Where Memories Are Made by Lynda Page

didn’t buy any more, what with us coming away for a week on our holidays, so we couldn’t help you.’
    Jackie could have sworn she saw a flash of worry in Marion’s eyes before she said matter-of-factly, ‘Oh, yes, that’s right. I’d forgotten about that.’
    â€˜So where
did
you end up getting the eggs for your cakes?’ Martha asked sharply.
    â€˜Oh, er … I can’t remember.’
    â€˜Marion, we’re talking about something you did less than twenty hours ago. ’Course you can remember. Now where did you get those eggs from?’
    She started shuffling her feet uncomfortably. ‘Well … er … after trying a few others who didn’t have any spare either, I … er … went to see Nelly Brown. Miserable old bugger could see how desperate for them I was and charged me more than the Co-op does.’
    At this news Martha shut her eyes and let out a loud groan of despair. ‘You bought eggs from her? Marion, no one buys eggs from Nelly Brown because people have got ill from eating her eggs before. Only those that don’t know that buy from her.’
    Marion said defensively, ‘Well, I didn’t know.’
    Martha eyed her suspiciously. ‘Well, if you didn’t, why didn’t you have a slice of the cake?’
    â€˜I’ve already told you, because I was full from my sandwiches.’
    â€˜I don’t believe you. I think it was because you did know and didn’t want to risk eating it. Well, you’d better go and tell everyone that it’s you to blame for poisoning them and nothing to do with Jolly’s. They’re not going to be very happy with you, just like I’m not, so for the rest of the holiday you’d better make yourself scarce.’
    Marion almost choked as she cried, ‘Well, there’s absolutely no proof it was the eggs in my cakes that caused the poisoning. They looked all right when I cracked them open and didn’t smell off, so it’s not fair I should take the blame.’
    Martha said, ‘Well, we’ll just have to prove it one way or the other then, won’t we? Go and get the tin with the remains of the cake in it.’
    â€˜Why?’
    â€˜Because you’re going to eat a piece, then you’re going to stay put here where we can keep an eye on you and see what happens.’ Martha said to Jackie, ‘And you’d better stay too, so you can be a witness. If Marion becomes ill then it’s the cake that’s the cause. If not then it has to be something prepared by Jolly’s and we get our money back and a coach home. Is that fair enough?’
    Jackie nodded. ‘It is.’
    It didn’t seem that she was going to have her night out with Keith, Ginger and some of the other staff, dancing the night away at Groovy’s celebrating Helen’s birthday. But this had to be settled one way or the other.
    Marion almost choked on the cake, but under the watchful eye of Martha Evans, Jackie and Cyril had no choice but to finish every crumb. While they all waited to see what happened, sitting on Cyril’s bed, he and Jackie played game after game of knockout whist while Marion sat anxiously on the other end and Martha dozed on and off in her own bed. It was approaching eight o’clock and Jackie was just about to lay down a winning hand when Marion’s face suddenly turned pale and she clutched her stomach, issuing a low painful groan. Then as fast as her rotund body would carry her, she made a dash for the door, yanked it open and disappeared in the direction of the toilet block.
    Martha roused herself from a doze just in time to witness Marion’s departure. She looked over at Jackie shame-faced and said quietly, ‘Well, it seems we have our answer. I can only apologise for blaming Jolly’s without considering for a minute that it was something we’d had before we arrived here.’
    Jackie smiled at her.