experts in the country, and it’s your signature all right. So there’s nothing you can do about it. It’s signed, sealed and almost delivered, and a good thing, too. You don’t understand finance as I do.’

There was silence in the room, then Chad said quietly, ‘Actually, there hasn’t been time to have her signature checked. I’ve used Parkers myself to verify signatures on antique documents and they’re always very busy. It’s never taken them less than two weeks.’

Ryling muttered to her assistant. ‘Would the CEO lie about this?’

The man shuffled his feet uncomfortably. ‘He’s . . . um, very keen for this sale to go through.’

Ryling looked across at Chad and Oliver. ‘I’ll check that out.’

‘In the meantime,’ George said smoothly, ‘we’ll stay here with my aunt. She needs family with her at this time. Doesn’t she, Mother?’

Before Emily could speak, Liz shook her head and said firmly, ‘No, George. She doesn’t. Not family like you.’ She sobbed and as he opened his mouth to speak, said in a rush, ‘Ms Ryling, I’m afraid my son hasn’t told you the truth. I overheard him talking and he wants control of my sister’s money. He doesn’t want her to spend it, just as he won’t let me touch mine. He’s waiting for us to die and leave it to him. That’s all he cares about. Money. My only son.’ Then she collapsed in tears again.

Emily went to sit on the arm of the couch next to her, holding her hand.

George seemed stunned by his mother’s outburst. He opened and shut his mouth but didn’t say anything.

Marcia was avoiding everyone’s eyes.

As her son opened his mouth again, Liz said loudly, ‘I’ve been a coward letting George take over my life like this. It’s not going to continue, though. I’m sorry, George, more sorry than I can say to be at outs with you, my only son. But I’m going to find a lawyer and revoke the power of attorney. I can no longer trust you.’

‘I can handle that for you, if you like, Liz,’ Oliver said. ‘Though only if you want me to. You mustn’t feel pressured.’

‘Don’t be foolish, Mother. They’re lying. These two hangers-on are the ones who want my aunt’s money.’

Liz looked at him sadly. ‘I overheard you and Marcia talking about it when you were staying with me. I
know
you’ve been lying, George. You don’t know how much that hurts me.’

There was silence, then Ms Ryling said, ‘This doesn’t negate the fact that Miss Mattison may well have signed the contract while she was in hospital.’

Emily was tired of repeating herself. ‘I – did – not – sign it. I’m quite sure of that. And actually, I’d never sign a contract that had me down as
Miss
Mattison. Never in a million years.’