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be, but I can’t leave the office.”
    â€œOf course. I’ve got my laptop and the books, so I can work here while you’re out. Off you go. Take as long as you need.”
    â€œIf anyone comes in just ask them to come back in, oh, say an hour. OK?” and Lillian grabbed her waterproof jacket from its hook and was gone.
    Polly settled down and tried to concentrate on reading the small print in the loan agreement about early repayment, when the office door opened and a man regarded her indolently.
    â€œWhere’s Lillian?”
    â€œOut,” Polly answered. “She’ll be back in an hour.” Instinctively she didn’t like this man whoever he was, but she tried to remain civil in case he was an important customer of the boatyard. Could even be the owner of the new-build come to pay the next instalment.
    â€œYou working for the Robertsons?”
    Polly shook her head. “No. Just helping out.”
    â€œWhat you doing with the accounts then?”
    â€œI don’t think that’s any of your business,” Polly said sharply, shutting her laptop and closing one of the books.
    â€œMight be more my business in a few weeks than you know, missy,” the man said, holding out his hand for her to shake. “Name’s Jack Pettyjohn. I expect the Robertsons have mentioned me.”
    Polly ignored the outstretched hand with the diamond ring on its little finger. “No, the Robertsons haven’t mentioned you, Mr. Pettyjohn,” she said defiantly. “Now if there’s nothing else, could you please go? Come back when Lillian is here.”
    Jack Pettyjohn leant across the desk, his face inches away from Polly. “I don’t know who you are, but it’s always a mistake to cross me. Tell that Will Robertson I expect a proper repair job — no bodging it.”
    Polly regarded him steadily and he turned away, slamming the door behind him as he left.
    Polly was still shaking when Lillian returned ten minutes later. A scowling-faced Will was with her.
    â€œEverything all right? You look upset,” Lillian said.
    â€œJack Pettyjohn was here,” Polly said. “He’s not a very nice man is he?”
    â€œUnderstatement of the year that,” Will said. “And after last night’s little episode I could kill him.”
    â€œWill, you don’t know for sure it was him,” Lillian said.
    â€œI’d put money on it.” Will glanced at Polly. “You know I’ve been living on the
Elizabeth Ann
for the last few weeks? Last night somebody deliberately arranged for me to be out of the way for several hours, so they could untie her and cause havoc on the river. And you can’t tell me that Pettyjohn’s boat being out there was pure coincidence — his usual mooring is in the marina. So now on top of everything else, we get to repair his damn floating gin palace.”
    â€œHe said something about the business could be more his business than I knew,” Polly said. “Sounded like a threat to me.”
    Lillian sighed. “He knows we’ve had a couple of bad seasons. He’s hoping we’ll be forced to sell up and he can buy the place at a giveaway price.”
    â€œSo you think he’s behind all these vandalism attacks?” Polly asked.
    Will shrugged his shoulders. “I’m convinced he is but getting enough evidence is difficult. He’s been clever so far but damaging his own yacht may be his first mistake.”
    â€œDoes he know about Worldsend Enterprises wanting to invest?”
    â€œDoubt it. Haven’t mentioned it to anyone outside the family yet,” Lillian said. “I see you’ve been looking at the loan agreement.”
    Polly nodded. “Need to be able to tell Worldsend the full story — both about the loan and the problems you’ve been having.”
    â€œLikely to put them off?” Will asked.
    Polly shrugged. “Depends on whether the