Chapter 15

Grace was much more her usual self the next morning. She was not in as early as usual because Anthea did not get to her office until just before nine. Angie was delighted to see her boss looking her normal cheerful self and told Claire who passed the message on to Greg and Jeff.

Grace spent an hour and a half on her expansion plan and then went on walkabout. While in Workshops she stopped to talk to Chris Lawson and asked him what the City Orchestra were doing over Christmas.

“Messiah of course with the City Choir,” he grinned “but that’s about a fortnight before. They give us a rest then until the New Year.”

“I’ve joined the West Brom Choral Society. We’re doing the first three pieces from Bach’s Christmas Concerto. If you’re interested and the date fits would you let me return your complimentary ticket?”

“You bet. Thank you, Miss Grace.”

“Would your wife be interested too?”

A shadow passed across Chris’s face. “She died eighteen months ago.”

“Oh, Chris, I’m sorry. I had no idea.”

He smiled sadly. “No reason for you to have. She’d have loved it though. She was a contralto in the City Choir.”

Grace touched his shoulder and moved on. Jeff Hardcastle was impressed.

That interlude caused Grace to think when she returned to her office. The invitation assumed that she would still be singing with the choir. She needed to talk to Terry and Stephen about that.

She went back to work on her proposal. Really the only thing that stopped her from finishing it were the estimates for the four bay garage. Surely, if the firms she had approached wanted the work they would have been much quicker in submitting an estimate. She pulled out their letters of response. She was horrified to find that one of them was Gareth’s father’s firm. She rushed off to talk to Anthea who remained completely calm.

“Talk to Stephen about it this evening,” was all she effectively said.

Grace did. Stephen was quite unruffled.

“Don’t worry about it,” he said. “Mr Davies Senior will not even know about it yet other than that Wilkins have asked for an estimate and, if he’s told that a female had signed the request, he won’t be interested in that. He knows that when the time comes he will be dealing with the Managing Director who he knows is Hugh Walker. As for young Gareth he doesn’t see or know anything of the inner workings of the company yet.”

Grace smiled gratefully and relievedly.

“Another question for you please, Stephen.”

“Fire away.”

“Do you think I ought to drop the choral society for the time being?”

“Not if Terry’s with you.”

“There might be some unpleasantness in the car park.”

“I very much doubt it. If there is there will be plenty of other society members to break it up.”

“He might follow us back to Terry’s house again.”

“Ring the police and inform them that you are being harassed again.”

“Will the restraining order be in place by next Tuesday?”

“Good point. Give choir practice a miss this Tuesday and I think Terry should too. Tell your director why you won’t be there and I suspect that shortly afterwards Master Gareth will be told that he is no longer welcome.”

“Why do you think that Terry ought to give it a miss?”

“Two reasons: the first because Terry might get involved in a scuffle and secondly the fact that Gareth has caused two people to leave even if they know it’s only temporary. That might cause your director to tell him rather sooner that his presence is no longer required.”

Grace nodded understandingly.

“Now, I’ve spoken to the police who did not say anything out of place but the look on my contact’s face indicated that they would enjoy pursuing this case. I was given two statement forms, one for you and one for Terry. Do you think that you could let me have them back by tomorrow evening?”

“It depends on whether he’s fit enough and his mother will let him out. I’ll give him a ring in a minute.”

“Thanks, Grace. Take a glass of red with you while you do.”

Grace smiled gratefully at him and went to her room.

Terry answered on the first ring.

“Hello, my precious Grace!”

“Terry! Oh, you wonderful man! You make me feel seven foot tall.”

“Come down a bit, my one. I’d have to carry a small table round with me to be able to kiss you.”

Grace giggled.

“How are you, my love? Better? You certainly sound it.”

“Much, thank you! My throat is better and I’m nowhere near so bunged up. Mum has forbidden me to go back to uni until Monday though.”

“Would she allow you to come and live at my place tomorrow?”

“I don’t know. Why the hurry even though I know you love me?”

“Two things. First of all I don’t want to overstay my welcome here. The second thing is that Anthea’s husband is a solicitor and has recommended getting a restraining order. He’s brought home a couple of blank statement forms and would like both of us to fill them in by tomorrow evening so that he can submit them to the court on Friday.”