Page 43 of The Attercop

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When Declan tried the door to Gwen’s café it was still locked. He moved to the front window and looked in. Gwen was standing behind the counter, crying. She was being held by Sam.

Declan gently knocked on the window. Sam and Gwen looked at him, then Sam headed to the door and let him in.

“We were just going to call you. Someone broke in here last night.”

“Is Gwen all right?” Charlie asked.

“She’s pretty shaken. We’re just waiting for the police to show up.”

“You might want to send them upstairs when they’re done,” Declan said. “We just found out we were broken into as well.”

Sam scowled. “What the fuck?”

Declan turned to Gwen. “Are you okay?”

She shook her head. “I can’t understand it. I got in this morning ready to bake and that’s when I noticed…”

“Noticed what?” Declan asked.

“Little pebbles of rat…shit on my front counter,” she said with a look of disgust on her face. “I’veneverseen a rat in my place. Ever. I was almost sick. I scoured the counters and bleached them just to be sure. Then I wanted to just get to work, so I opened the flour bin. You know the one I keep sealed next to the fridge? I opened it, and it was sprinkled with rat droppings!”

She began to breathe harder.

“Everything will have to go in the garbage. I can’t trust anything. That’s when I called your father. I didn’t know what else to do.”

Declan gently put his hand on her shoulder. “You did the right thing.”

“But it gets weirder. I decided to make a coffee, so I went to the grinder and turned it on and…it made the most horrible sound. When I looked inside the grinding chamber…it was filled with bits of ribbon and metal. Someone ruined my grinder. Why? Why would they do that? Does someone have something against me?”

Charlie said, “I don’t think this is personal. It’s probably just some random act of vandalism. Was there any money stolen?”

“No. I don’t keep money on the premises at night. It’s all just so weird.”

Sam said, “Take a look at this. This is what Gwen found in the grinder chamber.” He reached into his pocket, pulled out his handkerchief and unfolded it. Inside, was what was left of a medallion.

Declan took it from him. He examined it, turned it over and looked at the back. He looked at Charlie.

“No…” Charlie said under his breath.

The medal had been twisted by the force of the grinder, but Declan recognised it immediately. It was the Vriend medal he had been awarded last year. It was distinctive, because the name had been improperly inscribed with the name of Councillor Frasniak on the back. Declan had put it in a drawer with other miscellaneous items—the drawer that Duck had been sniffing at.

“Gwen,” Declan said, “this medal came from our place upstairs.”

Sam interjected. “There’s something else I think you should see.”

He led Declan and Charlie to an area of the rear counter on the other side of the grinder. There was a message neatly spelled out in rat droppings. It read ‘Come for me.’

Gwen asked, “What do you think it means?”

Declan shook his head. “I’m not sure, but I don’t think any of this is about you. I think this message is meant for me.”

Chapter Nineteen

Declan was coming out of the kitchenette with a cup of coffee for Gwen when Gary Sawchuck walked into the main room of the office above Gwen’s café.

“G’morning, Gary,” Declan said.