Chapter 32
32
‘You look a little pale, Dora, have you eaten?’ Ambrose asked.
She shook her head.
‘Why don’t you get cosy and I’ll make you something. We can’t go out hunting for a book on an empty stomach.’
Dora nodded and lay back, not sleepy in the least but afraid of talking to Ambrose for much longer. As she closed her eyes, she felt the room begin to swim a little as if the sofa had been tipped to one side, like being in a bunk on a boat, the way the swell of the ocean made it rock from side to side, and then she was there on a huge sailing ship, not a cruise ship but one that looked like the Marie Celeste , which was the only sailing boat she could name. There weren’t many other passengers, just the crew, herself and two young children. She called out to them, but they disappeared before her very eyes and the next moment she was walking along a dirt track through a forest, then running as if someone was chasing her. She reached the end of a cliff and threw herself down into the sea, a silent scream on her lips. She didn’t hit the water though; in the blink of an eye, she was scurrying down an alley carrying a velvet box in one hand.
She could see the Empire State Building in the distance and realised she was in New York. Her mind took her from one place to another, in all of them there was the same woman, yet slightly different, and she realised it was her. In New York she was smiling and flirting with a floppy-haired young man who she knew was Ambrose although his eyes were darker, and his skin tanned as they sipped cocktails in a bar on Fifth Avenue. The captain on the boat turned to smile at her; it was Ambrose’s smile, there was no mistaking it even though he had a rough beard and a hat pulled tight on top of his head. She turned onto her side. She needed to find the book and hopefully it would loosen the rest of the memories to fill the blanks in.
She saw herself in Salem. Recognising the main street and the common, she walked arm in arm with Sephy and Lucine. They were smiling and laughing at something, all three of them dressed in gowns that would have been fashionable in the 1700s. This was really happening, for some strange reason Dora and her aunts were living life after life, and some of them looked fun, others not so much. At some point her mind must have shut down and her eyes closed, letting her fall asleep, because when the phone began to ring, she took a moment to wake up and find her bearings.
‘Hello.’
Dora’s voice was rough, tired and she was getting a cold.
‘Ms English, this is Officer Eric McKinley, did I wake you up?’
She looked at the light that was filtering through the curtains and sat up.
‘I’m sorry, not really. I’ve just had a bit of a day.’
‘It’s late, but I thought you would want to know as soon as possible.’
A lead ball settled in the pit of her stomach, and she wanted to end the call. If she didn’t hear him say it then it wouldn’t be true. Katie wasn’t dead, she couldn’t be, it wasn’t supposed to end this way for either of them.
‘How are you by the way?’
‘I’m okay, thanks.’
‘Good, I’m glad. We found your friend Katie.’
Dora sucked in her breath and held it.
‘She was found in an empty shop, unconscious and badly beaten by a homeless guy looking for somewhere to shelter for the night.’
The breath Dora had been holding escaped with a loud sob. ‘Oh my God.’
‘She’s not dead, she’s in a coma and currently in the intensive care unit at St Thomas’ Hospital.’
‘She’s alive, oh thank you. Thank you.’
‘Her parents have been notified, and I believe they are travelling up to be with her. I thought it only right that someone let you know.’
‘I can’t thank you enough. How is Mabel?’
‘Mabel is fine, she’s a tough woman and after two cups of tea she shooed me out of her flat. I’m still going to need you to go through some mugshots and give me a detailed description about the man you thought might have done this. Is it possible to email them to you?’
‘Of course.’ Dora didn’t know what this meant but at least Katie was in a safe place for the time being and Mabel was okay too. Officer McKinley was who he’d said he was and the relief was tangible. He wished her well and ended the call. She raced into the kitchen where Ambrose was putting the finishing touches to a bagel.
‘I have great news, the police have found my friend Katie. She’s in hospital unconscious but she’s alive.’
He jumped in the air and yelled, ‘Yes,’ making her smile. He looked unashamedly handsome in the kind of understated way that a man can when he doesn’t actually love himself more than anyone else.
‘Thank you for this, Ambrose,’ Dora said. ‘For being so nice and kind, I really appreciate it.’
His cheeks flushed a deep red and she leaned across and kissed his lips, a soft, tender kiss that made her heart flutter wildly like a flapping bird’s wings. Shocked, he paused and then kissed her back almost as softly. And then she remembered. The small wooden cabin. The tree outside. The rows and rows of books. The store as it vanished into the woods just like she’d wished it would back in the boat.