hung up long before then, because he must have realised something was wrong.
My coffee arrives and I gulp it down quickly, aware that Matthew will be wondering where I am because in my note I hadn’t mentioned meeting Rachel, I’d
only said that I was going out to buy a phone. I walk quickly to the car and hide Rachel’s phone at the back of the glove compartment. I want to get home as fast as possible but nothing in the world will make me go back via Blackwater Lane so I put my foot down, thinking about what I’m going to say to Rachel when she calls, as she surely will.
‘I know you left me a note but I didn’t expect you to get back this late,’ Matthew grumbles as I walk into the kitchen. He gives me a kiss.
‘Sorry, I met Rachel for a quick drink.’ The room
is cool compared to outside and smells faintly of toast.
‘Ah, that explains it. Did you get yourself a new
mobile?’
‘No, I wasn’t sure which one to buy but I promise I’ll get one tomorrow.’
‘We can look at the different models on the internet, if you like,’ he offers. ‘By the way, Rachel phoned. She asked if you could call her back.’
My heart skips. ‘I’ll do it in a minute. I need a shower first, it’s so hot out there.’
‘It sounded pretty urgent.’
‘I suppose I’d better do it now then.’
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I fetch the phone from the hall and bring it back
through to the kitchen.
‘Wine?’ Matthew asks, as I dial her number. The
bottle is already open so I nod, the phone to my ear.
‘Hello, Cass.’ It’s the first time I’ve heard Rachel sound agitated, although she does her best to hide it.
‘Matthew said you called,’ I say.
‘Yes, look, do you know if anyone found a mobile
after I’d left the pub? I think I might have dropped it somewhere.’
‘You can’t have because I’m phoning you on it,’ I say reasonably.
‘It wasn’t my phone, it was a phone that I was looking after for a friend. It might have fallen out of my bag or something.’
A friend. The word sits heavy on my mind. ‘Have you phoned the Spotted Cow to ask if anyone handed it in?’
‘Yes, they don’t have it.’
‘Wait a minute – was it a little black one?’
‘Yes, that’s it. Do you know where it is?’
‘Probably halfway across the Channel by now. You
know that group of French students who were sitting near us? Well, after you left they were mucking around with this little phone, throwing it to one another and trying to grab it off each other. I didn’t really take much notice because I thought it belonged to one of them.’
There’s an appalled silence. ‘Are you sure?’
‘Yes. They were making fun of it because it was one of those really basic models. That’s why I’m not sure it’s The Breakdown
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the one you were looking after for your friend,’ I add
doubtfully. ‘Nobody really uses them anymore.’
‘Do you know if they’re still in the pub? The French students?’
The thought of her racing all the way back to Castle Wells is savagely pleasing.
‘They were when I left. They looked pretty settled in for the night,’ I say, safe in the knowledge that they’ll be long gone by the time she gets there, as they were already making moves when I left.
‘Then I’d better go and see if I can get it back.’
‘Good luck, I hope you find it.’
I put the phone down, relieved that I managed to
pull it off.
‘What was all that about?’ Matthew frowns.
‘Rachel lost a phone in the pub and some French
students took it,’ I explain. ‘She’s on her way there now to try to get it back.’
‘Right,’ he nods.
‘What do you fancy eating tonight? How about some
steak?’
‘Actually, Andy phoned and asked if I’d like to go to the pub for a pint. You don’t mind, do you?’
‘No, go ahead. Will you get something to eat there?’
‘Yes, don’t worry.’
I stretch my arms over my head, yawning. ‘I’ll probably go to bed early, in that case.’
‘I’ll try not to disturb you when I come in,’ he promises, fishing his car keys from his pocket.
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I watch him as he walks towards the front door.
‘I love you,’ I call after him.
‘I love you more,’ he says, turning to smile at me.
I wait until the car has pulled out of the drive and then I wait a little longer, just to be sure. And then I run out to my car and get the mobile, the one Rachel told me she was looking after for a friend.
Back in the house, I go into the sitting room and sit down, shaking so much I can hardly open the phone.
I go into the text messages and look at the last one she received, just before she left the Spotted Cow.
Tues 19.51
Hang on in there
End in sight, I promise
I scroll up to the one before, the last one that Rachel sent, probably from the ladies’.
Tues 19.50
False alarm, she had nothing of interest to say I’m leaving now, real y fed-up.
Beginning to wonder if it will ever end ?
And the ones before that, earlier this evening.
Tues 18.25
Let me know what happens
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Tues 18.24