Page 68 of Kate and Clara's Curious Cornish Craft Shop
‘The house!’ I suddenly say. ‘The one with the blue door. It’s still up for sale, isn’t it?’
‘I suppose so.’
‘So the estate agent must know who’s selling it? All we need to do is ask them and we’ll have our answer.’
‘It can’t be that simple, can it, surely?’
‘Nothing iseverthat simple, Jack, but we have to start somewhere and it’s as good a place as any.’
Twenty-three
However, as Jack had correctly pointed out, nothing is ever that simple.
‘I’m sorry, miss, but I’m afraid I can’t tell you who the vendor is,’ Jackson of Parkes & Parker estate agent in Penzance tells me over the telephone the next day. ‘That’s confidential information.’
‘I know that, Jackson, but I don’t want you to divulge it for any other reason than I’m simply interested to know who the previous inhabitant of the house was. I’m superstitious, see,’ I add suddenly, having an idea. ‘I can’t possibly even think ofbuyinga house if the previous owner’s name begins with a C or an A?’
‘You’re superstitious?’ Jackson asks, clearly thinkingThis is a new one.
‘Yes, very.’
‘But youareconsidering purchasing this property?’
‘Very much so,’ I fib. ‘I live locally, and I’ve had my eye on that house for a long time. I said to my husband if that house ever comes up for sale, Trevor, then I want to live in it!’
‘I can arrange a viewing if you’d like me to?’ Jackson says keenly. ‘Would that help calm your fears?’
‘Er … yes, I think it might.’Actually seeing inside the house couldn’t do any harm, could it? We might find something …
‘How about this evening?’ Jackson suggests. ‘I have another viewing in St Felix at six. Could you and your husband make it for seven?’
‘Seven would be perfect. Thank you.’
‘So your husband is Trevor, and your name is … ?’
‘Fiona,’ I grab from nowhere.
‘Excellent. Fiona and Trevor.’ Jackson is obviously writing this down. ‘Right, I’ll meet you at the house tonight at seven. Have a good day, Fiona.’
‘And you too, Jackson,’ I say, ending the call.
Right, I think, as I look at the phone in my hand,that wasn’t quite how I saw that going.
Now I have the difficult task of calling Jack to tell him that not only are we to pose as a married couple tonight so we can see inside the house, but that his name temporarily is Trevor …
‘I can’t believe we’re doing this,’ Jack says, as we wait outside the blue door of the house that evening for Jackson to arrive. ‘And why did you pick the nameTrevorfor me?’
‘First one I could think of. Plus, I didn’t know at that point you were actually going to have to use the name or I’d have thought of something better.’
Jack looks up at the house behind us. ‘I hope this is worth it. What do you expect to find in there anyway?’
‘I don’t know. Nothing probably … but it’s worth a try. I got nothing from Noah when I popped into his shop earlier. He said the house clearance was arranged by some American lady called Susan. He wasn’t sure if they were a relative, and it was mostly arranged by email, I believe.’
‘There must be someone in St Felix who knows the person who lived here. You’re all in each other’s pockets enough – I can’t believe someone doesn’t know the old lady’s name?’
‘We are notin each other’s pockets. It’s a friendly place to live, that’s all.Somepeople like that – I thought you did too.’
‘Yes, I do, but when you’re new somewhere everyone seems to know each other already. I feel like an outsider.’
