‘God, that’s awful,’ Jane said. ‘I didn’t even know Nick had been married.’
‘It gets worse, Jane. Six months later, his mum discovered she had cancer. She was dead within three weeks. I’d never seen Nick so depressed. His father was in a terrible state, too, but he had to be strong for his son’s sake.’
Jane suddenly felt very uncomfortable about accepting Nick’s invitation to dinner, worrying that she might have led him up the garden path.
‘I’ve certainly got no intention of hurting Nick,’ she said.
Sandra looked at her. ‘Good. He likes you... a lot.’
‘How do you know?’
‘He was in here last night and told me about you.’
‘What did he say?’ Jane asked.
‘Not much, but I could tell from the way he spoke and the look in his eye that he’s got a soft spot for you.’
‘Did he say what I do for a living?’
‘No, but my guess is you’re a copper.’
Jane was flummoxed. ‘How can you tell?’
Sandra tapped the side of her nose with her forefinger. ‘Being a landlady means I’m pretty good at guessing people’s professions.’
‘But we’ve never spoken until now.’
Sandra laughed. ‘I’m only joking. Nick said he’d met a police lady who he really liked. Believe me, if your relationship does develop, you won’t find a nicer or kinder man to be with.’
‘Thanks for telling me about the tragedy in his life. I better get going or he’ll be wondering where I’ve got to.’
‘Take care, Jane. I’ve a feeling I might be seeing more of you.’
‘Everything good?’ Nick asked when she got back to the bar.
‘Fine, thanks. I was just chatting to Sandra. She’s quite a character.’
‘She certainly is. Any nonsense and you’re out the door with her foot up your backside.’
As they were leaving the pub, the band started playing their opening number, ‘Crazy Little Thing Called Love’ by Queen.
The maître d’ of the Fantail looked stylish in a three-piece grey pinstripe suit. ‘Good evening, Mr Durham. It’s been a while since we’ve had the pleasure of your company.’ He had a pronounced French accent.
‘I only come here on special occasions,’ Nick replied, smiling at Jane.
‘Then we will do our best to make it a memorable evening for you and madame,’ said the maître d’.
As they crossed the floor, Jane admired the sophisticated ambience of the 1920s Art Deco design of the room, with its bold geometric shapes and bright colours.
The maître d’ led them to a table for two in the corner of the room, draped with a pristine white linen tablecloth.
He pulled out Jane’s chair, picked up her napkin, wafted it open and gently placed it on her lap. He handed them each a menu and asked Nick if he would like to see the wine list or have an aperitif first. They decided just to have wine and the maître d’ said the sommelier would be with them shortly.
‘Are you hungry?’ Nick asked.
‘Absolutely starving. All I’ve had all day is a bowl of cereal and a bacon sandwich,’ Jane said, opening the menu and looking at the starters. She gasped with surprise, realising a three-course meal in the station canteen would cost less. She fancied a steak but couldn’t believe the price of that either.
The sommelier handed Nick the wine list.
‘Would you like some champagne?’ Nick asked.
Jane couldn’t begin to imagine what a bottle would cost. ‘I’d love a glass, thank you,’ she replied.
‘We’ll have a bottle of Dom Perignon, please,’ Nick told the sommelier. ‘Please, Jane, have whatever you want,’ he said. ‘I want you to enjoy yourself.’
‘What are you having?’ she asked, thinking she would have the same or else something of a similar price.
‘Do you like steak?’
‘It’s what I was thinking of having,’ she admitted.
‘How about the chateaubriand for two, roasted chateau potatoes and grilled asparagus?’
‘That sounds good to me.’
‘I’ll ask for a red wine sauce on the side. Do you want a starter?’
‘I don’t think I’d be able to eat my main course if I had one,’ Jane laughed.
Nick placed their order with a waiter. The sommelier, who was pouring the champagne, recommended Cabernet Sauvignon with the steak.
‘Do you have family in London?’ Nick asked.
Jane nodded. ‘My parents are in Maida Vale. My sister Pam lives in Shepherd’s Bush with her husband and two young sons.’
‘Do you get to see your family much?’
‘Not really. My mum does a Sunday lunch for us all every so often, and I keep in touch by phone. What about you... any brothers or sisters?’ she asked.
‘I’m an only child. My mother died of cancer last year, so there’s just me and my dad now.’
‘I’m sorry, it must have been a terrible time for you both.’
‘It was. Stupidly, we bottled up our grief as we felt we had to be strong for each other. Coping with her death hasn’t been easy, but at least we now talk about fond memories with a smile. I do worry about my father, though, what with his dodgy heart and this coffin business. It was hard persuading him to retire after Mum’s death. He said work kept him occupied, so I realised I had to find something else to keep him busy, which wasn’t easy as he’s pretty stubborn at times.’
‘What did you find to occupy him?
‘A golden retriever puppy, which he absolutely adores. Taking her for long walks keeps him fit.’ Since Nick had opened the conversation about his father, Jane took the opportunity to ask some questions about him.
‘Is his dog called Bella?’
‘Yes.’
‘And does he live in the old convent?’
‘Yes, in what used to be the chapel. How did you know?’ Nick asked.
‘My colleague and I couldn’t find the building site the other morning. We asked a man who was walking a dog called Bella. Now I know why I thought you looked so familiar yesterday. You’re the spitting image of your father.’
‘Do I look that old?’ he frowned.
‘You know what I mean,’ she grinned. ‘Funnily enough, I also saw him and Bella yesterday morning. He was talking to the site foreman, Lee Holland.’
‘No doubt he was badgering Lee about the coffin and what was happening with the site. I told my dad not to get involved because it’s not good for his health, but he just can’t help himself.’
‘Does Lee know about his heart condition?’
‘Yes, they’re old friends. Lee worked with my dad on building sites long before he started his own company. I kind of knew Lee would speak to my father before me, even though I’ve asked him not to involve dad in any problems. The two of them are as thick as thieves at times. That said, Lee’s been like a rock for Dad since Mum died.’
Jane wondered if she’d got it all wrong about Thomas Durham and Lee Holland. Perhaps their strange behaviour could simply be due to Thomas’s ill health, and the fact that they didn’t want Nick to know they’d been discussing the discovery of the coffin.
‘Hopefully, it will all be sorted in the next few days and the building work can start again,’ Jane said.
‘That would be good,’ he said. ‘Anyway, enough about work. What do you like to do when you’re not investigating mysterious coffins?’
Jane laughed. ‘As I said, I’m studying for the inspectors’ exam, so that takes up a lot of my spare time.’
‘Not too much I hope,’ he said.
‘I’m sure I can take some time off from studying,’ she said.
‘Do you like cycling? I go for a cycle in the countryside and have a pub lunch now and again. I’ve got a spare lady’s bike in my garage if you fancy an outing sometime.’