Chapter 6

6

Laura jammed the legs of the ladder she’d found in the shed into the wet mud and leaned it against the wall of the bay window before gripping it and giving it a shake.

Yep, that was solid. It wasn’t going anywhere. She looked up. It was still a long way up to be able to reach the guttering. Twelve rungs of the ladder, at least.

She shook her head. That wasn’t high. Heck, it had always been her job to go up into the loft because Harry had been absolutely petrified of the enclosed space and, of course, his claustrophobia had trumped her fear of heights every single time. She could do this. She needed to so she could show herself she could at least do something.

Looking down at the grease covering the front of her T-shirt, she sighed. After getting back from her walk into the village centre, she’d attempted to fix the washing machine, but even after scrolling through hundreds of YouTube videos and following at least a dozen strong men demonstrating how easy and simple it was to change a belt, she still hadn’t been able to succeed. After two and a half hours of stretching the thing and placing it in what looked to be the correct position, each and every time she’d turned the machine on again, the damn belt had sprung straight back off. She’d tried both. And both belts had been a complete waste of money.

Just as she began to climb the ladder, her mobile rang out and she jumped down and pulled it from her pocket. ‘Hello?’

‘Afternoon, this is Washing Machine Repairs Limited. I’m returning your call.’ A gravelly voice filled her ear.

‘Oh great! Thanks for ringing back. The belt on my washing machine has broken and needs replacing. I’ve given it a go, but to be honest, I don’t have a clue what I’m doing and could really do with some help.’ Her knight in shining armour had returned her call! After her dismal failure at attempting to fix the thing, she’d given in and rung for professional help.

‘No problem. Should be an easy fix.’

‘Fantastic. Thank you! I don’t suppose you have any time free today, do you? I could really do with getting it up and running.’

‘Absolutely, not an issue. In fact, I have an hour late afternoon I could fit you in. What’s your address and I’ll pop by?’

‘Amazing.’ Laura grinned. She might just be able to get a good night’s sleep tonight after all. ‘It’s Pennycress Inn, down Wisteria Lane in Meadowfield.’

‘Pennycress Inn, you say?’

‘Yes, that’s right. Thank you so much for fitting me in so quickly. I really appreciate it.’ Laura looked at the ladder, feeling all the more determined to fix that gutter so she could have a night of peace cocooned in a clean bed.

‘I’m so sorry, but I’m not going to be able to help you.’

‘What? Why? Sorry, I mean, I thought you just said you could.’ Her heart sank.

‘No, I’ve been looking at the wrong day. Fully booked today, I’m afraid.’ Was it her imagination or had his tone changed? Gone was the friendly voice who had rung her, instead he sounded distant, dismissive and a little curt.

‘Oh, what about tomorrow? That will be fine.’ It would have to be.

‘Nope, not tomorrow either. In fact, I’m pretty much booked up for the time being. Sorry.’

‘But…’ It was no good. The line was silent. He’d hung up. Great.

Turning around, she perched on the third rung of the ladder and pulled up the internet, scrolling through to another local plumber’s number. The company wasn’t based in Meadowfield but was still only a few miles down the road.

‘Hello, Utility Services. How can I help you?’ The woman on the other end of the phone sounded cheery.

‘Hi, do you fix washing machines please?’

‘We certainly do. Can I ask what the problem seems to be?’

Phew, the day wasn’t over yet. ‘Yes, it’s the belt. It’s snapped.’

‘Great, that’s half the battle knowing what the issue is. If you give me your address, I can get someone out to you by this evening.’

‘Thank you. It’s Pennycress Inn, Wisteria…’ Laura paused and listened to a series of mumbles. It sounded as though the woman was having a conversation with someone else. ‘Hello?’

‘I’m sorry. There are no appointments left.’

‘Okay…’ Shaking her head, Laura ended the call before ringing the next repair company on the internet search list. Something wasn’t right here.

‘Afternoon, Village and Town Repairs and Services.’

‘Hi, can I book for a washing machine belt to be fixed at Pennycress Inn, Meadowfield?—’

‘Sorry, we’ve no appointments available.’

Jabbing the End Call button, Laura pinched the bridge of her nose. What on earth was going on here? Did no one out there want to earn money by fixing a washing machine belt? It wouldn’t take long for someone who knew what they were doing, she knew that. She remembered it had only taken her dad a few minutes, so it wasn’t as though it was one of those tricky jobs that no one wants to do, so why wouldn’t anyone come out and help her?

