Chapter 49
NANCY
‘Really? He’s really gone?’ Nancy stared at Phyllis, confused. She’d arrived home from work to discover that Clifford had packed his bags and left. ‘What did you all do?’ she asked.
‘I had a bit of help from Aurora,’ Phyllis told her, explaining about them both pretending to use the Ouija board and Aurora reading out a false message from Raymond.
Nancy chortled. ‘Oh my goodness, so that’s why you wanted to know the name of a dead relative he didn’t get on with! He hated Raymond. He said he bullied him terribly as a child. I’d love to have seen his face when you said Raymond had a message for him!’
‘He couldn’t get out of the house fast enough.’ Phyllis held up a key. ‘I got him to hand over his door key so that he couldn’t come back.’
‘Thank you.’ Nancy felt a lump in her throat. She turned her gaze to Slate and Jackie. ‘Thank you, all of you. If you hadn’t been here, then I’d probably never have got rid of Clifford.’
‘We’re glad to have helped,’ Slate told her.
‘And it’s been the best fun I’ve had for ages,’ Jackie said with a grin.
‘Honestly, you three have transformed my life. You’ve rented out my spare rooms and helped me financially, brought a lot of fun and friendship to my life and now you’ve seen off my ex.
I don’t know what I’d have done without you.
’ She opened the fridge. ‘I think this calls for a celebration. I hope you’ll join me. ’
‘As if you need to ask!’ Jackie said, opening the cupboard to take out the glasses.
Slate told Alexa to play some party music and Phyllis opened a big packet of crisps and shook them into a bowl.
They sat around the table drinking wine, snacking on the crisps and laughing as they recalled the tricks they’d played on Clifford.
‘Your idea of secretly Bluetoothing ghostly noises into his room was brilliant, Slate. Clifford was convinced it was haunted.’ Nancy tittered as she imagined Clifford’s face when he heard the spooky noises.
‘How did you know how to do that?’ Jackie asked.
Slate grinned. ‘A quick Google gave me the info. Don’t mess around with the Retro Rebels, as Jed calls us!’
‘Let’s drink to the Retro Rebels!’ Jackie raised her glass and they all clinked them together.
‘The Retro Rebels!’ they all chorused.
‘Your séance must have been the final push, Phyllis,’ Nancy said with a grin. ‘I almost feel sorry for Clifford.’
‘Don’t. I found out something about him today,’ Jackie told her. ‘I was wondering whether to mention it, seeing as he’s finally gone, but I think you’ve a right to know. And it might help you get closure.’
‘What is it?’ Nancy asked curiously. Had Clifford gone off travelling again?
‘Pam’s friend, Marcie, is a travel agent and she’s been living with an older guy for some months now, but they’ve not been getting on because he’s not working and is a real slob around the house. Anyway they had a big bust-up before Christmas and she turfed him out.’
Nancy stared at her. Surely she didn’t mean…
‘Turns out this guy is your Clifford. He didn’t leave you to go travelling. He left you to move in with Marcie.’
* * *
Val was furious when Nancy told her all about it later that night. ‘What a scumbag for cheating on you like that! I’m glad you sent him packing. How did you manage it?’
Nancy related the things they’d done and Val chortled. ‘You lot have really hit it off, haven’t you?’
‘We have. I can’t imagine life without them all,’ Nancy replied.
There was a pause on the other end of the phone then Val asked, ‘So, what are you going to do when they leave?’
‘I don’t know,’ she admitted. It was time she thought about it. Her friends were moving out and her house had to be sold soon. She needed to think about what she was going to do with the next chapter of her life.