Caroline’s every instinct was to call the police; but she was paralysed by fear. Her hands trembled uncontrollably as she cradled the small animal on her doorstep. How could Stone do this? It had to be him. That visit a couple of days ago was clearly more of a warning than she’d taken it for.
‘Caroline?’ Gino, on his way back to the restaurant having left his phone in the kitchen, raced to her side. ‘Caroline, are you alright?’
Caroline couldn’t summon the words. As Gino came around the corner, his presence triggered the security light again and for a moment they both blinked. Gino, seeing Caroline still slumped on the doorstep, was by her side in an instant. ‘Are you hurt?’
Caroline shook her head. ‘It’s not me.’ She opened her arms slightly so that Gino could see Scrumpy’s lifeless body.
‘Shit!’ Gino tried to take the cat but Caroline clung tightly to her. ‘Who did this?’ He helped Caroline to her feet. ‘Come on, let’s get off the doorstep.’
Somehow, they got through the front door and up to Caroline’s flat and Gino had her kettle boiling in no time. Huddled onto one of her kitchen chairs, still clutching Scrumpy’s body, she was shuddering uncontrollably.
‘You’ve got to call the police,’ Gino, who was surprisingly good in a crisis, said firmly. ‘Someone clearly did this to frighten you.’
‘No,’ Caroline came to her senses immediately at the mention of the police. ‘The police won’t do anything anyway.’
Gino handed Caroline a mug of hot, sweet tea and took a sip of his own. ‘This is serious. What if whoever did this comes after you next time?’
‘No police. It was probably a one off.’
‘Is there anyone you can think of who might have it in for you?’ Gino’s face was concerned, but his eyes were as searching as the security light outside.
Hating herself, but knowing that if she confided in Gino she might very well be putting him at risk, Caroline shook her head again.
‘Do you want me to call anyone?’
Who could Gino call? Caroline thought. Anna and Matthew would be tucked up in bed for the night, Jonathan would only insist on tracking down whoever did this, and she didn’t want him involved; there was no-one else. ‘I’m fine,’ she said shakily. ‘You should get home, too.’
‘I’m staying for as long as you need me,’ Gino said. Caroline was surprised for a moment by how quickly he took control of the situation but then she remembered he was used to calling the shots in the kitchen. ‘Go and get in the shower and I’ll whip you up a warm milk drink that’ll help you sleep.’
‘You’ll make someone a lovely wife one day,’ Caroline said, but smiled slightly. She wrapped Scrumpy’s body up in a towel and placed her gently in an old shoebox. ‘I want to keep hold of her in here for tonight.’
‘Fair enough,’ Gino said gently.
Caroline put the shoe box on the small table in the hallway and then trailed dispiritedly through to the bathroom. Under the shower, alone, she cried and cried. Staggering back out, she wrapped herself in her dressing gown and pulled back her duvet. As promised, Gino, after knocking gently on the door, brought in a mug of warm milk.
‘Try to get some sleep,’ he said. ‘And don’t worry about service tomorrow if you don’t feel up to it. I’ll call Emma to come in and do an extra shift.’
‘Thanks,’ sipping the drink, Caroline’s eyes already felt heavy.
The next morning Caroline awoke from a surprisingly deep slumber. For a moment, she was terrified as she heard someone moving around in her living room and then she realised it was merely Gino in sneak mode, obviously trying not to wake her. Climbing gingerly out of bed, she crept to the bedroom door and managed a small smile as she saw her rather buff head chef slipping back into last night’s t-shirt.
‘You’re wasted on men,’ she managed weakly.
‘I’ll take that as a compliment rather than workplace objectification. This time.’
‘Sorry,’ Caroline replied. ‘Put it down to delayed shock.’ She glanced to where she had put the shoe box containing Scrumpy’s body last night, upon which Gino had tactfully put the lid.
‘Are you sure you shouldn’t call the police?’ Gino asked, turning serious brown eyes on her.
Caroline swallowed. ‘I’ll think about it.’ But even to her own ears, Caroline could hear the lie. There was no way she could call the police and tell them that she suspected that Scrumpy was killed by her former cocaine supplier; that was a can of worms she really didn’t want to open. She forced a smile. ‘Look. Thanks for staying. I appreciate it.’
‘It’s the least I could do,’ said Gino. ‘Will you be alright if I nip home now and get sorted out? I’ve got some stuff to do before the lunchtime service.’
Caroline nodded. ‘I’ll be fine. I’ll see you later.’
‘Don’t feel you have to come down tonight,’ Gino replied. ‘I can text Emma if needs be.’
‘I’m better in the restaurant than stewing here upstairs waiting for him to come back,’ Caroline said unguardedly.
‘You sound like you know who did this,’ Gino raised a speculative eyebrow.
Grabbing a mug from the mug tree on the windowsill, Caroline gave a nervous laugh. ‘I just meant… it’s bound to be a man, isn’t it?’
‘OK, boss,’ Gino said wearily. ‘I know better than to argue the point at this time of the morning.’
Caroline nodded but couldn’t meet Gino’s gaze. ‘Go home. And thank you for coming to my rescue.’
They walked down the stairs to the restaurant together, and rather than leaving through the kitchen as he would normally, Gino headed for the front door. ‘I want to check that nobody’s left any more nasty surprises for you,’ he said, reaching for the bolt on the top of the door.
Thankfully, the doorstep was clear. Caroline hovered in the doorway, feeling nervous again now that she was going to be left alone in this big, empty building. ‘Thanks again,’ she said, and without thinking, pulled Gino into a clumsy hug.
Gino laughed nervously. ‘Any more of that and I’ll have to get a restraining order!’ he quipped, but he enveloped her briefly in his embrace. ‘I’ll see you in a couple of hours, okay?’
‘All right.’ Caroline replied.
Gino stepped out of the door, looked left and right and then headed off.
At that moment, Jonathan, restless from another night spent tossing and turning over the proposed takeover bid, happened to be on his way to get an early start at work. Normally, he’d go straight to his office on the other side of the site, but today he thought he’d stroll over to The Cider Kitchen to grab a cup of coffee to go and catch up with Caroline, who was bound to be up and about by now. Seeing Gino emerging from the restaurant in what were clearly last night’s clothes, and even worse, hugging Caroline in full view on the doorstep made him feel a most unaccustomed stab of jealousy.