The Associate: A Shanna Regan Mystery by Goldman Victoria

Author:Goldman, Victoria [Goldman, Victoria]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781739695422
Amazon: B0C6Y4D7Y1
Goodreads: 171794168
Publisher: Three Crowns Publishing UK
Published: 2023-07-25T07:00:00+00:00

I’m surprised the restaurant didn’t sue the Jewish Observer for printing this – unless they couldn’t prove Louisa was wrong – but maybe they were one of the other complainants. Yet again, Louisa has made an error. Speaking to the manager means someone would have been able to identify her, although Grant did mention she usually wore a disguise. Those wigs I found in her wardrobe… Is that what they were for?

The empty table next to me looks spotless, and the one after that too. I take another mouthful of the main course and confirm that it still tastes delicious. Then I call over a waitress with ‘Mae’ printed on her name badge. She’s been cleaning the tables with a grey cloth and spray bottle.

I explain that a friend recommended this restaurant to me. ‘Did you used to have a children’s play area back there?’ I point to the section behind me. ‘Unless I’m in the wrong place.’

‘Right place.’ Mae gives me a toothy grin as she picks up my plate and cutlery. ‘But we had a refit after the last manager left.’

‘What happened to them?’

‘Bit of a … a falling out.’ She glances at the till where a woman sits twirling her long, black hair, then leans forward and points to something on the menu as if she’s giving me advice. ‘Bad publicity. A customer wasn’t happy.’

As Mae wanders back to the kitchen, I search online for news about the restaurant. A local newspaper article mentions that Nina Crouch, the restaurant manager, was sacked a month after Louisa’s article was published. Then I visit the TripAdvisor website. Judging by the critical comments, Louisa wasn’t alone in her thinking, as three people have cited her article to back up their own statements.

I return to Louisa’s original article on the Jewish Observer website. There are two comments.

The first one: Bitch made me lose my job.

No name attached, but I assume it’s Nina Crouch. Does she live in the local area?

The second: This column should be shut down. EG is a great place for Jewish families to live, work and play. I love it here.

Also no name. Written by one of the locals, I guess, only a couple of months ago.

Could someone have worked out the identity of this covert correspondent and given Louisa hassle or even threatened her in person? And then there’s that threatening email Grant received. Maybe my suspicions are correct, and her disappearance is linked to this critique of Emberley Green.

Everyone has told me that Louisa is reserved, caring, focused on her job and a diligent worker. Yet this column puts her firmly in the limelight, even though it’s under a false name.

You certainly wouldn’t know she was the correspondent, as the articles are so critical – spiteful, even. Yet how much of the real Louisa is in them? Maybe this is everything she wants to say in her real life but can’t, using her article as a sounding board.

Was she secretly getting back at someone … or somewhere?

I open her exercise book and flick through the pages.

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