‘Like I really, really need to pee?’
‘No, silly,’ she giggled and her red hair bobbed. ‘I mean, do you feel faint or dizzy?’
‘Nope,’ he replied. ‘The only thing I can feel is my bladder.’
‘Up you get, then,’ Angela said. ‘Just take it slowly and say if you feel weird.’
As they were walking to the toilet, Angela holding on to Jimmy’s upper arm with delicate fingers topped with pale blue nail polish that matched her scrubs, the doors to the waiting room opened, and Robbie walked through.
‘Bloody hell, mate,’ Robbie said with a smile. ‘I’ve been out there for ages waiting for you. You’re not dead then?’
‘Not just yet,’ Jimmy replied with a grimace. He really needed to get to the toilet. ‘How did Norwich get on?’
‘Won two nil. Great second half,’ Robbie said. ‘Shame you missed it. Second goal was a screamer into the top corner from the new Bosnian signing. Goalie had no chance.’
‘Sorry, mate.’
‘Are you going to introduce me to your friend, then?’ Robbie asked, nodding at Angela with an expression that Jimmy didn’t particularly like.
‘Angela, this is Robbie,’ Jimmy said. ‘Robbie, this is Angela.’
‘I can’t believe you, Jimmy. Even when you’re sick, you’re still after the ladies.’ To Jimmy’s surprise, Angela’s fair skinned cheeks reddened at Robbie’s comment.
Twenty minutes later, Jimmy had officially been discharged. The young doctor had returned, clutching a bunch of paperwork in his hands, and told him that whatever had made him so unwell, it wasn’t serious. No, the doctor said, it probably wasn’t anything to do with the aneurysm, but it could be. A faint, probably, or perhaps a panic attack of some sort. Jimmy wasn’t convinced it was either, but he wasn’t a doctor. His next appointment in outpatients would be brought forward just to be on the safe side, though. As the doctor was leaving the cubicle, Angela breezed back in.
‘You all set then, Jimmy?’ she asked him. He nodded in reply and got to his feet. ‘How are you getting home?’
‘Robbie’s waiting for me outside,’ Jimmy replied. ‘He’s going to give me a lift home.’
‘You make sure you take it easy for a few days. When’s your next appointment in outpatients?’
‘I’m not sure. The doc said he would bring it forward.’
‘I’ll double check, make sure that happens,’ Angela said with a smile. ‘Is your daughter coming with you to the next one?’ Jimmy’s heart thudded for a few seconds at the mention of Milly, but it soon subsided.
‘It depends when it is,’ he replied. Angela’s smile slipped again, and Jimmy realised that she must have picked up on something. ‘I’ll ask her when I see her later,’ he continued, trying to act as normally as he could. From the slight frown that appeared on Angela’s face, she’d not bought it in the slightest.
‘Come on,’ she said, looping her arm through his just like Hannah used to do when they first started going out together. ‘I’ll walk you to the waiting room, make sure you get there in one piece.’
‘Bloody hell, mate,’ Robbie exclaimed as they walked out of the waiting room and into the fresh air. ‘That nurse is bloody stunning. She’d be pure filth in the sack, don’t you think? I bet she goes like a steam train when she–’
‘Robbie,’ Jimmy said with a bark, cutting him off. ’Shut it. Don’t be rude.’ He turned to see Robbie looking at him, open-mouthed.
‘Seriously?’
‘Yeah,’ Jimmy replied. ‘I don’t want you talking about her like that.’ Robbie closed his mouth and opened it again, before deciding to keep his thoughts to himself.
They walked on in silence, Jimmy appreciating the fresh air after being cooped up in the hospital for so long. Robbie didn’t say another word, but Jimmy started to feel bad about being so abrupt.
‘I’m sorry, Robbie,’ he said as they approached Robbie’s car. ‘I know her, kind of. That’s why I was so short with you. Alright?’ Robbie looked at him with a smile.
‘How does a bloke like you,’ he said, ‘know a girl like that?’ Because she works in a neurology clinic, Jimmy thought, and I’m one of her customers.
’She was working in the hospital the last time I came up,’ Jimmy replied. ‘I met her then. She’s a lovely little thing.’ Who is one of the few people who know I’m dying.
