Page 93 of Blow Down (The Plumber's Mate)
All right, he could have been telling the truth, but I know what my money was on.
“Anyhow,” I went on, “I need to get the van back, don’t I?”
Seeing as Vi had already seen me in all my bruised, red-eyed glory, we weren’t relying on the element of surprise today. Phil had called her and asked if it was okay to come round to the Majors’ farmhouse to see her.
Apparently there had been a telling hesitation at that point, which suggested she’d spent the night at Lance’s place. Interesting. And depressing. I didn’t want it to be those two, but it was looking more and more likely.
She’d agreed we could go round at eleven. I was totally fine about it until we actually got there, and then it hit me. I could have died here. Right over there, by that tub with a shrub in it that needed pruning. I took a deep breath.
“Sure you’re okay?” Phil asked again.
I flashed him a smile. “I’ll live.”
Phil’s expression was grim. As if, say, he was brooding on how close that’d come to being a lie. “Come on then, let’s do this. But if Frith is in there too, we don’t turn our backs on anyone, you got that?”
I nodded. No way on this earth would I have let him go in there on his tod.
We knocked.
Vi opened the door to us dressed in bright red, which seemed in poor taste. Then again, maybe she was trying to lift her spirits. She certainly looked like she needed cheering up. “Come in. This is all so horrible. Daddy’s still locked up like some kind of criminal, although they must know he couldn’t have done it.”
She sounded like she was trying to convince herself. Then again, maybe she was just hoping nobody else would be convinced?
“Is Lance here?” I asked bluntly as we wiped our feet and walked on in. The wooden floor in the hallway was looking a bit sad from its soaking a couple of days ago, and I could see the water marks stretched into the living room.
She blushed. “No. Why would he be here?”
“Just checking.” Still hoarse. Okay, so my throat wasn’t that much better.
“Nobody’s here but me. And now you two.” She gave me a look. “Oh, for God’s sake. You can’t possibly think I’m a danger to a couple of strapping men.”
I was touched she’d included me in the strapping category.
“You don’t seriously think I tried to kill you?” Vi went on. “I brought you flowers.”
“Yeah. Cheers, love.”
She frowned at me. “Should you be speaking so much? You still don’t sound very good.”
“Miss Majors,” Phil interrupted. “Can I ask you about your relationship with Lance Frith?”
“What relationship?” she snapped back way too fast to be convincing.
I cleared my throat. Ow. “Gonna take another look at the plumbing.”
Phil glared at me. “Not on your own.”
I glared back. I was a strapping bloke, all right? Vi said so. Then I sighed. “Fine.”
We all trooped into the utility room. It was looking a lot drier than the last time I’d seen it, although there was still a pile of wet towels on the floor. I guessed Vi had been too busy to catch up on the laundry. “That’s it,” I told Phil, pointing out the offending junction. He had a look; tried to loosen it with his fingers. Failed.
Hey, when I tighten stuff up, it stays tightened.
I hadn’t really expected to see anything that might give us a clue as to who’d done the tampering, and I didn’t. Still, for completeness, I thought I might as well check out the stop valve under the floor. “Catch you up,” I said, as Phil and Vi filed back out towards the living room—Vi first, ’cos Phil’s not daft. “Gonna check by the front door.”
We already knew no one was lurking there.
Phil turned. “Just a mo.” He trotted down the hall and stuck his head in the kitchen and the dining room. “Fine.”
