Winifred watched intently as Angus explained what he was doing and how the improved security system would work when it was finished.
‘I haven’t forgotten about getting you a computer,’ he said. ‘I just have to install these special apps on it, then I’ll bring it over. I’m designing a system to help elderly people understand what to do, one small step at a time.’
‘What a good idea. When they told us what to do at those computer classes, it was as if they were speaking a foreign language. And the tutor looked at us as if we were stupid when we asked questions. But how are we to guess the meaning when these are new ways of using old words, or else completely new words? Someone needs to tell us what they mean before they start using a computer word.’
He stared at her in surprise, head on one side. ‘That’s a very helpful comment already. I was aware of that, but I wonder if I’ve started far enough back. Maybe I should put a list at the beginning with explanations of each word.’
‘Better to have them available to print out as guidelines on pieces of paper,’ she said. ‘There were so many differences, I forgot half of them between one class and another. It’s not that older people are stupid, Angus. It’s that some of us don’t have the foundations for using the new systems.’
He nodded slowly. ‘You are going to be so useful to me in putting the final polish on my Golden Oldie Apps.’
‘I am?’
‘Yes.’
She beamed at him, then heard the post drop through the letter box and went to pick up the letters from the hall floor. She came back frowning and threw the post down on the table with an angry huff.
‘Something wrong?’
‘Yes. These aren’t real letters; they’re more rubbish from people pestering me to sell the house. I get several a week.’
‘Mind if I look at them?’ He picked up the envelopes. ‘I think one of them’s a real letter.’
He studied today’s offers to sell while she opened the other letter. ‘These two seem to be from different estate agents in Sexton Bassett, but I haven’t heard of either of them, even though they’ve got addresses in town. Mind if I keep them?’
‘Be my guest. I usually throw them straight in the rubbish bin.’
She was still frowning, so he ventured to ask, ‘What’s the other one about?’
‘It’s from a social worker at the council, wanting me to enrol for the seniors’ programmes. Look at what they’re doing!’ She flicked the paper with one scornful finger. ‘What do they think we are, children? I don’t want to go and be entertained by amateur singers who should have taken singing lessons before they opened their mouths in public. And as for someone playing the spoons, the mind boggles.’
‘Playing the spoons? You’re joking.’
‘No, I’m not. See. It’s printed here.’ She offered him a list of morning entertainments.
He studied it, agreeing with her comments. ‘What rubbish they’re offering.’
‘I’m glad it’s not just me. Angus, I’m not conceited but I’m not stupid, either. I’d be bored to tears by this so-called entertainment.’
She showed him a second sheet of paper. ‘And I do not want to go into their medical programme.’
‘Well, I can understand not wanting to go to concerts like those, but what’s wrong with the medical programme? It never hurts to get a check-up.’ He didn’t say especially at her age, but he thought it.
‘Once you let officials get their hands on you, they find ways to take over your life. They think old equates to stupid.’ She screwed up the paper and threw it away. ‘I go to my own doctor when I need to and that’s enough for me. She doesn’t pester me to join things. I’ve never been a joiner and I’m not going to start now.’
He’d never heard her speak so sharply. ‘It’s getting to you, isn’t it? Especially the way these people are pestering you to sell.’
She nodded, blowing her nose good and hard. ‘What if they try to burn down my house? They already burnt the summer house.’
‘I don’t think they’ll go that far.’
‘I’m beginning to think they might.’
He put his arm round her and gave her a quick hug. ‘We’ll catch these bullies for you.’
‘And then what? Another one will pop up and start nagging all over again. What it amounts to is they want to take my home away from me. This place is far more than just a house or an asset to me.’
He’d never seen her so down in the dumps. That upset him. He wondered what he could do to help. He’d discuss it with Nell. She might have some ideas.
He’d discuss it with Kieran too, who had some useful connections.
When he left Winifred’s house, Angus hesitated for a moment, then went out the front way and hurried down the street.
Kieran’s car was parked at the flats, so he knocked on the door and as Paul opened it, asked, ‘Is Kieran at home?’
‘Yes. Come in.’
Kieran was sitting chatting to his new wife, holding a mug of coffee, looking so cheerful Angus hesitated to dump a problem on him.
‘Hi. Sit down. There’s one more cup left in the cafetière.’
‘No, thanks. I have to get back. It’s just … well, I need to see you about something quite urgently.’ He explained what was going on with Winifred and saw Kieran’s eyes brighten with interest, not irritation, thank goodness. He should have remembered how much his friend used to enjoy unmasking scams and villains.
