Secrets in Pelican Crossing (Pelican Crossing #2)

Twenty-two

‘Does the Easter bunny come today?’ Sandy asked, his eyes brimming with excitement, as Bluey scampered around the kitchen getting under everyone’s feet. He’d asked the same question yesterday, reminding Finn he still had to buy chocolate eggs to hide in the garden.

‘Tomorrow,’ he said.

‘Oh!’ Sandy’s lips turned down.

‘But maybe we can buy you an Easter egg today when we go to the shops,’ Finn said, unable to bear his grandson’s disappointment. He was rewarded with a big grin.

‘One of the ones with Smarties inside? Andy got one like that from his grandma,’ Sandy said, referring to his schoolfriend.

‘Maybe.’ Finn knew there was one exactly like that sitting in the fridge waiting for Easter morning.

‘Will my grandma send me one?’

Finn met Adele’s eyes over the top of Sandy’s head. It was doubtful it would ever enter Karen’s head to send her grandson an Easter egg. She managed birthday and Christmas gifts and seemed to feel she’d done her duty by him. It was a pity Tim’s parents hadn’t survived. It left Finn and Adele as Sandy’s only real family.

Keeping Sandy entertained over the school holidays was going to be a challenge. Finn was free for the weekend, but would be back in the office on Tuesday, leaving Adele to carry the responsibility of the small boy and his dog, the latter proving to be more of a chore than they had anticipated .

Yesterday, Good Friday, had been fine. They had taken Bluey for a walk in the morning, and in the afternoon Sandy and Adele had gone to a party at Sandy’s friend’s home, leaving Finn to have some time to himself. He’d spent most of it wondering how Liz was coping with meeting her daughter for the first time and had to stop himself from calling or texting her to find out.

‘Why don’t you and Grandy take Bluey to the beach while I do some shopping?’ Adele asked Sandy, raising one eyebrow at Finn.

‘Good idea,’ Finn said. Bluey hadn’t been to the beach. It would be interesting to see how the little dog reacted to the sand. ‘What do you think, Sandy?’

‘Yay!’ Sandy said. ‘Can we take his ball, and can we…’

‘Steady on, champ. Yes, we can take Bluey’s ball for you to throw for him, and if we go to the dog friendly section, Bluey will be able to run around.’

‘Awesome!’ Sandy had recently heard one of the older boys use this word, and liked to try it out, more appropriately at some times than others. ‘Can we go now?’

‘Finish your breakfast first,’ Adele said, pointing to the half-eaten bowl of cereal. ‘Then, when Grandy’s ready, you can go.’

Sandy started to shovel up his rice bubbles, milk splashing over the edge of his bowl. ‘I’m finished,’ he said, his mouth rimmed with milk. ‘Can we go now?’

‘In a little while,’ Finn said, his own plate of toast and marmalade still half-finished. He was on his second cup of coffee and wanted to enjoy it. ‘Why don’t you brush your teeth and look out what you want to take to the beach while I finish?’

Sandy was off like a shot, Bluey lolloping after him.

With both Sandy and Bluey gone, the kitchen was suddenly silent. Adele made herself another cup of coffee and joined Finn at the table.

‘Thanks, Dad,’ she said. ‘I need to buy some eggs when Sandy’s not around, plus a few other things.’

‘Like hot cross buns?’ Finn knew the shops had stocked them for the past few months, but Adele had resolutely refused to buy them. They were a favourite of his, especially the apple and cinnamon variety. She wasn’t aware he’d managed to sneak a few during his morning tea break at the paper earlier in the week, when one of the reporters had shared some around .

‘Like hot cross buns,’ she agreed. ‘I’ll get some extra eggs too. I can hard-boil them and perhaps Sandy would like to paint them. I remember doing that with you and Mum when I was his age.’

‘Yeah.’ Finn remembered too. Karen hadn’t always been difficult. They’d had some good times when Adele was younger. It was only in the later years things had fallen apart.

‘I’m ready, Grandy.’

Finn looked up to see Sandy with Bluey by his side. He was wearing his wide-brimmed hat, the one he normally wore to school, carrying his bucket and spade in one hand and holding Bluey’s lead in the other. The little dog was prancing up and down in excitement at the prospect of a walk with his special person.

‘Okay.’ Finn swallowed the last bite of toast and drained his cup, before taking his dirty dishes to the dishwasher. He grabbed his hat from its hook by the door and checked his pocket for his wallet. ‘We’re off, Adele,’ he said. ‘See you later.’

‘You’ll be back for lunch?’

‘Of course.’ Finn knew Sandy – and the dog – would be tired out by then, and he’d be ready for a break too.

‘Wait, Grandy,’ Sandy said and went running to retrieve Bluey’s ball before dropping it into his bucket.

‘Well remembered,’ Finn said, ruffling the boy’s hair.

Once at the beach, Sandy chose a spot well away from the sea as usual, laughing as Bluey began to dig a hole and, dropping his bucket and spade on the sand, began to help him, digging into the sand with both hands, seemingly forgetting all about Bluey’s ball.

