Ruby stared at the phone number, kicking herself for missing the call. It was not one she recognised, yet the recording of the young woman’s voice left her in no doubt. It was Lucy – and she was trying to get in touch. Lenny had promised he would find her. Had he passed her phone number on? Ruby played the message back a second time. Silence fell as the answering machine picked up, followed by a resigned sigh: ‘This was a bad idea,’ the caller said, before ending the call.
Immediately she dialled the number. Her heart cranked up a notch in her chest as she waited for an answer. After six rings she was about to hang up when an unsteady voice came on the line. Ruby gripped the phone tightly to her ear, trying to distinguish its owner.
‘Hello?’ The voice was frail, but far from young and Ruby wondered if she had misdialled.
‘This is Ruby Preston,’ she said authoritatively. ‘With whom am I speaking?’
‘Hello?’ the voice repeated.
Ruby tutted, wondering if it was one of those daft answer machines that played a trick on you by pretending to answer the phone. ‘Is there anyone there?’
‘Hello? Ruby? Is that you?’ the woman responded.
Ruby’s heart faltered as recognition kicked in. Surely not? How could it be? She took a deep breath. ‘Mum? Is… that you?’
‘Yes, dear. Why are you calling? Have you lost your phone?’
Ruby rubbed her forehead as she tried to clear the confusion. Where was her mother? Was she still at the home? And if so, why was she answering the mobile phone that had just called? ‘Have you got a visitor?’ Ruby said, her heart racing. It was the only plausible explanation she could think of. Either she was on someone else’s phone, or her mother had been kidnapped. She prayed Joy’s lucid phase would continue long enough to answer her questions. Pushing her hand in her pocket, she pulled out a set of car keys. She needed to get to Oakwood to find out what was going on.
By the time Ruby got to the car, all she could hear was the background noise of teacups rattling on a tray and the familiar sound of the inoffensive television programmes that played on a loop in the home, Countryfile being a particular favourite.
A muffled noise erupted as the phone seemed to switch hands, and the call was abruptly brought to an end. Swearing under her breath, Ruby redialled the number, but was rewarded with the deadening tone of a phone that was switched off. But she knew the number of Oakwood off by heart. Her nails tapped on the steering wheel as she willed staff to pick up the phone. It felt like a lifetime to Ruby, and at last, a woman’s voice chanted on the other end. ‘Hello Oakwood Care Home, how can I help you?’
Ruby was less gracious with her response, but her abruptness was fuelled only by concern. ‘This is Ruby, Joy Preston’s daughter. Can you tell me if she has a visitor with her? I’m on my way over, but I’ve had a strange call from a mobile phone. Mum was on the other end.’
It was a slight fib, but Ruby did not have time to go into details of how she came across the number.
‘Oh, I don’t recall Joy having any visitors, but I’ll go and check,’ the woman responded.
Ruby set her phone to hands-free and allowed it to echo through the speakers of the car as she drove. It had not occurred to her to tell her colleagues where she was going, because she was too wrapped up worrying about Joy. Was it really Lucy’s phone number she had just dialled? And if so, what were her intentions towards her mum? Ruby felt jittery as the staff member’s voice boomed through the speakers. She grasped for the button to turn down the volume.
‘Hello again, dear, there’s nobody with Joy now. I’ve checked the visitor’s book and as I thought there’s nobody signed in for a visit, but… ’
‘Yes?’ Ruby responded, growing increasingly agitated. Visitors had to pass reception to enter and needed to know the pass code to open the second set of doors. So how did her mum have a visitor without anybody knowing?
‘Well, I’ve spoken to some of the other residents. They seem to think that there was a visitor with her earlier: a young lady. But they’re not there now. I’m sorry dear, but until we check the CCTV we’ve no way of knowing who it was.’
Ruby sighed with relief. At least Joy had not been kidnapped. After recent events with the door-knocker killer anything was possible. She replayed her late-night visit from Lenny in her mind. He had threatened to pay a visit to her mother if she did anything wrong. Had she said or done something out of turn since then? What about their recent rendezvous in the car? But he had looked more than happy when she provided him with the information of the proposed raid.
Ruby chewed the cherry red lipstick from her bottom lip. Oakwood was not a prison. Her mother was allowed as many visitors as she wanted. Sometimes old school friends would come, an occasional neighbour, or a distant relative. Ruby liked to keep tabs on people’s comings and goings and always checked the visitor’s book when she attended the home. Her continued acquaintance with Nathan ran the risk of Joy being a victim of a revenge attack. When the attacker could not get to the focus of their hatred their nearest and dearest became targets instead. It was why they gave each other such a wide berth in public. And God knows she had made enough enemies in her own job. She would be speaking to management about this. If they did not tighten up their security she would have to think about moving her mother elsewhere. But Joy was settled at Oakwood, and she did not want to put her through the distress of a new environment.
After questioning her mother the identity of a visitor was discovered; the same description as her suspect: slim, dark haired, with sunglasses shielding her face. A woman who went to the toilet and left her mobile phone behind. By some miracle, Joy had answered the call. This was usually beyond her capabilities; phone calls only served to confuse her. But today Ruby had been in luck. When her visitor discovered Joy on her phone she snatched it from her grasp and wasted no time in leaving.
CCTV revealed a figure entering the home behind a large family; a good disguise for someone who didn’t want to sign in. Upon leaving, all Ruby could see was the same dark-haired figure cloaked by a delivery man as he made his exit. That was someone who was aware of CCTV and how it worked, and they had bypassed the door code by tailgating someone on the way in. Ruby did not hesitate in recommending that the home tightened their security.
But for what purpose was the visit? Was it to shake Ruby up? Or test the waters for what lay ahead? After a quick goodbye to her mum, she headed outside.
Rubbing the nape of her neck, Ruby was unable to shake off the sensation of being watched. She glanced around the tree-lined car park. The dining room was filling up, and as they sat at the window some of the old-age pensioners were looking her way – but their gaze was soft and yielding. Ruby exhaled in frustration as she rooted in her bag for her keys. Was she being paranoid, or was Lucy closing in? Involving her mother had brought things to a whole new level, and she had to report the incident if she was to keep her safe. As Ruby drove away, she wondered how much longer it would be before all her secrets came tumbling down around her.