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‘Isn’t he down in A and E? I haven’t spoken to him today.’ Okay, so not for two weeks. But there was something the matter, and suddenly that was of no consequence. It didn’t matter if she hadn’t spoken to him for two years, she’d still be there for him.
‘No, we went there first.’ Rosa shrugged, letting go with just a hint of well-manicured exasperation.
‘And we didn’t hang around because they were busy.’ Ted had clearly guided his wife up here before she’d got in the way. ‘Rosa’s tried his mobile and his home phone.’
‘He doesn’t answer. His mobile’s switched off,’ Rosa finished for him.
Greg never switched his mobile off. The prickle at the back of Jess’s neck got worse and she tried to shrug it off. ‘He should be here. But he has another mobile. He uses it for work. His other work, I mean.’ She wasn’t sure quite what to call it.
Rosa nodded, pursing her lips. ‘Shaw Industries.’
‘Yes. But I don’t know the number.’ Jess hadn’t wanted to know it. She’d tried staring at the sleek, black handset a number of times in the hope that it might dissolve into thin air, but that hadn’t worked either.
Ted’s relaxed, even-handedness broke in. ‘We were wondering whether you could find out where he is for us. They looked very busy in A and E and we didn’t want to interrupt them.’ Rosa nodded, thin-lipped.
‘Yes, of course.’ Jess could get the information easily from the receptionist. ‘He’s probably on his break or something. Wait here, I’ll find out for you.’
Jess hurried down to A and E, taking in the canteen on the way. Greg wasn’t there either. But the receptionist knew exactly where he was. Jess walked back up to the cardiology waiting room, feeling a little sick.
‘Rosa, I’m sorry, but he’s not here. He’s got a few days off this week.’ And next week. She’d wanted Greg to cut back on work, but it had never occurred to her that he might choose Shaw Industries over his work here at the hospital.
Rosa rolled her eyes and made a gesture that defied translation but implied an immediate understanding of the situation. ‘I’ll find him.’ She looked at her watch and pulled her mobile out of her bag, scrolling through the contacts list.
Ted took the phone from her hand. ‘Not here, darling.’ He stood, waiting for Rosa to follow him. ‘We’re sorry to have bothered you, Jess.’
‘It’s no trouble.’ Jess wasn’t going to let them walk out on her now. ‘I’ll take you down to the canteen. You can get a cup of tea and make your call there.’
Ted asked whether there was anywhere else that Jess needed to be, and then insisted she join them. Rosa was on the phone almost as soon as she sat down.
‘Pat? It’s Rosa. How are you?’ Rosa smiled into the phone. ‘Really? You must give us a call when you arrive and come over for dinner. That would be perfect. I wondered whether you’ve heard from Greg today?’
Jess smiled. The ladylike version of taking Pat by the throat, shaking her and demanding to know where he was.
‘Is he? No, that’s all right, thank you, it’s not important. I’ll catch up with him.’ Rosa’s smile drained rapidly from her face as she cut the call. ‘He’s at the London office. A board meeting. He won’t be finished until late if I know anything about these things.’
Jess took a sip of her tea to steady her. ‘I’m sorry, I didn’t know. I haven’t seen Greg for a couple of weeks. Things have been… um… difficult.’
Ted came to the rescue again. ‘That’s a shame. We were thinking, hoping, that he’d not been in touch because he was spending time with you.’
‘No. He’s been working.’ Jess chanced a look at Rosa and saw only understanding in her face.
Ted leaned back in his chair, smiling at his wife. ‘Well, I suppose we should go and do that Christmas shopping, then. No point in wasting a journey.’
‘But… ’ Rosa puffed out a breath. ‘I suppose so.’ She pulled a flat package, wrapped in brown paper, out of her handbag. ‘Unless this fits through his letter-box.’
Ted scratched his nose. ‘I doubt it.’
Jess stared at the package. ‘The book. You’ve found his father’s book.’ Greg had said his mother had been searching diligently for it, and she must have found it.
‘Yes. You’ll never guess where it was.’ She paused and Jess shook her head. ‘It was in the tower. There’s a big old chest in there, full of goodness knows what, and it had been slipped inside there.’
‘And his father put it in there for him to find.’
‘Yes.’ Rosa twitched the corners of her mouth down. ‘Although how much good it’s going to be… ’
‘Greg’s father had a secondary brain tumour. Quite a large one.’ There was only compassion in Ted’s face.
‘Which might have affected his language functions.’ Jess could imagine Greg’s disappointment if the book was unintelligible.
