No Holds Barred (7 page)

‘She doesn't suspect him of stealing from her, does she?' He injected shock into his tone.

‘Oh, no! I mean, I shouldn't think so,' Sue said. ‘It's just  . . . anyone round here would be a little bit cautious where the Boyds are concerned. But if she thought he was actually stealing  . . . I mean, she'd fire him, wouldn't she?'

‘I suppose she would, if she had proof,' Daniel agreed. ‘But you have to be a bit careful about firing people without due cause these days, I imagine. I mean, they'll have you in court at the drop of a hat.'

‘Mm, and he'd be right up for that, without a doubt.'

Daniel was puzzled.

‘If that's your opinion of him, what made you go out with him?'

She shrugged. ‘I dunno. It was just a one-off. I thought it might be a laugh. It wasn't ever going to be serious, was it? But, I mean, he's not bad-looking and he can be quite a charmer when he wants.'

‘The allure of a bad boy,' Daniel mused. ‘So, what's his interest in dogs? Sorry, I overheard something and my ears always prick up when dogs are mentioned.' The phrase he'd heard Boyd use earlier that evening had lodged in the back of his ex-copper's mind, and although ‘to see a man about a dog' was a common enough euphemism, the way he'd used it had seemed to imply a greater meaning. Sometimes the simplest explanation was the right one, but not, it seemed, in this case, because Sue looked genuinely baffled.

‘
Dogs
? No. I mean, they've got a couple of Rottweilers at the yard, but they're more guard dogs than pets.'

‘Oh, perhaps they were talking about dog racing or something,' Daniel said dismissively. Jenny had mentioned that it was one of her husband's hobbies.

‘Yeah, maybe.' Sue didn't sound particularly interested. ‘So, I gather someone left a welcome for you at the cottage  . . . Trashed it pretty badly, by all accounts.'

‘Ah, you've heard about that, then?'

‘I told you, it's a small village. Everybody knows everything.'

‘Including who did it?'

‘I don't know about that. Most people are saying it must have been kids. There's not a lot for them to do round here of an evening or weekend. They hang around the rec usually. It wouldn't be surprising if they got up to a bit of mischief, and everyone knew that Forester's was standing empty.'

‘It looked like someone might have been up there before.' Daniel told her about the beer bottles and cans. ‘Maybe if they've been hanging out there, they might have been annoyed that I was moving in.'

Sue pursed her lips. ‘S'pose so. Never heard tell of anyone up there. It's a bit remote.'

‘Oh, well, Taz'll keep anyone away now,' Daniel said.

In due course, he paid the bill. After exchanging pecks on the cheek, they went their separate ways, Sue on foot, explaining that she only lived a few houses away from the pub, and Daniel returning to his car and the waiting dog.

As he entered the dark alleyway that led from the road to the pub car park, a deeper shadow detached itself from the wall of the building and stepped into his path.

Daniel's heart rate stepped up a notch.

‘Evening, Boyd. Were you looking for me?'

He sensed a momentary hesitation from the other man and guessed he'd wrong-footed him.

‘Just a word, Whelan. That's all.'

Daniel kept walking, unhurriedly but without altering his course, and Boyd gave way and stepped aside. In the lamp-lit car park, even though he was aware that Boyd was following, Daniel walked across to his car before turning round.

‘Now? Can't it wait until the morning?'

‘It could, but we're both here now, so why wait, eh?'

‘All right.'

In the car, Taz was barking at Boyd, his muzzle scraping the glass and affording an impressive view of his teeth. Daniel quietened him with a sharp command.

‘Big dog like that must cost a lot to feed,' Boyd observed. ‘You interested in making a bit more money?'

Daniel played the innocent.

‘What? Overtime, you mean?'

Boyd shrugged. ‘In a manner of speaking. Only you'd be working for me.'

‘Doing what?'

‘A bit of driving, amongst other things, maybe.'

‘Does Mrs Summers know about this?'

‘It's nothing to do with her. Call it a bit of private enterprise, if you like. No harm done to anyone and a little extra cash in your pocket. What do you say?'

