Chapter Thirty-Five
Lisa checked again that she had her passport and tickets. She looked at her packed case. She had decided on one medium case with wheels and a pull-along handle, hoping it would be manageable at the airport. She could hardly believe she used to fit her belongings in a backpack. As it was, she had to force a few extra clothes into her hand luggage to makeeverything fit. Her dad had told her there had been a fresh dump of snow in Samoëns, so she had bought some thermals and new boots. She didn’t own any ski clothes, as she and Ben had cleared theirs out a few years back, but her mum had assured her she had enough for her to borrow if she fancied hitting the slopes.
The house was quiet, it always was, but it seemed the nearer to Christmasit got, and the more it contrasted with the bright lights in the street and the bustle of the shops, the emptier it felt. The holidays were supposed to be enjoyed with the ones you loved; Lisa was pleased she had said yes to visiting her parents in France. She was looking forward to seeing them and her brother. Luke had arrived from Australia and had, as her mum put it, ‘grumped about the weatherand sat on top of the fire’ since he got there. But Lisa didn’t care; she hadn’t seen him in too long, and couldn’t wait to catch up and meet his girlfriend. She was also looking forward to finally seeing her mum and dad’s chalet. It was a trip she and Ben were supposed to take, but each time the opportunity arose Ben had a big deal on at work or other commitments came along. This visit was, Lisaknew, long overdue.
The trains had been unreliable lately. As a result, all of the taxi companies Lisa called had laughed at her and the week’s notice she tried to give them in preparation for her trip to the airport. None could spare someone with pre-booked work and school runs making their schedules ‘chocka’ as one man unhelpfully guffawed at her. Driving herself and leaving her vanat the airport was her only option. As she wheeled her case onto the gravel driveway she cringed at the noise. It was five o’clock in the morning and she didn’t want to wake the neighbourhood.
‘Need a hand?’
‘Bloody hell, you scared me!’ Lisa couldn’t believe she had just sworn at Harold Martin, but the fact he was snooping around in the street at such an early hour made her thinkhe deserved it.
‘I was out for my morning constitutional. Saw your lights on. It’s an early one for you, isn’t it?’
‘Yes,’ Lisa confirmed, purposely not giving anything else away.
‘Well, you need to be careful, a young girl like you.’
Lisa was flattered; she was almost thirty, but compared to Harold she guessed that made her a young girl. She softened. ‘Thank you,Harold, I’m sure I’ll be fine.’
‘Well, there was that man, the other day—’
‘Man?’ Lisa didn’t know who or what Harold was talking about.
‘Parked on the drive.’
‘My drive?’
‘Said he was doing routine checks—’
‘Harold, what man and what checks?’ Lisa didn’t know what Harold was talking about, but with her about to leave her parents’ house unattendedshe didn’t like the sound of a strange man being parked on the driveway. It sounded too much like a scene fromHome Alone. ‘Did he have a van?’
‘A van? No.’
Of course not, fool, this is real life!Her mind echoed the response Felicity had given Melissa when she had jumped to film inspired conclusions.
‘A Range Rover, I’d say.’
‘What?’
‘A Range Rover.’
‘A Range Rover, here?’ Lisa gestured at the gravel to make herself completely clear.
‘Yes. One of those rapid response vehicles.’
‘A what?’ Normally getting information out of Harold Martin about the goings on in the street was as easy as saying good morning. She didn’t know if the early hour was making him seem vague or the fact she was in a hurry was making her impatient,either way she wished he would get on and explain exactly what he had seen. ‘Harold, what are you talking about?’
‘One of those rapid response vehicles used by the fire brigade.’
‘The fire brigade?’ Lisa felt her stomach twist.
‘Yes, generally used for road traffic accidents, four-wheel-drive capability, they carry only light weight equipment—’
Lisa couldn’t believethe tangent. ‘Harold, when?’
‘Oh, right, yes. It was last weekend, I believe.’ Harold flipped open a pocket notebook.
Lisa did a double take.A notebook, really?
