Sally kissed her mother on the cheek. “Not erecting that roll of barbed wire along the back fence again, is he?”
Her mother laughed and ushered her daughter inside the house. “Go and see for yourself. He’s rigging up something out there, not sure what. It’s sure to be dangerous, knowing his past attempts at securing this place while we’re away.”
Nervously, Sally ventured into the small rear garden. “Dad! You can’t do that!” Dex the Labrador bounded towards her and almost knocked her off her feet. “Hello, gorgeous. Have you missed me?”
Her father, Christopher Tomlin, spun around to face her, still holding a wooden post in his hand. “Why can’t I? A man has every right to protect his property against those louts.”
Sally’s heart raced erratically. She observed his day’s work with discomfort. He’d placed ten six-foot wooden posts about a foot from the back fence, burying the rounded end in the earth, leaving the pointed end exposed. “What if someone gets impaled on one of those, Dad?” She shook her head in disbelief as a vile image filled her mind.
“That’s their problem, love, not mine. If people didn’t turn their hand to robbery, then there wouldn’t be any need for this. Have you seen the statistics of burglaries in this area over the past few months? Have you?”
“Yes, Dad. Compared to other areas in the country, this is still one of the safest areas to live in.”
“Oh, is that so? And tell me, what case are you working on at the moment, love?”
Sally sighed heavily. “You know full well what kind of case I’m involved in, Dad. Don’t try and justify your actions using that kind of information.”
“I’m not. All I’m doing is protecting my property—something the police around here seem reluctant to do since that mob moved in across the road from us. Your mother refuses to burden you, but our lives have been a living bloody hell for months now.”
Sally approached her father and rubbed his forearm. “I’m sorry, Dad. I had no idea.”
“No, because your mum wanted to keep it from you due to the stress that bastard of a husband has put you under. Well, we’ve been under a tonne of stress ourselves.”
She kissed her father on the cheek and hugged him. Tears pricked at her eyes as guilt surged through her veins. “I’m sorry. I’ve been so wrapped up in my own problems, I’ve neglected you two. I’ll make sure I have a word with the right people when I get back to work on Monday. How’s that?”
“I guess that will have to do. Thank you. I’ll just insert this one, and then we can head off. Although I doubt I’m going to be able to relax much during the weekend.”
“You will, Dad, once you’re out on the water. You know how relaxing it can be out there.”
“Usually, I’d agree with you, but…”
“You’re under orders. I’ll make a call and get a patrol car to keep an eye on the place during their shift. How’s that?”
“It’ll have to do for now. I’d like you to use your influence and get the shits moved out permanently. Can you do that?”
“Like I said, Dad, I’ll see what I can do on Monday. Now, come on. We should get a move on before it gets dark.”
“Nonsense, the clocks went forward last weekend. We have an extra hour to play with in the evenings. Give me two minutes here. You can help your mother finish packing the car if you would.”
“You win. Two minutes, right?”
He nodded and resumed rigging up his lethal security device, mumbling all sorts of derogatory remarks about the neighbours opposite.
She knew she’d been caught up in her own problems. She wondered how she could have missed what they’d been subjected to over the past few months. She would make sure she made amends for neglecting her parents after the weekend. People had a right, especially when they were close to retirement, to live a peaceful and stress-free existence.
“Any luck, love?” her mother asked, hope swimming in her pale-blue eyes.
“Nope. You know there’s no shifting him once he’s got something like this fixed in his mind, Mum. While we’re alone, how are you feeling? Are the hot flushes under control now you’ve started on the HRT?”
“Not yet, dear. I’d rather not pop any form of pills—you know me—but the doctor insisted that my life would be more bearable if I took them. I’ve yet to see any difference.”
“I suppose you’ll need to wait a few days before the drugs get into your system. Stick with it, Mum.” Sally gently hugged her.
“I will. You’ll have to excuse my tetchiness this weekend. I hate not being able to sleep properly.”
“No need to explain or excuse your moods, Mum. I totally understand. I’m sure Dad does, too. I need to make a quick call. I’ll be right back.” Sally went into the living room and rang the station to make the arrangements for a patrol vehicle to drive past her parents’ home during their absence. When she returned to the kitchen, her parents were both drinking tea. “We haven’t got time for that, you two. We should be getting on the road.”
“You’re right, of course, dear.” Her mother tipped her cup of steaming liquid down the sink. Her father, on the other hand, took the time to finish every last drop of his drink. Sally huffed and puffed, but her obstinate dad ignored her. In the end, she took it upon herself to load up the car, aware that her father would most likely come along a few minutes later and repack everything again. He was regimented in everything he did, which infuriated the hell out of Sally and her mother, especially when they were in a hurry to get somewhere.
Eventually, they set off on the half-hour journey to Reedham. In between her father’s constant complaining about the troublesome neighbours, Sally went over the weekend plans. They could dump their bags on the boat then go in search of a local pub to enjoy an evening meal before it grew too late, and pubs along the river tended to get crowded, even in the spring.
They excitedly walked up to the boat. “Here she is. A great paint job, even if I do say so myself,” her father boasted, his chest inflating with pride.
“I agree. An excellent job, Dad. Time to eat—I’m starving. We can admire your handiwork more tomorrow, when it’s lighter, eh?”
After placing Dex on board the boat, they drove back to a lovely pub they’d spotted on the way. Sally walked arm in arm with her parents towards the glass-fronted public house, which thankfully, didn’t appear to be too busy judging by the lack of cars in the car park.
“Looks like we’re in luck. There’s a table by the window,” her mother pointed out.
“You grab it, and I’ll order the drinks,” Sally said.
Her father glared at her. “This is on me, love. You put your money away.”
Sally leaned in and whispered, “I’m all right, Dad. We’re both tight for money at the moment. My wages are due to hit my bank next week. This is my treat.”
Her father sighed reluctantly. “Let’s go halves then. How’s that?”
She held out her hand for him to shake. “Deal. Let’s not worry about the trivial things in life this weekend. Agreed? Let’s ensure Mum has a good time.”
“Agreed. It’ll be nice to get away from the daily stresses for a few days.”
Sally ordered the drinks from the barman and threw an arm around her dad’s shoulders. “Are things really that bad?”
“We’ve just agreed not to talk about it, love.” Her father gave her a wink.
“Maybe it would have been wiser for me to have moved back home with you guys rather than take on that tiny flat. Financially, it would have helped all of us out, wouldn’t it?”
“Too late thinking like that now. I’m sure circumstances will change once the weather starts to improve, for me anyway.”
“Fingers crossed, Dad. It’s been a long winter for you this year. I’m sorry there are such shitty people in this world who always rip off the good guys.”
The barman appeared with their drinks, and Sally paid him in spite of her father’s protest. “It’s the world we live in, love. It certainly makes you wary going forward. Tough when you’re in business, though. Still, it’s something I need to try and get my head around if I want to trust further customers.”