Chapter Thirty-Five

Lisa checked again that she had her passport and tickets. She looked at her packed case. She had decided on one medium case with wheels and a pull-along handle, hoping it would be manageable at the airport. She could hardly believe she used to fit her belongings in a backpack. As it was, she had to force a few extra clothes into her hand luggage to make everything fit. Her dad had told her there had been a fresh dump of snow in Samoëns, so she had bought some thermals and new boots. She didn’t own any ski clothes, as she and Ben had cleared theirs out a few years back, but her mum had assured her she had enough for her to borrow if she fancied hitting the slopes.

The house was quiet, it always was, but it seemed the nearer to Christmas it got, and the more it contrasted with the bright lights in the street and the bustle of the shops, the emptier it felt. The holidays were supposed to be enjoyed with the ones you loved; Lisa was pleased she had said yes to visiting her parents in France. She was looking forward to seeing them and her brother. Luke had arrived from Australia and had, as her mum put it, ‘grumped about the weather and sat on top of the fire’ since he got there. But Lisa didn’t care; she hadn’t seen him in too long, and couldn’t wait to catch up and meet his girlfriend. She was also looking forward to finally seeing her mum and dad’s chalet. It was a trip she and Ben were supposed to take, but each time the opportunity arose Ben had a big deal on at work or other commitments came along. This visit was, Lisa knew, long overdue.

The trains had been unreliable lately. As a result, all of the taxi companies Lisa called had laughed at her and the week’s notice she tried to give them in preparation for her trip to the airport. None could spare someone with pre-booked work and school runs making their schedules ‘chocka’ as one man unhelpfully guffawed at her. Driving herself and leaving her van at the airport was her only option. As she wheeled her case onto the gravel driveway she cringed at the noise. It was five o’clock in the morning and she didn’t want to wake the neighbourhood.

‘Need a hand?’

‘Bloody hell, you scared me!’ Lisa couldn’t believe she had just sworn at Harold Martin, but the fact he was snooping around in the street at such an early hour made her think he deserved it.

‘I was out for my morning constitutional. Saw your lights on. It’s an early one for you, isn’t it?’

‘Yes,’ Lisa confirmed, purposely not giving anything else away.

‘Well, you need to be careful, a young girl like you.’

Lisa was flattered; she was almost thirty, but compared to Harold she guessed that made her a young girl. She softened. ‘Thank you, Harold, I’m sure I’ll be fine.’

‘Well, there was that man, the other day—’

‘Man?’ Lisa didn’t know who or what Harold was talking about.

‘Parked on the drive.’

‘My drive?’

‘Said he was doing routine checks—’

‘Harold, what man and what checks?’ Lisa didn’t know what Harold was talking about, but with her about to leave her parents’ house unattended she didn’t like the sound of a strange man being parked on the driveway. It sounded too much like a scene from Home Alone. ‘Did he have a van?’

‘A van? No.’

Of course not, fool, this is real life! Her mind echoed the response Felicity had given Melissa when she had jumped to film inspired conclusions.

‘A Range Rover, I’d say.’

‘What?’

‘A Range Rover.’

‘A Range Rover, here?’ Lisa gestured at the gravel to make herself completely clear.

‘Yes. One of those rapid response vehicles.’

‘A what?’ Normally getting information out of Harold Martin about the goings on in the street was as easy as saying good morning. She didn’t know if the early hour was making him seem vague or the fact she was in a hurry was making her impatient, either way she wished he would get on and explain exactly what he had seen. ‘Harold, what are you talking about?’

‘One of those rapid response vehicles used by the fire brigade.’

‘The fire brigade?’ Lisa felt her stomach twist.

‘Yes, generally used for road traffic accidents, four-wheel-drive capability, they carry only light weight equipment—’

Lisa couldn’t believe the tangent. ‘Harold, when?’

‘Oh, right, yes. It was last weekend, I believe.’ Harold flipped open a pocket notebook.

Lisa did a double take. A notebook, really?

‘Yes … Last Saturday morning, zero eight hundred hours.’

Lisa’s mind flicked back to that Saturday morning. She had left the house early to feed the cats before going Christmas shopping. ‘Did the driver give you his name?’

‘No.’ Harold appeared embarrassed not to have the detail.

‘What did he look like?’

Harold smiled, now these were facts he could supply. ‘Tall, around six foot two, muscular, blue eyes, blond hair and brigade uniform.’

Lisa didn’t need the photo-fit picture, which she feared Harold might be able to supply, to know he was referring to Nathan. At her house. In her driveway. In his uniform, Lisa reprimanded herself for the tangent now. That was the morning after Nathan had seen her at Cin Cin with Dom. ‘And did he say anything?’

‘He said you can’t be too careful, as fire safety is an issue this time of year.’

Lisa didn’t want to talk fire safety. She wanted to know why Nathan was really there and what he had wanted. And he had found her … out. What would he have made of that? After the night Lisa had spent with Nathan, she could only guess at the conclusion he may have jumped to having seen her out with Dom the night before.

