Turning the Tide by Christine Stovell

Author:Christine Stovell [Stovell, Christine]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3, mobi
Tags: Romance, General, Family Life, Fiction
ISBN: 9781906931254
Google: Hrdg_gvl3swC
Amazon: 1906931259
Publisher: Choc Lit
Published: 2012-03-27T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seventeen

Harry walked back to the boat yard wondering which of them had been most surprised. Trevor had always been a bit soppy about the dogs, but she’d never imagined him as a father. He’d never so much as hinted that he had a daughter. People had all kinds of reasons for keeping secrets; perhaps it was too painful for Trevor to discuss?

On the other hand, she had the distinct impression that Trevor’s daughter was a plucky little soul who wasn’t prepared to fade into the background any longer. Perhaps this was yet another new beginning for them all? Harry smiled to herself; a little later she’d phone Frankie and Trevor to ask how they were coping with their unexpected guest; but she had the feeling that, once they’d all got over their initial shock, they’d be fine.

Turning back down the lane towards the boat yard, Harry stopped smiling at the sight of a police car speeding out of Watling’s. As it hurtled past as fast as the bumpy road would allow, she caught a glimpse of Johnny MacManus’s dazed face staring blankly out at her.

Breaking into a run, she cantered into the yard and found a stricken George standing next to Johnny’s abandoned boat.

‘George, whatever’s happened?’

He wrung his hands. ‘They’ve only gone and taken him away, that’s what.’

‘But why?’

‘Attempted arson. The empty petrol can ’e used was in the cockpit.’

‘Well, that’s no proof. He might have been using it to top up an outboard. Johnny’s too drunk to know whether he’s coming or going. He only moves when he’s run out of lager. What on earth must have got into his head for him to try to burn down the restaurant?’

George made a choking sound. Harry had never believed he cared much for Johnny, but the pair of them must have been closer than she’d thought.

‘That’s not all,’ he added. ‘He managed to find ’is way to Mr Corrigan’s house and deliver a letter from the Little Spitmarsh Liberation Front claiming responsibility.’

Harry shook her head; who would have thought that Little Spitmarsh would produce its own extremist organisation? ‘Gosh! You mean it really does exist? In that case there must be some Mr Big behind all this.’

‘Not quite,’ said George. ‘There ain’t no Little Spitmarsh Liberation Front. The stupid bugger invented them to scare Mr Corrigan.’

‘But that’s dreadful! Poor Johnny! The booze must have finally taken its toll for him to start showing these signs of paranoia.’

George stood with his head bent, staring at the ground, clearly too upset to speak. Harry still wasn’t convinced that there wasn’t some underlying illness making him look so strained; she’d have to find out what was bothering him.

‘Come on, George.’ Harry patted him on the arm. ‘Don’t distress yourself. One way or another, Johnny is ill. Hopefully he’ll get the treatment he needs – he must have been a desperate man to have got to this stage.’

Harry’s fleeting party mood had been chased away by deeper concerns, so she headed back to her house to change.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.