‘Bloody hell, mate,’ Robbie laughed. ‘You’ve changed. Going soft in your old age, I reckon.’ He blipped the key fob to open his car doors, and Jimmy was grateful for the distraction.
The first thing that Jimmy did after Robbie dropped him off at his house was retrieve his ancient Apple MacBook from a drawer in the kitchen. He put it on the table and prodded at the button a couple of times before he realised that it needed charging, so he went back to the drawer to find the charger. Once he’d plugged it in, he put the USB drive he’d been carrying around all day next to the laptop and made a cup of tea.
A few moments later, Jimmy was staring at the screen with a lump in his throat. He’d forgotten completely about the picture that Milly had set as the wallpaper for the laptop when she’d set it up for him, which just showed how little he used the thing. From the screen, Hannah and a ten-year-old Milly stared back at him. He’d taken the photo when Milly was opening her Christmas presents, some fourteen years ago, and behind her Hannah was sitting on the sofa. Her hands were blurred from clapping, and they both had looks of happiness on their faces that made Jimmy’s heart ache.
Jimmy tried to ignore the photo on the screen and opened up the browser on the laptop. While he waited for it to load, he took the lid off the USB drive and examined the end to see which way it went into the computer. It would take the laptop a while to read it, or at least that’s what had happened the last time he’d used one, so he jiggled it into the slot on the side before returning his attention to the browser.
According to Facebook, he had three new messages. The laptop made a chiming noise as it recognised the USB drive, but by the time it did that, he was already reading the first message.
Sorry. Not seen Milly for a while.
That was all someone called Debbie had to say. Jimmy deleted the message and opened up the next one. Nope, no idea. Jimmy didn’t even bother registering who this one was from—from the look of the small profile picture next to the message, he looked like the sort of bloke who Jimmy would just want to punch in the face. Jimmy sighed as he opened the final message. This wasn’t going well.
Hi Mr Tucker. Thanks for your message. I’ve not seen Milly for almost a week, and to be honest, I’m really worried about her.
This was from Tom, who according to his profile, was a snowboarder from Brundall. How anyone could be a snowboarder in the United Kingdom, in the middle of the flattest part of the entire country, was beyond Jimmy. Perhaps it gave the young man an aura of mystique?
We’d gone out a couple of times, and I thought things were going pretty well, but then she just went radio silence on me. It’s not that, though. This might sound a bit odd, but I’ve been trying to track her down just to make sure she’s okay. I’m not a stalker or anything, but I really like her. Can you give me a ring?
The message finished with Tom’s mobile number. Jimmy saved the message, resolving to give the lad a ring as soon as he’d finished with the thumb drive, and closed down the browser.
On the screen was a new icon called ‘NPS’. Jimmy cursed as his uncoordinated fingers struggled to move the cursor over the icon.
Just as he was about to click on the USB drive, the doorbell rang.
Chapter 15
When he saw the silhouettes through the frosted glass of his front door, Jimmy’s first thought was that the police were back again. He could see a large shadow, almost certainly a man, with a smaller, slighter shadow behind him. But when he opened the front door, Jimmy realised it wasn’t the police. It was a man he didn’t know, but he looked somewhat familiar. He squinted at his visitor, but he couldn’t place him. The
woman behind the man on his doorstep was definitely new.
‘Jimmy Tucker?’ the visitor asked, his local accent obvious. He was tall, broad, and triangular. Not gym fit, but genetically lucky, Jimmy guessed. Maybe mid-twenties, a touch over six feet tall, close-cropped dark hair, and the look of a man who didn’t look for trouble but probably found it, anyway. He was wearing dark blue jeans and a t-shirt that showed off his muscular arms, but wasn’t so tight as to make them obvious.
‘Who wants to know?’ Jimmy replied, instinctively on edge. Some men had an air about them that Jimmy recognised. Not a threatening air, but one which suggested respect would be a good idea. Jimmy’s visitor had that aura in spades. Just like Jimmy did when he was that age.
‘I’m Gareth Dawson,’ the man replied before nodding over his shoulder. ‘This is Laura.’ The woman behind Gareth smiled, showing off perfect teeth and dimples, but she said nothing. ‘Joe sent me.’
It took Jimmy a couple of seconds to make the connection. ‘About the box?’ he asked.
’Something that needs unlocking. Joe never said what.’ Behind Gareth, Jimmy saw Laura’s smile fading.
