The Village Vet (32 page)

‘Actually, I’ve kind of lost my enthusiasm for it,’ I say, so despondent that I forget to ask her who she’s going with.

‘Is there something wrong? Has the venue fallen through or the band backed out?’

‘The arrangements are going ahead as planned,’ I say, ‘there hasn’t been a single glitch so far.’

‘That’s a relief,’ Katie says. ‘I thought from the sound of your voice—’

‘It’s Jack,’ I blurt out. ‘He’s going to the ball with someone else. Can you believe it?’

‘You mean, he hasn’t asked you? Were you expecting him to?’

‘Well, yes, and I’m gutted.’

‘It’s hardly the end of the world. I still don’t understand how you can forgive him for the lies he made up at your wedding. Forget about Jack Miller. He isn’t worth it.’ She pauses before plunging on, ‘You really need to get out more.’

‘What difference will that make?’ I say morosely. ‘I’ll
never
meet anyone who’ll match up to him.’

‘I don’t know why you’re so upset,’ Katie cuts in. ‘It isn’t as if you’ve been going out with him or anything, unless there’s something you haven’t been telling me.’

‘I slept with him,’ I confess, after which there’s a long silence.

‘Are you completely mad?’ Katie says eventually. ‘You said you weren’t going to rush into anything.’

‘I know. I’ve been so stupid.’

‘I didn’t think Jack had it in him,’ Katie breathes. ‘And you? Tessa, what were you thinking?’

That’s the trouble: I wasn’t. I close my eyes, recalling the first touch – like a butterfly – of his lips against mine, his scent of musk, aftershave and coffee, the thudding of my heartbeat and the overwhelming throb of lust.

‘Don’t let this ruin everything,’ Katie goes on. ‘You were just getting back on track.’

‘He’s seeing someone else – he moved her in with him within twenty-four hours of sleeping with me. Well, Jack is the last mistake I ever make. I’m going to take a vow of chastity and become a nun.’ I pause. ‘Hey, Katie, who’s your partner for the ball? Who are you going with?’

‘Ah, I didn’t like to mention it before because I didn’t want to upset you …’

‘Sock it to me,’ I say, twisting the charm on my mobile until it snaps.

‘I’m going with Nathan,’ Katie says quietly.

‘Nathan?’ I don’t understand. First Jack and now Katie. It feels like a double betrayal. A pain cuts through my chest. ‘How could you?’

‘I’m sorry, Tessa, but it just happened. Nathan’s my boyfriend.’

‘You’re really going out with my ex?’ I can’t quite believe it.

‘I can’t see anything wrong in that. As you say, he’s your ex.’

‘You know how he treated me.’

‘Jack might have accused him of cheating on you, but there was never any proof,’ Katie says in a tone of defiance.

‘I know, but isn’t the fact that he left me with all that debt enough to put you off? What on earth do you see in him, a vain, self-obsessed—’

‘I don’t know why you’re being so mean about it,’ Katie interrupts. ‘You took him all the way to the altar before you decided you didn’t want him. I had to pick up the pieces. He had no one else to turn to.’

‘He had Mike. He had lots of other friends,’ I say, exasperated with her. ‘But then he always did have his eye on you, on either your boobs or your bum.’

‘He’s a man. That’s what men do, and to be honest, Tessa, I think you’re jealous.’

‘Far from it,’ I spit. ‘I’m angry – not with Nathan – with you for being so stupid. He’ll only take advantage of you, like he did me.’

‘Well, he can’t make me spend all my money – I haven’t got any,’ Katie says.

‘You have credit cards,’ I point out. ‘I hope you haven’t agreed to pay for anything.’

Katie falls silent, indicating to me that she has.

‘Katie, you idiot.’

‘I knew you’d be like this. Look, I don’t expect you to be happy about it, but I can’t help how I feel about him. He makes me feel—’

‘Special?’ I cut in. ‘That’s how he made me feel, but it was all talk. He soon started making excuses,
spending
more time at the gym or going away for business, so I hardly saw him.’ I pause. ‘How long has it been going on?’

‘Hardly any time at all. A couple of weeks maybe,’ Katie says quickly. ‘And I know you don’t believe me, but I was going to tell you,’ she goes on, sounding hurt. ‘You should have told me about Jack. We used to talk about anything and everything.’

