Chapter 7

"Tony! Tony, wake up! Where have you been and who are those women in your bed?" Emily demanded, as she almost shook me hard enough to dislodge me from the sofa, where I'd settled myself when we'd arrived at the house during the night.

I sat up to see a very concerned-looking Emily, kneeling on the floor beside the sofa.

"You know I told you I had some things to do, Emily, and those two young ladies gave me some assistance. They needed somewhere to stay in London until they find a flat or something so I've invited them to stay here in 'my' house for a few days," I replied.

"Where have you been and what have you been doing?" Emily asked, looking surprisingly concerned to my mind.

"Please, Emily, I asked you not to enquire. What you don't know is better for all concerned. But believe me, I did it for you as well as myself."

Emily sat back on her heels and stared at me for what appeared to me to a long time. Then she suddenly got up before asking.

"Do you want any breakfast now, or are you going to sleep a little longer?"

"Yes, I'm quite hungry actually. I'll see if the girls want anything yet."

"No, you won't. They're still in bed. I'll ask them. What are their names?" Emily replied with a look on her face that I couldn't really discern.

"Margo and Kathy," I replied and Emily disappeared in the direction of the stairs.

I went into the downstairs washroom to wash the sleep out of my eyes.

By the time I got into the kitchen Emily was busy frying and Bridget was eating her cereal.

"Morning, Dad," Bridget said as she stood up to give me a kiss as if I hadn't been away. Then, "Where have you been and who are your two friends?"

Then she gave me a strange look and gestured with her head and eyes towards Emily, who had her back turned towards us as she worked at the stove. Bridget finished her little display off with a wink. I had no idea what she was trying to tell me so I had to let it go. I just gave her a quizzical look and shrugged my shoulders at her, but she just shrugged her shoulders back at me again. This sign language conversation was getting us nowhere so I gave up.

"Well, who are they?" Bridget tried again.

"Just a couple of young ladies who need somewhere to stay in London for a few days, Bridget. Nothing for you to worry your head about."

"Oh, I'm not worried, Dad!" Bridget replied and went through the same little routine again. I just shrugged back at her. As I still didn't have the faintest idea what she was on about.

Suddenly Kathy appeared at the kitchen door followed by Margo. So I did the formal introductions as they sat down to eat the breakfast that Emily had prepared.

"Are you driving me to school today, Dad?" Bridget asked, in a tone of voice that said that I was, whether I had planned to or not. I looked at Emily but she had a neutral face.

"Sure, Bridget, if that's what you want. Just let me finish eating. Do you want to come along for the ride, girls?" I asked Margo and Kathy.

I'm not sure but I think something passed between the two girls and Bridget. Look, I'm not into what goes on inside the female mind, but I was sure those young women and Bridget communicated in some way.

"No, we're still a little tired, Tony. If you don't mind, we'll take it easy for a while and see you later," Kathy said.

As the girls weren't coming, I told Emily I'd go directly to the office after dropping Bridget at school, just to see whether there was anything I needed to deal with.

"Okay, young lady, what was all that about in the kitchen?" I asked Bridget after I'd backed the car out of the drive.

"Kathy and Margo are two very pretty Ladies!" Bridget replied.

"Yes, they are!" I agreed.

"Very pretty and very nice!" Bridget repeated.

"Yes, they are."

"And you've been away with them for nearly a week."

"Come on, Bridget, I was only away for fours days."

"Well?" Bridget said to me. I gathered that was a question, but I had no idea what Bridget was asking.

"Well what?" I replied.

"Crikey, Dad, what was mum so up-tight about? Is one of them your girlfriend or something. Oh, or are they both your girlfriends? Is my dad going to have a harem of women chasing after him?"

"Bridget, what the devil are you talking about? Kathy and Margo are just a couple of friends of mine."

"Well, Dad, I believe that's not what mother thinks."

"How would you know? Anyway your mother doesn't care what I do. You know she hates me really."

"Dad, Mother does say she hates you, I'll give you that. Only she never says it when she thinks I can hear. But for someone who hates another person, she sure does a lot of worrying about you. And she gets terribly jealous that Stella spends so much time with you as well."

"I think you are misreading your mother. She gets angry that Stella has been my secretary for so long and that I came to rely on her so much."

"You think what you want to think, Dad, but I believe Mother's jealous of any woman that gets anywhere near to you. And, boy, was she up-tight when she saw Kathy and Margo in your bed this morning."

"Oh, Bridget, she was probably just surprised to find them sleeping in my room. Damned thoughtless of me really. I could have called your mother from Holyhead last night and warned her what was happening."

I dropped Bridget at her school and then went into the office where I made arrangements for Kathy and Margo to meet with our personnel manager. I told him to make up his own mind where they would fit into the company, but he was to find them worthwhile positions. I hadn't asked either girl what experience they'd had, so it was up to him to find all that out.

In the privacy of my office I vaguely told Stella about the week's events. She scolded me terribly for going over there, but then congratulated me on being successful. Stella also enquired about Kathy and Margo. She'd overheard my telephone conversation with the personnel manager.

