Birds Of A Feather Episode 45
Paloma tore up the note she’d just written and tossed it into the bin along with the other drafts.
She looked around the living-room of the flat, but this time the graceful lines and wonderful view failed to soothe her.
Instead, it served to emphasise what she was about to walk away from.
Except, of course, she was running away. From this lovely room. The farmhouse. Finn. And it was breaking her heart.
Yet there was no way she could stay. Will, of course, would be relieved. After all, he’d said it had been a mistake, hadn’t he?
How could she have been so stupid? How could she have messed up everything by falling in love with a man who could never love her?
She picked up her pen and dashed off the note. Short and to the point.
Before she could change her mind, she hurried across the yard and pushed it through the farmhouse’s letter-box.
Jess called Ben’s number and left a message.
“Ben, I don’t know what you thought you saw, but I had a good reason for seeing Rob. It’s about Kevin Brigstocke.
“I know what he’s up to. And there’s something else you need to know. It’s . . .”
She hesitated, unwilling to mention her suspicions about Harry on the phone. Or about Alice’s death.
“It’s really important,” she said instead. “Call me as soon as you get this.”
But Ben didn’t call her back. Instead, less than half an hour after driving off, he was back.
As his car drew up outside, Jess saw Elsie’s curtains twitch.
“Come in,” she said, “before your grandmother topples out of the window.”
For once he didn’t smile at Elsie’s antics.
“So what’s so urgent?” he asked. “I take it from the message you left that this is not a social call?”
“Well, no.” Jess looked up at him, wishing his eyes would soften and that he would give her that familiar smile.
“You said something about Kevin Brigstocke,” he prompted.
She started to tell him what she’d overheard, but hadn’t got very far when he stopped her and asked the same question Rob had.
“Where were you when this conversation went on?” he asked.
Jess could feel her face burning.
“I was on the other side of the hedge. They didn’t know I was there.
“Oh, Ben, I know you thought a lot of him, but the man he was talking to was –”
“Harry Manvers. I know. Harry’s working undercover for us.
“You could so easily have blown everything with your foolish actions. You could have put him in danger.”
“Harry’s working undercover?” Relief surged through Jess. “Thank goodness! I couldn’t bear the thought of him being a crook.
“So you know about the shipment that’s due tomorrow at eight o’clock?”
Ben nodded.
“We’ve been watching Kevin Brigstocke for some time and are sure he’s using Heston Building Supplies as a cover for smuggling illegal tobacco and alcohol into the country.”
Jess nodded.
“That’s the story Alice was following. And I heard Brigstocke say how she’d got too close to him and hadn’t lived to tell the tale.
“It sounds like her death wasn’t an accident, and that Brigstocke forced her off the road.”
“Who’s Alice?”
“She was Rob’s girlfriend. That’s the man you saw leaving before.
“She was on her way to interview Geoffrey Heston-Plucknett when her car left the road and she was killed.”
“Oh, the journalist. I remember now. How is Geoffrey? Have you heard?”
Jess nodded.
“Rob said he’d come round,” she told him. “He’s not out of the woods, though.”
Ben frowned.
“How would Rob know?”
“Because . . .” Jess hesitated. There was no point concealing Rob’s identity any longer. “He’s Daphne and Geoffrey’s son.”
“Then he’ll probably be relieved to know that our investigations have shown that Geoffrey was a victim of Brigstocke and not a partner. An ex-employee told us everything.”
“I’m sure that’ll come as a relief,” Jess replied. “And what about Sam Weston and the stolen cattle?”
“I was going to tell you about that. I did some digging around and found a witness who saw the man who let the cattle out.
“He’s been identified as one of Brigstocke’s men, no doubt acting on Brigstocke’s orders.”
“But why would he do that?” Jess wondered.
“To get at Sam Weston, I suppose.
“According to Weston, he’d worked for Brigstocke before, which was how he ended up in prison in the first place.
“Brigstocke wanted him to work for him again, but Sam said no.
“The nonsense with the cattle was just a vindictive action aimed at making things bad for Weston.”
“And you nearly fell for it,” Jess remarked quietly.
Ben looked at her, his clear eyes steady.
“No, Jess, I didn’t fall for it. I checked out both sides of the story. Because that is what I do. In spite of what you may think.”
“I don’t think that,” she said. “I’m sorry, Ben. I behaved like an idiot.”
“You were protecting your family,” Ben replied quietly.
“I get that. My grandmother’s as mad as a box of frogs, but I won’t see anyone hurt her.”
“What a thing to say about Elsie.” Jess laughed. “But the Ryans aren’t really my family, Ben. Maggie and Tom are. The Ryans don’t want to know me.”
There was a long pause.
“I’m sorry, Jess,” he said eventually, and as she looked into his eyes, she could see that he meant it.
“I believe you,” she whispered. “And I think –”
She didn’t get any further as Ben pulled her into his arms and kissed her.
Suddenly her world, which had been so out of kilter, righted itself.
She was back where she belonged.
A few minutes later, Ben’s phone rang and she stood back to let him answer it.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I’ve got to go.”
As she opened the door to let him out, he turned back and kissed her again.
“Will I see you later?” he asked. “We still haven’t had that drink.”
“I’d like that,” she said as she let him go.
She looked across to see Elsie making no attempt to hide behind the curtain. She gave Jess a thumbs-up from the open window.
Jess beamed back.
“I decided to take your advice, Elsie,” she said. “If, of course, he’ll have me.”
“He’d be a fool not to,” Elsie replied with a sniff.