She showered and changed before meeting Mr. Epstein whom she had called earlier. His window boxes were flowering nicely and his home was so tidy you would swear nobody lived in it. But he had been baking, the smell of blueberry muffins made her stomach grumble.

“Come in Zoe, please. You look lovely today. Did you have a nice vacation?”

“Yes thank you.”

“I am sorry to be the bearer of bad news. The evidence points to Jim being involved. I can show you how I figured it out if you wish.”

“No thank you Mr. Epstein. Math isn’t my strong point. I am going to the garage now to speak to Jim. Then I will be calling on Chris Lyons. Did you turn down his offer?”

“Yes, Zoe I did although I have to say it was tempting. He increased the price by about 20%.”

Zoe hoped the other people Chris had approached had said no too. Otherwise their little village was going to be a thing of the past.

“I have been to see Gertie and the other people at Flower Meadows. Your aunt was wonderful. So inviting and Gertie, well she is the tonic you said she was. She was asking about you and Declan.”

“Gertie should mind her own business,” Zoe spoke sharply but then moderated her tone. “Sorry Mr. Epstein, didn’t get too much sleep last night. Did you have fun at the home?”

“I did. Zoe, you were right. I was lonely but now I have other things to do with my time. Thank you dear. You are a true friend. I am so glad you have found such a nice man as Declan Malone. You deserve to be happy.”

Zoe didn’t reply. She didn’t know what the future held but for now her mind couldn’t focus on anything but her meeting with Jim and then Chris. If what she suspected was true, Chris Lyons was going to see a side of her few people knew existed.

She walked to the garage wanting to enjoy the bright sunshine. As she walked along the beach, she spotted some dolphins playing out at sea. What would they make of Cloudy Bay if their beach was soon full of tourists?

She got to the garage just before shutting up time. She walked in so quietly she found Jim reading something online, his feet up on the desk, a cup of coffee to his side. The familiar smells brought memories of her dad, but she had to ignore them for now. She prayed for strength.

“Busy are we?”

He nearly knocked the cup sideways as he leapt off his seat.

“Zoe I didn’t expect you back so soon. How was your trip?”

“Very interesting. Or should I say the conversations about this garage were. How could you Jim?”

She had debated how to tackle him on the walk over but in the end she’d decided to just be direct. It worked too as Jim looked guilty. He wouldn’t look her in the eye and his face turned various shades of red.

“Please answer me. I think that’s the least you could do.”

“Zoe, you don’t understand. I have no retirement plans. They got eaten up in the 2008 crash. Chris offered me a lot of money for my home and then an amount on top if I got you to shut down the business. I knew you wouldn’t do that unless you had to. I was going to pay you back the money, honest.”

“Sure you were.” Zoe’s sarcasm hit the mark as he narrowed his eyes. “So when did Chris approach you?”

“A year or so ago.”

“And you never once thought about where your loyalty lay?”

“Don’t take that attitude with me. I should have taken over the garage when your dad died. Nobody wants a female mechanic never mind one as a boss.”

Zoe kept her tone cool. She wasn’t going to let him push her buttons. “You were free to leave. Jim, I trusted you. I treated you like one of the family. Just like Dad did. Thank God he isn’t here to see this.”

At least he had the grace to look ashamed. He stared at his feet for a few minutes before asking,

“What happens now?”

“The police will be here in a few minutes to arrest you for embezzlement, fraud and whatever else they can pin on you. I don’t think you need worry about your residence for the next few years.’

Jim stood up and came towards her. She refused to show fear so stood her ground.

“Zoe, please you can't do that. The missus, she will kill me. The boys won’t be happy either.”

“You should have thought of your family before you decided to get in bed with Chris Lyons.”

Zoe looked away as tears filled the older man’s eyes.

“I am sorry, I was weak. I couldn’t resist.”

“Why didn’t you come and tell me?” She hated the pleading note in her voice but Jim had been a part of her life for as long as she could remember. He and her dad had shared lots of time together. “We could have worked something out?”

“Like what? This is a two bit business and we both know it. Your dad didn’t know what he was doing. Always working on things for free or for little money because the car owner was a friend or neighbor in need.”

She could have forgiven him anything but attacking her dad was a step too far.

“Dad knew what a community meant. Those people would have returned the favor when they had cash.”

“People aren’t like that Zoe. Wake up and smell the coffee. All they care about is themselves. Those people your dad helped, where are they now?”

Zoe didn’t answer. She stayed silent until eventually he started packing up his things. The cops showed up shortly after he had finished.

“This him?”

“Yes.” Zoe ignored Jim’s pleas.

“James Richardson I am arresting you….”

Zoe distanced herself mentally from what was happening. Despite Jim’s guilty admission and the proof Mr. Epstein had gathered, she hadn’t wanted to believe it was true. But it was. The final nail in the coffin for her father’s business.

She watched as the police took Jim away. Then she closed the door behind him. Only then did she let the tears fall, for once in her life she was glad her father was dead. It would have killed him to think his close friend had betrayed him.