Chapter Twenty-Two
Gil
Gil was livid. She’d already smoked three cigarettes while Joel played on the swings.
She had to leave the apartment, or she’d have hit Daniel.
What the hell was he thinking of, going for drinks after work?
What the hell must Nicola have thought? No doubt she had smelled the alcohol on his breath, just like Gil had.
She tried hard to be empathetic, but was also worried and feeling guilty that she hadn’t tried hard enough to convince Jo to get into her car that evening.
Now, she had all the proof they needed to show where Jo had been taken from, and still he wouldn’t go to the police.
Gil was terrified that something awful could happen.
So many mistakes could be made, and it only needed one for Jo’s life to be in danger.
What if one of her friends had twigged that something wasn’t right?
Jo often took calls on her phone. Someone must be wondering why she’s not answering.
What would happen if they went to the police?
Gil sat on the park bench, watching Joel happily swinging back and forth. How much longer could they keep all this from him? The hospital, as well. Everyone had been asking how Jo was, and Gil felt sure her face gave her away every time she lied to them.
Please, God, let Daniel reconsider calling the police.
All Gil wanted was her smiling friend back.
Her smiley, happy friend who could barely contain her excitement when she went on her first trip to a casino.
The memory came easily to Gil. She could visualise it as though it were yesterday.
Jo, all smiles, her excitement spilling over at the thought of going to a casino for the first time.
***
It was Jo’s consultation day. She wouldn’t usually perform surgery on those days, unless it was an emergency, which wasn’t particularly unusual. Jo had just finished the ward rounds when she suggested they take a break for coffee. ‘My next patient isn’t due for another thirty minutes,’ she said.
Gil noticed how Jo’s eyes sparkled; she was excited about something. They drank their coffee outside so that Gil could have a cigarette. Jo had once lectured Gil about her smoking, but after Lila, she’d stopped.
‘Danny and I are going to the Royale casino tonight, as guests of one of his clients. The client’s loaded, apparently. He’s paying for the dinner, too. I’ve never been to a casino, have you?’ she said, animatedly.
‘It’s a mug’s game,’ Gil said.
Jo nudged her playfully. ‘Oh, come on, Gil. It’s just a bit of fun. You’re envious, really.’
She was right, of course. Gil was envious.
She loved Jo as a friend, but did envy her privileged life.
They’d met at medical school and even back then, everyone knew Jo had that something special that would make her one of the best surgeons.
Most of the others hadn’t had Jo’s private school education or her parents’ financial support.
It was deemed inevitable that Gil would marry a handsome man who would quickly climb the ladder of success.
When you come from a poor background, as Gil did, and have had to work evening shifts as a waitress to get by, envy feels like a natural emotion.
‘Is his wife going too?’ Gil asked
‘No, it’s just him, Nic, me and Danny.’
At the sound of Nic’s name, Gil pulled a face. Jo had set her up with Nic, as a foursome, one evening when Jo was about five months pregnant with Joel.
‘It should be a nice evening,’ she’d said. ‘Nic is supposed to be a nice guy.’
When you’re in your mid-thirties and unattached, everyone seems to think it’s their duty to put that right. Gil had heard all the other comments that go with being an unmarried woman of her age.
‘She must be a lesbian,’ was one.
‘You’re too fussy,’ was her mother’s favourite.
‘You can’t wait forever,’ friends said. ‘The clock’s ticking’
No shit, thought Gil.
The foursome with Nic was a total flop. He never stopped bragging about himself, showed off in front of the waiters as if he were a celebrity and made a misogynistic remark to a waitress.
Then, he offered to walk Gill home and immediately suggested they go to bed together.
Gil told him she’d rather sleep with Hannibal Lecter, which ended any hope of romance.
Joanna didn’t think much of Nic, either.
So, Gil was surprised to hear that she was going to dinner with him.
‘I thought you didn’t like Nic,’ she said.
Jo pulled a face. ‘I don’t, but he’s done so much for us, Gil. He’s helped Danny a lot.’
‘Well, put a bet on at the casino for me,’ Gil said with a grin.
Jo then told her how great the builder was who was working on the new house. ‘It’s looking great, you must come and see it soon.’
Gil had thought of her own little flat and how it really could use some decorating, but she was always knackered at the end of the day, and never had the energy when she was on nights.
‘You need a man,’ her mother kept saying.
Maybe she is right, Gil thought, if only for the decorating.
But finding a man like Daniel Neal was pretty difficult, and Daniel was already taken.
***
‘Icla!’ Joel shouts, breaking into Gil’s thoughts. Gil looks up to see Nicola approaching across the grass. Joel calls her name again until Nicola looks up, concern in her eyes.
‘Hey, what are you doing out so late?’ she asks.
‘He’s with me,’ Gil says, rising from the bench.
‘Oh,’ Nicola replies. ‘Funny, I was hoping to see you.’
Gil’s pulse quickens. No doubt this is about Jo.
‘Do you know when Mrs Neal is coming home?’ Nicola asks. ‘Joel’s confused because she always phones him. I’ve texted and sent photos, but she never replies. That’s not like her.’
At this, Gil’s composure cracks. She leans back on the bench and covers her face. ‘Don’t let him see me like this,’ she whispers. ‘Give me a minute.’
Nicola nods and lifts Joel off the swing, then leads him to the seesaw to give Gil a moment alone. Gil dabs her eyes with a tissue, then digs in her bag for her foundation to hide the redness.
After a moment, Nicola returns and sits beside her. ‘I’m so sorry,’ she says softly. ‘I didn’t mean to upset you.’
Gil blows her nose. ‘It’s not you. It’s just… when you mentioned Jo, I… I don’t know what to do.’
She offers Nicola a cigarette. Nicola glances around. She is far enough away from her parents’ house – she knows how much they hate smoking – so she takes one gratefully and they smoke in silence, watching Joel play.
Finally, Nicola asks, ‘Has she run off with someone else?’
Gil's laugh is hollow. ‘If only.’ As she stubs out her cigarette, she thinks, Oh damn it.
‘She’s been kidnapped,’ she says.
Nicola’s eyes widen in shock. ‘What? Oh my God… Do the police know?’
‘Daniel won’t hear of it. Her parents have already paid half the ransom.’
Gil can see Nicola trying to process what she’s just told her.
‘But who would kidnap Mrs Neal?’
‘Who knows?’ Gil replies. Then, with urgency in her voice, she confides in the nanny.
‘I retraced her route home that night. I found Joel’s comic and a crushed chocolate bar by the old industrial site.
She must have been taken from there. There could be DNA, or someone might have heard something.
But Daniel still won’t involve the police. What would you do?’
Nicola takes a deep breath and stubs out her cigarette. ‘I’d go to the police. Otherwise, there’s no guarantee you’ll get her back. How do you even know she’s still’ – her voice falters – ‘alive?’
‘They sent a photo.’
Gil hands over her phone. Nicola’s hand trembles as she stares at the grainy image. She swallows before speaking. ‘This is terrible.’
‘I know someone we can talk to,’ Gil says, standing up.
‘Poor Joel,’ Nicola murmurs, wiping at her eyes.
‘He must never know,’ Gil insists. ‘I’ll be back in a few minutes. Promise me you’ll stay.’
Nicola nods, her voice firm. ‘I promise.’
She watches Gil take Joel’s hand, and when they are out of sight, she takes the opportunity to cry.