CHAPTER 36
On approaching the South Cliffs Today radio station, Rosa was experiencing nerves like she’d never experienced them before.
‘Did you not get this nervous when you did your exams at school?’ Joe asked, reverse-parking into a visitor’s space.
’I didn’t do any exams at school.’
‘Oh. Well, honestly, don’t worry. You will be in a room with Barry Savage and his producer, so just pretend you are chatting to them and no one else. Are you prepped with what you want to say?’
‘Yes, so I should be all right.’
‘I did give him a background brief to what was happening.’
‘Good. I will be fine then. I know what I’m selling, I know all about the launch - so what could he possibly ask me that I can’t answer?’
Rosa jumped down from Joe’s smart Jeep and brushed at her coat. Joe’s Great Dane, Suggs, whom she had just met today, was sitting upright, like a human passenger, in the back seat. She was quite glad she hadn’t brought Hot along, as she wasn’t sure how he’d have reacted to such a big dog.
‘Let me come in with you and then I will go and take Suggs for a walk and listen to you through my phone. Have you got anyone else you know listening?’
‘Oh yes. Mary, Queenie, Titch and the Lobster Pot are all tuning in. And my mate Josh will be listening on his way down here.’
‘And in the Gazette article, I mentioned you’d be speaking today too, so fingers crossed we should get some more Opening Day punters from it.’
‘Rosa Larkin?’ A smart, bespectacled woman appeared in reception with a clipboard. Rosa nodded. ‘Great, follow me.’
Joe put his right thumb up as she followed the woman through to the studio.
‘Ssh!’ Jacob waved at Raffaele to turn off the Hoover. ‘Come here, let’s listen to Rosa.’
The two of them got cosy on the sofa in the lounge of their huge sea-facing house in Polhampton.
The news came to an end. ‘Here’s our girl now,’ Jacob said. Ugly and Pongo scrabbled up on the sofa and snuggled between them. ‘Ssh too, boys.’
The DJ started to talk, and Jacob groaned. ‘Oh, it’s that awful Barry Savage, standing in for Terry Logan. Remember when we had the fire?’ Raffaele nodded. ‘Rather than promote the fact that we were open again, all he wanted to do was talk about who might have caused it, almost insinuating that it had been an insurance job on our part.’
‘Si, si, yes. He is a nasty man. Oh shit, but Rosa is strong. She will be fine.’
‘So, I’m here with Rosa Larkin, who is the new owner of the Corner Shop in Cockleberry Bay. Welcome, Rosa.’
Barry Savage was the image of Mr Toad of Toad Hall, Rosa thought, with his beige-and-white checked three-piece suit which was stretched to capacity over his large stomach.
A unified ‘Hurrah!’ came from all those who knew her and were listening.
‘Oh hi.’ Rosa took a swig of water from the white plastic cup she had been given. She never said hi! Remembering Joe’s pre-radio pep talk, she took a deep breath and straightened her shoulders.
‘How amazing it must have been to find out you’d inherited the shop,’ Barry began, smiling at her over his rimless glasses, and suddenly reminding her of the equally smarmy solicitor who had handed over the battered case to her, just eight weeks ago.
‘Yes, amazing, surprising, slightly scary - all of those things.’ The last thing she wanted to do was to open a can of worms about who had left it to her. Surely Joe wouldn’t have briefed him to that effect?
‘Is it right that you don’t know who left it to you?’
‘That’s right, yes, but I’m sure your listeners don’t want to hear about that. It’s the grand opening tomorrow, and I have lots of fun things planned for all ages.’
‘Oh, I’m sure they do want to hear about it. A mystery benefactor leaving a shop to a young girl who hasn’t a clue how to run one. Especially as the shop has been closed for five years and all the locals have wanted a chance to buy it.’