‘I know and I miss that,’ I say, realising that we’ve been as bad as each other. ‘All right, I’m sorry.’

‘So ’m I.’

‘Friends?’

‘Friends,’ she confirms, and we chat for a few more minutes before I take Buster and Tia out for one last walk as dusk is falling, returning Tia to the comfort of her bed, i.e. the sofa, before heading outside for a longer excursion with Buster. It’s hard to explain, but Buster is a more willing confidant than Tia.

‘So, Buster, you know I told you about Jack the other day. I thought it was on, but it turns out that it’s all off.’ The dog looks up and wags his tail as we follow the footpath at the edge of the neighbouring field out towards the lane before returning to the Sanctuary via Longdogs Copse. ‘Jack has a girlfriend – I lucked out.’ Buster starts sniffing around a clump of long grass and cocks his leg. ‘Am I boring you? I suppose I do go on a bit about men, and the absence of eligible males in this part of deepest, darkest Devon.’ I gaze around at the shadowy trees and the glimpse of the fields beyond where sheep are grazing. Why aren’t there as many men as there are sheep around here?

‘I’ll soon be thirty and I still haven’t met Mr Right,’ I continue. ‘You know, I reckon I’m like you, waiting for someone to love and love me back.’

Buster hesitates, diving towards the undergrowth alongside us at the end of his extending lead before stopping and standing stock-still, ears pricked and tail held out stiffly behind him. Seeming spooked, he growls a long slow warning, his hackles rising at the same time, before he utters a short bark.

‘What is it, Buster?’ I say, straining my ears to listen.

He barks again, telling whatever it is that’s rustling about in the bushes to keep away.

‘You silly dog, there’s nothing there.’ I make to drag him away, when I hear a cough. Buster hears it too, bounding towards the source of the sound and barking hysterically until the lead extends no further. ‘Whoever you are,’ I shout out over the sound of my heartbeat, ‘go away! This is private property.’

I’m answered by the cracking of sticks and someone crashing through the bushes away towards the lane, and although I wasn’t going to let myself be intimidated, I turn for home, walking quickly at first, then, when I can contain my fear no longer, running as fast as I can with Buster tearing along beside me. The faster I run, the slower my limbs seem to move and it seems to take an eternity to reach the bungalow. Once inside, I slam the door shut and bolt it top and bottom before closing all the curtains and blinds so no one can see in and, more importantly, I can’t see out. I take the dogs into the living room and call my dad.

‘Call the police while you’re waiting for me,’ he says, his voice filled with concern. ‘I’m on my way.’

‘Dad, there’s no need,’ I say, feeling a little foolish now.

‘Nothing will stop me, dear daughter of mine.’

He turns up at the same time as PC Phillips and they take a walk together through the copse and check the
outbuildings
before returning to have a chat with me, PC Phillips writing everything down in his notebook.

‘There are several sets of footprints, but no sign of anyone loitering in the copse,’ he says.

‘There are bound to be lots of footprints,’ I say, sitting curled up on the end of the sofa with a cushion across my lap and one hand trembling on Buster’s collar. ‘We walk the dogs through there every day.’

‘There are tyre tracks up to the gate into the copse – that’s the one that comes in from the lane.’ PC Phillips pauses. ‘Have you any idea who might be motivated to do something like this, an ex-boyfriend perhaps?’

‘What about Nathan?’ Dad suggests. ‘Does he still bear a grudge?’

‘I’m sure he does, but this isn’t his style and anyway, I know for a fact that he has a new girlfriend. He’s moved on. There is one person though: Frank Maddocks knows that Dolly’s here at the Sanctuary, and he’s aware that I reported him to Jack in the first place. I was there. He threatened me.’

‘You didn’t say anything, Tessa,’ Dad says.

‘He said he knew where I lived, that’s all. Look, he was going to appeal against the way the pony was seized by the police, but he didn’t have the grounds to do it, so maybe he’s planning to steal her back.’

‘I spoke with him a while ago and he doesn’t want his property back,’ says PC Phillips.

‘Jack says it isn’t so much that he doesn’t want the mare. It’s that he hasn’t got the money to claim her.’

