Chapter 14

“Bel’s work had taken a nosedive recently. She’d been mooning over a boy, but he wasn’t interested in her. If I’d heard another tale of unrequited love, I swear I’d have…” Daphne shook her head and moved onto another table. “I’ll have to go down to the job centre. It’s near impossible to get good, honest staff with experience, and frankly I haven’t the time to look through applications, hold interviews and the rest.”

“Sorry. Can I use your phone for a minute? It’s only a local call.”

“Go ahead.” She waved her cloth at the phone on the counter and got back to her table cleaning.

“I might be able to fix you up with someone. You remember Mark, my…boyfriend?” Daphne had worked out what Mark meant to me the first time she saw the two of us.

She nodded and picked up a tray of dirty plates.

“I know he used to work in a café up in Newcastle,” I told her. “I’ll give him a ring to see if he can come see you.”

“I’ll interview him straight away.”