‘Yes… Last Saturday morning, zero eight hundred hours.’
Lisa’s mind flicked back to that Saturday morning. She had left the house early to feed the cats before going Christmas shopping. ‘Did the drivergive you his name?’
‘No.’ Harold appeared embarrassed not to have the detail.
‘What did he look like?’
Harold smiled, now these were facts he could supply. ‘Tall, around six foot two, muscular, blue eyes, blond hair and brigade uniform.’
Lisa didn’t need the photo-fit picture, which she feared Harold might be able to supply, to know he was referring to Nathan. Ather house. In her driveway.In his uniform, Lisa reprimanded herself for the tangent now. That was the morning after Nathan had seen her at Cin Cin with Dom. ‘And did he say anything?’
‘He said you can’t be too careful, as fire safety is an issue this time of year.’
Lisa didn’t want to talk fire safety. She wanted to know why Nathan was really there and what he had wanted. Andhe had found her… out.What would he have made of that?After the night Lisa had spent with Nathan, she could only guess at the conclusion he may have jumped to having seen her out with Dom the night before.
‘Christmas lights, candles, all potential hazards—’ Harold continued.
Trying to take it all in, Lisa snapped, ‘No lights, no candles—’
‘Away for Christmas then?’ Haroldjumped on the point and gestured at Lisa’s case.
‘Visiting my parents.’
‘Ah well… Passez le bonjour à vos parents de ma part et dites leur que je jetterai un coup d’oeil sur leur maison pendant votre absence.’
Nosy bugger.Lisa smiled. ‘Thank you, Harold, I’ll pass on your good wishes and I am sure they appreciate your vigilance with the house.’ It seemed keeping an eyeon her parents’ home was Harold’s hobby. ‘Now, I really must go or I will miss my flight.’
Lisa checked her watch and realised she needed to go. She thought the journey to the airport would take less than an hour, but she hoped to have time to get a drink before her flight, and maybe even something to eat.
After finally convincing Harold to leave the driveway, Lisa closed up thehouse and got in her van. When she turned the key nothing happened. She couldn’t believe it. Her chat with Harold had already delayed her and now her van wouldn’t start. She tried the key again a few more times. Still nothing happened; she cursed the fact she never got round to booking it in for a service and looked at her phone wondering whom to call.
Scrolling through her contacts sherealised that the limited number of people she had to call on in a crisis was testament to how small her circle of friends had become. She knew Felicity would drive her, but it hardly seemed fair to call her when Pete had been working late and she had all of her children to organise. She thought about Melissa. With Bella’s poor sleeping habits she was probably already awake. But despite having hernumber she hadn’t yet used it, calling on her in a crisis seemed a bit cheeky.
Looking back at her phone Lisa hovered her thumb over MrChung’s number. She had never had her Chinese delivered, but she did know MrChung’s son had a delivery van. She dismissed the idea almost instantly. Not only was it too big an ask, she had been avoiding the Chinese since the incident with Nathan. Hercheeks burned at the memory and she scrolled to Nathan’s number. Even his too-cool-for-her-liking text messages had dried up since he had seen her and Dom at the bar. And yet he had been to her house,why?She couldn’t deal with that right now; calling Nathan was not an option. Dom on the other hand might be a different matter.
Lisa knew he and Jack were travelling to his parents to seeWinnie later in the day. If Dom was willing to make a slightly earlier start than he had anticipated and a small detour to Gatwick, she still might make her flight. Pondering for a moment as she tried to decide if it was too much to ask of someone she had shared an odd – in more than one sense of the word – evening with, she jumped at the sight of Harold Martin peering in her van window.
‘It’s not turning over.’
Cheers for that, Sherlock!Lisa sighed.
‘Engine trouble?’ Harold spoke, forming his words as if she might be lip reading through the window despite the fact she could hear him clearly.
Lisa took a breath and wound her window down. ‘It was due a service.’
‘Ah, neglect today and regret tomorrow. Servicing an engine is essential to maintainingperformance. The trouble with the youth of today—’
‘It’s booked in the day I return,’ Lisa lied.
‘Terrible timing with your trip.’
‘Yes.’ Lisa bit her lip, there was only so much of Harold’s stating the obvious she could take. ‘Look if I don’t get on I am going to miss my flight.’
‘Need a lift then?’
The kind offer took Lisa by surprise. She was almost temptedto accept, but she had seen Harold drive. Whatever his role in the army had been she was sure it had more to do with stealth than speed. Dom, on the other hand was a paramedic. Lisa felt that his job must involve driving at speed. ‘That’s very kind of you, but I’ve already sent a text to a friend,’ she lied. ‘I’m about to call to check he’s on his way.’Decision made. She pressed her finger toher lips, put up her window and made the call.
‘Thanks so much for this,’ Lisa thanked Dom, who had said he was leaving at seven anyway and so was up and almost ready to go when she had called.
Dom put Lisa’s case across the back seat. Jack gave an excited whine from his place in the boot at the sound of Lisa’s voice and Dom let him out briefly so he could say a proper hello.
Lisa greeted Jack with a cuddle, a good rub along his sides and a tickle behind the ears. ‘You say hello to your mummy for me. Tell her I miss her.’
Jack’s tail wagged wildly as he leaned into her.
‘We’ll pass the message on, won’t we, Jack?’ Dom confirmed. ‘And we have your present. I’m sure she’ll love it.’
Lisa smiled. She really hoped so. With her Christmas shoppingtrip turning into lunch, too much wine and a trip to the cinema, she had resorted to ordering what she could from the internet, still trying to focus on making a more personal effort in her present buying than usual. Pic Me Today had inspired her enough to purchase presents for all of her friends and family, while her furry clients had a range of toys from Tesco. She really hoped Winnie wouldlike her new and positively plump cushion with a picture of Jack’s face imprinted on it. After Jack had slipped his collar and Dom had challenged her taking him back – albeit for his own amusement, it seemed – she had decided to keep photographs of all her charges on her phone, just in case. A small fact Winnie need never know.
