The Little B & B at Cove End. Linda Mitchelmore

lesson not to leave strangers in my home – for me. For us.’ She turned and smiled, somewhat guiltily, at Mae. ‘Isn’t it, darling?’

      ‘Mmm,’ Mae said and yawned.

      ‘We’ll leave you to get to bed, then,’ the policeman laughed. ‘We’ll be in touch. We’ll see ourselves out.’

      Cara heard them talking in the hall. And then another voice joining them.

      ‘Josh,’ Mae said, with the hint of a question. ‘That can’t be Josh’s voice.’

      Cara got up to investigate. She heard the policewoman say ‘Goodnight, Josh,’ and then the door banged quite noisily in the frame, the wind getting up and blowing in from the east.

      ‘What’s he doing here?’ Mae called after her mother.

      ‘I don’t know,’ Cara said.

      And then Josh was in the doorway. Cara hadn’t met him before, although she knew who he was and had seen him about. Up close he looked well-built, muscled, with thick straw-coloured hair, and a fringe that looked as though he’d cut it himself with a Swiss Army knife. He looked every inch a man who worked physically for a living. He had his hands stuffed into the pockets of his jeans, and Cara noticed he was wearing trainers but no socks, and that his T-shirt stretched across a broad chest. He practically filled the doorway with his presence – rather the worse for drink – and Cara shuddered to think Mae had had to challenge him like this. Mae would have stood no chance against Josh had he pushed his case for whatever it was he’d had on his mind.

      ‘What do you want, Josh?’ Cara asked. She folded her arms across her chest, doing her best to block Josh’s view of Mae, although she realised she was being totally ineffective.

      ‘I saw the police car outside. What’ve you been saying, Mae?’ he asked.

      ‘Nothing about you,’ Mae said. ‘Why would I waste my breath?’

      ‘Some guests I thought were bona fide B&B guests were anything but,’ Cara explained.

      ‘Ah, right,’ Josh said, sounding relieved that Mae hadn’t called them to report him, although why he hadn’t thought the police would have arrested him if she had, Cara couldn’t think. The drink, probably, clouding his thinking.

      ‘That sucks,’ Josh said. ‘Sorry. Anyway, I walked back should anyone be asking. You were right, Mae. I wasn’t in a fit state to drive, but I’ve sobered up now. I don’t know what Mae’s told you, Mrs Howard, but I was properly out of order. I apologise for that, frightening her and that.’

      ‘I appreciate that,’ Cara said. ‘But what with the burglary and the police being here, Mae and I haven’t had chance to talk about … well, whatever it was that happened between you tonight. Apart from the fact you’d had too much to drink and she felt she had to get away.’

      ‘Yeah, yeah,’ Josh said, nodding. He looked more than a little embarrassed now, as though he was regretting coming. He ran his tongue around his lips as though he was nervous and they’d suddenly gone dry. ‘I’m sorry about what happened to your frock and that, Mae.’

      ‘You’re not the only one!’ Mae snapped.

      Cara flinched at the vehemence in her daughter’s words, but could understand her reason for it. This whole conversation was beginning to feel bizarre – as though they were all part of some stage play, a farce or something – and she considered inviting Josh to come on in, have a cup of coffee to sober up further before he went home, but it was getting late now and she was bone-tired.

      ‘Actually,’ Mae went on, ‘I don’t think the police should have let you just walk in here.’

      ‘WPC Maynard? My cousin? Amy?’ He said it as though he thought Mae ought to have known. ‘Her dad – my dad’s brother – is superintendent down Plymouth way. I told Amy we were going out, and I’d seen their car and thought I’d just pop in and see how things are. So, what’s happened here? Just a straightforward burglary or …

      ‘Like burglaries are just normal, right?’ Mae snapped.

      ‘Darling …’ Cara began. She was about to admonish Mae for being rude, snappy, but decided against it. Of course her daughter was angry about not just the burglary, but what Josh had done as well. She would allow her to express that anger, rather than have it fester inside.

      ‘Have you been hurt, Mae? Mrs Howard?’ Josh asked as though neither she nor Mae had spoken. He walked into the room without being asked. ‘Has much been stolen?’

      ‘A fair bit,’ Cara said.

      ‘Sorry,’ Josh said. ‘Looks a bit of a mess in here.’

      ‘It does,’ Cara said, and left it at that. There were gaps on the dresser where the silver had been and drawers had been left open, cushions scattered, and the seat pads of the couches pulled out as the Hines had riffled swiftly through her home. They were a mess – her and Mae. All she wanted in that moment was for Josh to leave so that she and Mae could take a shower and get to bed. She might suggest they share a room tonight because if Mae felt as shaky as she did, she probably wouldn’t want to sleep alone. ‘But it will get better.’

      ‘Like I said, I saw the police car and well, I wasn’t exactly a gent earlier to Mae, Mrs Howard, and I thought Mae might have made a complaint or something.’

      ‘I guessed that might be the case,’ Cara said.

      ‘Well, now you know I didn’t,’ Mae said. ‘Not as entirely altruistic as checking to see we were okay, but—’

      ‘Mae,’ Cara interrupted, ‘can we just leave this? I’m tired, you’re tired, and I think Josh has had as much of a shock as any of us.’

      Cara knew Josh was popular with the girls and, if rumour had it, some older women too, and it can’t have been easy for him having a fifteen-year-old squaring up to him, refusing to do his bidding, although why Cara was feeling sympathetic towards him she had no idea – tiredness probably.

      ‘Yeah,’ Josh said. He hung his head. ‘Sorry. You know, for being a jerk earlier and also about the robbery. Hope they catch whoever did it. Have they cleaned you out?’

      There wasn’t a lot to be ‘cleaned out’ seeing as Mark had pretty much done that.

      ‘Pretty much,’ Cara said with a yawn – the last thing she wanted was to pursue this conversation, but poor Josh was looking genuinely contrite now, and concerned. ‘Mae’s laptop. Her jewellery. And a fair bit of my stuff’s gone as well.’

      ‘Look, Mrs Howard,’ Josh said. ‘I can see you want me to go. I can see you’re both pretty shook up and tired by events. It’s true I saw the police car and panicked a bit, wondering what it was Mae might have said about me earlier, but I was on my way here anyway. When I sobered up, I remembered stuff. So I’ve got something I have to tell you. Before Mae hears it in the village. Bailey Lucas is spreading rumours. Look, can I speak to you on your own, Mrs. Howard?’

      ‘No!’ Mae shrieked. ‘Everyone treats me like a baby and I’m not. Anything you have to say to Mum you can say to me. Right, Mum?’

      ‘What do you want to tell me?’ Cara asked.

      ‘Not in front of Mae,’ Josh persisted.

      ‘Oh, stuff it!’ Mae said. ‘That Bailey Lucas is just making trouble because I finished with him. I only went out with him a couple of times anyway so it’s not like we were an item! Whatever he’s saying it’s probably nothing much, nothing even worth staying here to listen to anyway. I’m going to have a shower and wash my hair because the thought that strangers have been through my stuff is making me feel dirty. Get it? Let me know when I’m old enough to be in your company, Josh Maynard!’

      Cara watched her daughter go, waited until she heard the shower running. Josh put his hands in the pockets of his jeans and took them out again at least half a dozen times.