‘Good.’ The relief at the other end of the line was palpable.
‘Look –’ Luke took a deep breath trying to clear his mind. ‘I’m sorry. Perhaps I’m being obtuse. You want to speak to Joss, right?’
‘Right.’ He could hear the amusement in her voice. ‘If I set off now, I should be with you in an hour and a half, or thereabouts. Can you tell Jim – that is Jimbo,’ she snorted once more, ‘that I’m coming, please. And tell Mrs Grant to stay away until I get there, OK?’
‘What do you mean, stay away –’ Luke was indignant. ‘Hello? Are you still there?’ He knew she wasn’t. He had heard the click as she hung up.
Washed and shaved and in a fresh shirt he felt a new man. It was only as he walked through into the bedroom and rummaged in the chest of drawers for a thick sweater that he noticed the bed. Staring, he walked towards it and stood looking down. It was neatly made, the covers in place, not a dent or wrinkle anywhere and around it the floor was spotless. There was no sign anywhere of a single white petal.
*
Jimbo arrived at eight thirty as usual. He was unlocking the carriage house when Luke walked out of the back door and joined him, looking down at the shining chassis on the blocks before them. ‘Nearly finished.’ Jimbo’s voice was filled with pride. ‘I got a lot done while you were away.’
‘You did indeed.’ Luke glanced at him. ‘Jimbo, your sister rang this morning. She said to tell you she was coming over.’
‘Nat? She’s coming? That’s good.’ Jimbo avoided his eyes. ‘I thought she should talk to Joss.’
‘So she said. May I ask what about?’
Jim took a deep breath. ‘Ghosts. She knows a lot about ghosts. She can talk to them. They never frighten her.’
‘And they frighten you?’ Luke’s hands were rammed down in his jeans pockets. He felt less confident than he had before.
‘I’ll say. No way will I go into that house.’ Jim smiled sheepishly. ‘I never liked it, and now –’ his voice trailed away.
‘And you think Joss and the children are in danger.’
‘Not Joss. No. Joss has never been in danger.’ Jim shifted his feet uncomfortably. Then he glanced up. ‘I think you should watch it, though.’ He shrugged, embarrassed. ‘Not keen on men, the ghosts in this house. Look at what happened to the Reverend Gower.’
‘He had a heart attack, Jimbo. It could have happened anywhere.’
‘It didn’t though, did it. It happened here.’ Jimbo turned to the work bench and reached for a spanner. ‘That Lyn, she’s over at the Goodyears’ too, is she?’ he asked casually.
‘Yes,’ Luke nodded. ‘They’re all over there.’
‘That’s good.’ Jimbo turned back, the spanner in his hand. ‘You just think what happened to old Mr Duncan, and his two boys. I thought Nat should know Joss says it’s all happening again.’
‘So, how can Nat – Natalie – help?’
Jimbo shrugged his shoulders. ‘She always said she could. When she was little. No one would listen to her then, of course. But now – well, she knows about these things. She’s a psychic, you see.’
‘Oh.’ Luke raised an eyebrow. ‘I see.’
He wasn’t at all sure what he was expecting a psychic to look like – shawls, beads and big hooped ear rings, at least – certainly not the neat young woman in a business suit who turned in under the archway some forty minutes later, driving a Golf GTi.
‘Sorry.’ She reached out to shake Luke’s hand. ‘I couldn’t leave at once after all. I had to look in at the office first. Is Joss here?’
Luke shook his head. ‘My wife is still over at the Goodyears’ with the children.’
‘Good.’ Natalie glanced over her shoulder at the house. ‘May I go in and wander round? There’s no need for you to come in too.’
Luke hesitated.
‘That’s a bit rich, Nat. He doesn’t know you’re not a burglar,’ Jim put in. ‘He doesn’t know you from Adam.’
Luke laughed. ‘I’ll take a risk. Yes, please, go on in.’
He stood and watched as she walked over the cobbles towards the back door, noting absent-mindedly that she had extremely good legs beneath her short executive skirt.
‘What sort of job does she do, Jim?’ he asked as he turned back to the work bench.
‘She works in a solicitors’ office.’ Jim grinned at him over an oily carburettor. ‘She inherited all the brains of the family. None left for me.’ He sniffed good-naturedly. ‘Can’t think where she got them from. Not my dad, bless him, that’s for sure.’
‘Are you going over to the house, later?’ Lyn had finished clearing away the children’s breakfast and returned Janet’s kitchen to a pristine neatness. She glanced over at Joss who was sitting at the table over a cup of coffee. ‘You haven’t eaten anything, you know. You must have something.’
Joss shook her head. ‘I’m feeling a bit queasy to tell you the truth. I’ll get something later. This will do. I thought I’d go and have a chat with Luke a bit later, yes. If you don’t mind keeping the boys here.’ She smiled fondly at Tom who was playing on the mat with the brother of Kit and Kat who was still firmly resident at the farm.
‘Have you rung Luke?’
Joss shook her head. ‘I’ve been trying not to since five o’clock this morning. I’m sure he’s OK.’
Lyn raised an eyebrow. ‘Sure he is.’ She scrutinised Joss for a moment. ‘You are looking lousy. Why not go back to bed for a bit. Janet won’t mind. As soon as she comes in from her hens or wherever she is she suggested she and I take the boys shopping. Tom would enjoy it and Ned can come in his pram. It’ll give you the chance to rest.’