Nathan glowers as he answers the ring on his doorbell. ‘You’ve got a bloody nerve, coming here. How the hell did you find out where I lived?’ he growls

‘Company House…it’s not hard’ Vince Wilson shrugs and offers a smile.

‘Not sure you should even be here but I’m bloody sure I don’t want to talk to you’ Nathan goes to close the door.

‘If you’d give me a minute, Nathan…please’

‘No…Enough’s enough. You’ve caused me enough grief one way or another. Whatever it is you’ve come to say, I don’t want to know. Okay?’

‘I wanted to thank you’

‘Oh, piss off!’ Nathan scoffs with a contemptuous laugh. ‘Who you kidding? Want to see the scars?’

‘I was going to come see you in hospital, I felt bad, mate. I felt bad’. An unusually uncomfortable Vince and looks down, shuffling his feet on the quarry tiled step of the porch.

‘Yeah, right…if this is what you do to your mates, I wouldn’t want to get on the wrong side of you. Just sod off, Vince! I’m sure the police’ll be interested you came. Let them know, shall I?’

Vince looks up, his expression earnest. ‘They’re happy with my explanation of things. They know I wasn’t involved. What happened to you and that other bloke…unfortunate’

‘What, that there were witnesses? You’re right. Crying bloody shame I call it’

‘Okay! So you’re feeling a bit raw right now’

‘Raw? Jesus Christ!’ Nathan splutters furiously. ‘I just don’t bloody believe you. Raw? They were out to fucking kill me! Yuhhh….just piss off. Okay?’

‘Nathan…’ Vince puts his hand on the door. ‘I wouldn’t’ve found out the truth without you…I wouldn’t know what’d been going on behind my back. I do now…and I’ve got my daughter back…that’s all down to you. I wanted to shake your hand. It’s going to take me and her a long time to get back from this…but we will. It’ll all come out in court eventually. I know that’s a while away but then you’ll see I had no part in it…no part in any of it. I was a bloody fool. I know that too. You’re a good man…a lot like me when….’

‘God help me’ Nathan sneers

‘That’s fair…wouldn’t expect you to think any other way…but you’ll see…you’ll see I never meant harm to you and yours, no harm at all. And another thing…I’ve always got a job for an honest man…a good one and you ever need anything from me…anything at all and it’s yours. You remember that. Will you shake my hand?’ Vince offers his hand, raising an eyebrow in question. He sighs regretfully when Nathan sneers at him and steps back. ‘Then I’ll leave you alone. Nobody is more sorry than I am over what went on…nobody’

Nathan slams the door.

Dell Cottage, Washbrook Lane

Chapter Seven

38 Orchard Avenue

‘Shall I come in with you?’ Jessie offers.

‘Please’ Sandra looks at her apprehensively. ‘I don’t think I can do this on my own’

‘It’ll be alright, don’t you worry’

‘He’s gone to her hasn’t he?’ Sandra’s lip trembles.

‘You don’t know that’

‘He’s taken his things and gone and it’s all my fault’

‘How on earth can you reach that conclusion before you’ve even looked?’ Jessie turns into the wind as her umbrella threatens to turn inside out. ‘There’s probably a message on your phone. His car’s broken down or something, you’ll see’ she says with a confidence she doesn’t feel.

‘He would have rung work! They would’ve said’

‘Let’s not count your chickens…no that’s wrong…I think I mean crossing bridges when you get there. Come on, open the door’

‘I don’t want to look’ Sandra hesitates. Staring at her front door with a look of foreboding.

‘Well, give me the blooming key and I’ll go. I’m getting drenched here!’

Sandra gives Jessie a doleful look before opening the door. ‘There’s no messages on the phone’ she says before she has taken the key out of the lock

‘Do you want me to check his wardrobe?’ Jessie follows her into the hall, confirming with a brief glance that the number on the display panel of the telephone sitting on the narrow pine table does show nought.

‘No…I’ll go…but come with me?’

They climb the stairs together and Jessie waits in the doorway of the main bedroom while Sandra riffles through the wardrobes.

