Chapter 20

He heard the front door open and went to meet her. She put her briefcase down and slipped off her coat and hung it up, offering him a smile as she did so then a look of concern. He went to her and she came into his arms as they hugged and kissed.

“You look so tired,” she said, searching his face.

“So do you,” he responded, noting that she was not her usual ebullient self.

“Welcome home,” she said kissing him again. “It’s been so long.”

“I’ve missed you,” he said into her hair.

“We’ve a lot to talk about,” she said. “A lot has happened while you’ve been away, but it’ll wait until after dinner. Time for a shower?”

He nodded and they disentangled, she going upstairs and he to the kitchen.

“News is you were in the Far East, sorting out our suppliers,” she said as they ate.

“Philippines and South Africa,” he said.

“Heads rolled at Head Office,” she said. “That you?”

“Fredericks and Curran,” he replied, nodding.

“Matterson as well,” she said, “That was a surprise.”

“How’s it been with you?” he asked.

“Busy,” she said. “Colin Amstead had a stroke soon after you left, and won’t be returning to work as far as we can see, so I’m now managing Sales full time on my own. I’ve been rushed off my feet. Tom hired me a new car and I’ve been on the road a lot getting to know customers.”

“You looked whacked when you came in.”

“It’s hard work, and I’ve not got a PA yet, Tom is still trying to find someone out of resources but they’re short: two on maternity leave! They’re running on supply staff. The sales staff are on the ball, but I need to know the customers personally.”

They finished the meal and stowed the washing up in the dishwasher.

“John,” she said seriously, “I need to bring you up to date with what’s been happening – not at work. I suppose you’d call it socially.”

“Sounds ominous.”

“Not really, but four months is a long time and a lot has happened.”

John got a couple of whiskies for them and settled down to listen.

“You have some very nice and very good friends, John. A few days after you went, Susan and Jessica turned up on the doorstep and invited me to join them for a drink and then on to a hotel for some clubbing.”

“Yes,” said John thoughtfully. “That’s Sue all right, but she’s usually got some nefarious plan going!”

“Quite right, I’m sure she had, but her invitation was genuine and they really looked after me. We had a great time. The hotel is very nice – run by friends of yours? Ryan and Karen Frinton?”

“Not my friends,” John said. “Friends of Susan and Carol. By the way how’s Carol? Settled with her new man?”

Tracy’s face dropped, and John misinterpreted it.

“Surely not married? Engaged?”

“John,” she said with some annoyance. “Tell me. This top secret job of yours: how long was it really top secret?”

John was surprised at the turn of the conversation. He thought for a moment. “Until Fredericks and Curran were arrested, I suppose. Probably three months out of the four, at most.”

“Then why the fuck didn’t you write? Email is quite easy to do you know.” Her sarcasm was cutting and obvious. She was annoyed.

“Tracy, you know I like to concentrate totally on the job when I’m away. I was very busy in that final month, flying to and fro between Manilla and Johannesburg. God, that’s a dreadful journey, fifteen hours, changing at Hong Kong. Sitting about waiting for connections. It felt like I was jet lagged all the time!”

“John, that’s your job. We are people. People come first! Anyway, be that as it may, It’s messed everything up for you and for others.”

“Messed up?”

“Yes, messed up. You’ve no idea.”

“Well,” said John with a smile, “obviously I haven’t, but I’ve a feeling I’m going to be enlightened.”

“For heaven’s sake, John, this is no joking matter! OK–”

John winced.

“Oh, grow up,” she actually snarled. “It’s only a word. Now listen, this is serious. It was clear that the group of women had been warned to keep off you as a subject of conversation, and also not to mention Carol.

“Well, one girl, I think it was Kathy, clearly hadn’t been told. She launched into questions about you and me. I could see the others tense up: they were trying to signal to her, but to no avail.

So I chatted about how upset you were about Carol finding her old school friend just as you were trying to get back with her, and then you had to go off on your James Bond mission.” She smiled at the reference. “Then since the cat was out of the bag, Susan enlightened me.

“John, you were a victim of Liam’s lies and tricks a second time. There was no school friend. She was not up in ‘his’ room, since ‘he’ did not exist. Carol was at the party all the time.”

“But the recept–”

“Had been told what to say by the owner, Ryan, whom Liam had lied to, as he had to everyone else.

“Carol was waiting all night for you to arrive. Her phone was dead, and she didn’t get your text or the voicemail until much later in the night when she got home and charged it up.

“John, she was devastated. She tried to contact you, but as usual you had cut off your phone. She went into a severe depression, despairing of you ever coming back to her.”

“I need to see her,” said John urgently. “That bastard Liam! He’s really twisted. Supposed to love her? He just wanted her. Selfish cunt!”

“Oh, don’t worry about Liam,” Tracy said. “Carol’s brothers gave him a good going over, and by the time the news of what he’d done had got round, he hadn’t got a single friend left. Carol’s brothers made it clear he was to go far away. I think he went back to Ireland.”

“So, is Carol still living in the same flat?”

“I haven’t finished, yet, John.”

He subsided into the chair, and gestured her to continue.

“Carol and I actually got to meet at one of their Friday nights. It was clear we were not going to get along. She was convinced, according to Jessica, that you and I were a permanent item, and nothing would shake that idea. I think it was the fact I was furnishing the house for you that did it–”

“And it’s beautiful, my darling. It feels so right! Everything is tasteful and fits perfectly with everything else.”

Tracy smiled with satisfaction. “Wait till you see your credit card statements!” she laughed.

“Anyway,” she sobered up and continued, “Shortly after that meeting, Colin had his stroke, and I was running Sales and Marketing solo. Little time for Friday nights but I got out to a few. If Carol was there we didn’t speak; there were enough girls there to talk to. It’s not so bad now, but until recently I was working weekends and evenings till ten. Tom and Ann invited me regularly for meals, and he had to tell me to ease off or I’d be in hospital with Colin.” She laughed again.