Julia Blake Short Cozy Mysteries - Box Set 1 by Gillian Larkin

Author:Gillian Larkin [Larkin, Gillian]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: UNKNOWN
Published: 2016-05-07T06:00:00+00:00

Chapter 2

Julia's nose wrinkled and her stomach heaved as she walked through the doors of The King's Head pub. There was an unsavoury mix of aromas wafting her way. A mix of stale beer and sweat. She also caught a whiff of cigarette smoke. She looked over at Cain and said, “Are people allowed to smoke in here?”

Cain shrugged. “People can do pretty much what they want in here. You should have seen the state of some of the customers last night. I've never seen so many tattoos and beefy arms, and that was just the women.”

“About time!” A voice yelled out. “We'll be opening soon and this place is a mess. You'd better get to work straightaway.”

The owner of the voice was a large-set man who was standing behind the bar. As Julia and Cain walked closer, she noticed how pale and tired he looked. She smiled at him and said, “Are you Vince?”

Vince snorted in reply. “Of course I am! I haven't got time for chatting. Can you just get on with it? All the tables need clearing, and the bottles can go in these large buckets behind me. And then the buckets go in the cellar.”

“Just a minute,” Julia said, “we’re not clearing your tables. And we’re not going into your cellar. We’re here to do some light cleaning work and that's all.”

Vince nodded his big head in Cain's direction and said, “It was part of the deal we made last night. You know full well about the deal, Cain. And you know full well what will happen if you don’t do as I say.”

Anger flared up in Julia. “I won't have you talking to my colleague like that! You're lucky we’re here at all!” She was about to give Vince a piece of her mind about the state of his pub but Cain interrupted her.

“It's okay, Julia. I'll sort the bottles out. It won't take long. And then I'll help you clean the rest of the pub.”

Vince folded his thick tattooed arms and added, “And don't forget the vacuuming, and the polishing of the pictures, and the cleaning of the toilets. That's all part of the deal. You might as well get used to this seeing as you're going to be here every morning.”

“Every morning?” Julia was aware of the squeak in her voice.

Cain said, “Oh, did I forget to mention that?” He quickly looked away from her. “Vince, I'll get on with the clearing of the tables now.” Cain shot around to the other side of the bar, grabbed a large bucket and ran over to the nearest table.

Vince’s mouth lifted at one side as he watched Cain get to work. “He knows what's good for him.” He shifted his gaze towards Julia and said, “Well? What are you waiting for?”

Julia knew she’d just have to make the best of this. She’d be having strong words with her dad later.

She headed towards the nearest table which Cain had just cleared of bottles. She gingerly put a finger on the surface of the table and grimaced as she touched something sticky.

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