‘Sorry, OK? I’ve had a lot on my mind. When we stop for food, I’ll get a phone as well. Jamie might be able to make this whole nightmare a little bit easier to manage.’
‘Like how?’
‘I don’t know, give us some advice maybe. It’s worth a try. He’s a good guy.’
They had moved inland and Abby saw a sign for a retail park. They pulled off at the roundabout and headed towards the mammoth shopping area, parking up outside an electrical store.
‘I’ll get a pay-as-you-go,’ said Abby. She nodded at another huge shop further along. ‘Then we can go to the supermarket.’
Ellie watched as Abby went through the sliding glass doors of the phone shop and then could see her no more. She stretched out her numb legs, and knew she needed to get out of the car. As she put her foot down on the tarmac, her leg unexpectedly gave way and she grabbed hold of the car door to steady herself. Ellie took a moment to recover and, leaning against the door, she looked across at the phone shop. She’d like to buy a phone herself but knew her credit card would almost certainly be declined. Even if she did buy one, she wouldn’t be able to give Fredrik the new number. That moment had gone. She wondered where he was on his cycle route. They must have passed him long ago, unknowingly been mere miles from a tall, blond Norwegian man peddling through the French countryside. Perhaps he had stopped for lunch. He was sitting in a village square like the one she’d met him in, eating a baguette. She wondered if he’d thought about her at all since they’d parted that morning.
She sighed and gazed around at the soulless car park. A few shoppers pushed giant trolleys from the supermarket, laden with food. Cars pulled in and out of spaces, their occupants on the hunt for new electricals or sofas. To the side of the phone shop was a row of plastic cubicles, each with a payphone in it. They were all empty, as of course no one really used public phones anymore. It was then that Ellie had the idea. She’d call her old mobile, see if Fredrik had rung her and left a message. It was unlikely – after all, only a few hours had passed – but it gave her something to do while she was waiting for Abby.
She walked across the car park and, digging some change out of her purse, she dialled her own number. It went straight to voicemail and she intercepted the recorded message by typing in her access code. To her delight the automated voice informed her she had two new messages. She contained her hope – they were most likely her bank telling her she needed to get in touch about her overdraft.
‘Message one,’ said the automated voice, ‘received today at twelve forty-seven p.m.’ That was only an hour ago, thought Ellie. Her heart leaped as the message kicked in.
‘Hey, Ellie, it’s Fredrik. We met this morning, at the fountain. I just wanted to say hi again. I’m sitting on a bench, a different one with a different view. I’m at the top of some hills and the road is snaking back down in a switchback all the way to the sea. It’s a shame you’re not here as well. Anyway, it would be great if you wanted to call.’ As he relayed off his number, Ellie frantically scrabbled around in her bag for a pen and paper and wrote it down.He rang, he rang!Her heart sang and she mentally checked her change – she probably had enough to call him back, although maybe she could try the phone shop after all, see if she might be able to swing it with her card. She carefully saved Fredrik’s message, following the robotic instructions in her ear.
‘Message two,’ continued the voice, ‘received today at ten seventeen a.m.’ This would be the bank one, thought Ellie, but she was so euphoric from Fredrik’s call, she didn’t care.
‘Ellie, it’s me. Your mum. You need to call me as soon as you get this. Don’t tell Abby.’
Ellie was vaguely aware of the ground reaching up, or was she falling? Then everything blacked out.
THIRTY-ONE
She came around to a blurry hand waving in front of her face. Ellie, eyes half open, saw two identical middle-aged women looking at her with concern in their eyes. As she blinked, the two women morphed into one and this woman was babbling to her in French.
Confused, Ellie tried to make sense of where she was. Her legs were splayed awkwardly and she instinctively pulled her skirt down so it covered her.What am I doing on the ground?Feeling vulnerable, she tried to get up but her head began to spin. The woman helped her but Ellie could only manage as far as sitting before she had to rest her back against the wall, as she tried to contain an onset of nausea.
‘Merci,’ she managed weakly to the woman, who on hearing Ellie’s poor command of her language immediately switched to English.
‘Are you OK? I saw you faint.’ She fussed and held out a bottle of water that Ellie took automatically. She drank, just as the woman was insisting. Then in a swift, breathless moment, she remembered.
Her mother had left her a message. Herdeadmother.
It couldn’t be, thought Ellie. It’s madness. Her brain scrambled for some logical explanation – triumphantly relieved when she reasoned that the call must have been madebeforethe accident.
But the relief was short-lived. Ellie remembered. The message had been left at quarter past ten that morning. Susanna had died on the terrace of Abby’s house yesterday. Ellie thought hard. Was it definitely her mum’s voice she’d heard? Yes, she was certain she’d recognize it anywhere.
‘Shall I call a doctor?’ the woman asked in her heavily accented English.
Ellie plastered on a smile of what she hoped was reassurance. ‘No, thank you. I’m fine. I think it must have been the heat.’
She let the woman help her to her feet and, steadying herself against the wall, she brushed herself down.
Her mother had called her.
She started to walk back towards the car, the woman still insisting on staying with her. Ellie could see Abby making her way over, a plastic bag in her hand with the phone shop’s logo on it. She was frowning at Ellie and quickened her pace.
‘What happened?’ Abby asked as she hurried up to them.
Abby was staring at her and Ellie felt her pulse quicken. She closed her eyes a moment, still bewildered. Aware she was being watched by her sister, she lifted her head, tried to rearrange her features into something resembling normality. ‘Nothing. Just passed out for a moment. Overheated. This nice lady helped me out.’
‘You look as white as a sheet,’ said Abby, placing a hand on her arm. She turned to the lady. ‘Thank you so much. I’m her sister. I’ll take care of her.’
‘She needs to drink,’ said the French woman.