‘Come on in,’ Jimmy replied, opening the door to let his visitors in. ‘Do you want a cup of tea?’ Laura opened her mouth to reply, but Gareth cut her off.
‘No, thanks,’ he said. ‘We won’t be long.’
The three of them sat around Jimmy’s kitchen table a few moments later, staring at the red metal lock box Jimmy had retrieved from the drawer in Milly’s room. Jimmy had tried to make some small talk as he welcomed his guests, but Gareth didn’t look happy, so he gave up after a few moments.
‘Whose is it?’ Gareth asked, stern-faced.
‘It’s my daughter’s,’ Jimmy replied.
‘So why don’t you ask her to open it, then?’
‘I don’t know where she is.’
‘How old is she?’
‘Twenty-four.’
‘Old enough to have some privacy.’ Gareth looked at Jimmy from underneath hooded eyebrows. The hostility on his face only softened when Laura put an arm on his. An unspoken message between them, or so it seemed to Jimmy. ‘I don’t know if I’ll be able to get into it, to be honest,’ Gareth continued. ‘I mean, I can but it would be obvious. If you want to have a sneaky peak inside it without her knowing, that would be difficult.’ Beside Gareth, Jimmy saw Laura frown. She was a couple of years older than Milly, and much better dressed than Gareth. Jimmy remembered Big Joe telling him that the woman was a lawyer, and she certainly looked like one in her navy blue business suit. They were an odd couple. Gareth looked like a labourer, while Laura looked as if she’d just stepped out of a corporate meeting.
‘Why do you need to see what’s inside?’ she said, the first words she’d spoken. Laura’s voice was nothing like Jimmy had imagined it would be. It was confident, but not forceful. The voice of a woman who knew what she wanted to ask, but wasn’t that fussed whether she got an answer.
‘My daughter’s called Milly,’ Jimmy said with a sigh. ‘She’s missing. It’s not as simple as me not knowing where she is. She’s been missing for a few days now. Not like her at all.’ He nodded at the box between them. ‘I found this in her room, but I’ve got no idea what’s in it.’
‘Have you reported her missing?’ Laura asked, running her hand through already immaculate shoulder-length brown hair. Gareth sat back, seemingly happy to let Laura take the lead for the time being. ’To the police?’
‘Yes.’
‘What did they say?’
‘Not a priority. Not really.’
‘Because she’s low-risk?’
‘That’s what they said. There was a bit of mumbling about her being high-risk, because she’s low-risk, but I’m not that stupid.’
‘Right.’ Laura crossed her arms over her chest. ‘No surprise there. Who’s in charge?’
‘A young DC. Kate, I think she’s called. There’s another chap, Griffiths I think his name was.’
‘Malcolm Griffiths? Superintendent Griffiths?’ This time it was Gareth who responded.
‘Yep,’ Jimmy replied. He watched as Gareth and Laura exchanged a brief smile. ‘Do you know him?’
‘We’ve got a bit of history,’ Gareth replied, still smiling. ‘He’s a good bloke for a copper. If he’s on the case, you’re in good hands. How come you’ve not given him the box, then? But called in some unofficial help?’
Jimmy looked at the box. The locked box that he’d found inside a locked drawer inside his daughter’s bedroom.
‘Because whatever’s in there,’ he replied, ‘could be personal. None of the police’s business, as it were.’
Gareth leaned forward and pulled the box toward him. Jimmy watched as he examined the lock on the front of the box with a practised eye before frowning.
‘Jimmy, could you show me where your bathroom is?’ Laura asked, smiling at him. She had a lovely smile, Jimmy realised. He could see why Gareth was keen on her, if what Big Joe had said was correct.
‘Oh, sure,’ he replied. ‘It’s this way. Follow me.’ He stood and walked through the kitchen, into the lounge and through it to the hallway, closely followed by the young woman. ’So, up the stairs, and then the bathroom’s on the left-hand side,’ Jimmy said, pointing up the stairs. It was a bit pointless, seeing as the house was so small, but she had asked him to show her where it was, not just if she could use it. Jimmy was, if nothing else, a gentleman. ‘I think I put the seat back down.’
Laura smiled, and her dimples reappeared. They only lasted for a second, though. She put a cool hand on his arm and looked him in the eye.
