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‘Go on.’
‘I’m not sure how old it is, but it might be a good idea to consider getting it serviced, particularly if you’re planning on submerging it in water at any point.’
‘I’m sorry, did you sayservice?’
‘Yes. There are lots of tiny moving parts in there, and they need to be kept lubricated and so on. The waterproof seals should also be checked and changed regularly.’
It’s obvious where he’s going with this. He’s given me the freebie to instil a sense of obligation so he can sell me something bigger, such as this service.
‘I see. Is that something you can do for me?’
‘Goodness me, no. Quite apart from the fact that I’m not accredited by Rolex, I don’t have the equipment to do the waterproof testing. However, any Rolex retailer should be able to help. Mappin & Webb at Bluewater is probably the closest one to here. It won’t be cheap, probably six or seven hundred pounds, but it’s worth it to have the peace of mind.’
Okay, so maybe I underestimated him. I’m back to thinking this thing is a liability, though. My car doesn’t even cost that much to be serviced, and I’m sure it’s much more complicated than a bloody wristwatch.
‘I understand. Thank you.’ I really don’t understand, but he might start explaining if I let on, and I’m suddenly quite keen to be out of here. It’s like I’ve stepped into some horological version ofAlice in Wonderland, where all the watches have come to life and are making ever more ludicrous demands.
I’m very aware of the weight of the Rolex on my wrist as I walk back to the car, and I’m convinced people are noticing and staring at it. They aren’t, of course, it’s just that I feel incredibly self-conscious wandering around with several thousand pounds’ worth of watch on my wrist. On the plus side, the cake and the distraction of the strange watch man has stopped me feeling wobbly, and I’m ready to drive home at last. As I start the car, a thought occurs to me. I rifle through the papers that Jonathan gave me and find the address of the café, which I punch into the satnav. I might as well check it out while I’m here.
Five minutes later, I find myself in front of a small parade of shops, and my fears about the café are confirmed. It’s very run down, a fact emphasised by the swanky-looking art gallery next door. It’s also closed; the sign in the door indicates that it’s open from 7.30 a.m. to 3 p.m. every day except Sunday, when it’s closed all day. It’s probably for the best, I decide. This is Katie’s problem just as much as it is mine, so we should probably check it out together.
* * *
Katie, Nan, and Grandad are all in the living room when I get back, studiously trying to pretend that they haven’t been sitting there for ages, bursting with curiosity about what Fred could have left me. I decide, perhaps a little unkindly, to string them along a bit.
‘Ah, there you are. You were gone a long time,’ Nan observes as I walk in, and I can hear the false nonchalance in her voice. She’d make a terrible actor. ‘Where’s the elephant?’
‘It wasn’t an elephant,’ I tell them all, ‘it was a watch in the end.’ I take off the Rolex and hand it to her.
‘Goodness, that’s heavy. What’s it made of, lead?’ Nan exclaims, as she passes it to Katie. ‘You’ll end up with one arm longer than the other, wearing that!’
Katie glances at it briefly before handing it on to Grandad, who studies it intently.
‘It’s a Rolex,’ he observes, after reading the dial. ‘That’s got to be worth a few bob.’
‘Eight and a half thousand pounds, according to the solicitor,’ I tell them, with a smile. Nan’s mouth drops open in surprise, and I can’t help but laugh.
‘Eight and a half grand?’ she repeats. ‘Think what you could do with a sum like that. I’d sell it, if I were you. I’m sure you could use the money.’
‘I am thinking about it,’ I reply, ‘but I’ve got a few other things to deal with first. The watch is only one part of what Great-Uncle Fred left to Katie and me.’
Katie’s head snaps up. I’ve got her attention now. Time for the big reveal.
‘Sorry, did you just say he left me something as well?’ she asks. She’s trying to sound indifferent, but doing nearly as bad a job as Nan did earlier.
‘Yup. Between us, Katie, we’ve inherited just under eight hundred thousand pounds in cash, two flats worth a quarter of a million quid each, and a café. He left everything to us.’
The stunned silence is so intense that, even though the room is fully carpeted, you could probably still hear a pin drop.
‘Oh, I almost forgot,’ I continue. ‘There’s a car as well. I’m going to put the kettle on. Anyone want a cup of tea?’
8
They’re all still sitting there, motionless, when I come back with the tray of mugs. I’ve put some biscuits on a plate as well; I don’t want to be responsible for Nan keeling over from the shock. No sooner have I passed round the mugs than the interrogation begins, and I end up giving them pretty much a blow-by-blow account of my meeting with Jonathan Moorhouse. Katie is a little disappointed that she won’t be able to access her share of the cash inheritance straight away, but soon recovers.
‘What are you going to do about the café then?’ Grandad asks. We’ve all agreed that this has to be my top priority.
‘I was trying to think a bit about that on the way home,’ I tell them. ‘It’s got to go, there’s no doubt about that, but it’s not the kind of thing you can just stick on eBay and sell in a week. I could close it and stop the rot, but then it’s an empty unit sitting there doing nothing, which seems a bit wasteful. Also, I wonder whether it will be more attractive to a buyer if it’s open and trading, rather than boarded up.’