Daniel could see the gleam of Boyd's eyes in the muted light. He was watching intently, as much for Daniel's reaction as for his answer, he guessed. He deliberately kept his tone non-committal.

‘I'll have to think about it. Let you know in a day or two.'

‘All right, but don't take too long. And this is just between you and me, right? No need to mention our little conversation to anyone else. If I find that some little bird has been tweeting where it shouldn't  . . .'

Daniel ignored the threat.

‘I'll let you know,' he repeated, and got into the car.

After work the following day, with another fine evening in prospect, Daniel again found himself heading for the stables. This time he had to catch Piper from the field, and as he led him into the yard, he saw Jenny there, talking to Sue.

‘Piper won't know what's hit him,' she remarked, coming over as he brushed the horse's chestnut coat to a sheen. ‘Going out twice in two days.'

‘You don't mind? It just seemed like such a lovely evening.'

‘Of course I don't mind. I wish I could come with you.'

‘Well, why don't you?'

‘Because I've got three hungry children waiting for their tea. But I will one day. I just need to plan ahead. Where did you go yesterday?'

‘Up the track to the beech hanger and along the ridge,' Daniel told her. He'd been debating whether to tell her of his encounter with the Boyd brothers, and now he made a snap decision. ‘I saw Taylor and his brother on the other side of the wood.'

‘Did you?' She frowned. ‘What were they doing up there?'

‘Loading some old farm machinery into their van. They gave me the impression you knew about it.'

‘No, I didn't. Well, I did ask Taylor to shift some scrap for me a couple of months ago – some galvanized iron sheets from an old barn that collapsed last winter and a rusty plough from the days of horsepower – but I assumed he'd done that ages ago.'

‘Mm, well, I think he may have interpreted your request as a licence to help himself,' Daniel observed, moving up to Piper's head to brush his silky forelock. He described what he'd seen.

‘Oh dear, I suppose I'd better have a word with him,' Jenny said, looking as though it was a task she didn't relish.

‘Actually, it might be better if you didn't, cos he'll know where the information came from, and just for now I'd rather he didn't see me as taking sides.'

‘That sounds a bit serious. Do you think he's up to something?'

‘Not necessarily. As far as I've seen, he's not doing too bad a job running the business – apart from having it in for Reg, as you suggested.'

‘Poor old Reg. Do you think he
is
getting too old for the job?' Jenny asked.

‘Well, he's always last back and Boyd makes a big fuss about him being slow, but since he has on average two more drops than the rest of us, that's not surprising, is it?'

‘Wait,' Jenny caught his arm. ‘He has more drops?'

‘Yes. Almost always. And if not that, then he has to drive significantly further between them than we do. I asked him. He doesn't get on with the others very well, so he's never thought to ask them about their routes. He wasn't too happy when he found out.'

‘But that's not fair!' Jenny exclaimed. ‘Did he ask Taylor about it?'

‘Yes, but he basically said Reg was talking crap and that if he wasn't happy with his job he knew what he could do.'

‘So I was right.'

‘Looks like it.'

‘When was this? Why hasn't Reg come to me?'

‘This afternoon. And I think he thinks you've got enough to deal with.'

‘But why has Taylor got it in for Reg?'

Daniel shrugged. ‘Maybe because Reg is old enough not to be impressed by him, and Taylor Boyd does like to control people. The youngster, Dean, is scared of him; Macca seems to respect him – God knows why – and Edwards thinks the sun shines out of his every orifice. That's the way he likes it.'

‘And you?' Jenny slanted a look at him, wrinkling her nose as she squinted against the evening sun.

‘He's not sure about me yet, and that suits me fine.' Daniel put down his brush and went to fetch Piper's saddle pad and blanket off the door. ‘Do you give Boyd free rein in the office?' he asked, casually.

‘More or less. I never meant to, but things were getting so out of hand and he offered to help. Why? Don't you think I should?'

‘Within reason, I expect.'

‘Well, of course I do run through the figures when I do the accounting at the end of the month,' she said.

‘Fred said something about you losing stock.'

Jenny looked uncomfortable. ‘I may have panicked a bit. Taylor explained what happened. It was an admin mistake – he owned up.'

