Chapter 24

I hadn’t heard Sandra arrive home because I’d been so engrossed in what I was reading. I had a quick panic: I hadn’t yet spent twenty-four hours in the safe house and already I’d upset my host. I remembered a TV program that explained what to do when confronted with an enraged wild animal. First, make no sudden moves. I made a note of the page I’d been reading in the medical textbook then carefully closed it.

“I’m sorry,” I said. “When I finished ironing your clothes, I thought it best to put them in here. I saw your medical books and decided to read one and I guess I lost track of time.”

“You ironed my underwear?” screeched Sandra. She scrabbled through the neatly folded pile. “Oh,” she said in a much more subdued voice. “You’ve actually done a pretty good job.”

“Mum insisted that me and my sister Janey had to learn how to do our own ironing,” I explained. “Mrs Thomas lent me some of Dex’s old clothes and I wanted to wash them before giving them back. I put some of yours in as well. They’re airing in the bathroom.”

Sandra dashed out of the room but soon returned at a more sedate pace. The anger had gone from her face. “You knew to pick things that would wash together,” she observed.

I nodded.

“What’s that you’re reading?” she asked.

I held up the textbook.

“You’re reading that for fun?”

“It’s more interesting than the novel I was reading.”

“That’s one of my college textbooks. Nobody reads it for fun.”

“It’s fascinating. I’ve learned a lot.”

“Okay, you can carry on reading it. I’d rather you didn’t do it in here though. That’s rather creepy.”

“Sorry.”

“I can’t believe you did the washing and ironing. You’re the first man ever to do that while staying in my flat.

I got up off the floor, taking the book with me.

“Did you get some lunch? I didn’t see any washing-up.”

“I found some eggs and bread and made eggy bread. I forgot to warn you that you needed more eggs,” I admitted.

“That’s okay, I got more when I did my shopping. I also got some ham and cheese as well in case you wanted them for sandwiches. If you’d like to watch while I put things away, you’ll learn where everything belongs.”

I already knew where most things were kept due to my search for lunchtime food earlier, but I didn’t want to upset Sandra again.

After checking it was okay with me, Sandra ordered Chinese for our evening meal. Over dinner, I told her that Ms Edgeway had started legal action against the people I was hiding from and I was hoping for a quick resolution. Sandra probed again but I refused to give her any details.

After we’d finished eating, Sandra commandeered the television again for an evening of soap operas. I cleared up the debris and retired to my room. I risked another text message to Janey, ‘Police complaint filed against FreshFields.’

A few seconds later I got a reply, ‘Great news Dork. Miss you.’ Then, after another few seconds, ‘Parents don’t plan to visit FF this week. Doc advised fortnight wait’.

That made me even less inclined to trust my parents. I was supposed to be in a sleep clinic. Why would their next visit be after a fortnight? I was only supposed to be there for two weeks.

My feeling of grievance made me resume my struggle with the Russian doorstop novel, despite having the fascinating medical textbook available.

Wednesday started not dissimilarly to Tuesday. Cereal for breakfast, I put a new lot of washing on then ironed the previous day’s washing. When the ironing was done and the washing was airing, I settled down with the medical textbook.

Shortly before lunchtime, Ms Edgeway’s phone rang.

“Hi Jon, I’ve got some bad news,” said Ms Edgeway. “The police have done nothing about my complaint. I think they’re stonewalling me for some reason. I think the best approach is to get Richard Masson on the case, since he knows the Chief Constable. I know you don’t trust him at the moment because of your parents, but he doesn’t know where you’re hiding. Even I don’t know, although I haven’t tried to look.”