Like a miracle, there was Mr Gold in his car, with Mrs Gold hanging out of the window waving madly. ‘Elsie!’
‘Goodbye,’ I said to Jackson, not meeting his eye. I yanked my arm out of his grip, feeling it ache where he’d been holding me and then I darted across the road, Mrs Gold opened the door and I half jumped, half fell into the car.
‘We were just passing and happened to see you,’ Mrs Gold said. ‘What luck.’
I put my head back against the seat in relief. ‘Thank you.’
‘Friend of yours?’ Mr Gold asked, watching Jackson out of the window.
‘No,’ I said firmly at the same time as Mrs Gold cried: ‘Good Lord, no.’
Mr Gold lit a cigarette and then pulled away from the kerb. ‘Has he been bothering you, Elsie?’ he asked. He caught my eye in the rear-view mirror. ‘Want me to have him arrested?’
‘Albert,’ said Mrs Gold in a warning tone.
There was a tiny pause and then Mr Gold laughed heartily. ‘Only joking,’ he said. He glanced at Mrs Gold who was looking straight ahead. But strangely I got the impression he hadn’t been joking at all.
There was a slightly awkward silence and then Mrs Gold said in a jolly voice: ‘I once pretended to be having women’s troubles to get poor Elsie away from that man.’
Mr Gold chuckled. ‘Poor sod,’ he said. ‘Bloke like that’s bound to be terrified of a woman’s monthly ups and downs.’
Somewhere in the back of my mind, something about what he said rang a bell. Had I forgotten something important? But I was too tired and on edge to think properly.
‘Isn’t it a treat to have the car again?’ Mrs Gold was saying. ‘I feel like royalty being driven around.’
‘It’s lovely,’ I agreed.
‘Mrs Gold and I have been at work, but I need to go on elsewhere, so I’ll just drop you ladies off at home and dash off.’
‘Fine by me,’ Mrs Gold said. ‘Elsie and I can have a cuppa and a chat, can’t we, Elsie?’ She turned round in the front seat and beamed at me. ‘Or do you have to sleep?’
‘I do, but I’m a bit on edge after my shift,’ I fibbed. Actually, I wanted time to think about Nelly. ‘So, a cup of tea would be nice before I hit the sack.’
At home, I went into the Golds’ flat. It was a nice place, but it was oddly impersonal. There were no photographs on display, or little knick-knacks anywhere. Then again, they’d only moved in relatively recently and they worked long hours, so perhaps that wasn’t so surprising.
Mrs Gold filled the kettle and put it on the stove to boil, and when she’d made the tea, she brought me a large mug where I sat on her sofa, and looked straight at me.
‘You’ve got the weight of the world on your shoulders today, Elsie. What’s up? Is it that chap?’
‘Yes,’ I said. ‘But he’s only part of it.’
‘Tell me.’
I looked at her, longing to pour my heart out about what Nelly had asked of me. But something was stopping me. ‘Is Mr Gold a policeman?’
Mrs Gold looked startled. ‘No, why? Oh, because he said he’d have that man arrested? No. He’s not a policeman.’ She leaned forward and lowered her voice. ‘Do you need a policeman?’
I shook my head vigorously, making my tea slop up the side of the mug I held. ‘No.’
‘What’s wrong?’
I took a breath. ‘Remember the letters in the book?’ I said. ‘From the mystery chap. He’s a pilot. His name’s Harry.’
‘You tracked him down.’ Mrs Gold’s eyes were gleaming with pleasure.
‘I did. He’s gone now. Back to base. But we still write to each other.’
‘Yes.’ It was clear Mrs Gold had no idea where I was going with this.
