Blink(58)

‘Oh, Toni, no.’ Jo grasped my arm. ‘Come on, let’s go back to the shops, it might not be too late.’

We left the lattes untouched on the table and Jo hurriedly asked the waitress to bag up our sandwiches to collect on our return.





49





Three Years Earlier





Toni





‘I’m sorry,’ I said to Jo as we walked briskly back up the High Street together. ‘I’ve ruined our lunch, being so careless with my purse.’

‘Don’t be daft,’ Jo said, linking her arm through mine and leading me out into the street. ‘We’ve all done it.’

In the post office, Jo took charge and walked straight to the front of the queue. Unsurprisingly, nobody had handed in a long, black purse stuffed full of cash. We scouted round the shelves full of envelopes, Sellotape and packs of pens but it was hopeless.

‘Are you certain this was the last place you had it?’ Jo asked me.

My mind was just a mess. I couldn’t remember even getting my purse out in here, but I must have done, in order to buy the stamps.

Then I suddenly remembered. ‘I put the stamps in my purse.’

‘And then you put the purse back in your bag?’

‘Yes, definitely. That’s what I did.’

‘So maybe it dropped out somehow when you walked to the café,’ Jo suggested.

We walked back to the café in subdued silence, scanning the pavements in vain. The street was busy with shoppers and workers on their lunch break, everyone scurrying around trying to maximise their time.

That’s why the tall, stationary figure, staring from across the road, drew my eye. I squinted through the moving bodies to see if it was someone I recognised but whoever it was stepped aside and melted back into one of the alleyways between the shops.

I silently berated myself. I was becoming paranoid, as well as ridiculously forgetful. I waited outside while Jo popped back into the café for our sandwiches. Not that I had any appetite left whatsoever.

‘I just don’t know how I could’ve lost my bloody purse between here and the post office,’ I said as we got to the office door.

‘You two are back early,’ Dale said, his mouth full of food.

‘There’s been a bit of a disaster,’ Jo told him. ‘Toni has lost her purse.’

We had to go through the whole story again for Dale’s benefit. Halfway through, Bryony came back from lunch and waded right in.

‘Let me get this straight,’ she said. ‘You can’t even remember when you last had your purse?’

‘I do remember. I definitely had it in the post office,’ I said. ‘I bought stamps, put them in my purse and then put it back into my handbag.’

‘Maybe you thought you did but left it on the counter instead.’

‘I didn’t. I put it back in my bag.’

‘But it isn’t in there. So you either missed your bag and it fell on the floor, or—’

‘I think I would’ve noticed that,’ I said. I felt hot and I couldn’t seem to get my breath properly. ‘I would have noticed.’

‘Well, then, someone must have taken it out of your bag.’ Bryony looked at Dale. ‘Maybe we should call the police?’

‘And say what?’ Jo remarked. ‘Toni has no description of a thief, she doesn’t even know if there is a thief.’

I shook my head glumly.

‘Sadly, under the circumstances, I think you might have to put this down to experience,’ Dale said. ‘It’s painful, I know, but under the circumstances—’

‘You seem to be mislaying rather a lot of things lately,’ Bryony said. ‘You managed to lose a framed photograph from your desk and now your purse. I wonder what will be next.’

They all exchanged a glance.

‘Excuse me,’ I said abruptly, and walked quickly into the back, locking myself in the loo. I splashed some water on my face at the little sink and took a few deep breaths. I really needed that money I drew out of the bank today. What was I going to do, go cap in hand to Mum again? I wasn’t exactly her flavour of the month at the moment. It would just give her more ammunition to beat me into submission.

And losing Andrew’s letter, the last thing he ever wrote to me. How could I have been so utterly stupid?

Then there were the debit cards; I’d have to ring the bank as a matter of urgency. It was all so overwhelming.

A faint tapping sounded on the door. ‘You OK, Toni?’

I unlocked the door and walked out. ‘I’m fine, Jo. Just angry with myself.’ I smiled weakly at her. ‘Thanks so much for all your help though.’

She dismissed my comment with a wave of her hand.

‘Look, maybe you’ve just got a lot on,’ Jo said kindly as we walked back into the office. I was relieved to see that Dale and Bryony were no longer in there. ‘Let’s go out for a drink after work one night, let our hair down. What do you say?’

‘I can’t afford it now,’ I said. ‘And I can’t really ask Mum to babysit at the moment with everything else she does.’

‘OK, then I’ll come round to yours,’ she said brightly. ‘I can sit and read Evie a story while you have a nice bath. No arguing, OK?’