A large raindrop landed on her phone, and she watched it roll down the now blank screen before pooling at the edge along the rim of her phone case. Great. She really needed to get a wriggle on and sort that guttering before the clouds opened again. Wiping her phone dry on the leg of her jeans, she placed it in her back pocket before thinking better of it and pulling it out and setting it on the ground by the foot of the ladder. Knowing the way her luck was going today, it’d fall right out of her pocket as she was climbing and then she wouldn’t even have a phone to research and ring another repair company. After all, there must be one who had availability and would be willing to help.

Checking the ladder was still stable, she began to climb, forcing herself not to look down and to focus on the rung above her. She was hardly off the ground. The most damage she’d do if she fell now would be to twist her ankle. Or break her back. That was possible, wasn’t it? To just land funny and end up with the most awful, unrecoverable injuries?

Gritting her teeth, Laura continued to climb. She was letting her fear of heights run away with her and she needed to focus. She needed to remember why she was doing this… for a good night’s sleep. Everything felt better after a good night’s sleep. Heck, maybe she’d be able to tackle the washing machine again and actually fix it. There’d be no stopping her.

There, she’d been right. The two lengths of guttering had become unclipped. An easy fix. Taking a deep breath and holding herself very still, she released her hands from the death grip on the ladder and held on to the guttering, manoeuvring each piece to try to clip them back together.

Yes! Done. She’d done it. She’d actually fixed something herself. A large grin spread across her face. She could do this. She could maintain and open the inn. She literally could. She’d show all the doubters. She relished the feeling of pride washing over her.

Just as she was about to begin the descent back down onto solid ground, she looked across the top of the bay window. It looked as though one of the tiles was loose right against the wall. It was sticking up a little and at a funny angle. That would need sorting before it started to let in rain. The last thing she wanted was for a guest to be lounging in the sitting room below and get a big, fat raindrop on their head, or worse the ceiling to come down. Now, that wouldn’t be good for business. Not at all.

Taking another step up the ladder, Laura stretched her right arm out towards the tile. Nope, it was no good. She couldn’t reach it. Keeping her eyes fixed on the tile, she took another step up the ladder before pulling herself up onto the roof of the bay. The tiles were cold beneath her hands and slippery from the downpour last night, but she’d made it this far and had fixed the guttering all by herself and this was just the next thing. If she could inch across the roof towards the loose tile, she’d likely be able to slip it back into position.

Easy.

She bent her knee and swung her left leg over the top of the ladder and onto the roof, clinging with her hands to the good tiles and using the grips on the soles of her trainers to secure herself. She probably wouldn’t even need to hoist herself all the way up. If she just leaned a little further, she’d be able to reach the tile with her other leg still on the ladder. It would take ten seconds at the most. Probably five.

As she reached out again, a loud noise from below startled her and she froze. There it was again, something thudding against the ground, the swish of plants being parted. What was it?

Turning, she caught her breath as she looked over the edge of the roof towards the ground below, something she’d promised herself she wouldn’t do. She inhaled deeply as she tried to fight the dizziness of disorientation, but how she felt wasn’t what worried her the most…

What on earth?

No.

She closed her eyes, squeezing them tight before opening them again. Huh, her mind hadn’t been playing tricks on her. It was a sheep. A white fluffy cloud barging its way across her garden, leaving a trail of destruction behind – a hole in the hedge, trodden-down lavender and muddy hoofprints on the path. A length of ground ivy trailed behind the sheep, having got itself caught on its woollen fleece.

What was worse was that it was heading this way. Right towards the ladder.

As fear gripped her stomach, Laura shouted out, a strange, strangled noise escaping her lips before she could form coherent words. ‘Oi, away! Go!’

What was it doing? Was it going? She couldn’t see it now. She’d lost sight of it. It must have found its way out of the garden.

Just as she exhaled the breath she’d been holding, she watched with horror as the ladder tilted and the leg which was still standing on it was tugged outwards. Pulling her leg up onto the roof, she watched as the top of the ladder disappeared from view and listened to the clatter as it fell to the ground.

Her scream got caught in her throat as she watched the sheep race out of the garden, back the way it had come. Whilst lying down, keeping as much of her body against the roof as she possibly could, Laura slowly slid her way across to the edge and peered over the now-fixed gutter and ladderless wall.

