Really, of course, she wanted to pamper her a bit. Feed her up. Veronica must have heard she was here because she phoned up in a panic. Would Jeanie mind helping out in the Anchor for a couple of evenings? One of the barmaids was off sick and she was rushed off her feet. So Jeanie went in as a favour’
And that’s where she met Keith Mantel?”
“So it seems. Not that she told us at the time, of course.”
“How did she come to move in with him?”
There was a silence. “That was my fault,” he said at last. “Speaking my mind without thinking. As usual.”
Vera didn’t say anything. She wasn’t going to help him out on this one.
“She came home as soon as the exams were finished. We weren’t expecting it. She’d talked about spending the summer travelling. She wanted to go to Italy.”
“On her own?”
“Aye. That was how she preferred to be. Until then at least. Any road, she came back. The story was that she needed to be around in case there were any auditions. It made sense. She’d always wanted to be a professional musician and it’s a competitive business. She said she couldn’t afford to be out of touch all summer. Peg was delighted. And Veronica took her back on in the pub.”
“How did you get on with her when she came home?”
“Better. I thought it was because she’d been away. She didn’t seem so touchy. And maybe I was getting a bit more mellow in my old age.”
“But really it was because she was in love.”
He shot a furious look at her but she wasn’t mocking him. There was nothing amused about her face. She looked very sad.
“I saw them together,” Michael said. “Her and that Mantel. He must have given her a lift home from work after the lunchtime shift. She’d have thought I’d be out. They were sitting in that flash car of his. The roof was down. They were all over each other like a rash. He had his hand up her shirt.” He felt himself blush like a girl. “It was broad daylight.”
“Why did you disapprove so much?” Vera asked. “I mean he was older than her but he wasn’t married.
And you’d wanted her to lighten up a bit. She must have been twenty-one then. Not a child any more.” He didn’t answer and she persisted. “You did recognize him when you saw them in the car together? If he was a regular in the Anchor, you must have known who he was.”
“I knew him all right. He had a reputation, did Keith Mantel. Still does, come to that.”
“What as?” she asked innocently.
As a crook,” he said. “That’s what.”
“I’ve checked his record. He’s never been charged with anything. There’ve been a couple of motoring of fences speeding mostly but nothing serious.”
“He’s never been caught, that’s all. Like I say, he’s a crook.”
And why do you say that, Mr. Long?” She grinned at him and he sensed a challenge in her words, but sympathy too. She had her own ideas about Keith Mantel. “What do you know about our Keith?”
The cramped little room seemed more airless than before. He felt his chest tighten and his breathing was shallow and fast. What was going on here? This woman was bringing him painfully back to life. She was the first real human contact he’d had since Peg had died. The first person to take him seriously.
“He’s a charmer,” Long said. “He had everyone fooled when he first moved here.”
“But not you. You’d have seen through him.”
“I had my suspicions.” He paused, teasing her, making her wait. “There was that house for a start. He wasn’t the first to apply for planning permission to convert the old chapel, but it had always been turned down before. Not just because of the risk of flooding and erosion. There was no access road, see, and this area’s not zoned for housing. Only building for agricultural purpose is allowed. There’s nothing agricultural about that mansion Mantel put up for himself. He must have greased a few palms to get that through the planning
And that’s where she met Keith Mantel?”
“So it seems. Not that she told us at the time, of course.”
“How did she come to move in with him?”
There was a silence. “That was my fault,” he said at last. “Speaking my mind without thinking. As usual.”
Vera didn’t say anything. She wasn’t going to help him out on this one.
“She came home as soon as the exams were finished. We weren’t expecting it. She’d talked about spending the summer travelling. She wanted to go to Italy.”
“On her own?”
“Aye. That was how she preferred to be. Until then at least. Any road, she came back. The story was that she needed to be around in case there were any auditions. It made sense. She’d always wanted to be a professional musician and it’s a competitive business. She said she couldn’t afford to be out of touch all summer. Peg was delighted. And Veronica took her back on in the pub.”
“How did you get on with her when she came home?”
“Better. I thought it was because she’d been away. She didn’t seem so touchy. And maybe I was getting a bit more mellow in my old age.”
“But really it was because she was in love.”
He shot a furious look at her but she wasn’t mocking him. There was nothing amused about her face. She looked very sad.
“I saw them together,” Michael said. “Her and that Mantel. He must have given her a lift home from work after the lunchtime shift. She’d have thought I’d be out. They were sitting in that flash car of his. The roof was down. They were all over each other like a rash. He had his hand up her shirt.” He felt himself blush like a girl. “It was broad daylight.”
“Why did you disapprove so much?” Vera asked. “I mean he was older than her but he wasn’t married.
And you’d wanted her to lighten up a bit. She must have been twenty-one then. Not a child any more.” He didn’t answer and she persisted. “You did recognize him when you saw them in the car together? If he was a regular in the Anchor, you must have known who he was.”
“I knew him all right. He had a reputation, did Keith Mantel. Still does, come to that.”
“What as?” she asked innocently.
As a crook,” he said. “That’s what.”
“I’ve checked his record. He’s never been charged with anything. There’ve been a couple of motoring of fences speeding mostly but nothing serious.”
“He’s never been caught, that’s all. Like I say, he’s a crook.”
And why do you say that, Mr. Long?” She grinned at him and he sensed a challenge in her words, but sympathy too. She had her own ideas about Keith Mantel. “What do you know about our Keith?”
The cramped little room seemed more airless than before. He felt his chest tighten and his breathing was shallow and fast. What was going on here? This woman was bringing him painfully back to life. She was the first real human contact he’d had since Peg had died. The first person to take him seriously.
“He’s a charmer,” Long said. “He had everyone fooled when he first moved here.”
“But not you. You’d have seen through him.”
“I had my suspicions.” He paused, teasing her, making her wait. “There was that house for a start. He wasn’t the first to apply for planning permission to convert the old chapel, but it had always been turned down before. Not just because of the risk of flooding and erosion. There was no access road, see, and this area’s not zoned for housing. Only building for agricultural purpose is allowed. There’s nothing agricultural about that mansion Mantel put up for himself. He must have greased a few palms to get that through the planning
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