The Runaway (8 page)

‘Ready? Then pin back your lugholes …’

This time, the scheme was not just to rearrange the tea room to give them a couple of extra tables, or to move to bigger premises; this time it was to tear the café apart. The wall between the café itself and the storeroom would come down, a window would be made in the rear wall to give the place more natural light, and their dear little flat would be gutted and turned into a modern kitchen.

‘And where are we supposed to live?’ Dana asked sarcastically. ‘In the outside privy?’

She expected James to be confounded by the question, but he grinned even more broadly. ‘I’ve bought a flat over the cycle shop in Wentworth Street, only a couple of hundred yards or so from here,’ he said triumphantly. ‘If you agree to the conversion you can live there rent-free for three months. Because of the upheaval, we’ll say – for a while at least – that it’s one of the perks of the job. How’s that for good manners?’

Dana could not help laughing, but Caitlin gave a little squeal of excitement and began to exclaim, then glanced at her friend. ‘Oh, but what are we to do whilst the place is being altered?’ she asked. ‘And we’ve not even seen the Wentworth Street flat yet; we might hate it.’

‘You’ll love it,’ James said positively. ‘It’s got its own private staircase, leading from the yard to the front hall, so you won’t have to go into the shop at all. Wentworth
Street is a lot quieter than Heyworth, and just think how nice it will be to be able to lock the door of the café and walk away from work as other people do.’

‘You make it sound very tempting, but I should need to know a lot more before agreeing to such a radical change,’ Dana said coolly. ‘For a start, it would mean closing the café for several weeks, if not months …’

James interrupted at once. ‘No, no, I’ve thought of that. Herbie Porter says he’ll do the work in four to six weeks, from start to finish. You won’t need to close the café for long, because he’ll try to do the messiest work on Sundays whenever possible.’ He delved into his file and produced a number of typewritten sheets. ‘Sign here, ladies, and I’ll arrange a meeting between Herbie, you and me. Obviously I’d like you to capitalise on the Christmas rush, but when that’s over Porter will start converting the property and improving it as well.’

He pushed the forms enticingly towards Caitlin, but when her friend would have seized the pen Dana shook her head. ‘No you don’t, alanna,’ she said firmly. ‘There are several things to be done first.’ She ticked them off on her fingers. ‘One, we must examine the costings for this work and see precisely how long it’s likely to take; two, we want to know how it will affect our rent. At the moment we pay our way comfortably, but in larger premises we would need to employ staff and increase our supplies. Three, I suppose we would have to offer hot meals as well and that would mean not just waitresses but also a professional cook and a commercial stove, both of which cost money. And four, there’s this flat you speak of; you may say we’ll love it, but I prefer to make my own decisions on such matters – as does Caitlin, of course,’
she added guiltily, suddenly aware that she was sounding just as high-handed as James. ‘Well? Answers please, Mr Mortimer!’

James heaved a deep, dramatic sigh. ‘I can’t tell you the exact cost, but you needn’t worry about that since I intend to pay for everything. As for your rent, it will stay the same for the first three months that the restaurant is open, because though I am sure your turnover and therefore your profit will increase dramatically you’re quite right, you will have added expenses. And of course you must approve the flat, so we’ll go there right away.’ He stood up, tucked the file under his arm and produced a bunch of keys. ‘Wait till you see your new abode!’

Chapter Three

DANA WAS ALWAYS
wary of James and his bright ideas, though she could not have said why, but on this occasion at least, it seemed that she need have no worries. Once Christmas was over – they had enjoyed fantastic business as the holiday approached – they were able to concentrate on the work being done to the tea room and the flat above. They had met Mr Porter and thought his assessment of the work which needed doing was probably correct. Despite her initial dislike of the scheme, Dana had examined the carefully drawn up plans of how the restaurant would look and thought them most attractive, and the new flat was just as nice as James had promised.

The kitchen was delightful, with every modern convenience already in place, and the small living room had a wide window overlooking the street, with a padded window seat and gleaming brocade curtains. It also had a telephone, an almost unheard of luxury, though James told them he had had it installed because they might need to be in touch with the restaurant, and they would also find it useful to be able to put in an order by telephone to those of their suppliers who were connected. ‘It’s on a party line with the one which is being installed
in the restaurant,’ he explained, ‘so when one of you is in the flat and the other at work you can have a chat.’ But the main attraction of the new flat was the bathroom and lavatory; not having to traipse down to the public baths on Margaret Street or to go outside to the privy on rainy nights was delightful.

