Albert frowned. ‘Surely filling sacks of flour is an automated process and is completed in a separate area of the factory. That’s if the same factory even handles salt.’
‘Unless we believe the inclusion of salt to be deliberate, it must have been accidental,’ Gary countered. ‘It was spread throughout the flour within the sacks so could not have occurred at the venue.’
Albert thought about that for a moment before responding. His natural inclination to solve a mystery made his still-tired feet twitchy. He wanted to return to the marquee to have another look at the ingredients and maybe ask some questions, but it would have to wait until after their dinner now as he could see the waitress approaching with two steaming dishes.
Both father and son had ordered the award-winning steak and kidney pie. It was two inches high with a thick crust of flaky pastry on top and a rich, meaty filling emboldened with a red wine gravy. The pieces of beef were so well-cooked they melted on the tongue like marshmallow and the kidney portion was generous. Alongside, each had a hearty serving of creamy mashed potatoes, carrots, and peas, and a separate jug of additional gravy.
Rex’s head popped up to view the delicious offerings, licking his lips in a meaningful way and trying not to slobber. ‘Where’s mine?’ he asked his human.
Albert didn’t need to understand his dog’s odd noises to know what Rex was asking this time. ‘I’ll not be able to finish this, boy,’ Albert told him. ‘I’ll leave a little of everything for you. How’s that sound?’
Rex would have preferred a plate of his own but settled down to wait beneath the table. Above him, the humans were mostly silent as they savoured their food, pausing only briefly between forkfuls to drink their beverages.
By the time their plates were empty, Albert’s licked clean by Rex, the fatigue of the day was making Albert question his desire to return to the venue to ask about the caterers. He’d already paid, so it wasn’t as if he were going to get his money back. It seemed more sensible to leave it until the morning, get a good night’s sleep and be fresh for what promised to be an interesting day ahead. If nothing else, the promise of private lessons in making a good Yorkshire pudding would suffice.
Declining the offer of dessert, much to Rex’s disappointment, Albert chose to return to the bed and breakfast. It was still only early evening, but it was fully dark outside and the lure of a hot soak in a deep bath was greater than the pull of an unsolved mystery. Telling himself he could ponder on the elements of the case while he soaked, Albert announced his intention to retire.
Gary nodded his agreement. ‘I think I shall find something to watch on the television. It will be a strange experience to be able to decide for myself what I am going to watch.’
Surprised they were leaving already, but ready for his evening bowl of kibble which was already an hour overdue, Rex got to his feet. And that was when the sound of a siren reached their ears.
Sneaking in the Dark
Getting to their feet, the inside of the tavern began to fill with the flashing blue and white light strobing in from the dark street outside. By Albert’s estimate, it was right about where the ambulance had been less than an hour ago and had stopped moving.
Father and son exchanged a glance, neither voicing their thoughts but both wondering what might have happened now to attract the police.
It was cool outside, bordering on cold, and certainly a great enough difference in temperature from inside for Albert to wish he’d brought his hat and gloves along. The police car was just along the street from them and his desire to find out why was too great for him to resist.
‘You’re going over there, aren’t you, Dad?’ asked Gary, wondering why he bothered to pose the question since he already knew the answer.
Albert exhaled slowly through his nose. ‘Yes, son. Are you not curious?’
‘Not really, Dad, no. I expect there has been a report of something. It’s just one squad car. It could be anything. You met some of the competitors earlier; maybe there was a punch up.’
Albert couldn’t argue that there had been tension between the people setting up their stalls. He didn’t need to reply to Gary though, for the next second, another squad car swung into view, and behind it was a crime scene van.
‘I don’t think this is anything minor,’ Albert commented as he set off across the street. He was going inside to find out what new fate had befallen the event.
The barriers at the edge of the field had been closed again to keep people out which might have put some people off, especially since there were cops in uniform on the pavement nearby, but Albert took a handy gravy bone from his pocket, whispered, ‘Rex,’ quietly to get the dog’s attention, and threw it into the field.
Rex’s head snapped around, tracking the rough direction the gravy bone went in the dark when his human threw it. Great! A game and a treat! As his lead came free, the old man letting it go, Rex dashed under the barrier and into the dark.
His nose led him directly to his target, but when he turned around to go back, he found his human coming across the grass after him.
‘Dad, I don’t think you should be in there,’ warned Gary. ‘The police will see you if they look this way.’
‘It’s okay, son,’ Albert called back over his shoulder. ‘I work here. So do you for that matter. Unless you plan to miss out on making a world record Yorkshire pudding.’