There it was, lying on the ground, a mixture of lavender and ivy poking up through the spaces between the rungs of the metal ladder. And the ten-foot drop to reach it.

What now? What was she supposed to do? With her knuckles turning white, she leaned further over the edge. It wasn’t so far down. And she’d land in the garden if she were to fall. It would be a relatively soft landing compared to the decking, which began on the other side of the front door and wrapped its way around to the back of the inn. And at least the earth would be soft after all the rain.

No, what was she thinking? She couldn’t just jump down there. She couldn’t even lower herself over. She just couldn’t bring herself to. Who would? She’d just have to… What? Ask for help? Ring someone? Who? Jackson?

She scoffed. Nope, that was off the cards. If she asked him for help, she’d never live it down when her family found out. And they would. Richie would likely ring Jackson now he knew he lived next door to her just to get the gossip, to find out how she was coping, and then it would filter through the family, and everyone would nod in agreement because they had known she’d taken on too much. And they’d be right, they’d told her she wouldn’t be able to cope.

Nope. Not Jackson. Who then? A local company? A window cleaning business, perhaps? She could ask them for an urgent clean and when they got here, they’d be able to rescue her. Or anyone, for that matter. She could ring anyone. She had the ladder. She just needed someone to prop it back up. It would literally take a matter of seconds. Heck, she could see the ladder…

She groaned. And her phone. She could see her phone, the corner of the bright orange case peeking out from beneath one rung of the ladder.

So not only did she not have her phone on her – why had she left it down there? – she also now probably had a cracked screen. Great. Absolutely great. What else could possibly go wrong today?

A low rumble filled the air as a large raindrop splattered her square on the back of the neck.

Rain. And thunder. That was what else could go wrong.

Sliding her body towards the wall, she gripped the window ledge above her head and pulled herself into a sitting position before bringing her knees up to her chest. Now, if only the wind was blowing in the other direction, the wall behind her would offer some protection, but as it was, the wind was blowing the rain right into her face. She’d be soaking wet in less than five minutes. And so would the tiles, making them even more slippery than they currently were.

She was so stupid. Why had she thought she could do this? Despite the cold, her cheeks burned with embarrassment. Everyone would soon discover she was as useless as she’d always known she was. She swiped her eyes with her sleeve as her tears mixed with the rain. She’d failed before she’d even opened the place.

Lowering her head to her knees, she closed her eyes. She knew she was feeling sorry for herself, but she couldn’t help it. Who wouldn’t if they were in her position – stranded on the roof in the middle of a thunderstorm with no way of getting down and little chance of anyone turning up to help?

The only thing she could do now was to wait and hope the postman passed by or a delivery driver got lost and meandered down the garden path. She curled her shoulders, making herself as small as she possibly could and shielding as much of her body against the now pelting rain. She should have worn her coat; she’d been chilly when she’d started this mission, but she’d thought it would just get in the way and that it would be safer not to have it on in case it got caught on the ladder. Well, now she had no coat, no ladder and no phone.

The rain slid from her hair beneath the neck of her jumper, freezing her skin as it did so. She was soaking already, and it had barely been two minutes since the weather had changed.

Laura looked up towards the dark clouds as a flash of lightning streaked across the sky. Was she even safe here? Would the lightning strike her, or would it hit the roof of the inn first? Surely the latter. That’s what she’d been taught – that lightning struck the tallest object – not that knowing this fact put her mind at rest at all. There were always exceptions to every rule, weren’t there?

As the wind picked up and the rain continued to hammer down, she felt the tiles beneath her become more slippery and she reached out, pulling herself back up towards the window. How long could she stay like this? How long before she just slid right off the bay roof and landed in a broken heap on the ground below? And how long would it be until someone found her? Her body could be lying there, crumpled for hours, days, weeks, months. Forever.

No, her family would call her and at some point, they’d become suspicious and wonder why she wasn’t picking up. At some point, they’d make the two-hour journey down to the Cotswolds and discover her body, likely half-eaten by that damn sheep.

Did sheep eat meat? Were they carnivores? Or was it just grass and hay they ate? She’d never seen a sheep eat meat. The ones she’d seen just lived in a field with grass. Maybe she’d be okay then. Maybe the runaway sheep wouldn’t get to her. Maybe it would just be the crows.

She shuddered. What had a sheep been doing in her garden, anyway? Yes, she knew it was overgrown, but come on…