Today, Caitlin had gone round to Sample’s to discuss with the chief baker how much bread they would need once the new restaurant was up and running. Dana was at the flat, awaiting the delivery of a couple of single beds. They had been sleeping on truckle beds in Heyworth Street, but had decided they deserved a bit of comfort now they had a larger bedroom.

When the doorbell rang she hurried for the stairs … then realised that the bell was still ringing and, smiling ruefully, retraced her steps. It was the telephone, of course; they would have to invest in a new doorbell, one with a different ring, or she and Caitlin would waste time galloping to the head of their outside staircase when they could have been comfortably ensconced in the warmth of the flat, listening to whoever had rung them.

Re-entering the living room, Dana grabbed the receiver and put it to her ear, her mouth opening to tell Caitlin – it was bound to be Caitlin – that she was still awaiting the arrival of their new beds. Then she stopped short and sank down on the nearest chair, the telephone still pressed to her ear. Neither of the voices she could hear was Caitlin’s. One voice belonged to James, the other to a stranger. Dana was about to replace the receiver when she heard her own name. She continued to listen, feeling her face grow cold with shock. She was eavesdropping, of course, but …

The conversation finished, the two men replaced their receivers and Dana, after the briefest of pauses, did likewise. Then she brushed away the wretched tears which had begun to form in her eyes. But what to do, what to do? First, she must contact Caitlin, tell her … oh, tell her plainly what she had overheard. She took the telephone receiver off its cradle, then hesitated. No, she needed to talk to her friend in private, and she was not the only person who might pick up a telephone and hear something she was not supposed to know.

It was an icy cold, rainy January day, but Dana did not even pause to throw a coat around her shoulders before bolting out of the flat. She was halfway down the metal stair when her heel caught and she pitched forward. She had a confused picture of the world turning … then something hit her smartly on the back of the head and darkness descended.

‘I wonder if I ought to give Dana a ring,’ Caitlin said as she and James supervised the closing of the restaurant. Jess, the Saturday girl, had just said goodnight to their last customer, and James had gone back into the tea room to turn the
Open
sign to
Closed
and to shoot the bolts across. Despite the fact that the conversion of the storeroom was not yet fully completed, the restaurant was doing tremendously well. Of course, as James was so fond of pointing out, the customers, being Liverpudlians, took a lively interest in every change as it was made, and did not hesitate to give their opinion of such changes with great frankness.

‘You’ll be purrin’ your perishin’ prices up I’ve no doubt,’ old Mrs Harrow had remarked gloomily earlier
in the day. ‘Someone’s gorra pay for them nice new tables and I don’t reckon that winder come cheap.’

Caitlin had been unable to suppress a guilty grin. The window overlooked the back yard, not a pretty sight with its dustbins, crumbling wall and the door to the jigger hanging by one hinge and in need of fresh paint. According to James and Mr Porter, a nice net curtain would solve the problem of the view, but Caitlin had discussed it with Dana and they had decided that on this issue they would be firm. ‘
Not
a net curtain, nor a lace one; we want stained glass,’ Caitlin had said firmly, though she was still rather in awe of Mr Porter and guessed that he would try to overrule her. Indeed, both he and James had blustered when they discovered the price of using stained glass on such a large window, but the girls had been determined.

‘A net curtain is an invitation to any customer to lift it up and take a peek,’ Dana had said frostily. ‘As for nailing the curtain to the window frame, that’s downright cheapskate. Folk will think we’ve something to hide.’

James had chuckled. ‘You’ve got a point,’ he had admitted. ‘So go round to Boyle’s, the glass merchants, and choose the cheapest on offer, and tell him I want it fitted right away, else I might change my mind.’

So Dana and Caitlin had gone to the glass merchants and chosen some beautiful stained glass, and Dana told Mr Boyle that if he dared to tell Mr Mortimer he could have had frosted glass for a fraction of the price, she would personally murder him.

Mr Boyle had laughed. ‘I’ve knocked me price down as low as it’ll go, and what you’ve bought is a deal better’n frosted. Don’t you worrit yourself, queen; your
boss’s gettin’ a bargain and he’s well known for likin’ a bargain.’

