The Gift of Cockleberry Bay by Nicola May

Author:Nicola May [May, Nicola]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction
Publisher: Nicola May
Published: 2020-04-01T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 29

Hot was so exhausted after his walk that within ten seconds of eating his dinner, he was flat-out under his favourite smelly blanket in the corner of the lounge. Rosa was glad it was a winter Sunday; that meant the shop could remain closed until tomorrow. In the kitchen, she made a cup of tea and checked her watch. At least she had a bit of time before DC Clarke arrived. The trouble with the policeman, Rosa decided, was that there were so few crimes committed in Cockleberry Bay and the surrounding areas that she reckoned he made things up simply so he could pretend he was Hercule Poirot for a day.

Opening the drawer to get a teaspoon, she caught sight of the crumpled envelope that had fallen out of Lucas’s pocket. The words My Lucas were scribbled in black biro on the front, and it had been opened. With curiosity overcoming her scruples, Rosa pulled a typed letter out of the envelope.

Snuggling under the mauve velvet throw on the comfy cream sofa, she took a big slurp from her I love Dachshunds mug, put it on the side table and began to read.

My dear darling second boy,

You will be reading this because I’m not here any more. You will also have found my will, thank goodness. Simple. Just an equal split between you and Tom, and you two can decide what happens to the pub. Me and your dad spent many happy years here, but if you’d rather the cash than the business, I totally understand. Mrs Treborick from the wool shop has taken the cats already. I know how your dear nephew is allergic and your life is way too busy for pets.

I hope that my death was a peaceful one and you didn’t have to watch by my bedside for weeks on end. The diagnosis of my cancer was terminal when I got my first results. People may say that I was selfish not to seek treatment, but my motive was the opposite: to spare you boys from seeing me suffer. My mum, your gran, as you know, died of cancer too. It was the single most horrific thing that I have ever gone through. The truth is, I never got over it. I was always so sad that you two amazing sons of mine never got to meet her as she was taken so young. She wasted away in front of us like a little bird. Her heart and soul were as big as any lion’s, but the wretched disease took hold of her body and eventually killed her.

We loved you, me and your dad, we loved both of you very much. I’d never admit it openly, but I missed him so much after he died. Silly old sod. Despite our bickering there was a love of sorts there. My yin to his yang, or as he used to say, my rottweiler to his puppy dog. Wore his heart on his sleeve, your dad did. I think that’s where you get your soft side from, my boy.

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