“Thanks, but no, I must get home. Gran will have lunch ready, and Derek’s there, too. They’ll be waiting with the latest in a campaign to get me to give up taking on Robert Pettison. One thing, Dot,” she added firmly. “You are not to go anywhere near the zoo. No call for that. I have made it clear to Pettison that you are not to be sent down with messages, or anything that takes you near those animals. Understand?”
Dot nodded. “You can rely on me, Mrs M. I’ll make a really good go of it.”
Twenty-two
“Handy Nimmo’s wife? You must be mad, Robert.” Justin Brookes was relaxing in Pettison’s most comfortable chair, smoking a sweet-smelling cigarette.
“Not at all mad. Better to have Dot Nimmo where I can see her than wondering what tales she’s told to all and sundry, especially Mrs Meade, who, as we know, works as a nark with old Cowgill. And he, by the way, came to see me this morning about my latest disaster with the king cobra. That stupid keeper would never listen to me. Always knew better. A very arrogant sort of chap.”
“Mm,” said Justin. “I’m still waiting to hear from Mrs Meade whether I can have the shop flat. I went there on my very best behaviour.”
“And wearing your very best suit, I hope. None of the flamboyant actor with questionable friends?”
“No, of course I was the perfect young executive. You know how well I can perform. If it had been young Josie by herself, I’d have been in there right away. But she said her parents are the landlords, and so I had to talk to them, too.”
“She recognised you as the actor delivering fliers, of course?”
“Yes, she did. But I kept up a very sober character.”
“Ah well, I very much hope you get it. It could be very useful if you keep your ear to the ground. Literally! The shop on the ground floor could yield very good snippets of information. And you could keep an eye on Lois Meade. I must say I wasn’t too sure about the garden shed, but as long as you are careful . . .”
“A perfectly innocent hobby. A lifelong interest in small animals. I made that clear. And they don’t use the shed themselves, so there will be no problems. Besides which, Uncle dear, we all know that we don’t notice what goes on under our noses.”
“We shall see,” said Pettison. “But now we have to talk business. I have had policemen wandering all over the place during the last few days, and it’s been tricky making sure they don’t find anything untoward. First of all, our gardener and his wife. Old Richardson is still spending all hours that God gives in our flowerbeds. Fortunately, the latest on his wife’s recovery is good. The police seem to have accepted that for some reason she went into the zoo to say farewell to a keeper.”
He paused, and reached for a glass of whiskey at his side. “I can make a guess,” he continued. “We had had words up here when she suddenly gave in her notice, and she probably went down to the zoo to stir up trouble. She was a great stirrer, you know, and I am well rid of her.”
“Has Mr Richardson given in his notice as well?”
“No! He’d be heartbroken if he had to. No, I reckon her sharp tongue drives him out in all weathers. Still, he’s tough as old boots. Must be the fresh air.”
“I suppose you’ll want us to keep a low profile for a bit? I hope you’ve warned the Brierleys. Best not to give them any specimens at the moment?”
“I’ve dealt with that,” said Pettison grimly. “To change the subject, how are your parents? I have one special little creature arriving shortly. Your father is so good at keeping them alive until I need them. Good old Brooksey!”
Idiot, thought Justin. He had always suspected that Pettison had some kind of hold over his father, and that’s how he’d persuaded him to be part of his “team.” I’ll wipe the smile off his face one of these days, he thought.
“Dad’s had a serious collapse, and Mother is naturally thinking mostly about him. But I come and go to the farm in Lincolnshire as often as I can. The small barn there, where I keep the stuff, is kept heated, so all should be well. And if I can get the shop flat, I should be able to have them in the future nearer to us.”
“Good lad,” said Pettison.
“It has occurred to me, Uncle Robert,” Justin continued slowly, “that you may soon have enough kosher exhibits in your zoo? I know it is dangerous to have them too crowded. You might have mutiny in the colony. And in that case, will you dispense with my services as a middleman?”
“Ah, but you are on the other side of the business, Justin, my boy. As you know, I now have a number of regular clients for my special little people, all very hush-hush, of course, but also very lucrative. They are never on show in the zoo, and there’ll always be a need to shelter them temporarily, and that’s where you will continue to be a vital member of the team.”