Josie pulled up outside the church. Nothing had been said in the car since they left the hospital. As George reached for the door she said, ‘I’d quite like to stay and listen.’
‘I wouldn’t bother if I were you,’ he replied.
‘Why not?’
‘Because you won’t be able to hear anything from in here.’
He left and she burst out laughing. But she stayed where she was.
*
Stephen sat in the pews as he often did on a Thursday when Cross practised. He felt that George’s choice of music on this particular night, and the way in which he played, were somewhat meditative and reflective. Unsurprising, in the circumstances. At the same time, he was aware that this might have been his own emotional interpretation of the situation. Even so, he thought there was an element of truth to it. He’d come to the conclusion that, on occasion, George used his playing to process what was going on at work, which was indeed true. Even though he didn’t know as much, George had made several breakthroughs on cases while his mind was preoccupied with a particularly tricky piece of Handel or Bach.
Stephen was still waiting in the nave when George finished his practice on the dot of eight, his one hour’s practice strictly adhered to. It wasn’t just George’s need for routine that meant he always finished promptly, but his sense that the priest was doing him a favour by letting him play, which he was keen not to exploit.
‘How was Raymond?’ Stephen asked.
‘Groggy. They confirmed he’s had a stroke,’ George replied.
‘I’ll say a mass for him.’
‘If you wish.’
‘Would you let me know when’s a good time to visit him?’ the priest continued.
‘I’m not sure what the visiting hours are.’
‘I meant when you think he’s up to it,’ Stephen explained.
‘I see. Yes, I will.’
‘Well, I mustn’t keep you. Josie is waiting outside for you.’
‘No, she’s not,’ said George.
‘I thought I saw her from the presbytery window.’
‘She sneaked in at the back just after I started playing,’ George told him. They both looked towards the back of the church where Josie was sitting, she thought, unobserved.