Murder Case.

Pg 4

Lydia was confused with what was happening. One minute she was watching a retired staff run off the bar with excitement and the next minute she was receiving instructions on her new job.

"these are ya schedules. Ya change to ya uniform in there en change outta it in there too!" Mr Barlow instructed Lydia. Lydia was starting to think, maybe yelling was how Mr Barlow talked, but she continued listening; "ain't no quarreling or lazying 'bout doing nothing! Ya job is to turn this pudding! Ya get paid end of month! 20 bucks" Mr Barlow concluded. She wasn't going to nag about the pay, anything to keep her busy and feel alive was all she needed, she smiled to him in agreement.

By eight O'clock in the morning, people started coming into the bar one by one and before long, the bar was filled up with customers. What was it about this place that was magical? Lydia thought as she watched everyone and everything, her hand holding the spoon firmly, turning the pudding.

She couldn't say the bar was big, but again she still couldn't say it was small. It was lined up vertically with chairs and tables. Each table having four set of chairs with a table cloth untop the table, designed with the bar's name, which Lydia noticed was also the hotels name. Brink.

Lydia couldn't just put her hands on what made the bar so very dreamy. The whole place was..........

"Beautiful right?"

"What?" Lydia looked up to face a girl like her. She was blonde.

"This place. It's beautiful right?" The girl continued with a friendly smile.

"Yes" Lydia couldn't agree more.

"You must be new here. We don't get compliments like this everyday" she paused, then added; "I'm Rachael" she smiled warmly to Lydia.

Lydia looked at her beautiful face. This girl was really nice but, she didn't come all the way here to keep friends or get attached, she reminded herself. But, introducing herself wouldn't hurt; "I'm Lydia" Lydia smiled back.

"That's a beautiful name Lydia" Rachael remarked seriously.

"Thanks" she said hesitantly.

"Yours too" Lydia quickly added and Mr Barlow's awful yelling interrupted their informal chit chat.

"Ben! Ya better get done with whatever ya doing en get back to 'em customers!"

"Mr Barlow can be an ache in the head, but you'll enjoy working here once you get to know him well" Rachael said to Lydia.

"Hmm, okay" Lydia said.

"No big deal really, just always be in his good side by not doing what will make him yell at you" Lydia was about telling Rachael that Mr Barlow always yelled no matter what, but then again what was the point?

"Is it always crowdy in here?" Lydia changed the conversation. She noticed the bar was much crowded than when she thought it couldn't get any crowdy.

"Yes. The neighborhood enjoys the bar. No one can resist the best served tea and coffee on summer mornings" Lydia replied.

"I get to meet new faces, I think" Lydia chipped in.

"Oh no these are our everyday customers you'll get used to their faces very soon. It's ages before we get new customers except it's the holiday periods or someone just happened to visit the bar" Rachael explained.

"Hey... No service here?!" A guy behind the counter called out.

"Rachael?" Lydia tilted her head towards the customer.

"I'll be right back" she said to Lydia. "Coming!" She called out.

Lydia continued admiring the bar back again from where she stopped before Rachael interrupted her and - Rachael was back. "Oh, geez" Lydia muttered under her breath in frustration.

"One of those guys were interested in you. I told him your name and he--"

"You did what?" Lydia interrupted her suddenly. "How could you Rachael?" Lydia continued; "you don't even know him!"

"I'm sorry. I do too know him, I told you we hardly have new customers here. He's a -"

"I don't care Rachael" Lydia interrupted her again.

"I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking, I should have asked you first" Rachael apologized again.

"It's okay. I... I just..." Lydia sighed, then continued; "it's just that I don't like it when people do things like that" she figured she was too harsh on Rachael.

"I didn't think you'll mind" Rachael said.

"What do you mean?" Lydia stopped turning the pudding and turned to face her.

"It just kind of popped out of my mouth. He was asking me about you and I was telling him you just started this job" she explained.

"Is it the brown haired guy looking at me?" Lydia asked Rachael as she smiled back to his contagious smile.

"Yeah" Rachael replied. "What's that smell?"

"Mr Barlow's pudding!"