Chapter 28
Ellie glanced at her mobile again. Murray was twenty minutes late now and hadn’t left so much as a text message. She’d messaged to ask him if he wanted to come round for a takeaway tonight, and he’d replied yes, but that had been over two hours ago. She’d not heard from him since.
She tapped the edge of her mobile against the palm of her hand. If there was one thing Murray never was, it was late. He had always been a stickler for being on time. Or if not on time, then often early.
Scrolling through her contact list, she hit his name and held the phone to her ear. She tapped her foot against the bare floorboards in time with the empty rings. Nothing.
What if he’d hurt himself and she was here merrily ringing him? She’d give him five more minutes and drive across to his workshop.
Navigating to their last messages to each other, she reread them, checking the time and location they’d decided upon. Yep, definitely her cottage and at seven.
Standing up, she paced towards the window, an uneasy feeling settling in the pit of her stomach.
Shaking her head, she walked into the hallway and picked up her keys.
What was she waiting for? She knew he was usually on time, so something was obviously keeping him, and with him living out of his workshop, she couldn’t help but worry he’d cut himself on a saw or a stack of wood had fallen on him.
Besides, if he arrived here at the cottage whilst she was out, he could always ring or message her to find out where she was.
Stepping out into the warm evening, Ellie headed to her Ford Fiesta and jumped in. After starting the ignition, she let the engine roll whilst she quickly checked her phone again. Still nothing. Although there was a missed call from her mum.
Setting her mobile in its little cradle she had clipped into the heating vents, she scrolled through to her mum’s contact and hit call. She might as well use this time whilst she was driving to find out what she wanted.
‘Eleanor, love.’ Kathy’s voice filled the car. ‘I’m so relieved you rang back.’
‘Hi, Mum. What’s up? I thought you were hoping for an early night tonight?’ Ellie scoured the road as she drove, hoping to pass Murray’s van on his way to her cottage.
‘I was. I was. I just need to speak to you a moment. Will you come to the inn?’ Kathy’s voice wavered.
Frowning, Ellie glanced at the screen of her mobile as though she might have better luck working out what had led to her mum’s sudden change of plans. ‘I’m a bit busy at the moment. I’m supposed to be meeting someone. Can it wait?’
‘Oh, love. No, I don’t think it can.’
Ellie breathed out a sigh. This is what she’d been hoping to avoid.
And guessing she probably wouldn’t be able to.
She felt awful, but she really didn’t want her mum’s sudden surprise arrival to impact the time she could spend with Murray.
Not that she wasn’t grateful her mum had been worried enough to visit.
Annoyed, she was being overprotective, but grateful at the same time.
‘Okay. I can pop by in a few hours? I know it’ll be late, but—’
‘I…’ Kathy’s voice trailed off. ‘Where are you off to, love? I can hear you’re in your car, am I right?’
Ellie chewed on her bottom lip. What was she supposed to say? She couldn’t very well tell her mum she was on her way to Murray’s, could she? She’d never hear the end of all the reasons she shouldn’t be seeing him again. ‘I am.’
‘Please come by the inn. I only need five minutes.’
Ellie gripped the steering wheel. She supposed she could check Murray’s workshop and then pop by the inn.
It could simply be that he’d got held up there anyway.
Maybe he was close to finishing a section of the decking and hadn’t wanted to leave it until tomorrow, or perhaps Laura and Jackson had roped him into having dinner with them.
His phone battery might have died, which was why he hadn’t contacted her to let her know he was running late.
Either way, if he wasn’t at his workshop, then he was likely to be at Pennycress.
‘Okay, I’ll pop by. Give me fifteen minutes and I’ll be there. ’
‘Thank you, love. I appreciate it.’
The car was once again filled with silence as Kathy ended the call.
That was weird. Ellie turned down onto the road leading out of Meadowfield, the road Murray’s workshop was off.
Her mum wasn’t usually one to change her mind so quickly, so why she’d just now decided not to have an early night and wanted to spend some time with her daughter was strange.
She rolled her shoulders back. It didn’t matter. She’d soon find out.
Ellie grimaced. She could just imagine what might be crossing her mum’s mind now Ellie had told her about Rick’s affair.
And just when she’d thought she’d perhaps convinced her mum she was okay and actually better off without Rick.
She could only guess what would lie ahead of her when she got to the inn.
In-depth talk about the circumstances that had led to the said affair, how Ellie was coping and likely a whole heap of questions to boot.
She shuddered before pushing all thoughts of the conversation she wouldn’t be able to get out of away.
Turning into the gateway leading to Murray’s workshop, she pulled the handbrake up and jumped out of her car.
Letting herself in through the gate, she headed towards the workshop.
There was no sign of his van, so it looked as though she would be heading to Pennycress next to look for him anyway.
She’d just check inside, though, in case he’d got his van clamped again or something and had got a lift back. As she raised her hand to knock on the door, she realised it was ajar, so instead pushed it open. ‘Murray, it’s Ellie. Are you here?’
No answer. Walking further inside, she paused and looked around.
Something had changed. A lot of things had changed, and it looked a lot emptier.
Besides a few bits of wood stacked up here and there, the majority of it was gone – the tools, the piles of clothes, the kitchen paraphernalia.
The kitchen unit and battered sofa still stood where they had been, but the rest was gone.
What was going on? Had Murray moved workshops? He’d been worried about his landlord discovering he was living here. Had they been tipped off and evicted him? Or had he found somewhere to rent? Somewhere that had space for all his work stuff as well as his.
Walking through to the back of the workshop, she opened the kitchen cupboard. Even the food had gone. He must have moved out, there was no other explanation. None.
Perching on the edge of the sofa, Ellie pulled her mobile from her pocket and rang his number.
‘Come on, pick up, Murray. Pick up,’ she muttered under her breath as the empty rings echoed through the workshop.
As Murray’s voicemail clicked in, Ellie took a deep breath and left a message.
‘Hey, it’s me. Ellie. I’m currently sitting in your workshop as I was worried when you didn’t show up at mine and all your stuff’s gone.
Have you found somewhere better to rent now?
Anyway, if that’s the case, I’m guessing you’re busy sorting things out.
’ She scratched at a stain on the sofa cushion.
‘Let me know if you need any help and give me a call when you’re finished. ’
Lowering her mobile to her knee, she pinched the bridge of her nose. This wasn’t like Murray. He was normally one to keep her in the loop. Or he had been. She supposed she was attributing the same qualities he’d had all those years ago to the person he was today.
Pushing herself to standing, she walked back through the workshop towards the door. She might as well go and see her mum, get that conversation over and done with. Plus, Murray might have mentioned his moving plans to Laura, Jackson or Nicola. They might be helping him move right now.