Are We Out of The Woods Yet?

Part 18

Joe walked out of the office, closing the door behind him. Chrissie tried to stand but her head panged harder. "Argh!" She sank back to the floor, a hand flying to the back of her head. A few keys were tried and tested in the lock before a clicking sound told Chrissie the man had found the matching key and now the door was locked. "Lachlan..." She bleated, blubbing in aggravation and fear.

Joe was wandering away from the office when Lachlan was coming down the few steps in the hallway. He stopped as he saw Joe. "Um...Sorry, who are you?" Joe was caught by surprise, his eyes shot to Lachlan to take him in. His hand holding the keys whipped behind his back.

"Ah...Chrissie's son yeah?" Shit, he'd forgotten his name, this could ruin everything.

"Uh...yeah. But how do you know my Mum?" Lachlan stayed where he was on the stairs not daring to take his eyes off Joe. There was something shifty going on, he was sure of it.

"Oh sorry, sorry." Joe laughed, sounding as realistic as a guy could when under pressure to think up bullshit lies. "This must be strange, a random guy stood in your house. I'm waiting to see her, me and your Mum, we've spoken on the phone before and now I've come to talk to her face to face."

"About?..."

"About...business. I'm hoping to get a job."

"Oh." Lachlan frowned. "I didn't know Lawrence was looking for anyone."

"Yep well he is so..." He couldn't put a face to the name 'Lawrence' but he definitely read it when researching Robert's former place of residence online.

"Right..." Lachlan edgily came down the remaining steps and was about to head for the office. Joe's heart jumped and crashed. He searched his mind for something that could stop him.

"Uh...you...you can't go in there." He swiftly followed him. Lachlan paused.

"Why not?"

"She's got someone in there with her." Please work, please work?!

"Urgh, let me guess, Andy."

"Yeah." Joe spoke too quickly, Lachlan's eyebrows creased.

"You know Andy too?" Ok...back track um...

"No, I don't. But...when Chrissie opened the door to me she told me she'd be a couple of minutes with Andy first."

"Urgh."

"But hey, whilst we're waiting, can I ask you a few questions? About this place, what it's like? I don't come from here, more central Leeds. I mean, what do you know about the business?"

"I uh...I don't know much about it." Lachlan scratched the back of his neck.

"Well...that's alright. Tell me about yourself then. I mean you might as well, Chrissie said to me there was a very good chance of me getting the job." Suddenly Joe's phone beeped. "Oops, sorry." He brought it out and was met by a text that read: 'Round the corner'. He grunted, stuffing it back in his pocket. "It's a nice day outside, could we walk around the grounds? If that's allowed of course?" Lachlan shrugged.

"Yeah I don't see why not you're probably gonna be working here soon anyway, like you said."

They trudged along the front of the house, Joe rolling his eyes as the kid whinged on to him. "I mean, seriously, she's just left Robert and now she's with his brother. I swear she's got somthin' wrong with 'er head." All of a sudden, as they approached the left corner of the building, a black van came in to view. Two men were stood leaning against it whilst another was seated inside the van in the driving seat.