‘Oh Rachel, that would be such a help. I can give you a list of what’s missing, tell you where the burglar went . . . then, once I’ve made the initial report . . . oh, and fed the hens . . . I can be on my way.’
‘I can do that too,’ Rachel said. ‘Feed the hens, I mean. I used to love doing it, do you remember? But are you sure you’ll be all right, driving all the way to Bristol?’
‘I’ll be fine – though Jeremy did offer.’
‘Well, if he’s up for it, I think you should let him.’
‘Oh, I don’t know. I’d rather be independent. And I can’t impose any more. He’s been so good.’
‘Hmm. Yes. Very good, I’d say.’ There was heavy innuendo in her tone.
‘What do you mean?’ I asked.
‘Are you sure he hasn’t got an ulterior motive? I reckon he fancies you, Sally.’
‘Jeremy?’ I laughed. ‘Of course he doesn’t!’
‘Why not? He’s single, isn’t he?’
‘Well, yes, but in his own words, a confirmed bachelor. And he’s at least ten years older than me.’
‘So what? It might have been a lot when you were seven and he was seventeen. But now, it’s nothing.’
‘Honestly, Rachel, you do talk rubbish! Look, I must go and get this call in to the police. They’ll think I’m stalking them, I shouldn’t wonder! Twice in two days!’
‘OK, I’ll be over in . . . what . . . say an hour?’
‘You’re a star, Rach.’
I put down the phone, thinking that actually everyone was turning up trumps. Rachel, I’d expect. We’d been mates for so long. But for someone I hadn’t seen in years, Jeremy was being extremely kind. Was he just being neighbourly? He was, after all, a good friend of Dad’s. Or was it possible Rachel was right and he had a soft spot for me? Oh, surely not!
In any case, I didn’t have time to think about that now. I had far too much to do, and too many other things on my mind.
Sighing, I dialled the number for the police, and prepared myself for a long wait.
Fourteen
Would the phone never stop ringing? I began to feel as if it was actually attached to my ear. Many of Mum and Dad’s friends who had left messages last night were ringing again, and I felt duty bound to return the calls of those who didn’t. All were deeply concerned, and those who had tried to phone again this morning whilst I was waiting to get through to the police about the burglary were fearing the worst when they found the line engaged for so long.
Rachel arrived, bless her, and Jeremy too. The knowing look Rachel gave me when he arrived at the door made the colour rush to my cheeks. Was it really possible he fancied me? If so, I wasn’t sure it was a good idea for him to drive me to Bristol again, as he was offering to do, but between them, he and Rachel bullied me into it.
The one person who hadn’t called again was Josh, and the omission hurt me. But perhaps he was waiting for me to ring him. I grabbed a moment to try his mobile, but it went straight to voicemail. I left a message saying I was just heading off to Bristol, and updated him briefly about Dad’s condition. Then I got my coat and bag and Jeremy and I set off, leaving Rachel to wait for the police, who might not arrive for hours. Rachel would be able to show them where the burglars had been; if they wanted a statement from me, it would have to wait, but I somehow doubted they’d bother unless they were able to collar an offender, and Jeremy agreed with me.
‘All they’ll do is give you a crime number for insurance purposes,’ he said. ‘To be honest, I sometimes wonder what the police force in this country is coming to.’
There was a huge cellophane-wrapped bouquet of flowers on the back seat of his car – he must have visited a florist in Stoke Compton early this morning, I guessed, and realized guiltily that I hadn’t got a single thing to take Mum and Dad beyond the bare necessities.
‘We could stop off on the way if you’d like to buy flowers or grapes,’ Jeremy offered.
‘It’s OK, I’ll take something next time,’ I said. I wasn’t sure whether flowers would be allowed in the ICU, and besides, anything I could buy in a garage shop or supermarket would look horribly cheap up against Jeremy’s sumptuous offering. As for grapes, Dad didn’t care for them at the best of times, and as things were I couldn’t see that he’d be up eating them before they shrivelled to sultanas.
This time Jeremy came into the hospital with me, and I was glad of his solid presence beside me as we walked along the endless corridors. My heart was in my mouth in spite of Mum’s reassuring phone call earlier. I’ve always hated hospitals, and I don’t suppose all the time I had to spend in one after my accident helped. There’s something about the smell that is universally horrible – antiseptic and linoleum, food trolleys and sickness – that gets right inside me, and the purposeful bustle, the false cheerfulness of the nurses and visitors grates on my nerves. Oh yes, I was really glad Jeremy was with me, even though I wasn’t casting so much as a glance in his direction, just ploughing purposefully on and trying to hide the apprehension I was feeling.