Now Caitlin raised her brows as James came towards her and repeated her question. ‘James, I asked you if I ought to give Dana a ring; she’s not rung me at all today. It looks as though the furniture people haven’t arrived … but since we’ve closed I might as well go straight home and find out what’s going on for myself.’

‘Oh, but I thought we’d go for a bite to eat first,’ James said hopefully. ‘You and I hardly ever get a chance to be by ourselves. Anyone would think you and Dana were a pair of Siamese twins who could never be torn apart.’

Caitlin gave a breathless little laugh. ‘You keep telling us you’re a businessman, so you should understand that Dana and I aren’t simply friends, but business partners as well,’ she reminded him. A thought struck her and she turned towards him, her eyes widening. ‘Oh, I know what’s happened! I heard the telephone ring earlier, but I was busy with a customer and Jess answered it – it must have been Dana telephoning to say the beds had arrived. I wonder why Jess didn’t tell me? But we really have been rushed off our feet – I expect it went out of her head.’

Agreeing, James opened the door and flinched back as rain blew in. He was already clad in coat and hat and now he unfurled a large umbrella and held it over Caitlin’s head. ‘Off we go, then!’

They locked up and left the building, heads lowered and umbrella held before them, but when James turned to the right Caitlin pulled on his arm. ‘Wherever are you off to? Wentworth Street …’ she pointed, ‘is that way!’

‘As if I didn’t know!’ James said mockingly. ‘But I said I’d take you for a bite to eat.’

‘Well, yes, but I’ll have to go back to the flat first,’ Caitlin insisted. ‘It may not have been Dana on the phone earlier, perhaps she’s still waiting. I really can’t just walk away from her. If only I’d thought, we could have telephoned from the tea room and she could have met us somewhere.’

James gave a dramatic groan, tilted his hat to the back of his Brylcreemed head and pretended to tear his hair. ‘There you go again!’ he said bitterly. ‘If we telephone, or go back to the flat, Dana will take it for granted that she’s coming out with us. Oh, come on, Caitlin, be a sport. We can take Dana out some other time …’ he blinked rainwater out of his eyes and gave Caitlin’s arm a little shake, ‘and next time it will be the Adelphi; how about that for a bribe?’

Caitlin was tempted, but insisted that they should return to the flat. They hurried down the jigger, crossed the slippery cobbles and headed for the metal stair, James telling Caitlin firmly to remain where she was whilst he climbed the flight. ‘If the beds have arrived, I’ll tell her to meet us at Joe Lyons; no point in us hanging around waiting for her,’ he said. ‘And if the beds haven’t arrived, I’ll explain that you and I will get a snack somewhere … and we’ll all go out to dinner at the Adelphi tomorrow, because by then I’ll have some news to impart.’

‘That sounds exciting …’ Caitlin began, but found she was addressing empty air; James was already halfway up the staircase.

She saw him raise his hand to knock, hesitate, then press the bell. He waited a few seconds, then came down,
a frown on his brow. ‘She’s gone out,’ he said in a rather aggrieved tone. ‘Did she have any plans once the beds had arrived? But she’s definitely not in. There were no lights on, so far as I could see, and the door’s locked.’

Caitlin thought carefully. ‘She’s been meaning to go back to the Willows to have a chat to the girls we knew when we worked there,’ she said. ‘We’ll be needing extra staff once the conversion is complete and Dana thought it would be nice to employ people we already know. I wonder if she went there?’

James took her arm once more. ‘No point in wondering; we might as well grab ourselves a bite to eat. I’m sure we’ll find there’s some logical explanation.’ They left the yard and were heading back up the jigger when a voice hailed them.

‘Miss, miss? My dear, you’ll be wonderin’ what’s happened to your pal.’

Caitlin swung round. A little fat woman in a stained floral overall was waddling after them, and when they stopped she panted up beside them, casting a nervous glance at James before turning to Caitlin. Caitlin recognised her as a neighbour who had watched with interest on the previous day as she and Dana had carried a kitchen chair each across the yard and up the metal stair. She had introduced herself and offered help, but the girls had assured her that they could manage and had noted with amusement that she had withdrawn only as far as her own yard, whence she could watch proceedings without appearing to do so.