The Secret Mother(59)

‘Hey!’

I look up at the sound of a man’s voice, and peer through the driving rain to see if it’s directed at me.

‘Hey! Tessa!’ A dark figure is calling across the road from outside Carly’s house.

Hunched against the downpour, I cross over. As I draw closer, I see that it’s Vince, Carly’s brother. I walk up the short gravel pathway and join him where he’s standing under the dripping porch.

‘Hi,’ I say. ‘Thanks again for fixing my window.’

‘S’okay. You seen Carly?’

‘Not since Friday, when you were both at mine. But we did text on Saturday.’

‘She was supposed to come over last night, but she never showed,’ he says, wiping rain from his face. ‘I know she’s a busy girl, but she wouldn’t have missed Dad’s birthday. Not without ringing.’

‘It was your dad’s birthday?’

‘Yeah. We were having steak and chips at ours. Carly said she’d be there.’

I’m hit by a small stab of worry. ‘She went to Dorset yesterday for a story she’s working on. I guess she should’ve been back yesterday evening. Mind you, the weather’s so bad, maybe she decided to stay over at a B&B or something.’

‘But she would’ve texted me if she couldn’t make it. I had to lie to Mum and Dad. Told them her car broke down. Otherwise they’d be worrying – you know what parents are like.’

‘Maybe her phone battery died, or she couldn’t get a signal,’ I suggest.

‘Yeah, I suppose. Anyway, I gotta get to work now. Already late.’

‘Me too,’ I reply, glancing at my watch. ‘If you give me your number, I’ll let you know as soon as I hear anything.’

We swap mobile numbers and I make my way over to the hire car, too worried about what might have happened to Carly to concern myself about the fact that I’m already soaked to the skin.

By the time I arrive at work, my anxiety over Carly’s whereabouts has escalated into a full-blown panic. I park up in the yard, turn off the engine and sit for a moment trying to harness my thoughts. Carly hasn’t answered any of my calls or texts and she’s missed her own father’s birthday. Something isn’t right. Either she’s had a car accident or… Or what? Could Fisher be responsible? Could he have done something to her? Is the man dangerous?

A knock on the passenger window startles me. I look up to see Ben’s face. He opens the car door and slides into the passenger seat, closing the door behind him. I try to ignore the butterfly wings in my stomach at his close proximity.

‘Monsoon season in Barnet,’ he says.

‘Crazy weather,’ I agree.

‘Not sure if it’s even worth opening up today,’ he says. ‘Who in their right mind is going to come to the gardens on a day like this?’

‘A good day for me to catch up on planting, I guess.’

‘Yeah, exciting stuff.’

‘I don’t mind. You know I enjoy it.’

He smiles. ‘That’s why Jez is always singing your praises.’

‘Really?’

‘He calls you conscientious, and says you’ve got your head screwed on right.’

‘Glad someone thinks I’ve got my head screwed on. Personally, I think it needs at least another quarter-twist.’ I put my hand up to my neck and pretend to lock it into place.

He shakes his head and smiles. ‘How did things go with Scott yesterday? You manage to speak to him?’

I place my hands on the steering wheel, gripping it tightly as I think back to our conversation. ‘The less said about that the better.’ My blood pressure soars at the mere thought of him and Ellie last night. At how patronising and insensitive they were.

‘Oh, I’m sorry,’ Ben says. ‘I probably shouldn’t have suggested it.’

‘No, it’s okay. I would have ended up having to speak to him anyway.’ I let go of the steering wheel and rest my hands on my lap. ‘At least it’s out of the way now, and I know his opinion.’

‘Which is?’

‘That I’m insane and need professional help.’

‘Jeez.’

‘Yeah. But right now, I’m more worried about my neighbour.’

‘Your neighbour? Why?’

‘You remember Carly?’

‘Carly?’

‘You know.’ I cringe, remembering how Ben saw me arguing with her. ‘That embarrassing scene in the café last week.’

‘The journalist? The one who was hassling you? She was a right piece of work.’

‘Yeah, that’s her. Well, we’ve kind of come to an arrangement. A truce, if you like. She’s helping me find out what’s going on with Fisher. But now I think she might be in trouble.’

‘What’s happened?’

I quickly tell him about Carly coming over to my house with her brother to fix my broken window, and how she then persuaded me to work with her.

‘Wait a minute. Back up,’ Ben says. ‘She let herself into your house?’

‘Yes, but it’s not as bad as it sounds,’ I say, wondering why I’m defending Carly’s actions when I was absolutely furious with her at the time. ‘Thing is, we used to keep an eye on each other’s places whenever we were away. She knew I kept a spare key under the plant pot.’