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“The Health Secretary would like a word,” Stephen Thawn’s assistant had been fielding calls all morning and she was feeling harassed. “I told her you’d call back at the first opportunity.”
Thawn, who was feeling pretty harassed himself after the press conference, had only just got to work after taking a taxi from the station. He nodded as he walked past her desk and shouldered open his office door. Before it closed behind him he said, “Get Meg Shyne up here will you?”
***
When Velma got to work, Linda was waiting for her. “Can I have a quick word, before you get started?” she asked.
Velma nodded. “Sure.”
“I’ve had another complaint about you.”
“What? Why? Who complained?”
“Point is,” Linda replied evasively, “this is not the first time.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. No one’s said anything to me.”
“They say you’re not pulling your weight.”
Velma was astounded. “I am!”
“They say you’re not. So, think about it, in which areas do you think you might not be doing your best?”
Velma shook her head. “Are you kidding me?”
Linda looked serious. “I am not kidding you. I’ve had several complaints about you and I’m giving you a chance to explain yourself, but if you don’t pull your socks up our next conversation will be in a formal meeting – your first official warning.
Velma was flabbergasted. “Well, if you’re not going to give me specifics, I don’t know what to tell you. All I know is, I do everything on my to-do list every day and I do it well.” There was a brief silence before Velma added, “is it about me forgetting to put away the wet floor sign? I apologised for that.”
“Let’s hope this will be an end to it,” Linda said and walked away.
An end to what? Velma was frustrated. I can’t improve on perfection. She watched as Linda crossed the room, gave Tom a cheerful good evening, and then left the building. Velma closed her eyes, shook her head and took a deep breath before walking to the cleaning cupboard for the mop and bucket. When she’d filled the bucket with hot soapy water, she remembered she had to sweep the floor first. Doh! She left the bucket, grabbed the broom, took it to the empty café and began to sweep.
Luckily the music filling the department store that night was something cheerful she could sing along with, The Cardigans she thought, or maybe Alisha’s Attic. She liked it anyway and her defeated mood was soon chased away.
When she’d finished sweeping and mopping the café, she thoroughly cleaned the ladies’ toilets, then the men’s, then the disabled. She rescued a beetle who’d been trying to escape through a window that didn’t open, and released him through a window in the staff room that did. Then she restocked all the toilet rolls and, finally, went over all the shop floors meticulously to rub off any black scuffs with a tennis ball on the end of a broom handle.
It was time to clock out. When she grabbed her coat and bag from the locker room, she saw Kirsty, the store’s assistant manager, who smiled and said “goodnight.”
“Did you complain about me to my area manager?” Velma asked, “because I apologised about the wet floor sign and I thought-“
“I didn’t complain about you. I wouldn’t. You do a good job.”
“So it wasn’t about the wet floor sign?”
“Honestly Velma, if I had a problem with anything you’d done, I would talk to you about it. I wouldn’t go behind your back to Linda.”
Velma nodded, “Okay, thanks,” she smiled and said goodnight.
*
It was unusually cold for the time of year and it felt like rain was coming so there was hardly anyone about. She walked briskly through the empty town centre towards home, stopping when her phone received a text. It was from Andy and it was strange. Just two words. Chew Toy. Assuming he’d accidentally sent her his shopping list, she resumed her journey home. Then her phone beeped again. Again it was a text from Andy. Again it was only two words but this time it said Train Set.
Velma stood still and called her friend. It went straight to voicemail. Her next instinct was to call Muriel but, before she did, she remembered that Muriel was on the early shift this week and she would be in bed by now. She decided to mist her way over to Andy’s – it was quicker than walking.
When she got there she saw three police vans outside his building. She got as close as she could without being noticed and saw Andy being led out in handcuffs.
***
Come back tomorrow as chapter 12 continues 😀
*
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