‘Christmas lights, candles, all potential hazards—’ Harold continued.

Trying to take it all in, Lisa snapped, ‘No lights, no candles—’

‘Away for Christmas then?’ Harold jumped on the point and gestured at Lisa’s case.

‘Visiting my parents.’

‘Ah well … Passez le bonjour à vos parents de ma part et dites leur que je jetterai un coup d’oeil sur leur maison pendant votre absence.’

Nosy bugger. Lisa smiled. ‘Thank you, Harold, I’ll pass on your good wishes and I am sure they appreciate your vigilance with the house.’ It seemed keeping an eye on her parents’ home was Harold’s hobby. ‘Now, I really must go or I will miss my flight.’

Lisa checked her watch and realised she needed to go. She thought the journey to the airport would take less than an hour, but she hoped to have time to get a drink before her flight, and maybe even something to eat.

After finally convincing Harold to leave the driveway, Lisa closed up the house and got in her van. When she turned the key nothing happened. She couldn’t believe it. Her chat with Harold had already delayed her and now her van wouldn’t start. She tried the key again a few more times. Still nothing happened; she cursed the fact she never got round to booking it in for a service and looked at her phone wondering whom to call.

Scrolling through her contacts she realised that the limited number of people she had to call on in a crisis was testament to how small her circle of friends had become. She knew Felicity would drive her, but it hardly seemed fair to call her when Pete had been working late and she had all of her children to organise. She thought about Melissa. With Bella’s poor sleeping habits she was probably already awake. But despite having her number she hadn’t yet used it, calling on her in a crisis seemed a bit cheeky.

Looking back at her phone Lisa hovered her thumb over Mr Chung’s number. She had never had her Chinese delivered, but she did know Mr Chung’s son had a delivery van. She dismissed the idea almost instantly. Not only was it too big an ask, she had been avoiding the Chinese since the incident with Nathan. Her cheeks burned at the memory and she scrolled to Nathan’s number. Even his too-cool-for-her-liking text messages had dried up since he had seen her and Dom at the bar. And yet he had been to her house, why? She couldn’t deal with that right now; calling Nathan was not an option. Dom on the other hand might be a different matter.

Lisa knew he and Jack were travelling to his parents to see Winnie later in the day. If Dom was willing to make a slightly earlier start than he had anticipated and a small detour to Gatwick, she still might make her flight. Pondering for a moment as she tried to decide if it was too much to ask of someone she had shared an odd – in more than one sense of the word – evening with, she jumped at the sight of Harold Martin peering in her van window.

‘It’s not turning over.’

Cheers for that, Sherlock! Lisa sighed.

‘Engine trouble?’ Harold spoke, forming his words as if she might be lip reading through the window despite the fact she could hear him clearly.

Lisa took a breath and wound her window down. ‘It was due a service.’

‘Ah, neglect today and regret tomorrow. Servicing an engine is essential to maintaining performance. The trouble with the youth of today—’

‘It’s booked in the day I return,’ Lisa lied.

‘Terrible timing with your trip.’

‘Yes.’ Lisa bit her lip, there was only so much of Harold’s stating the obvious she could take. ‘Look if I don’t get on I am going to miss my flight.’

‘Need a lift then?’

The kind offer took Lisa by surprise. She was almost tempted to accept, but she had seen Harold drive. Whatever his role in the army had been she was sure it had more to do with stealth than speed. Dom, on the other hand was a paramedic. Lisa felt that his job must involve driving at speed. ‘That’s very kind of you, but I’ve already sent a text to a friend,’ she lied. ‘I’m about to call to check he’s on his way.’ Decision made. She pressed her finger to her lips, put up her window and made the call.

‘Thanks so much for this,’ Lisa thanked Dom, who had said he was leaving at seven anyway and so was up and almost ready to go when she had called.

Dom put Lisa’s case across the back seat. Jack gave an excited whine from his place in the boot at the sound of Lisa’s voice and Dom let him out briefly so he could say a proper hello.

Lisa greeted Jack with a cuddle, a good rub along his sides and a tickle behind the ears. ‘You say hello to your mummy for me. Tell her I miss her.’

Jack’s tail wagged wildly as he leaned into her.

‘We’ll pass the message on, won’t we, Jack?’ Dom confirmed. ‘And we have your present. I’m sure she’ll love it.’

Lisa smiled. She really hoped so. With her Christmas shopping trip turning into lunch, too much wine and a trip to the cinema, she had resorted to ordering what she could from the internet, still trying to focus on making a more personal effort in her present buying than usual. Pic Me Today had inspired her enough to purchase presents for all of her friends and family, while her furry clients had a range of toys from Tesco. She really hoped Winnie would like her new and positively plump cushion with a picture of Jack’s face imprinted on it. After Jack had slipped his collar and Dom had challenged her taking him back – albeit for his own amusement, it seemed – she had decided to keep photographs of all her charges on her phone, just in case. A small fact Winnie need never know.