Tipping his hat over his eyes, Finn settled down to watch as both boy and dog almost disappeared into the hole they were digging. Despite it being Easter weekend, this part of the beach wasn’t busy, and it was peaceful sitting here in the sunlight.

Finn let his mind wander.

Suddenly, there was a scream.

‘Bluey!’

When Finn looked up, Sandy was standing by the hole they had been digging. Tears were streaming down his cheeks. There was no Bluey. Then he saw him. The dog was frolicking in the shallow water with another dog. It was Lady, the spaniel belonging to old Agnes who… Finn looked again… There she was. She appeared to be collecting shells at the edge of the water, oblivious to the two dogs.

‘Bluey!’ Sandy screamed again.

Finn jumped up and crouched down beside the little boy, whose cheeks were wet with tears ‘He’s okay, Sandy. Look, he’s playing with the other dog. It’s…’

‘It’s the pelican lady and her dog, but Bluey’s too little,’ he stammered through his tears. ‘He can’t swim. Daddy…’

Finn pulled his grandson into a warm hug, realising the boy was reliving the accident which had taken his dad. ‘It’s not like what happened to your dad, Sandy. All dogs can swim. Look!’ He pointed to where Bluey and Lady were coasting the waves together.

‘But… what if…’ Sandy asked, still teary.

‘Shall we go over to check on him?’

‘No!’ Sandy pulled away, his eyes on the two dogs who were having so much fun. ‘I want…’

Finn took a deep breath, realising what happened next could be crucial for Sandy. He took the little boy’s hand. ‘I won’t let anything bad happen to you,’ he said, and with Sandy clutching firmly to Finn’s hand, they walked slowly to the edge of the water.

‘Hello,’ Agnes said as they approached. ‘Is this your dog?’

‘He’s Bluey,’ Sandy said, still clutching Finn’s hand like a lifeline.

‘He and my Lady are having fun in the waves, aren’t they?’

‘Ye… es.’ But Sandy didn’t sound convinced. ‘I don’t want him to go into the water. He might drown.’

Finn saw it dawn on Agnes that Sandy was the little boy who’d almost drowned, whose dad had drowned trying to save him. She smiled gently. ‘Look, he and Lady, they’re both swimming. All dogs like the water. They can’t come to any harm. It’s quite safe.’ Agnes was standing in the shallow water, the waves lapping over her feet. ‘Why don’t you join me?’ she said.

Sandy shook his head and moved behind Finn, but Finn could feel him peeping round at the two dogs… and Agnes who was holding out her hand.

Gradually, still holding onto Finn’s hand firmly, Sandy took one step towards Agnes, then another, until first one, then both feet were being lapped by the waves. Then Bluey, seeing Sandy in the water, leapt towards him splashing all three of them .

‘Bluey!’ Sandy said again, but this time the fear had disappeared from his voice. He released the hand which Finn was holding to grasp his pet. Then, to Finn’s surprise, he took a step forward just as a small wave splashed over the dog and Sandy’s feet. Sandy took a step back but giggled as the little dog tried to bite the wave.

‘He’ll be right now,’ Agnes said nodding, before calling to her dog and going on her way.

‘Can we go home now?’ Sandy looked up at Finn, his feet still in the swirling water. ‘I think Bluey wants to go home.’

‘Sure thing, champ,’ Finn said, stunned by what had just happened. He decided not to comment. ‘Let’s get your feet dried first.’

As they drove home, Finn revisited what had happened on the beach. With the help of the little dog – and old Agnes – Sandy had managed to overcome his fear of the sea. He might not be ready to go swimming in it yet, but it was a start.

After lunch, during which neither Sandy nor Finn said anything about Sandy getting his feet wet in the ocean – Finn would tell Adele later – Adele said, ‘Who’d like to paint some eggs for Easter?’

‘I would!’ Sandy shouted, causing Bluey to leap up in alarm from where he was lying under Sandy’s chair. ‘Will you help, Grandy?’

Finn, who had been hoping for some time to relax with a good book – he’d recently bought the latest Chris Hammer from Books and Coffee – sighed, then said, ‘I’d love to.’

Adele boiled half a dozen eggs, and Finn and his grandson spent a companionable afternoon at the kitchen table painting designs on the shells. It wasn’t until after dinner and when Sandy was safely tucked up in bed that Finn had an opportunity to talk to Adele.

‘A strange thing happened at the beach today,’ he said, and proceeded to describe what had happened, finishing with, ‘I think it’s a step forward but maybe we shouldn’t get too excited about it.’

Adele beamed. ‘Oh, I agree, but I wish I’d been there. I must tell Olivia about it when I next see her. She’s been suggesting there isn’t much more she can do for Sandy, but I wonder…’

‘I’ll leave it to you both.’

‘I got the eggs. Should we wait till morning or…?’

‘… do it now? Probably. The little blighter will likely be up at the crack of dawn to check if the Easter bunny’s been. We can’t disappoint him. ’

As they crept around the garden in the dark, hiding the chocolate eggs, Finn realised that by the time they finished it would be too late to call Liz.