Birds Of A Feather Episode 22
Jess looked up and smiled as the door of the tea room opened and Rob came in.
She was pleased when he sat down with her. Still shaken after her encounter with Frank, she needed some distraction.
Although she’d ordered cake, as soon as Vanessa set it down in front of her she realised she wasn’t hungry at all.
“How’s it going?” Jess asked him. “Are you comfortable in your unit?”
“I certainly am,” Rob said with a grin. “Far more comfortable than the flat I’m renting in Glastonbury, to be honest.”
“Not up to much?”
He shrugged.
“It’ll do for now.”
“So where were you before?”
Again, he shrugged.
“Here and there,” he said vaguely. “I never really found a place I wanted to stay in for very long. Until now.”
She raised her coffee cup.
“Then here’s to a long and successful stay at Folly Farm. I love working here.”
Rob raised his cup in return.
“I’ll second that. But I’m surprised you work up here. That room with the lovely lantern window would make a perfect studio.”
“It does. I use it for painting, but I’m more comfortable working on my jewellery up here, plus it’s where I keep the majority of my tools.
“It also means I get to see people during the day. And have coffee with them, which is nice.”
Suddenly the door opened with a crash and Lisa came in.
“That awful man!” she exclaimed. “He almost ran me off the road. I had to jump off my bike to get out of his way.”
“Which man?” Jess asked.
“I don’t know his name. But he used to come in the pub a lot. He and Steven were always cooking up one dodgy scheme or another.
“He used to give me the creeps. I thought he’d moved on when Steven went to jail.”
Jess had a sudden thought.
“What sort of car was he driving?”
“One of those great big black four by fours.”
“That sounds like Kevin Brigstocke. He’s the man who’s moved into Billington Grange.”
“And you say he was involved with the pub landlord who went to jail?” Rob asked Lisa.
“Yes. I didn’t like him at all. He was one of the reasons I left the pub.”
He looked as if he had more questions, but before he could Paloma came in, face ashen.
“I called on Daphne Heston-Plucknett and we were just talking when Geoffrey collapsed.”
“Is he OK?” Jess asked.
Paloma shook her head.
“I don’t know. The paramedics are with him now.”
There was the screech of a chair being scraped back with such force that it toppled over as Rob hurried out without a word.
Rob drove as fast as he dared down the narrow high street.
The ambulance was still outside the Old Post Office when he got there.
Daphne was standing beside her car, her face white.
She was obviously getting ready to follow the ambulance to the hospital, but she was in no condition to drive anywhere.
He pulled up beside her, opened the passenger door and leaned across.
“Get in,” he demanded.
She stared at him. For a second she didn’t recognise him.
“You!” she exclaimed. “How dare you? This is all your fault.”
“This is no time for the blame game,” he said sharply. “Get in the van, Mother.”
Her face contorted with rage.
“Don’t you dare call me Mother. You’re no son of mine.
“What sort of son would be prepared to stand up in court and brand his father as a crook?
“Your father’s just had a heart attack and it’s touch and go whether he’ll survive. It’s all your fault!”