‘It’ll be Nolan behind it,’ Kieran said confidently.
‘Who else could it be? But he’s been very clever about not quite breaking the law.’
‘He shouldn’t be harassing an old lady to sell, though. Or inventing bogus companies. I’ll have a think what to do and get back to you. There’s usually a way to track down a trail of events.’
‘And Janey? She needs help, too.’
‘Paul’s already told me about her problems and I got a friend to look up the owner of the van. It’s someone called Wayne Dobson and he lives in a smallholding on the other side of Swindon. I have his address. Janey told Paul her father went to live with him when he lost his job and his house was repossessed. He was a fool letting his mortgage payments lapse for so long.’
‘I’d rather catch him when he comes into Sexton Bassett to stalk Janey than out in the country. There’s nothing illegal about living on your own land. In fact, we might find it useful to bring the police in on this and have her father tracked officially.’
‘I’ll arrange a meeting with a detective friend of mine. If Dobson is contravening a court order, they’ll want to fix that.’
‘I can’t understand why he’s stalking his daughter, unless he’s hoping to get to his wife through her.’
‘Or he might be just crazy enough to blame Janey for his friend being jailed and want to punish her. There are some warped people in this world.’
‘That poor girl’s had a hard time during the past year.’
‘She’s got her baby, though,’ Paul put in. ‘She loves Millie. Look, I can come straight home from school every night until we get this sorted out and walk up the street with her. Janey’s safety is more important than clubs and chilling out with friends.’
‘I can do it sometimes to relieve you, so that there’s always someone here,’ Nicole said. ‘I don’t work standard office hours, so we can co-ordinate who does what.’
‘Thanks. I’ll let Janey know.’ Angus stood up to leave.
‘I’ll walk you out,’ Kieran said. As he opened the front door, he said in a low voice. ‘What we need is something to track that car.’
‘Leave it to me. I’m the gadgets man. I’ll find a way to stick a tracer on that car.’ He set off briskly up the street.
When he got home, he sniffed in delight and headed straight for the kitchen, where something was bubbling on the stove. Nell was sitting at the table reading as she waited for him.
‘I’m so glad to come home to you.’ He pulled her up into his arms for a kiss.
Then he sniffed again. ‘Whatever that is smells wonderful. I’m ravenous.’
‘Just a stew with crusty bread.’
It was like paradise to sit and have their meal together, but every paradise seemed to have its serpent and when she told him about Craig needing to speak to her about their youngest son, he could only be glad the time differences prevented her from calling her ex straight away. He had other plans for tonight and anything to do with her ex made her edgy and tense.
‘Could we contact him tomorrow, first thing?’ she suggested. ‘The times will coincide nicely then.’
‘Whatever suits you. You can use my phone to call him. It won’t show my number.’
‘Thanks. Now, are you interested in apple pie and ice cream for afters?’
‘It’s my favourite. Is that home-made? Oh, I think I’ve died and gone to heaven.’
She chuckled. ‘It’s only an apple pie.’
‘I can cook quite a few things, but I have to confess to having a leaden hand with pastry.’
He pretended to yawn. ‘And after that, I’m so tired, I think we should go straight to bed.’
‘Yeah, right. You look exhausted.’
But she didn’t protest when he put that suggestion into action. And he didn’t seem in the least tired.
Nell wasn’t the only one worrying about phone calls that evening. Janey fiddled around with the food on her plate till Winifred insisted on being told what was worrying her.
‘I’m still worrying about phoning my mother. I don’t know what to say to her. Everything seems to be in a bit of an upset here and I don’t want to add to her worries. Besides … we never did talk easily. She hardly spoke at all, now I come to think of it, even to my father.’
‘I think she’d rather have more worries and be in touch with you than think you’re never going to call her again.’
‘Even though I don’t feel close to her?’
‘I never felt really close to my mother or father. I did my duty, but oh, how I longed for a life of my own!’
Janey reached across to squeeze Auntie Winnie’s hand. ‘So you think I should call Mum, even if it’s just a duty call?’
‘Yes. And tell her about your father stalking you. He may not be after you. Perhaps he’s trying to find out where she is.’
Janey thought about that, then shook her head. ‘No. He may want to find her as well but I’m pretty sure he wants to get at me. The main thing in his life was his friendship with that horrible man. And the cousin he’s living with, Wayne, will believe anything my father tells him about me.’
She sighed as she added, ‘The Dobsons always stick together. Well, the other Dobsons do, anyway. My father said I wasn’t a true Dobson when I told him I was pregnant. He hit me when I blamed his friend, then threw me out. He was always hitting me, though I never saw him hit my mother.’
