Chapter Seventeen
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
‘I won’t come in.’ Stacey pulled on the handbrake but left the engine ticking over.
‘Oh God, of course not,’ Ottilie said. ‘I’m sure you’re desperate to get back. Thanks so much for bringing me home, but I could have got?—’
‘No you couldn’t. I wanted to do it, but I will head back if that’s OK.’
‘Let me know as soon as you have news.’
‘I will, but it’s sounding hopeful, isn’t it?’
‘Very.’ Ottilie gave Stacey her most reassuring smile.
After a brief hug and more thanks, Ottilie got out and watched as Stacey drove away before turning to her garden path. It was dark, but there was a soft light from the solar lanterns she’d hung from the tree that shaded her front door. It was strange to think that not so long ago she found being out here at night nerve-racking. Scary even. But now she couldn’t imagine a safer place. A lot had changed since her arrival in Thimblebury, and much of it without her really noticing.
But as she slotted her key into the lock, her eye was caught by a large, upturned plant pot underneath her window. She removed the key and went over to take a closer look.
The rose bush that had been in it was lying on the lawn in a mound of soil. Someone had gone to the trouble of tipping it out so they could use the pot. To do what? To stand on it? If they’d thought to use it to look through her window there was no need because it was low enough for anyone to see in. It didn’t make any sense – but that didn’t mean Ottilie wasn’t rattled by it. Who would do something like this and why? There didn’t seem to be any reason for it, but there was no doubt it was a deliberate action – it had to be. If it had been knocked over by a passing fox, the shrub wouldn’t have been pulled out in the way it had.
She thought about calling Heath, suddenly feeling she’d be grateful for his presence, but then decided against it. He’d probably be heading to bed by now, and he had so far to drive she didn’t want to drag him out for this.
Another thought occurred to her. What if someone had been trying to break in? It seemed unlikely, but it might explain the pot. Had they tried and failed? Or had they succeeded and were in there now?
Ottilie scanned the garden. Her gaze fell on a spade she’d left by the wall when she’d been distracted from some gardening a few days before. She’d kept on forgetting to put it away in the shed. Right now, she’d never been so glad to forget something.
She grabbed it and went back to the door to unlock it. Gripping the spade tightly, she felt along the wall for the light switch and flicked it on.
‘Hello?’ she called, immediately feeling stupid. If there was a burglar they were hardly going to answer.
Cocking her head like a dog, she listened for a moment. The house was silent, save for the humming of the fridge.
Ottilie moved along to the living room and turned the light on. Satisfied all was well in there, she went to the kitchen and did the same, and then up to the bedrooms.
There was no burglar and no sign that anybody had been in. Ottilie let out a breath and stood the spade by the back door so she’d remember to take it out in the morning. She was tired, wound up and not in the mood to go messing around in her shed.
As she made herself a last drink before bed, she was still puzzling the plant pot. It was such a strange thing for someone to have done, and it seemed to serve no purpose whatsoever.
Perhaps there was a logical explanation – and a non-scary one at that. She supposed the root ball could have been a bit dry and the pot falling had knocked the whole thing free. And she supposed it could have been done by a large fox. Or a badger – they could be hefty brutes, couldn’t they?
Ottilie much preferred to believe a more innocent explanation. And so she did her best to make that the one she believed.
Ottilie woke long before her alarm was due to go off despite her late night at the hospital. But Stacey had been up earlier still – proved by the fact that Ottilie’s phone showed a missed call from her.
Sitting up in bed, immediately alert, Ottilie dialled her number.
‘Morning!’
Stacey sounded bright and relaxed. Ottilie allowed herself to relax too. It had to be good news.
‘How was your night there?’
‘Oh, it was horrible, as you can imagine. Not a wink of sleep for either of us. But the important thing is Mackenzie is all right.’
‘They didn’t find anything?’
‘Nothing they were worried about. Tests were clear. They think he’s picked up some sort of virus, but it’s not life-threatening. Probably a forty-eight-hour thing. He’s better already this morning – temperature is down, and he’s smiling at us.’
‘That’s a relief.’
‘You’re telling me! I can’t thank you and Simon enough for being there with me. I don’t know what I would have done without you.’
‘Oh, I’m sure you’d have got through it. It’s surprising what we’re capable of, especially when it comes to our loved ones.’
‘Still, I’m glad you were there. Thank you.’
Ottilie smiled as she ran a hand through her hair. The early sun was moving across the window, sending a shaft of light onto the opposite wall. It probably looked warmer than it was, but it also reminded her that spring had well and truly arrived, and that was cause for celebration. Her second spring in Thimblebury promised to be a lot more certain and settled than her first and she was determined to enjoy it, even if she was also reminded that her first summer in Thimblebury had been marred by a freak flood that had threatened to wreck her house. Best not to dwell quite so much on that one, and everyone had said it wasn’t likely to happen again. Even if it did, knowing what to expect, Ottilie would be ready.
‘I’m so glad he’s OK. I don’t mind admitting I was a bit panicked for a while, so goodness knows how you and Chloe were coping. Even Simon was stressed.’
‘He phoned me, actually,’ Stacey said. ‘Wanted to check how things were.’
‘When did he do that?’
‘First thing – before I called you. I can’t get over how lovely he was. I mean, I imagined he was lovely, but he’s way, way nicer than I thought. So kind and caring. No wonder he’s a doctor – I couldn’t imagine him doing anything else.’
‘He is,’ Ottilie agreed, the tragedy of Simon’s past coming back to her now. He’d shared so much – perhaps in the drama of the moment – and he’d opened up in the most unexpected way. She had to wonder if, in the cold light of day, he’d regret that. She decided she wouldn’t bring it up again unless he did. In a purely professional capacity, it might be the best course of action for them both. She loved working with people she could call friends, but there was always a limit, even then, and in reality, she hardly knew Simon beyond the few weeks he’d covered for Fliss.
‘Thank him for me, won’t you?’ Stacey said.
‘I will, though knowing you I’m sure you’ve done that about a million times on the phone this morning.’
Stacey gave a light laugh, and following on from their stressful night, it was good to hear.
‘Listen, I’ll let you go,’ she said. ‘Chloe’s waiting for me to bring back coffee. I’ll speak to you later, if that’s all right.’
‘Absolutely. I’ll call on my way home if you’re up to a visit.’
‘Well, we certainly didn’t get much of one last night, but perhaps give it a day or so, just to make sure Mackenzie’s back on top form. If he’s still a bit grumbly I’d rather concentrate on him.’
‘Oh God, yes. Of course – I never thought. Text me when it’s a good time.’
‘I will. Speak soon.’
Ottilie bid her goodbye and then ended the call. She tapped a thumb on her mobile thoughtfully, her gaze trained on that beam of sunlight slicing across the room. She wondered whether to call Fliss and fill her in on what had happened, but she suspected Simon would have done that already. And perhaps it would wait – she was seeing Fliss in a couple of hours at the surgery anyway.
There was no way she was going to get back to sleep and probably very little point for the good the extra hour would do, and so Ottilie got up and decided to make the most of her spare hour before work by going up to Hilltop Farm a little earlier and spending a bit of time with Ann and Darryl. She hadn’t been able to do that for a while, and it would be good to see how Ann was doing – not only as a patient, but as a friend who had a lot on her plate and could use the support.