Page 40 of An Angel's Share
She sighs. “I know what Patrick is. I also know the state of play.”
“Good, you know I want to revitalise the coffee shop. Well, now I have a plan, and I would like your help in getting it going. I want to continue the theme we have for the whiskey. Knowing where everything comes from, keeping it local, being able to talk about the food on the plate with confidence of provenance. Using our local partners. I wantO’Clerysto be a global linchpin for the area. Bring the people in. But not just to us, for all this.” I spread my arms around the coffee shop and the town outside. “We live in a beautiful area. I want to be able to continue to do so. I want this baby to live here, your babies to live here, their babies to live here.”
Tears have started to form in my eyes, and her hands come across the table to pick up mine. I love Killclery, this whole little corner of Ireland.
“I want that too, Rua. I love it at Killclery. My kids love it there, too. And as much as he huffs about it all, Patrick loves it as well. What do you need?”
I set out my vision for her to run things using the skills she has—her experience as Patrick’s assistant for years, her relationships around the area, her local knowledge. She looks stunned. I tell her about Jonno’s sister and the fact he’s gone to fetch her. She scowls slightly at that but doesn’t interrupt me.
Finally, I sit back and ask the dreaded question. “Well, what do you think?”
“I’m not sure I’m up to it, Aoife. Fair enough I do run the house, and thank you for noticing, but the day to dayrunning of a coffee shop? What if Patrick needs me to come into the office? What if the kids are ill?”
She’s adding roadblocks in. “We can use the existing staff. And to be fair, the chef can organise most of the food. We can decide on a menu that suits us all. It’s just a general manager you need to be, giving it a vision, setting the standards. And besides, Patrick has an office assistant, doesn’t he? She took your job. And if the kids are sick, surely your mother can help out. She spends as much time at our house as her own. I’m getting a nanny, or certainly help, as I’m going back to work.”
As she continues to mull it over, I order myself more coffee—I’m driving home—and Christy a prosecco and cake.
“I remember the time you organised the whole school meals. You loved it. Your organisational skills were legendary, Christy. As much as the kids are not grown, they are at school. We can work around them, we just need good people.”
She nods and sips her drink. “If you think I’m up to it, I’m happy to give it a try. Not sure how you intend to talk the house chef into it, though. He’s complaining he’s too busy now.”
“Let me worry about him. I just need to know if you’re on board and we can talk logistics later. When Evie comes, we might have a bit of building work, but I’ll know how much when she does the plans.”
“Is Marcus Russell coming?” She lowers her voice to a whisper when she says his full name, looking furtively around us. I’m not sure if it’s in reverence or trying to keep it under wraps we know them.
“No, they’ve gone to LA. When I spoke to James, he was telling Jonno how bad they were. Begging Jonno to go fetchEvie.” She pulls that face again. “What gives, Christy? That’s twice you’ve pulled a face when I’ve said that.”
“Well, I don’t think that’s the only reason why he’s gone to fetch her, that’s all. You know they’re still trying to find the thief? Well, I heard Marshall telling your dad that Jonno had to call in somewhere to check things out. They think they’re getting near to whoever it is.” Her voice is low, her eyes flicking around the room. She couldn’t look more conspicuous if she tried.
I sit back, completely gobsmacked. A fucking thief. Really? AtO’Clerys? My mind is reeling. He’s not mentioned that.
I try to keep my face as neutral as possible to not alert her to the fact I did not know. “How do you know about the thief?” I ask in a tone that deflects my lack of knowledge.
“Last year, when Jonno came over, I heard him talking to your dad in the small library. I didn’t mean to overhear, but there’s a toilet in there and I was in it when they came in. I didn’t want to go out, so I stayed, and listened.” She looks ashamed of herself.
“Did you tell anyone what you heard? Patrick?” My brain is spinning off in tangents, my cogs whirring at warp speed.
She shakes her head. “No. I know you might think that’s a lie, but it isn’t. If there’s one thing I’ve learned since I joined this family, it is not to repeat things other family members say. I’m only telling you as it was your daddy who was talking, and I know you’ll know. He shares all his business issues with you.”
I nod at her. “Yes, he mentioned it last year before I came home. But he hasn’t recently, so I thought things had sorted themselves out a bit. I know Marshall and Daddy don’t want any dirty laundry washing in public.” I’m a genius at the nonanswers, and the fibs.
“Yes, but I don’t think it is sorted. The numbers, according to Jonno, are worse than last year. Whoever it is has ramped up the thefts. I hope they catch them. Your dad is not taking it well. I think he got worse this year because of it. Well that and the business going south. None of it would be helping your blood pressure or heart.” She stops, taking a drink of her prosecco. “Even Patrick is starting to fret. This development he’s invested in with Liam in Dublin is due for full and final payment in a few weeks. We need a good dividend from the company to pay for it.”
The hackles on the back of my neck rise, but I keep it cool. “Oh wow, that sounds exciting. Which development is it? Not the riverside ones? They’re amazing.” My voice does not belay my shock or anguish.
She nods proudly. “Patrick showed them to me when we went for dinner for our anniversary. He was so excited. It’s the first time he’s invested outside of the company. It’s on his own, not his dad or Conor involved, none of the family. He showed me around. The apartments are ridiculously well done, all high end. They own a whole building, thirty apartments. I’m so proud of him. Finally something is working out for him.” She glows under Patrick’s achievements.
Oh my god. This cannot be happening. How the hell has Liam afforded that? And in all fairness, how has Patrick? There must be millions of Euros in that building. We are rich, sure, but as a family, we are uber rich. Not individually. And there is no way Patrick has taken enough money out of the company to cover those costs.
“Do you think you’ll have an apartment there? City apartment, you are so city, Christy,” I joke with her, trying to maintain my charade.
She shakes her head. “No, they'll all be rented. We talkedabout it. It would be nice to have a city bolt-hole. To go shopping and party a bit. But as we haven’t got any loans on it, it’s all savings and Patrick’s wages. We need to replenish our monies. I told Patrick to get a business loan, but he didn’t want to. He said Liam wasn’t, so he didn’t want to show he was worse off. Which is why this bonus he thinks is coming is so important.”
Bonus. A fucking bonus. They are delusional. We are not even making a profit, how can he be expecting a bonus to cover that sort of cost?
And then it hits me. Jesus Christ. Patrick is the thief. Oh my god, my cousin is the thief. No wonder Jonno has not said. He thinks it’s him. My brain has spun off into overheard conversations, ones where Jonno has been conversationally questioning them. Everyone in fact, including Liam and Patrick.
I stop dead.Oh my God. He’s been doing it to me as well. Entirely focused on the business, all the questions, his attentiveness to my answers. Question after question. Gentle probing, joking, carefully working his way in. The bastard thinks it’s all of us.