Stella informed me that Emily hadn't been to her job whilst I'd been away. Emily's boss had called Stella because he was worried about Emily and wondered what was going on, as she had asked for a few days compassionate leave.

You know, it hadn't even entered my head that Emily wasn't getting ready to go to work that morning.

There were a few things for me to look over in the office and a couple of people I had to see. Stella, who was really acting as my personal assistant by then, had kept most things up to date. Around two in the afternoon after having lunch with Stella and a couple of the directors, I went home to see what was happening there.

I arrived home to an empty house; there was no sign of Emily or the girls. This I found worrying, but I don't know why. I unpacked my suitcase and was in the middle of putting the put-you-up up in my office-come-den when the telephone rang. It was Emily; she told me that she and the girls would pick Bridget up from school.

They arrived home with Stella's children in the car as well and then all hell broke loose in the house with the children playing. I'm not too sure I'd liked the idea of all six of them jammed into the BMW but they made it home safely.

Kathy and Margo seemed to get on with the children like a house on fire. As it was raining outside they were playing indoors and being very loud about it. I thought boys played noisily and girls played like little ladies. Shows you what I knew.

Emily demanded my assistance in the kitchen whilst she cooked a meal for nine. Stella and her husband would be there later. We were still in the habit of whoever picked the children up from school cooked the evening meal. It had become a tradition by then.

Actually I'm not too sure that I was of much assistance to Emily in the kitchen. I think I've said before that my cooking skills are not far short of being lethal, but Emily kept finding me menial tasks to perform. A couple of times Kathy and Margo offered their help, but they were politely told by Emily that they were guests and would not be needed.

It could be that I noticed a slight atmosphere there that evening. But later I thought I must have been mistaken, because Emily and the girls appeared to get on so well together. Over the next few days Margo and Kathy spent most of their time with Emily. She took more time off of work so that she could take them to their interview with my personnel manger and she took them flat hunting. It was only after about three days that I realised that I hadn't been alone with either of the girl's since I'd returned from Ireland; Emily always seemed to be around.

On my fifth day back I received a call from Inspector Morris. He told me that unexpectedly some significant progress had been made. There had been a police raid on a small film company's premises the previous day. Apparently quite a lot of interesting evidence had been recovered, but he said he couldn't enlarge at the time.

He went on to say that the investigation into the five men had turned now into an international affair with law enforcement agencys in several countries taking an active interest. He wouldn't say which ones though. But he added that he was no longer the senior British officer on the case. Although I'd known that the fraud squad had outranked him already. I think he was really telling me that he couldn't keep me abreast of what was going on in the future.

That afternoon just after I got home from the office, Kathy said she'd like to go visit her father that evening. I, of course, said I'd drive her and Margo over there. I really wasn't expecting the reaction I got from Emily or the girls, when I offered. The girls at first said they'd find their own way, but I wouldn't hear of them going to that area of London unescorted - well, not until they knew the ropes. Emily's tone was extremely sharp with me, right up until the girls and I left the house.

"I think we need to find somewhere to live quite quickly." Kathy said as we drove over to the pub.

"Oh, there's no real hurry girls. Wait until you find something you really like," I replied.

"I'm thinking that Emily will be climbing the walls by then!" Margo added from the back seat.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Tony, Emily has been very kind to us while we've being staying with you. But she's extremely jealous where you're concerned, and she certainly does not like either of us being alone with you."

"You know, Bridget said something about that the other day, but I can't understand why. Emily and I aren't actually married anymore; you and Margo have been a couple of really good friends to me. Besides if you were anything other than just my friends, there's nothing Emily would have to say on the subject. Let's face it, she doesn't really like me; she's only living in the house to be with Bridget."

"Do you really believe that?" Kathy asked.

"Of course I do! You must understand, girls, I was responsible for some very nasty things happening to Emily. That's why I am after those men; they really messed up my life when they decided to attempt to blackmail Emily.

"As for Emily being jealous, you could be right. But more than likely, not in the way you're thinking. Emily has had a really unhappy time of it and I believe she doesn't like the idea of me being too happy."

"But I thought Dad said you wanted to win her back?"

"Oh, make no mistake about it, I'd love to do that. But it would be safer for everyone if you don't hold your breath in the meantime. I know Emily, remember. Somehow I don't think she will ever forgive me."

I parked in a side street near The Royal Oak, and donning my donkey jacket - much to the girls' amusement - led them on the short walk to the pub. This time when I entered, I wasn't (apparently) noticed, although the girls were. The three of us were standing at the bar when Pat came over and joined us, giving both of the girls a fatherly hug.

"You heard anything?" Pat said to me as we all sat at a vacant table.

"Only that the police have raided that film company," I replied.

"Ah, they've cut you off, have they. My people from over the water tell me that three of the buggers have been picked up, one in the States and two in Spain. They are still looking for the other one. I don't think they'll bother with Garfield's uncle; from what I've heard he's going to be a goner any day now."

"Christ, that was quick!"