Birds Of A Feather Episode 18
“What did you say?” Frank Ryan’s dark brows were drawn together in a fierce line as he glared at Jess.
“Who are you? Some sick journalist trying to fabricate a good story to sell your lousy newspaper?”
“Of course not.” Jess took a deep breath. “I’m really sorry for blurting it out like that. When I saw Shauna yesterday –”
“Hold it right there!” Frank’s icy voice cut across her stumbling apology. “You spoke to Shauna yesterday?”
“Yes.” She looked across at Ed and Sam. “Ask them. They were there.”
Ed and Sam both took a step back as Frank rounded on them.
“Is this true?” he thundered. “Did this girl go to see Shauna yesterday?”
“Yes, Frank.” Ed looked scared stiff of his father-in-law and probably for good reason, Jess thought.
She found the ice in his voice and the fierce look in his eyes intimidating. She tugged gently on Alfie’s lead to bring him closer.
“We didn’t hear what they were talking about,” Sam put in. “All we heard was the slam of the door as Shauna shut it in her face. She was mighty mad.”
“Yes, she was,” Jess admitted. “She said that my mother had brought nothing but trouble to the family and I wasn’t going to take over where she’d left off.”
During the silence that followed, Jess could hear the strident calls of rooks from their nests high in the nearby beech trees.
She also heard the thud of her own heartbeat.
“I don’t want to cause trouble,” she went on anxiously. “You won’t hear from me again. I promise.”
Frank stared at her for a long moment. Then he turned to Ed and Sam.
“Get in the van. Now.”
Without saying anything further to Jess, he climbed into his purple and yellow ex-ambulance and drove off.
She listened until the sound of the vehicle died away.
What now? She considered going to see Paloma, but realised what she really needed was time alone to try to process what had happened.
Right now, it felt like a door had been slammed in her face for the second time in as many days.
She looked at Ed’s van, abandoned in the car park. Was it going to stay there?
She’d arrange to have it towed tomorrow, at her expense.
She couldn’t leave it there for Tom and Maggie to find when they came back from their honeymoon.
Jess gathered up Alfie’s lead and walked down the lane to her cottage.
As she drew near, she stopped when she saw a small car parked outside. It was Harry, the investigator who had found her father’s family.
Parked behind him was Ben’s car. She felt a stab of guilt as she remembered promising to ring him back.
He was obviously visiting Elsie, his grandmother, and she wondered how she was going to persuade Harry to go quietly. He had a habit of turning up at inconvenient moments.
“Harry? You’re still here,” Jess remarked.
“Full marks for observation,” Harry said. “I’ll make a private detective of you yet. You did promise me a cup of tea.”
Jess sighed but, aware she was being ungracious, gave him a warm smile.
“You’d best come in, then. Although I warn you, there won’t be any cake.”
“Cake I can live without. I couldn’t go back without seeing for myself that you are all right. I feel guilty for introducing you to the Ryans.”
“You’ve nothing to feel guilty about. I’m grateful to you, even if things didn’t quite go the way I’d planned it.”
“You spoke to Frank?” he asked as he followed her into the kitchen.
“Yes,” she said.
“And?”
“And nothing. He didn’t want to know.” She brushed away a tear as she turned to him.
“All I’ve ever wanted is a family of my own,” she whispered.
Harry reached out a hand as if to touch her, but he obviously thought better of it and rubbed the back of his head instead.
“Forget the Ryans. They’re bad news. Where’s the van, by the way?”
“Still up in the car park. I can’t remember whether Frank said he’d fixed it or not. I’ll possibly have to get someone to tow it away.”
Harry shook his head.
“Oh, I think they’ll be back for it. That’s what I’m worried about. Folly Farm is a nice little set-up. They’re not going to want a travellers’ camp setting up in their car park.”
Jess thought of Maggie and Tom, coming back from their month-long honeymoon to be faced with a car park full of vans.
“Don’t look so worried. Chances are the old van will be gone tomorrow.” Harry glanced at his watch.
“I’ll take a rain check on that tea. I’d best be getting back.”
She opened the door for him just as Ben was coming out of his grandmother’s house. Her heart sank.
She didn’t want to have to explain to Ben what Harry was doing here.
She was pretty sure he wouldn’t approve of her contact with the Ryans.
“I’m sorry, Ben,” she said. “I didn’t call you back. This is –”
“Harry Manvers. Yes, I know.” Ben smiled. “How are you, Harry?”
“Good, thanks. And you?”
“You know each other?” Jess asked.
“Should do,” Ben replied. “DI Manvers was my boss back in the day. You still working in Clifton, Harry?”
Harry nodded.
“I’d best be off. Nice seeing you again, Ben. Bye, Jess.”
Jess watched him get into his car and drive off. Then she took a deep breath and turned to face Ben.
“I expect you’re wondering what he was doing here, aren’t you?”
“You don’t have to tell me,” he said. “But he’s the man Jock hired to find you, isn’t he?”
“How did you know?”
“Because I was the one who recommended him. Like I said, he was my boss when I worked in Bristol. A really good bloke.
“I was sorry when he left the force. Then I heard he’d set up a PI agency, so when Jock said he was looking for a private detective, I recommended him.
“I’m so pleased I did because he managed to find you. It was sad Jock died before the two of you could meet, but at least you know who your grandfather was.”
He’d also managed to find her other grandfather, Frank Ryan, but Ben obviously didn’t know that.
And Jess certainly wasn’t going to tell him. At least, not until she had to.