‘So it's all OK.'

‘Yes. Well it
seems
to be. Of course, with the livery business to run as well, it's difficult to be as thorough as I'd like. God, you've got me thinking now  . . .'

‘I'm sorry. Look, it may be nothing, and if the business is doing OK, that's the main thing. Don't worry about it.'

‘Well, we're certainly busy at the moment. In fact, Boyd is out with one of the lorries tonight, doing a bit of overtime. Whatever you think of him, you can't fault his enthusiasm.'

‘Mm.' Daniel decided to sit on the previous night's conversation for the time being.

The following day was Friday, and after a long day in the cab, Daniel was making a cup of coffee for himself and one for Dean, who was so far the only other occupant of the drivers' room.

‘Will he let me stroke him?' the youngster asked, looking at Taz, who characteristically lay on the room's only piece of carpet.

‘I expect so, if you introduce yourself,' Daniel said, carrying the two mugs over to the sofa.

‘Introduce? Seriously? No, you're having me on,' Dean's pale skin flushed with colour.

‘I'm not. But I don't mean it literally – just use his name and let him see what you're about to do. Don't surprise him.'

‘Oh, I see.' Dean looked at the German shepherd. ‘All right, Taz?'

The dog responded by lifting his head and returning the look, and, thus encouraged, Dean leaned forward and stroked the thick fur on his head.

‘He's lovely,' the youngster said reverentially.

‘Do you have a dog of your own, Dean?'

‘Nah, my old man won't have one in the house. When I get my own place I will, though. Can't tell me what to do then, can he?'

Daniel agreed that he couldn't.

‘What made you want to work here?' he asked, after a moment.

‘I love the trucks, don't I?' he said, still fussing over the dog. ‘I'm qualified to drive the big ones, but Mr Summers says the insurance is too expensive while I'm so young. He says I need to get some miles under my belt first, so I just drive the van.'

‘I've never met Mr Summers. What's he like?'

‘He's all right. You know where you are with him and he treats you right.'

‘But Taylor doesn't?'

‘I didn't say that!' Dean sat up abruptly, the dog forgotten. ‘You can't say I did.'

‘Calm down. I'm not saying anything to anybody. It was just an observation.' Daniel took a sip of his coffee, eyeing the younger man thoughtfully. ‘So you're happy here? Taylor hasn't made things difficult for you, or asked you to do anything out of the ordinary?'

‘No.' Dean's pale eyes opened wide. ‘I ain't got no complaints.'

‘OK. That's good, then.'

A heavy silence reigned for a short while. Dean gulped his drink and looked at his feet, and Daniel just waited.

‘Have you, like, heard something?' Dean said eventually. ‘About Taylor, I mean.'

‘No. Nothing. I was just curious. Actually, I wondered why the driver who was here before me left. Did he fall out with Taylor?' He had learned from Jenny that two drivers had left since Boyd came on the scene, and he was more than curious to find out why.

‘I dunno.' His body language proclaimed it a lie as surely as any polygraph could have.

‘OK. Never mind. I just wondered if you knew him.'

Dean hesitated and then, apparently deciding that no harm could come from disclosing the information, said, ‘Yeah, I did. His name was Mal Fletcher. He was all right, he was. Used to live in the village but he's moved on now.'

‘Oh, right.' Daniel would have liked to milk the youngster for more, but the others were due back at any moment and he could well imagine that Dean's body language would set Boyd wondering just what they'd been discussing in his absence.

‘So, what are you up to this weekend? Anything interesting?' he asked instead, and he was relieved to see Dean relax as he launched into details of a golf tournament he was entering.

‘Daniel. Can I have a word?'

Jenny was in the doorway of the farmhouse as he passed with Taz at his heels.

‘Sure. Down at the stables?' He fancied he could feel Boyd's eyes boring into his back.

‘No, I ought to hang on here for a minute. I've just put Izzy down for a nap and she's a bit restless. Come and have a cup of coffee,' she said.

Daniel resisted the temptation to look back and see if Boyd really was watching as he accepted the invitation. To do so would only make him look as if he had something to hide.