Joe stopped walking along the cliff and clapped a hand to his head I dismay. Of course he’d meant to seed that nugget of information in; it made great radio and would also be an interesting hook to follow up in the Gazette. He hadn’t, however, anticipated quite how full-on Barry Savage would be. Like Suggs with a bone, in fact.
‘Well, Barry,’ Rosa said firmly, taking control, ‘they are not going to hear about it right now. However, if they would like to come along to the shop - anytime from ten a.m. tomorrow - maybe I can tell them then.’
‘Boom!’ Jacob shouted from the sofa. ‘You go, girl. What a complete and utter bastard.’
Joe smiled. Rosa might have no exams, but she was sharper than even he had realised.
Josh, listening in Carlton’s car, cared only that Rosa would come out with her confidence still intact. It was a massive day for the shop tomorrow and he was glad that he had managed to get away earlier than expected from work, to share it with her.
‘And as for not having a clue about knowing how to run a shop, Mr Savage,’ she went on, emphasising his last name, ‘that’s partially true. However, considering I only arrived in Cockleberry Bay a few weeks ago - just before Christmas, in fact - I am patting myself on the back for what I have achieved to date. Tomorrow, I have some great pet products for sale, there will be trinkets and gifts for the children, plus a face painter. I’ve even got some heart- shaped doggie treats.’
‘Oh, a Valentine’s Day theme for pets. I see what you’ve done there.’
‘Exactly. I have a mini-dachshund called Hot and he can be my Valentine anytime.’
‘Hot Dog, ha ha ha, that’s great. But do you have a real love in your life to mention then, Rosa?’
‘Not to mention – no, Barry.’
Josh laughed out loud.
‘OK, so everyone, looks like it’s going to be a cold but fine day tomorrow, so head on down to the Corner Shop in Cockleberry Bay. Fore Street, isn’t it?’
‘Yes. You can park on The Level if you are driving or get the number 48 bus from Polhampton, which leaves at ten-thirty. Oh, and I forgot to mention, there will be free glasses of fizz and snacks on arrival too. Plus a discount voucher for your first purchase at the shop.’
‘Sounds amazing - and I wish you all the luck down here in our close community, Rosa.’
The girl felt nauseous at the insincerity coming from his thin-lipped, podgy red face. Thank God the interview was over, since she knew she had made an enemy of Mr Toad.
‘Thank you so much, Barry.’
She went to remove her headphones, but he gestured to her to keep them on, intent on moving in for the kill.
‘Oh, and just before you go, Rosa. Any ideas about who the Christmas Cockleberry Bay hit-and-run driver might be?’
She put her hands out in a questioning manner, screwed up her face and mouthed, ‘What the fuck?’
‘You look surprised, but they would have taken a fast drive up or down from behind your shop, wouldn’t they?’
‘I really don’t want to comment on this, thank you. It is a police matter.’
‘A straight yes or no would have sufficed, Rosa.’
‘No, then. Thank you - and goodbye.’
The Beatles’ ‘Can’t Buy Me Love’ started to blare across the airways. Rosa pulled her headphones off indignantly.
Barry stood up to shake her hand, saying, ‘Welcome to the world of media, dear. You didn’t expect this to be straightforward, did you?’
Ignoring his hand, Rosa snapped, ‘To be honest, yes, I did, from a local radio station. It’s not exactly Radio Four, is it?’
‘You need to tell that Joe not to give me so many good leads in future then.’
Rosa felt sick to her stomach. ‘Have no doubt, I shall make very sure of that.’
Joe was waiting right outside in his Jeep. Suggs lay flat out in the back, legs everywhere.
Joe held the passenger door open for her; Rosa got in silently and slammed it.
‘Who the hell do you think you are, setting me up like that, Joe Fox?’ Her voice was two octaves higher than usual. ‘“Nice and fluffy,” you said. “Tell them about all the great things happening at the opening”, you said. And then he not only hits me with the mystery benefactor story, but also asks me if I know anything about the hit-and-run.’
