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“No ‘sort of’ about it, Cal, you did pass out. How’s the shoulder?”
“Okay, a bit achy. You will have to do the driving though, I’m afraid.” I’d already surmised that. It’s no problem though, Callie has done thousands of miles in the driver’s seat, I’m actually glad she has to hand over the controls to me for a while.
“We should get going soon. It’s early, but we have a long drive ahead.”
“Yeah, let’s blow this joint.” I have to laugh because she’s ridiculous and cute.
“What about the guy lurking around Ewan’s?”
“Nothing for us to do. Ewan will head back alone and whoever is there will see that. We should have a decent head start.”
We descend to the kitchen. Hamish and Ewan are already up. Hamish has made us a cooked breakfast that smells divine. Ewan tells us he’s heading out when we do. He also tells us he’s finally moving to the island. I’m so glad for them. They really are great guys. Going on the run with Callie might be scary, but the one thing I can say is that we’ve met some really wonderful people. It kind of restores my faith in the world a little.
Hamish’s truck is a big SUV. I secretly love it even though it is definitely killing the polar bears with its emissions. I’ll do some volunteering or something to make up for it when we get home. Sitting high up in the cab of the truck makes me feel like a giant. I like it. Callie is grinning at me and I know she is reading my mind. I ignore her and drive on.
The ferry is already docked when we arrive at the port. Thankfully, we will miss Skye completely. The ferry will dock at Oban. I’m confident I won’t need to vomit on the ferry. The trip on Ewan’s boat was horrendous. It doesn’t take long to board the boat. As soon as we are given the all clear, we exit the gargantuan vehicle and head to the café.
With a not-so-bad cup of coffee in front of me, I take the time to look at Callie. She looks better than yesterday, but I’m still worried. I’d like to get a doctor to look at her shoulder. I’m sure Hamish has done a great job but you can never be too careful, I suppose. The good thing about yesterday’s activities is that it forced her to rest. Her skin is glowing again and her eyes are bright.
“Why are you staring?” she asks.
“Just making sure you’re okay.”
“Honestly, I feel tons better than yesterday.”
“I can’t believe you almost got mowed over by a bull!” Now she’s out of danger. I can see the funny side. I wish we had filmed it. Honestly, add a bit of Benny Hill and we could have sent it into a video blooper show and got a few hundred quid. Before I can stop myself, I’m laughing. The absurdity of it all is hilarious. You couldn’t write this shit! Callie is quick to join me and I’m sure we look unhinged to the other passengers.
The ferry ride is uneventful, which is a nice change. My stomach feels a little queasy, but I keep my breakfast down. After we’ve finished our coffee, we find a couple of comfy chairs. I get my head down for a few hours. I didn’t sleep as well as I could have last night.
It’s only three hours to Edinburgh once we disembark the ferry. I’m anxious to get there. I’m also excited which I shouldn’t be because it’s dangerous for us to go, but that’s where home is. I’m looking forward to showing Callie my flat. I hope she likes it. I miss my goldfish too, which is stupid because I doubt he even knows I exist.
The SUV will stick out like a sore thumb outside my building, so we agree to park it on the outskirts of the city and take a taxi the rest of the way. Hamish will travel to collect his car during the week. I hope we can keep in contact with them. Speaking of keeping in contact, it’s been a while since we last spoke to Chris. Callie doesn’t want to message him until it’s over, but I miss him. I want to know he’s doing alright with Derek and Meryl. I try to broach the subject with Callie, but it’s a no-go.
As well as thinking about Chris, I’ve also been contemplating our next move. I need equipment and I need to talk to Janet. Going straight to my flat is probably a bad idea. If we get caught there before I’ve had a chance to figure out if the account numbers are correct, it will all have been for nothing. I tell Callie that I think we should head straight to Janet’s. She doesn’t seem impressed at all, but what other choice is there? We can’t do it on our own anymore.
After some discussion, Callie finally accepts my plan. We are a few miles outside of the city now. Instead of heading to the parking place, I drive us to Janet’s house, which is in a nice secluded area. Her garden is surrounded by tall hedges, meaning the SUV will be out of sight whilst we are there. There’s no reason to think that anyone knows we have Hamish’s SUV, but if I’ve learned one thing recently, it’s not to assume too much.
“What are you going to say to this woman?” Callie eyes up the house suspiciously. I haven’t told her all the details about mine and Janet’s relationship. I can’t.
“I’ll tell her the truth.”
“All of it?” Callie looks alarmed.
“Yes, all of it. We need her help, Cal. If she knows what we’re up against, she can help us more. I can’t just waltz in there and ask to use sensitive software without a good reason. Plus, I need her to look into whoever tracked me through my laptop.” I pull up to the house. Janet predominantly works from home, so I’m confident she’ll be here. “Do you want to wait in the car?”
“No, you’re not going in alone.” I nod and make my way to Janet’s front door. She will already know I’m here. The door swings open before I can knock.
“Where the hell have you been?” Janet demands. To most people Janet comes across as a bitch, her face always reads “Danger, Stay Away” but I know better. Callie does not and therefore takes a step towards Janet, ready to jump to my defence. I place a hand on her shoulder, which stops her. She looks at me and then back at Janet, who is looking between me and Callie.
“Jan, can we come in? It’s important.”
After Callie has backed off, Janet swings the door open and lets us pass. Her house is gorgeous and gigantic. Everything screams opulence. Janet takes us through to her den. Yeah, it’s that kind of house. No normal house has a den, for god’s sake. Anyway, enough of my house envy. Janet sits in an armchair and we take a seat on a small two seat sofa. Now I just have to try to explain all of this.
Janet sits quietly, waiting. I take a big breath and launch into everything. I’m talking the full whack, everything from our childhood up to our presence in her house. To Janet’s credit, she doesn’t once interrupt. She sits listening, taking it all in. I’ve worked up quite a thirst by the time I’ve finished. I’m comfortable enough with Janet to take myself to her kitchen and grab some water without asking permission.
Callie is sitting looking at Janet when I return. Janet hasn’t budged or uttered a word. I retake my seat and wait. “That’s a lot to process, Daisy. However, I’m glad you came to me. I can help.” Relief floods my central nervous system. I’ve felt like a live wire for the past few days? Callie still doesn’t look convinced.
“Where should we start?” I can’t worry about Callie right now. We are on the cusp of finishing this. With Janet on our side, we really have got the end goal in sight.