‘He sounds to be a very stupid man. You must have got your brains from your mother’s side.’
‘She never talked about her family.’
As the girl fell quiet, Winifred said gently, ‘Call her, dear. You know it’s the right thing to do. I’ll keep my eye on Millie.’
Janey went into the other sitting room, which felt cold and lonely. She rang the number with fingers that trembled, then waited. A strange voice answered and she explained that she wanted to speak to her mother.
‘Hang on. I’ll fetch her.’
A minute later there were faint noises, then her mother said, ‘Janey? Is that really you?’
‘Yes. I said I’d call, didn’t I?’
‘I didn’t dare hope.’ Her voice broke and she gulped audibly.
Janey waited a moment then said, ‘So … how have you been?’
‘I’ve been fine, considering. People are ever so kind here.’
‘That’s good.’
‘I should tell you that I’ve changed my name. I’m now Hope Redman.’
‘You’ve gone back to your maiden name again. Was Hope a family name, too?’
‘No. It’s a promise for the future. I never did like the name Dorothy.’
‘Oh. Well, Hope is a pretty name. I like it.’
After an awkward silence, her mother asked, ‘How’s Millie?’
‘Thriving. Perhaps you’d like to come and see her sometime?’ She regretted the offer as soon as it was out.
Her mother burst into tears. ‘Thank you, Janey, thank you so much. I’m s-sorry to weep all over you again. I can’t tell you how much I want to see her. Can I take a photo? I’ve got a new mobile phone – well, it’s not exactly new, but there’s this guy who wipes old ones clean and donates them to the refuge. Mine takes lovely photos. I’ll give you my new phone number.’
‘Of course you can take a photo. But only if you give me a copy,’ Janey said as she noted the number her mother read out.
‘I’ll have to find out how to organise a meeting. It might be safer for you to come to me.’
‘If it’s not too far. I don’t know where you are.’
‘We’re not allowed to tell anyone without permission. There might be someone who could pick you up. They like us to have visitors.’
‘We’ll do that, then. Only … I have to tell you, I think Dad is stalking me.’
‘What?’
‘You know his cousin Wayne has an old blue van that has a name on the side? I keep seeing the van in Peppercorn Street and it drives along slowly behind me.’
‘But your father isn’t supposed to come near you.’
‘Tell him that!’
Silence, then. ‘I’ll have to go now, Janey. There are other people wanting to use this phone. If you call me on my mobile, we can chat for longer next time. If you have time, that is. And … I’ll tell the warden here about your father, see if she can help. Maybe someone can talk to him.’
‘OK.’ As if anyone could change her father’s mind when it was set on something. Janey shivered, and not from the cold.
The anxiety she’d felt when she first moved into the Peppercorn Street flat had returned with a vengeance, only this time it was her own father who was frightening her, not his horrible friend Gary.
Why did her father hate her so much? What would he do to her if he caught her somewhere on her own? Hurt her, she was sure. He’d enjoyed hitting her when she lived at home. That wouldn’t have changed.
But most of all she was afraid for Millie. How could she protect her daughter?
She went slowly back into the kitchen where Auntie Winnie was talking softly to the smiling baby.
Janey related her conversation, mentioning her father but making light of the situation, trying to hide how worried she was. Auntie Winnie had enough worries of her own.
She didn’t sleep well that night, though, she kept worrying, wondering what he was up to.
The next morning, Nell nerved herself to phone her ex. For some reason, even talking to him made her feel less sure of herself. Angus had offered to leave her alone while she did it, but she asked him to stay with her.
‘Hello?’ Craig’s voice sounded cautious.
‘It’s me. Nell.’
‘Ah. You got my message, then. Hang on a minute and I’ll get something to write your number down. It’s not showing.’
‘That’s deliberate. If you need me you can send a message by Nick or Robbie.’
Angus scribbled something down, an email address, one with no clues about the sender, then the words USE THIS?
‘Hang on a minute. You can also use my friend’s email address.’ She read it out to him.
‘What friend is this?’
She took a deep breath. ‘A guy I’m seeing.’
‘Oh. That was quick.’
‘Was it? Anyway, I’m ringing about Steve. What I do is none of your business.’
‘You’re turning very sharp lately.’
‘Glad you think so.’
‘OK. Let’s talk about Steve. I wanted you to know that I caught him with drugs, and forced him to go into a rehab programme in the country.’
‘Steve was into drugs? Oh, Craig, how awful! Hard drugs?’
‘He was just starting, not in deep yet.’
