Freya North 3-Book Collection: Secrets, Chances, Rumours

‘Someone at the door,’ Mary said. ‘Whoever can it be at this time of day?’

‘I'll go and see,’ Tess said, patting Mary's hand. ‘You relax.’ She called upstairs to Em to hang on, Mummy's coming. Then she climbed over Wolf and opened the door.

A plump young woman stood there, in a uniform that was so generic Tess wasn't sure which profession it served – dinner lady or paramedic, cleaner or nurse.

‘Sorry to bother you,’ she said and her accent was local and strong. ‘Is Joe Saunders around?’

‘No,’ Tess said, ‘sorry, he's in London for the time being.’

‘And you are?’

‘Tess. Housekeeper.’

‘Laura Gibbings.’ She was frowning at Tess. ‘From Swallows.’ Tess looked none the wiser. ‘Swallow House Residential Care Home. We've lost—’

‘Mary?’

Laura looked both shocked and relieved. ‘She's here? Already?’ ‘Having a cuppa and a biccie,’ Tess said in what she hoped would be a collusionary sort of way. She didn't want Mary taken from her, from here, just yet.

Laura nodded. ‘I thought I'd pop up here myself – before they send out the search party.’

Tess nodded.

‘The others – they can be a bit – you know – impatient.’

Tess nodded again.

‘She can't half move, that one, when she wants to,’ Laura laughed.

Though Tess continued to nod she thought of Mary's thick ankles and the level of dogged conviction the steep drag up to the house must have required. ‘Laura, why don't you come in for a cuppa too – then I could drop you both back off. Use the phone if you like – tell them the runaway hasn't, well, run away.’

Laura was smiling her gratitude when suddenly she froze. ‘What's that?’

‘That's my baby.’

‘A baby? Here? At Joe's? Whatever does he think?’

Tess thought about it. ‘Actually, I don't think he has a problem with it.’

‘Well, I suppose he's not here that much.’

‘Exactly,’ said Tess.

So Tess went upstairs to see to Em, and Laura went into the kitchen to see to Mary. They drank more tea and Em and Mary made a similar mess with the biscuits. The baby seemed entranced by all this female energy, whatever the age. Wolf made himself scarce.

‘We'd better go,’ Laura said a little reluctantly. ‘It'll not long be high tea.’

How different the view from the car than from on foot. How odd it felt to be back behind the wheel for the first time since her arrival. How strange to be travelling at a faster pace than a walk. It almost seemed steeper than on foot. Laura directed Tess down to the front then up along Marine Parade and into the Swallow House driveway some yards later.

Tess looked at the grand building.

‘Worse places to work, I can tell you,’ Laura said. ‘I was three years at one in Redcar. Dear God, the smell of piss.’

Tess looked at her sharply and glanced in the rear-view mirror but Mary was as engrossed in Em as Em was in her, and they were busy examining each other's buttons.

‘I mean, it was a shitehole compared with Swallows. Just couldn't get the place clean, I couldn't. The smell – seemed to have got into the bricks, you know? It closed down. Too right too. So here I am. Coming up three years.’

‘But how old are you?’ Tess said, thinking she looked way too young to have six years of elderly care to her credit.

‘Twenty-one next month.’

‘That's amazing,’ said Tess. ‘I salute you.’

Laura thought it was odd, a little over the top, but she could see Tess meant it.

‘How old are you, then?’

‘Thirty,’ Tess said.

‘Thirty,’ Laura marvelled as if it was a distant goal. ‘You're not from round here, though?’

‘Down south,’ said Tess, wanting to leave it at that.

‘London?’ Laura said expectantly.

‘For a while,’ Tess said as she parked and turned off the engine. Everyone seemed content to remain in the sudden stillness. ‘Nice to meet you, Laura Gibbings.’

‘And you.’

‘Listen – if Mary, you know, goes missing again, I'll let you know, shall I, if she comes home? And you'll phone me, will you, to let me know if she might be on her way?’

‘Early-onset dementia,’ Laura said quietly. Then she brightened, turned round and clucked at Mary sweetly. ‘She gets confused. Don't you, love?’

‘But she always heads home?’

‘That's my instinct,’ said Laura, ‘and hers too, apparently. I know her best, see. She's a bit of a bag with the others – but we rub along just fine. Don't we, love! The others worry she'll go off the pier or peg off down the beach. It's all about Health and Safety and not getting sued, nowadays. Anyway, she doesn't much like the beach, our Mary.’

‘Nor do I,’ Tess said darkly before visibly brightening. ‘But shall we do that – you and me – keep in touch?’

‘Sounds like a plan, Stan,’ Laura said which made Tess laugh. Followed by Em.

‘Stan?’ said Mary.

And Laura said, bugger me – Stan was only her old boy, wasn't he.

‘You're all right, Mary,’ she said, twisting around again and offering Mary her hand. ‘You're all right. We're home now, love.’

Tess helped everyone out and up the front stairs, thinking Laura was an old head on young, capable shoulders.