‘There doesn’t seem to be anything missing…Oh God, Jessie! Where is he?’

‘I don’t know…but it’s perhaps a bit soon for ringing the police and the hospital’

‘Ohhhh’ Sandra groans and sits heavily on the bed, covering her face with her hands and shaking at the thought.

‘Crikey Moses! I was only thinking aloud’ Jessie retorts with mild reproof.

‘Then don’t!’ Sandra groans again then with a sudden burst of energetic purpose, springs from the bed ‘I need to go and look for him’

‘But where the dickens will you look?’

‘The way he goes to work. I’ll drive the way he goes to work. If he’s broken down or had an accident, I’ll find him won’t I?’

‘I suppose so’ Jessie says doubtfully ‘But don’t you think you should stay here…you know…just in case?’

‘I can’t’ Sandra flings open another door to the wardrobes that span the length of the wall opposite the front window and pulls open a drawer of the cabinet that sits inside. She starts to throw files and papers onto the floor as she searches.

‘What are you doing?’ Jessie frowns.

‘I’m looking for the candidate lists, the one for the last conference…she has to be on here. I will find out where he is!’

‘Make your mind up. Has he broken down, had an accident or gone off with this woman? You can’t just ring every woman on the list and ask her if they’re having an affair with your husband can you? Unless you want the whole thing to make the in-house magazine. There’d be no going back then, everyone would know’

‘We’ll drive to Woodbury’ Sandra decides, the search for the conference details abandoned. ‘See if his car is in the car park…if we get that far without seeing him…Then…then we can do the police station and the hospital at the same time’

‘Can’t you just wait and see what happens?’

‘No I can’t! I need to know, don’t I?’

‘And you want me to come too?’ Jessie says with an almost imperceptible sigh.

‘Not if you don’t want to’

‘Ok…I’ll come…’ Jessie replies with resigned acceptance ‘But I’ve got to be back by lunchtime, otherwise George will be worrying’

Milliwick Newsagents

‘I tell you that Miss Marchant’s got a spark about her, she has. That little minx won’t get the better of her no matter how hard she tries’ Liz Applewhite nods as she rings in the cost of Edna Smith’s purchases. ‘You mark my words’ she says, handing her the change.

‘Leonie seems such a pleasant little thing too’ Edna sighs as she slips the coins into her purse and tucks the newspaper and bar of chocolate into her shopping bag. ‘Marilyn won’t be any too pleased if she finds out she’s been carrying on like that. Whatever’s got into the girl?’

‘Jealous, that’s what she is. Somebody’s took the prize from under her nose and she don’t like it’

‘But he’s always had some girl or other on his arm’ Edna says in surprise. ‘He int often been without one…not since he were all spots and bum fluff!’

‘Him?’ Liz smiles softly and sighs. ‘I don’t reckon he’s ever had none a them. He went from kiddie t’man all of a pop! He’s allus been a good looking boy. Seems t’get more…y’know…the older he gets’

‘Liz Applewhite! I do believe you’re blushing’ Edna teases with a snort of laughter.

Liz’s faraway look disappears and she busies herself straightening the newspapers on the counter. ‘Hot flush that’s all’ she says, fanning her cheeks with her hand. ‘…Anyway, I was saying….It ain’t that he’s got a girl…but who the girl is! I don’t reckon young Leonie thought she’d have competition from that direction. Just shows how wrong you can be, don’t it?’

‘Hmmm…She int his usual sort though is she? …Not that she int an attractive woman according to my Charlie. Skinny un’s what that Kester usually goes for…just like that little gal’

‘Ah…but when they’s thinking a settling down…they wants summat wi’a bit more meat on. Summat they can get hold of’

‘You reckon him’n’er is serious then?’ Edna leans forward. ‘But it ain’t been five minutes’ she whispers almost conspiratorially.

‘I keeps me eyes open. See everything here, you do. I gets t’know these sort a things’ Liz taps the side of her nose ‘You see if I ain’t right!’