Joe let out a big sigh. ‘You’ve got to understand, I’m a reporter by nature, and knew maybe just the opening of the shop wouldn’t get you the slot.’
‘Fair enough, but bloody warn me in future. I wouldn’t have gone on there if I’d have known that part would be dragged up.’
‘Exactly.’
‘Exactly? Joe, didn’t you think that might upset me or make me say something I didn’t want to? I trusted you.’
‘So, is there something that you do know about the hit-and-run?’
She replied with a quiet, ‘No.’
‘I’m sorry, really I am.’ Joe put his hand on hers. ‘I just want you to succeed - and sometimes to do that you have to talk about things you don’t want to.’
‘Do you mean that?’ Rosa asked, looking into his light blue almond-shaped eyes. On close inspection, they reminded her of a dolphin’s.
‘I mean it, and I’m sorry.’ He leant across and kissed her gently on the lips.
‘Did you mean that too?’
Joe smiled and squeezed her leg. ‘Come on you, we’ve got balloons to collect.’
With the helium balloons in hand, Joe and Rosa walked into the back of the shop. She guided him through to the front and turned the lights on.
‘Voila!’
‘Wow, it looks amazing. You’ve set out the window just beautifully - and look at all the baskets with the kids’ stuff. I’m blown away. It looks like a proper shop.’
‘Well, what did you expect it to look like?’ Rosa bent down to pet Hot, who had missed her during the morning.
When she stood up, Joe put both his hands on her shoulders. ‘I can see why you are proud of yourself.’ He pulled her towards him and just as he was about to kiss her - properly, this time - there was a loud knock at the front shop door.
Seeing the silhouette of a tall, broad figure, Rosa pulled away immediately, muttering: ‘Shit, I forgot Josh was coming today.’
‘Josh?’
‘You know - my friend from London. I’m sure I’ve mentioned him.’
Rosa opened the door, but instead of her lovely Josh, it was two very stern-looking policemen.
‘Rosa Larkin?’ asked the taller one of the pair.
‘Um, yes, that’s me.’
‘We’d like to talk to you about the hit-and-run incident that happened on December the twenty-third last year at the top of this road.’
‘What - now?’
‘If possible?’
‘OK.’
‘I was just leaving.’ Joe rattled his keys in his pocket. ‘Suggs is in the Jeep and I need to get back to the office.’
Hot was now tearing around all of them barking furiously, when Rosa heard the familiar and comforting voice of Josh shouting outside, ‘Rosalar! Hot! Rugger buggers alert.’
Joe gave a short ‘Hi’ as the imposing and very handsome figures of Josh and Carlton now entered through the small doorway into the shop. With the whole scenario resembling a farce, the smaller policeman let out a huge sigh.
‘Shit, Rosa. Everything all right?’ Josh kissed her on the cheek. ‘Meet Carlton.’
All six feet three of him, with smooth ebony skin and chestnut eyes, leant down and kissed her on the other cheek. ‘Pleasure to meet you, Rosa. So that’s sorted then, Josh lad. We won’t need the hotel room if missy here’s in the clink.’ He winked at her.
Rosa grinned, then said, ‘Why don’t you go and check in up the road. I’ll join you for a drink as soon as I’m done.’
‘If you’re sure?’
‘I’m fine. Honestly.’
With the boys off the premises, Rosa picked up Hot and hurriedly led the two police officers upstairs. Relieved that Titch was out at the café, she just hoped that she had left the lounge in decent order that morning.
The boys in blue perched uncomfortably on the edge of each sofa. The shorter one piped up, ‘Good, now we have your full attention, Miss Larkin, we need to have a serious chat with you. You see, we have reason to believe you were involved in the hit-and-run incident in which Miss Jasmine Simmonds was hurt.’
Rosa opened her eyes and mouth in disbelief. Even Hot stopped barking for a second. After a tricky start to the day, it looked as if things were about to get a whole lot worse.