She gave a sad laugh. ‘You’ve nothing to be sorry for, and it’s what we expected. I knew this moment was coming. It’s why I was here. Still… it’s… it’s a shock. I guess that sounds silly, but…’
‘No, Carla, it doesn’t sound silly at all.’ Nick’s genuine sympathy pushed aside a little of his worry for Kitty, for now. ‘It’s completely natural. You watched one of your parents die. That’s enough to shock the most hardened of souls.’
Carla laughed again.
‘What is it?’ said Nick. ‘What can be funny at a time like this?’
‘You,’ she said, her voice muffled by both laughter and tears. ‘You’re the last person I thought I’d ring in a crisis, and you’re definitely the last person I thought would cheer me up at a time like this.’
‘Perhaps I’m not the man you thought I was.’ Nick tried not to let the prick of hurt show in his tone.
‘Or perhaps you’ve changed,’ said Carla.
‘Yes,’ said Nick. ‘That’s more likely.’
‘So anyway,’ said Carla, ‘obviously there are things I need to sort out here. I’m going to meet with a funeral director tomorrow, and then I’ll be coming home.’
‘Oh,’ said Nick. ‘You don’t need to rush back. Emily can stay with me as long as you need.’
‘I need to be around her,’ said Carla. ‘And it’s not like there’s much to sort out in the flat. It was only a rental, and my dad had sold anything he owned of value a long time ago.’
‘OK. If you’re sure.’
‘So I’ll fetch Emily the day after tomorrow, if that’s alright with you?’
‘Really? That’s soon.’ Nick’s heart sank.
‘Is there a problem?’ Carla’s tone hardened, and Nick reminded himself he was still on probation as far as she was concerned.
‘No,’ he said. ‘Of course there isn’t. Emily will be delighted to see you.’
‘Great. I’ll call you tomorrow to make arrangements.’
‘Speak then.’
Nick slipped his phone into his pocket and walked up Kitty’s garden path to her front door. He needed time to process the fact that Emily would soon be leaving. Not now. Right now he had to worry about Kitty.
Nick knocked on the front door and waited. Nothing. He climbed over a lavender bush and tried to peer in the front window. The curtains were closed. He frowned. Why would Kitty have her curtains closed in the middle of the day? He returned to the front door and opened the letterbox. Thinking he caught the murmur of voices, he pressed his face closer to the opening. Only silence. The shadowed hallway was light enough for Nick to see two pairs of shoes at the bottom of the stairs. One pair he recognised as Kitty’s. The other was a large pair of brogues. Nick’s stomach twisted as he realised who they belonged to.
Nick trudged through the village, despair threatening to overwhelm him. As he passed the general store, the door opened and Alice walked out, a bag of shopping in each hand and a frown on her face.
‘Oh, Nick, thank goodness I’ve bumped into you.’
‘Is everything alright?’ Nick shoved his hands into his pockets.
‘I don’t know,’ said Alice. ‘I had a message from Kitty late yesterday evening asking if I could come by today to check everything is alright.’ She set the bags on the narrow footpath. ‘When I went round earlier, there was no answer.’
‘I’ve just come from her place,’ said Nick. ‘The curtains were closed, and when I looked through the letterbox, I saw her ex’s shoes in the hall.’ He worked hard not to sound bitter. ‘Seems like they’re having something of a reunion.’
‘You really think that?’ Alice tilted her head to the side, sceptical. ‘After all he put her through?’
Nick shrugged. ‘They were together for years, so she must have seen something in him.’
‘Or she couldn’t leave,’ said Alice.
Nick frowned. ‘Was James ever violent?’
‘I don’t think so,’ said Alice. ‘But there are more ways to hurt someone than physical violence.’
