Attempting to vanquish the memory, she checked her phone again, hoping to see a text or missed call from her. There was nothing, which left her no choice but to ring Jason. Diana still hadn’t managed to establish exactly what had gone on when he’d met with Robert, and therefore had no idea what reception she might get. If she didn’t get answers from him regarding Karla’s whereabouts and well-being, she would have to drive over to the house. She couldn’t rest until she knew she was safe.
‘Jason’s phone,’ someone answered, eventually. A female. A young female.
Diana checked her watch, noting that it was now well past five thirty, and her heart dropped. Surely he wasn’t actually meeting up with the women Karla had claimed he was chatting to on dating sites? Diana had been sure that, no matter what was going on between him and Karla, he would never be cruel enough to do something like that. ‘Sorry, who is this?’ she asked tersely.
‘Rachel,’ the girl supplied. ‘I work with Jason. He’s in a meeting just now with a colleague. Can I get him to call you back?’
He was in his office.She’d imagined he wouldn’t be, since he’d been forced to put the wheels in motion to sell the business, all thanks to her despicable husband. Diana felt a huge surge of relief. She hadn’t wanted to be so wrong about him.
‘Could you interrupt him for me?’ she asked the young woman. ‘It’s his mother-in-law here. I wouldn’t ask, but it is urgent.’
A minute later, Jason came on. ‘Diana?’ he said, his tone wary. ‘Rachel said it was urgent.’
‘I’ve been trying to get hold of Karla. She’s not returning my calls and I’m worried to death,’ Diana explained quickly. ‘Jason, where are the children?’
‘Here, with me,’ Jason said, and Diana’s heart settled clunkily back into its moorings. ‘Karla’s… got some kind of a bug,’ he went on. ‘Look, don’t panic, Diana. I spoke to her not long ago about the kids. She’s probably put her phone on silent since then. I’ll finish up here and go straight home.’
‘Thank you,’ Diana said, her voice shaky. ‘And you’ll call me if there’s a problem?’
‘I promise,’ Jason assured her.
Diana nodded. She hadn’t been wrong about him. Whatever he was doing with these silly dating apps, at his core he was a good man, she was certain he was. ‘Jason, about the meeting you had with Robert,’ she said hesitantly, ‘did he—?’
‘I’d rather not discuss it, Diana,’ Jason cut in bluntly. ‘I’m sorry, but I’d prefer not to.’
‘I see. It’s none of my business, I know, but I just…’ Diana faltered. She wasn’t inclined to expose her vulnerabilities, but she needed to get to the bottom of what Robert had disclosed to him before putting in motion any wheels of her own, which she’d no choice but to do if she was going to help her daughter. ‘I need to know, Jason. To understand what’s going on in his head. Did he offer you the money?’
Jason didn’t immediately answer, then, ‘Yes,’ he said simply.
‘And you refused it?’
‘That’s right.’ Jason’s tone was short.
‘Butwhy? When you’d gone there ready to accept a loan, why would you turn it down?’
Again, Jason paused. ‘You don’t know about me then?’ he asked curiously.
‘Know what?’ Cold foreboding travelled the length of Diana’s spine.
‘You should talk to Robert. You need to,’ Jason said. ‘I have to go.’
Realising he’d ended the call, Diana placed her phone on the breakfast table and stared at it. Surely, Robert hadn’t done what the sick feeling inside her told her he had?Why?After all these years?Damnthe man. Could he not just have let sleeping dogs lie?
Swallowing back the acrid taste of fear in her mouth, Diana pulled herself from her chair and headed towards the lounge. She didn’t drink often, but she felt in need of a medicinal brandy. Up until these last few weeks, she’d bided her time, seeing Michael to keep her sanity alive whenever she could, and made preparations, sure that Robert’s day of reckoning would come. She hadn’t imagined she would have to be instrumental in ensuring that it did, and sooner rather than later. Diana had thought she’d prepared herself; that she would be emotionally ready for the fallout when the news broke, as she had always known it might. Now, she wasn’t entirely certain.
But she had no choice, she reminded herself. She would have to find a way to establish that Robert had done the unimaginably callous thing she had long suspected him of. She wasn’t sure how she would do it – he would lie through his teeth – but she would. And if he had opened that ugly can of worms, thenhewould suffer the consequences.
Passing through the hall, her attention was caught by a silhouette in the opaque glass in the front door. Someone hovering outside? Diana’s heart leapt into her throat. A slim figure – a woman, it appeared – now turning away from the door.
Stepping closer, she made sure the chain was in place and eased the door open. ‘Excuse me,’ she called, as the woman walked back down the drive towards the road. ‘Can I help you?’
The woman turned around. She was quite young – in her twenties, Diana guessed, squinting at her under the harsh glow of the security light.
‘Sorry,’ the girl said. ‘I wasn’t sure whether to knock.’
‘Well, it seems a bit silly not to, since you’re obviously here for a reason.’ Diana smiled and released the chain. She looked harmless enough. Timid, almost.
‘Yes.’ The girl smiled nervously back. ‘I wanted to talk to you.’