‘How on earth did you persuade him to go into a programme?’
Craig made the little grunting sound that always betrayed he was angry about something. ‘He’d lost his job, was in debt and hadn’t any money. It was do as I told him or go on the streets. And I’ve had to pay some of his damn debts.’
‘You did the right thing, I’m sure.’
‘Yeah, well, no wonder they call it tough love. It’s tough on the one doing it, too. How’s your aunt’s cottage going?’
‘I’ve sold it. Look, I have to go now, Craig. Keep me informed about Steve.’
‘Just a minute. There’s something else. Did you know Nick was getting married?’
‘Yes.’
‘Jenny and I are going to the wedding.’
That was typical of Craig, trying to score over her. ‘Good. Nick ought to have some family present. I’m glad you’re there to look after our sons.’ She didn’t add ‘about time’ but it felt as though the words hung in the air between them. ‘Well, if there’s nothing else, I’ll get on with my day.’
She had a little cry against Angus’s shoulder after she’d shut down the phone.
‘Tell me,’ Angus prompted. ‘A trouble shared …’
She explained about Steve. ‘I ought to be there.’
‘Actually, I don’t think so. Not if you want him to learn to stand on his own feet. At least your husband’s dumped him with someone who has expertise in that area.’
‘I wish I knew who it was.’
‘It’s a bit the same with me and my son. I worry about Oliver backpacking to all these remote places, haven’t a clue where he is half the time. But it’s his life and I can only pray he’ll return safely.’
‘You’re right, really. It’s why I left them. Nick’s found himself a woman and Steve … well, at least he’s away from those horrible people he was hanging out with.’
She dried her eyes, then drew herself very upright. ‘OK. I’m going to sort out your kitchen today because it’s in need of a thorough cleaning and reorganising.’ And because she always cleaned things when she was upset. It usually helped.
‘Joanna did that too,’ he said softly and added, as if he’d been reading her mind, ‘cleaned things when she was upset, I mean.’
‘Did she? Very sensible if you ask me, makes positive use of negative energy.’
‘You don’t mind me comparing you to her?’
‘No. I like the loving way you speak about her. I’m sure I’d have liked her, too.’
‘You’re an amazing woman.’
‘Yes, well, see what you think about me when I show you how the new kitchen system works, and when I throw a hissy fit if you disrupt things.’
‘Should I be trembling?’
‘You certainly should.’ She punched him lightly on the arm. ‘Stop teasing and let me get on with it. Later, we’ll also sort out a schedule for who cleans what when. I warn you, I am very efficient.’
‘Then it won’t take you more than a day or two. After that …?’
‘I’m coming into your office and sorting that out.’
A look of alarm flitted across his face. ‘I don’t think—’
She held up one hand. ‘Trust me. I’ll improve your efficiency out of sight.’
A wry smile slowly replaced the alarm. ‘Other people have tried to organise me and gave up.’
‘Tell me that in two weeks’ time.’ She laid one hand on his arm. ‘But I hope you know that I’m ready to drop things at a minute’s notice if I can help in any way with Miss Parfitt and Janey.’
‘I know. Oh, and Mr Trouton will be pottering around your aunt’s garden tomorrow. Leave him to get on with it if you bump into him. He’s about eighty-five, refuses to tell me exactly how old, but says it does him good to do a bit of gardening now and then.’
‘Good for him. I’ve moved into quite a community on Peppercorn Street, haven’t I? I thought such communities were extinct.’
‘Those of us whose families have lived on the street for a generation or two look out for one another when we can. I’m hoping we’ll manage to pass that attitude on to the people who move into Cinnamon Gardens and Sunset Close.’
‘I like Cinnamon Gardens as a name for a little side street, but I’m not keen on Sunset Close. It’s too trite for words. They should have stuck with the spice names.’
‘They were going to build a whole series of longer streets leading out of the town centre at one time with spice names, but the economy slowed down in the last quarter of the nineteenth century, and then there were two world wars, so things stayed mainly as they were, except for that dreary post-war housing estate to the east of the town. All the streets there are named after former mayors.’
‘I prefer spice names.’
‘Yes. The one I liked best in the list I once found in the town archives was Saffron Lane.’
‘Oh, that’s lovely. Very evocative.’
After a moment or two she made shooing movements with her hands. ‘You’ve soothed my savage breast after my encounter with Craig. Thanks. You can get back to work now and leave me to complete the cure by attacking the dirt and chaos here. Oh, and when you have time, I need the fridge from my aunt’s house bringing up here.’
He saluted. ‘Yes, ma’am!’ Then he walked off smiling.