Page 42 of Six Steps to Happiness
Willow shook her head. “Typical,” she mouthed.
“Well then. Let me get rid of that…” Nick said.
Ronnie could almost hear the man’s smile.
“While you grab your coat.”
Footsteps sounded down next door’s garden path, followed by a swishing of plastic as Nick threw something into their wheelie bin. As the bin lid dropped shut, he made his way back inside, before number eight’s door closed shut again.
“Sounds like someone still thinks the house is haunted,” Willow said.
“It does, indeed,” Ronnie replied, pensive.
Ronnie had put all thoughts ofOperation Poltergeistto the back of her mind of late; continuing seemed too risky. But having just heard Nick and Gaye’s littletête-à-tête, she suddenly found herself excited to get it going again. Ronnie smiled at her daughter. “About that dog walk?”
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“Make sure you look after him,” Ronnie called out to Willow.
“I will,” her daughter replied. “And don’t forget, I’m bringing Grandmother back too.”
With an envelope on the cards, how could Ronnie forget?
Ronnie watched Willow drive off, with Charlie safely ensconced on the back seat. Observing them until they disappeared from view, Ronnie stepped back inside the house, closed the front door and locked it. A steeliness came over her as she headed straight upstairs. If she’d meant business before, that was nothing to how she felt in that moment.
Thanks to Mrs Wright, Ronnie had been in two minds as to whether she should carry on withOperation Poltergeist, an indecision made worse following Mr Wright’s visit. From that point on it felt too chancy, what with a harassment warning hanging over Ronnie’s head. Hearing Nick and Gaye’s conversation though, made Ronnie more determined than ever to see it through. Nick was her ex-husband, for goodness sake, she shouldn’t have to listen to him sucking up to his new woman. She shouldn’t have to listen to them at all.
Ronnie frowned as she recalled Nick’s tone. The concern he’d shown for Gaye.The man hadn’t even considered the possibility that his wife and daughter might be on the other side of the fence. Then again, Ronnie supposed,consideratewasn’t exactly in an adulterer’s nature. She scoffed. She’d show not only him, but everyone.
It was as ifOperation Poltergeisthad taken on a whole new meaning. As far as Ronnie was concerned, her antics were no longer solely about getting Nick and Gaye to move. They represented payback not only for herself, but for spurned wives, husbands and partners everywhere. They were retribution for the Mrs Wrights on the planet and all the victims who fell prey to the likes of that poor woman’s husband. In the world of adultery, Ronnie was a superhero.
Entering her bedroom, she donned her paper forensic suit, new socks and hairnet, before grabbing the stepladder from under her bed. Making her way into the loft, she felt remarkably relaxed as she took out the bricks in the dividing wall. As she crawled into next door, she knew not to take any unnecessary risks and, therefore, limited her plans to the back of the house where she could work unseen. She smiled before climbing down onto Gaye’s landing, heading straight for the kitchen.
Unlike on previous occasions when Ronnie had ventured into number eight, her heart wasn’t racing. As she opened the cupboard doors, there was no breaking into a sweat or any sense of panic, just a cool, calm and collected knowledge that she had a lot to do and had to work quickly.
She took in the shelves of neatly stored crockery and, beginning with the cups, with each handle pointing to the right, Ronnie set about redirecting them, so everything pointed to the left. Next came the plates, side plates and bowls, stacked in that exact order. Ronnie happily swapped them around, so the plates sat to the top of the ensemble and the bowls changed to the bottom. Pan handles were also repositioned from right to left and tins of food were flipped upside down. And turning her attention to the kitchen drawers, knives, forks and spoons became spoons, forks and knives, and rolled up tea towels were refolded into neat, flat squares. Ronnie chuckled. For someone like Gaye, with her need for precision, Ronnie’s handiwork was going to be a nightmare.
Ensuring all cupboard doors and drawer fronts were closed, exactly as she had found them, Ronnie wondered if Nick and Gaye were enjoying their lunch.Probably not, she thought, feeling smug. Gaye would be too busy worrying about what she might get home to, leaving Nick no choice but to keep reassuring her. Ronnie imagined Gaye pushing a leafy salad or piece of salmon around her plate, her stomach in too much turmoil to let her eat anything, while Nick, a man who loved his food, picked at his fare, in a resentful show of solidarity.
Ronnie smiled as she left the room, her work for the day over. Making her way upstairs and back into number six, she couldn’t wait for Nick and Gaye to get home so she could enjoy the spoils of her labour. Ronnie sniggered as she pictured the scene. Their response was going to be fantastic.
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Ronnie checked the shepherd’s pie in the oven. She hoped Willow and Bea were hungry as she’d made enough to feed an army. Something Charlie would, no doubt, be pleased about; that meant more leftovers for him.
Staring in at the crispy mashed potato topping, Ronnie was surprised she’d managed to put a meal together at all. After her trip into next door, she’d had to reply to a couple of surprising e-mails; potential customers requesting bespoke handbags for various upmarket events. It seemed the mother-of-the-bride was so pleased with her velvet clutch she’d been recommending Ronnie’s services to friends in the market for a new bag. Ronnie smiled. For the first time in a while, life seemed to be on the up.
The front door opened and Charlie bounded in and down the hall. Ronnie welcomed his attention; he might only have been gone a couple of hours or so, but it was safe to say she’d missed him. “Did you have a good time, boy?” Crouching down to welcome him home, she found herself forced to dodge his wet sloppy kisses.
“Did he?” Willow replied, dropping Charlie’s lead on the stairs. “That dog does have some energy.”
She and Bea made their way into the kitchen, where Ronnie greeted them with a hug.
“Something smells good,” Bea said, hanging her coat on the back of a chair.
Ronnie pulled a bottle of wine from the fridge while Charlie headed for his water bowl. Willow and Bea took a seat at the table.
“It’s nothing exciting,” Ronnie said of their dinner. “But it’ll certainly fill the gap.”
