Page 52 of Christmas All the Way

‘I don’t know what I’m suggesting,’ Paul admitted, rubbing his chin. ‘All I can tell you is that the cupboard was locked yesterday evening, and the key was hanging on the hook. Even if there was a problem today which meant someone needed to get to the fuse box, there’s no good reason for the cupboard being left open.’

Raff turned to Gavin. ‘Has there been a problem today?’

‘Not that I’ve heard,’ Gavin said grimly. ‘No one’s even been in the hall, as far as I know.’

‘So who opened the fuse box, then?’ Raff asked. ‘And what were they doing?’

‘Someone in a hurry, if they left the cupboard open and forgot to return the key,’ Keeley ventured, when no one else spoke. She glanced at Paul. ‘Could someone else have tried to fix tonight’s power outage before you?’

‘Not unless they left by the back door,’ he said doubtfully. ‘I came here as soon as the lights went out, ran into Gav out the front and we went inside together. There was no one here then.’

The landlord eyed the other door at the far end of the hall, the one Keeley remembered led to a small kitchen. ‘I suppose it won’t hurt to check.’

He strode across the room and vanished through the door. A moment later, he was back, a thunderstruck expression on his face. ‘Come and see,’ he called, beckoning them towards him. ‘The bloody back door is wide open.’

They crowded into the kitchen to see the heavy wooden door was indeed standing open. A window over the sink was also slightly ajar, creaking in the breeze. The room was almost as cold as the air outside. ‘This is getting weirder by the second,’ Paul said, his forehead wrinkling. ‘What the hell is going on?’

Keeley pressed her lips into a thin line. ‘I’ve got a horrible feeling this is all connected.’

Paul crossed to the window and pulled it closed. ‘This latch is broken,’ he said, inspecting the old wooden frame. ‘I’m not sure it will stay shut.’

Keeley had been watching Grace’s expression and saw when it hardened in suspicion. ‘What is it?’ she asked, eyes narrowing. ‘You know something, don’t you?’

But Grace only gave an unhappy shake of her head. ‘I don’t know anything. It’s just an idea.’

Gavin’s expression was set. ‘Out with it.’

She glanced at Raff, who seemed to catch on to what she was thinking. ‘It could be. You’d better tell them.’

Grace took a breath. ‘You’ve been doing a Christmas lights switch-on in Freezy Tye for years, right? And nothing like this has ever happened.’

Paul stopped fiddling with the window latch. ‘Never,’ he said, then paused. ‘I mean, we did have a few electrical issues last year but that was before I replaced the wiring and the fuse box.’

‘We didn’t have any problems during the summer fete,’ Gavin put in. ‘We had a few rides and they used plenty of power.’

‘Okay. So what’s new this Christmas?’ Grace said, looking from face to face. ‘Or rather, who’s new? Apart from me, obviously.’ When no one answered, she sighed. ‘Look, I don’t have any evidence for this. But what if Keeley’s right and it’s not a coincidence that the power went out just as the lights were switched on? What if someone snuck into the hall and made it happen? Someone with a vested interest in seeing Freezy Tye’s big switch-on fail.’

Keeley understood what she was getting at, although she couldn’t imagine what had made the normally level-headed Grace leap to such a conclusion. ‘Jesse?’ she said incredulously. ‘You’re talking about Jesse Bairstow?’

Her friend nodded. ‘He wants Flaxwood to win. Doesn’t it follow that he’d take steps to make sure our lights are a disaster?’

Gavin eyed her askance. ‘But this is a bit more than bad-mouthing us to anyone who’ll listen, Grace. Plunging so many people into darkness could have been dangerous.’

‘I know,’ she said. Her gaze flicked to Raff again, who nodded. ‘I think it’s time I explained what kind of man Jesse is. And then you can tell me what you think he’s capable of.’

They listened as she revealed his threatened rent increase to Ivy, and the barely concealed hints that he intended to evict her. When she reached the part about legal action, Gavin swore. ‘That arsehole. What a way to act towards anyone, let alone someone as lovely as Ivy.’

‘He’s always been underhanded and sly,’ Raff said. ‘But what really surprises me is that his father is going along with the plans. Jim and my mother go way back – he’s been a more than generous landlord. I can’t believe he’s letting Jesse do this.’

Grace looked thoughtful. ‘Is there a chance he doesn’t know? I got chatting with one of the women who works in the cafe a while ago. She told me Jesse forced through some really unpopular changes while old Mr Bairstow was ill. Maybe there are some things Jesse hasn’t got round to mentioning to his dad yet.’

Gavin shrugged. ‘That’s easily checked. Jim Bairstow is here tonight.’

‘Is he?’ Keeley asked, frowning. ‘I didn’t see him with Jesse on the green.’

‘He called into the pub about an hour ago,’ Gavin said. ‘I served him myself.’

Paul held up a hand. ‘Hold on. We can’t just accuse Jesse of sabotaging the fuse box. There’s no evidence it was even sabotaged. The switch could have tripped on its own.’