‘Bloody hell!’ She joined him at the computer. ‘I actually can’t believe it, especially since you hadn’t sold anything for months before I arrived.’
‘I’ll be able to take a wage at this rate.’
‘Don’t go getting ahead of yourself,’ she teased. ‘But that balance sheet is starting to look healthy. We’ll soon need to be sourcing more antiques to sell.’
‘That’s the best part, looking for treasures! I told you to give me a month and I’d make this place work, and I did it.’
‘You sure did.’
He balanced his guitar against the desk and pulled her towards him. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he kissed her. ‘I knew we could turn it around. Teamwork is what it’s all about.’
‘Teamwork,’ she repeated, pressing a soft kiss to his lips. ‘Are we ready to go and see Edgar? And then we probably need to think about updating Detective Smith with our findings.’
After they locked up the shop, they made their way next door and up the stairs. As they approached Edgar’s office they saw the door was slightly ajar and could hear voices drifting out, low and tense.
Fern stopped in her tracks and placed her hand on Daniel’s arm.
‘They’re going to uncover the truth,’ a woman said. Fern recognised the voice; it was Dorothy.
Fern’s heart raced and her eyes widened as she looked at Daniel and brought a finger up to her lips.
‘I think they’re getting close now. This is going to end in a right scandal.’
‘What do we do?’ came Edgar’s voice, muffled but urgent.
Fern turned to Daniel, her voice a whisper when she spoke. ‘They’re in on it. Dorothy, Edgar, this whole time…’
‘We don’t know that for sure,’ he mouthed back.
‘Ido.I can feel it.’
Before Daniel could stop her, Fern had pushed the door open and stormed into the room.
Startled, Dorothy turned in her chair and Edgar looked up sharply.
‘You?’ Fern said, voice shaking with fury. ‘You’re part of this? Trying to cover up the fact that Nathaniel somehow stole my great-aunt’s composition that gave him the most affluent life ever.’
Edgar stood up. ‘Fern?—’
‘You’re working with Alistair and Nathaniel. You’re covering it all up. Even acting as his solicitor to try and buy the shop so they can find and destroy the evidence.’
‘Fern, that’s not?—’
‘We heard you!’ Her voice cracked. ‘You said we’re getting close and it’s going to end in scandal. I think we should call the police,’ she said as she turned towards Daniel. ‘Let them investigate exactly what is going on here.’
Dorothy stood up, holding out her hands in a calming gesture. ‘It’s not what you think.’
‘You said we’d uncover the truth. That’s what this is about, isn’t it? You’re all protecting Nathaniel Loring. Protecting the lie. He stole great-aunt Matilda’s composition. I thought you were her friend, but I suppose blood will always be thicker than water. You’ll always have Alistair’s back, even though you know what he did was wrong.’
Daniel placed a hand on her back, grounding her. ‘Do you want to hear them out, or do we go straight to the station?’
Edgar cut in before Fern could answer. ‘You’re wrong about us.’ His voice was quiet but firm. ‘We’re not the enemy, Fern. Far from it. We’ve been waitingfor you.’
ChapterForty-Eight
Edgar’s words hung in the air.
Fern was trying to absorb what she’d just heard. ‘What do you mean?’ she asked, her eyes darting between him and Dorothy.
