The snow had eased off by the time he had the new wheel on and released the jack, lowering the car back onto the ground. He’d just put the damaged wheel in the boot and cleaned his hands with some wet wipes that were in there, when he saw Valand Alice hugging another woman at the door of the house, then walking speedily back towards him.
Val held out two lidded cups. ‘Coffee or tea? We weren’t sure which one you’d prefer so Jessie made both. I’ll pop the cups back into her at the hairdressers tomorrow.’
‘Coffee please,’ he said, taking the one from her right hand. He wasn’t even so bothered about the beverage, it was more just that the heat from the cup would defrost his frozen fingers.
They all climbed back into the car, and only the rich smell of the coffee gave a clue that there had been an interruption to proceedings. At least, until Alice spoke…
‘Zac, are you still sure that you want to do this? You know, I’m not one for paranormal or spiritual theories…’
‘She’s not, but I am,’ Val interjected, but her tone was gentle, as if broaching a difficult subject. ‘And I’m thinking maybe your mum was using a wee bit of divine intervention there to tell us something?’
The thought had crossed Zac’s mind too. Would his mum want him to do this? Would she be horrified? Disappointed?
‘Maybe. Or maybe it was just the council’s roads policy.’ He managed a conciliatory smile. ‘Ladies, I honestly appreciate everything you’ve done for me, and I don’t want to put you out any more than I already have.’ He felt terrible for everything that had happened in the last hour and for any stress he’d caused Alice before then. If his mum really could do the divine intervention thing, then she’d find a way to give him a piece of her mind for troubling folk. ‘I promise it would be no bother at all for me to get a taxi the rest of the way.’
It was Alice who shook her head, and she seemed to have a new air of resolve. ‘Nope, if you go, we all go. Right, come on, Val, let’s get moving. We’ve only got an hour before we need to head to the airport, so let’s get this over with.’
They got back on the road, and Zac sipped his coffee as he looked out of the window. When the warm liquid hit his stomach, he realised that other than a biscuit at Val’s house, he hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast, but his appetite was gone, replaced by the knot of apprehension that he hadn’t been able to shake all day.
He watched as they turned off the country road and into what looked like the outskirts of a village, and then into a housing scheme that was very different from the streets of the surrounding areas. Many of the homes were well kept and pristine, but there were several that were clearly neglected, along with a couple of burnt-out cars on the communal grass area and every bus stop they passed had been smashed to bits.
Alice had told him that this was where she’d lived for the last year or so that she’d been married and he couldn’t help but compare it to where she lived now with Val. Both were council estates, but Val’s was clean and well maintained, very similar to where his mum and Aunt Audrey had grown up, whereas this one definitely looked like it had more challenges.
‘Left here, Val,’ Alice said, quietly but calmly, before pointing at a row of five or six terraced homes. ‘And then it’s the last house on the left there. You can turn into the side alley next to it or park out the front.’
‘I’ll stick to the front,’ Val said, pulling in behind a white transit work van and stopping. ‘Right, I’m going to stay here in case we need a quick getaway. I feel like an extra on an old episode ofTaggart.’
He could see that Alice was peering out of the window at the house and he understood how difficult this must be for her.
‘Alice, please stay here with Val too. I’m fine to go in by myself. Like I said, I can get a taxi to the airport from here, so there’s no need to wait.’ He was just trying desperately to letthem go, because he felt so awful about the trouble he’d caused. ‘And, Val, I’ll be in touch because I’m going to pay for that tyre.’
‘Och, don’t be daft. My pal, Bob, down at the garage in Weirbridge, will sort that for me in no time. And, anyway, I’ll make sure the council pays for it. That pothole was a disgrace.’
‘And it’s a “no” from me too,’ Alice added, taking off her seatbelt. He saw the steely determination on her face and then she inhaled like someone who was just about to jump off the ledge on a bungee rope. ‘Let’s go, Zac. And I apologise for whatever happens in here because there’s no civility in this man at all.’
The next thing he knew, she was out of the door, and he was racing to keep up with her. He reached the small front gate first, although it was hanging off one hinge, so he guessed it wasn’t there to prevent intruders.
The whole house looked neglected. Dilapidated even. One of the windows was smashed, with what looked like cardboard taped across the cracks. The door had splinters down the side, as if it had been kicked in at some point. The front garden was completely overgrown and full of junk – a sharp contrast to the immaculate lawn and flower beds next door.
To his surprise, it was Alice who took the lead, swerving and reaching the front door before him. He was seeing she had a core of inner strength just like his mum. It made so much sense that once upon a time they’d been best friends.
Alice raised her hand at the door, then paused, turned to him. ‘Ready?’
Was he? Absolutely not. The calm, capable guy who spent his working days helping other people sort out their lives, their problems, their finances and their futures, was now absolutely, to put it mildly, bricking it.
‘Ready,’ he nodded. His first lie of the day.
Alice banged on the door with a violence that was unexpected, then stood back and waited. And waited. And waited. Nothing. Not a sound. No answer.
He thought she’d turn and walk away at that point, but, instead, she stepped forward again and banged even harder. ‘He’ll be passed out,’ she said, with cool, calm, but utterly unmistakable scorn.
Another wait.
‘I don’t think anyone is home,’ he murmured, deflated, his mind already racing ahead. He was going to have to come back here. He had loads of holiday days carried over from last year, so maybe he could take a long weekend next week. He was just thinking through the logistics of that when he heard a noise from inside. He and Alice met each other’s gaze, eyes wide. Someone was there. A suspicion that was confirmed when they heard shuffling footsteps coming down the hall.
‘Brace yourself,’ Alice whispered, and he saw that her hands were balled into fists of tension.
He had no idea what to expect, but he could never have predicted the sight that was in front of him when the door was slowly opened.