PC Phillips frowns, taking what feels like an age to respond. I glance at Dad, who rolls his eyes at me in sympathy. If the police constable’s brain was a laptop, his superiors would have replaced it with a speedier version by now.

‘If he was to take the mare, how on earth would he hide a pony around here?’

‘He could sell her on or move her out of the area,’ I say. ‘I know she doesn’t look all that much, but people would pay a premium for a coloured, weight-carrying cob like her. Okay, they might not be so keen if they got to know her, but if she was trained to ride or drive, she’d be a useful sort, according to Jack. Can’t you go and have a word with him or something?’

‘I’ll have a drive by Frank’s place,’ PC Phillips says, ‘but there isn’t any evidence that he’s been up here tonight. It’s more likely that you disturbed some poachers. Did they have dogs with them?’

‘I couldn’t tell. It was dark and they were lurking somewhere in the bushes.’ I bite my lip, willing myself to recall every detail in case I’ve missed a vital clue. ‘No, I don’t think they had any dogs. If they had, they would have barked when Buster barked.’ I start to doubt myself. ‘Perhaps it was a deer or a fox, after all.’

‘Tessa, I’ve never heard of an animal having a smoker’s cough,’ my dad says. ‘When I arrived, the first thing you mentioned was that you heard a man cough.’

‘Yes, he did. It was a horrible hacking cough.’

‘Well, there’s no proof either way, so I suggest you keep in touch with us, Tessa, and take the usual steps to make sure you stay safe,’ PC Phillips says, tucking his notebook and pen into his breast pocket. ‘In the meantime, if you see or hear anything suspicious, don’t hesitate to call me straight away.’

The incident has unnerved me and although I can’t help wondering if he thinks I’m imagining it, on
balance
I’m pretty certain now that there is someone watching me, or the Sanctuary.

‘I’ll stay for a while, Tessa,’ Dad says when PC Phillips has gone. ‘Or you can come home with me,’ he adds hopefully. ‘Your mum and I miss you, you know, and there’s always a bed made up for you.’

‘You do believe me, don’t you, Dad?’

‘Of course I do. It isn’t something you’d make up.’ He stands up from the sofa and wipes his hands on his soft moleskin jacket. ‘I wish I could get my hands on the little toerags, that’s all.’

‘You think it might be kids?’

‘I wouldn’t be surprised.’

‘Where are you going?’

‘To have one last look around. I’m not going to risk leaving my daughter’s safety to Talyton’s sleeping policeman, am I?’

‘Oh, Dad, that’s funny,’ I say, relaxing for the first time since I took Buster for his walk. ‘A sleeping policeman. Is he really that dozy?’

‘I shouldn’t be at all surprised if he’s driven right past them on the lane.’

I stand up too, reaching out for Dad’s arm. ‘You aren’t going wandering around the copse alone,’ I tell him. I give him a look when he makes to argue with me. ‘It would worry me sick. If they are poachers, they’ll have guns.’

Reluctantly, he sits down again.

‘As you won’t come home, I’m going to stay the night,’ he says. ‘It’s all right. I’ve made my mind up. I’ll kip down on the sofa, if you’ve got a spare duvet or a couple of blankets.’

‘You might end up with Tia,’ I say doubtfully.

‘I’ll be fine,’ he insists, ‘and in the morning, I can go
up
to the copse and check that no one is there. It could have been travellers, I suppose, holidaymakers who couldn’t get into a campsite at the last minute.’

It would be a relief if that was the case, I think, but it seems unlikely.

‘I can give you a hand with the animals before I go home, if you’re on your own again. What’s happened to the volunteers?’

‘Libby’s here whenever she can, while Diane and Wendy do a bit here and there. To be honest, Wendy isn’t much help what with her arthritis and whimsical ideas about what she can and cannot do.’

‘What about Jack? Has he been here today?’

I gaze down at the toes of my boots to hide the blush of shame and hurt that creeps across my face as I think of him.

‘I’d be much happier knowing there was a man about on the premises,’ Dad continues.

‘Jack doesn’t work here as such, Dad. He’s out on the road, or in court acting as a witness for welfare cases, or he’s fighting fires. He really isn’t here that much.’