‘Jimmy,’ Laura whispered. ‘Don’t push him too hard. Please?’ She looked toward the lounge door, which she had pulled to as she’d left the room. ‘He’s been through a lot.’ Jimmy could see the concern in her eyes, but said nothing. He just nodded his head as Laura looked at him for a few more seconds before turning and making her way up the stairs. As she breezed past him, Jimmy caught a brief scent of her perfume. He thought for a few seconds that it was familiar somehow, but he couldn’t place it.
When Jimmy walked back into the kitchen, Gareth hadn’t moved an inch. He was sitting where Jimmy had left him, arms folded, still staring at the red metal box on the table. Jimmy sat down opposite him.
‘Well?’ Jimmy asked. ‘What do you think?’ Gareth didn’t even look at Jimmy when he eventually replied, which got Jimmy’s back up straight away. ‘Can you help?’ Gareth paused for a few seconds before replying.
‘I don’t think so, Jimmy,’ he said. ’Sorry. These new ones are pretty hard work.’
‘Your girlfriend just told me not to push you too hard,’ Jimmy replied. ‘But I’m sorry, I don’t have time to mess about.’
’She’s not my girlfriend.’
‘Oh, sorry. I thought she was.’
‘You thought wrong then, didn’t you?’ Gareth glared at Jimmy, his displeasure obvious. Jimmy sighed. This wasn’t going well.
‘Gareth, can you help me or not? Because if you can’t, that’s fine. But there’s stuff I need to be doing.’ The two men looked at each other over the table. ‘So just tell me either way, and maybe we can stop wasting each other’s time.’
‘I used to do this sort of thing,’ Gareth replied a few seconds later, nodding at the metal box. ‘Open locks of things that didn’t belong to me. But I don’t any more. I only came round here as a favour to Big Joe. I didn’t want Laura to come, but she insisted.’
’She likes you,’ Jimmy replied.
‘What’s that got to do with you, mate?’ Gareth said, his face hardening as he emphasised the word “mate” to make it clear that Jimmy was anything but.
‘She likes you.’
‘Not in that way she doesn’t.’ Jimmy stared at Gareth, waiting for him to continue. ‘It’s complicated, and it’s none of your business.’
Jimmy looked at the young man sitting opposite him and swore under his breath. He thought about the USB drive sitting in
the computer, realising that he would much rather be dealing with that than with this.
‘Why did you come round here if you can’t help? Because I don’t think you can’t help me. I think you won’t help me.’
‘I came round here because Big Joe asked me to.’
‘So you’re wasting my time so you can save face with him?’ Jimmy asked. Gareth didn’t reply, but Jimmy could tell from his face that the comment had hit home. ‘Time is one thing I don’t have, Gareth. So don’t waste it.’ They both glanced up at the ceiling at the sound of the toilet flushing. ‘Are we done?’
‘I think we probably are,’ Gareth replied, folding his arms across his broad chest. ‘I’m sorry.’
A moment later, Laura reappeared at the door to the kitchen. She glanced uncertainly between Jimmy and Gareth.
‘Everything okay?’ she asked, her voice bright but pinched. Jimmy watched as she looked at Gareth. What he’d said earlier to the young man was right, even if Gareth didn’t think it was. She liked him.
Gareth unfolded his arms and got to his feet.
‘I was just telling Mr Tucker here that I can’t help him with the box,’ he said. Jimmy saw a look of relief flash across Laura’s face for a split second, but as soon as it appeared, it had gone. ‘That he should go to the police. Shall we go? I think we’re done here.’
He didn’t wait for a reply, but turned and walked toward the door. Jimmy looked at Laura, and the gratitude on her face was obvious, even to him. As his visitors left the house and walked down the path back to the road, Jimmy saw Gareth’s hand brush against the small of Laura’s back as he gestured her through the gate in front of him. Jimmy was no fool. It was obvious to him that Laura liked Gareth, and equally obvious that he liked her just as much. But, as Gareth had told him in no uncertain terms, it was none of Jimmy’s business.
Closing the front door, Jimmy walked back through the lounge and into the kitchen before pausing for a few seconds, looking at the red box on the table. Maybe he should take it to the police after all? Whatever was in it, no matter how personal it was to Milly, perhaps he should accept that the police were the best people to find out what was inside?
Finding Milly Page 10