Page 93 of The Life Daisy Devlin Designed
“Great.” She wasn’t sure what else she was meant to say. “It’ll probably turn up, Matt.”
“Yeah.” He sighed. “To be honest, between all the Deuxmoi stuff and now Kayley’s things going missing, Todd says she’s starting to feel paranoid.”
Daisy wasn’t sure what Matt expected her to say.
“It’s not the first thing that’s gone missing,” Matt was saying, now. “Alec made some wisecrack about there being a poltergeist, but I wouldn’t put anything past him.”
Daisy wished that she could rush to Alec’s defence, but the truth was she didn’t quite trust him either. “Things tend to get misplaced during a renovation, Matt. I wouldn’t worry.”
“Yeah, maybe.” Matt sounded unconvinced. “One other thing. I’ve asked Kenny about it, but the guy’s pretty difficult.”
Daisy massaged her forehead. “Go on.”
“Some of Kenny’s workmen must be using the guest wing, which is a no-go area right now.”
“How do you mean?” Daisy frowned.
“Kayley found peanut butter on the floor, and she doesn’t touch the stuff.”
Daisy remembered the mouse she’d seen. Didn’t they love peanut butter? She took a deep breath.
“Matt, people have been in and out of every part of the house since Kayley arrived. Just clean it up. Oh, and get a few traps down – you could have mice, which is normal during building work.”
“I’ll handle it.” Matt sounded exasperated.
After Daisy hung up, she looked over at Fionn. “Do you believe in poltergeists?”
He flicked his hair across his forehead. “Is this about Kayley Lynch?”
“How did you know?”
“Because it’s on her Instagram reel.” He picked up his iPhone, selected something and handed the phone to Daisy. “Take a look.”
Kayley was standing in the driveway in the front of Granary House, her long, blonde hair tied up in a high ponytail.
“Hey, ya’ll,” she began, “So as ya’ll know, I’m here in Ireland right now, where I’ll be finishing up my Europe tour. And I’m staying in this big old house in Wicklow, in the Irish countryside.” The camera angle turned as she panned across the front of the house, before she turned it back to her. “So, I think what I appreciate so much about this house is its energy, which has been great for me and the band as we compose some new stuff. The only negative is that some of my energy and creativity is being challenged ’cos the house is being renovated. And some of my things have even been misplaced.”Kayley sighedand chewed a corner of her lip. “I just have to trust that the house finds a way to return them.”
The video ended and Daisy handed Fionn back his phone. “I can’t tell if she really believes all that, or if it’s her way of saying she thinks somebody is stealing from her.”
Fionn shrugged. “Honestly, I don’t know either. I can’t really get a vibe off somebody I haven’t met.”
Daisy sighed, and wrote a quick WhatsApp to Kenny.Hi Kenny, just beentalking to Matt. Have you noticed a lot of things going missing at GH?No, that looked wrong. She deleted the message and rang him instead.
“Is he accusing you of stealing rocks?” Kenny sounded incredulous.
“No, of course not!” Daisy said hastily. “Look, Kenny, you know if a client has a problem I’ll always say it. Just so we’re all on the same page.”
“And how is it his problem?” Kenny huffed. “I’ll mention it to the lads, but Kayley Lynch is stone mad, no pun intended, and yer man’s just as bad.”
“Um, yeah.” Should she mention Alec? No, Kenny knew she had her suspicions, and she knew Kenny was watching him too. It was enough.
“Anyway,” Kenny added, “That one should be looking a bit closer at her own crowd. Mad feckers, the lot of them.”
“You’re probably right,” Daisy admitted. After she hung up, she looked over at Fionn. “I’m going out, do you want anything?”
“I’m good, thanks.”
He smiled, and Daisy wished for the hundredth time that they could keep him on after he finished college.
