by Rosie Harris
In the ten days before Cindy was due to arrive, Rebecca concentrated on her studies to the exclusion of everything else. She turned down so many invitations from fellow students that they began to tease her that she was becoming a recluse. When she tried to explain why she was working so hard, they looked at her in either amusement or amazement. ‘Live for today!’ most of them advised.
After she had seen her tutor on the Friday when Cindy was due to arrive, Rebecca spent the rest of the day cleaning her room and borrowed a camp bed.
She had intended it for Cindy, but then she thought it would be better if she slept on the camp bed in the living room and let Cindy have her bedroom.
That way she would be able to get up and prepare breakfast then wake Cindy up with a cup of tea without disturbing her too early.
She had no idea what Cindy liked for breakfast, so she bought a variety pack of cereals so that Cindy could choose whichever she preferred. Or even have two if she was very hungry.
When she collected her post, she found there was a letter from her mother enclosing two £20 notes and instructions to make sure they enjoyed themselves and had a sensible meal each day. She also said she didn’t want to worry her, but her grandmother had had a slight stroke. ‘Your dad is going to visit her after he has sold the pigs on Saturday, so I’ll be in touch next week to let you know how she is.’
Rebecca sighed as she slipped the two crisp notes into her handbag. Granny Peterson was in a nursing home some twenty miles from Shelston. She was very frail and had been there for over five years, ever since Grandad Peterson had died.
At one time they had visited her every week but she now suffered from Alzheimer’s and didn’t know them, so they had decided there was no point in all of them going to see her so often. Her father went once a month and, since he was listed as next of kin, he was notified whenever she had a bad turn.
A stroke sounded quite serious to Rebecca and she wondered if she ought to pencil in the weekend after Cindy’s visit to go home and see Granny Peterson. She’d leave making up her mind until after her father had been to visit her gran and see what he suggested.
For the moment, she could think only about all the things she planned to do when Cindy arrived. There were so many places in Cardiff she wanted to take her to see, including the museum and the castle as well as all the shops and the arcades. It was going to be a busy weekend, she thought excitedly as she completed last-minute arrangements.
Rebecca phoned Cindy early on Friday morning to check that the visit was still on.
‘Of course it is!’ Cindy’s voice was eager and full of laughter. ‘It’s ages since we met and I have heaps to tell you.’
‘I can’t wait!’ Rebecca laughed. ‘I’ll be at Cardiff Central to meet you.’
‘Good! By the way, I’ll be wearing my new red-leather jacket, so you can’t possibly miss me.’
After that, Rebecca found it hard to concentrate on her studies for thinking of all the things they would do that weekend. She kept looking at her watch and working out how long it would be before she would see Cindy.
She arrived at the station in Wood Street ten minutes before Cindy’s train was due in and bought a platform ticket so she would be able to meet Cindy as she stepped off the train.
As it pulled in, she looked along the full length of the train, hoping that Cindy would be peering out of the window. Then it came to a stop and the carriage doors all along the train opened and people streamed out. Not wanting to miss her in the crowd, Rebecca stood by the exit from the platform anxiously scanning the crowd as three abreast they surged towards her. But there was no sign of Cindy, or anyone in a red jacket.
As the platform cleared, Rebecca stood there bemused. She couldn’t possibly have missed her. There was only one way Cindy could leave the platform and she had been standing right there, so she couldn’t have walked past her. So where was she?
Rebecca ran down the stairs to the main exit, just in case they had missed each other. If so, then surely Cindy would wait for her by the main exit because she wouldn’t know which way to go?
Again, there was no sign of Cindy or of anyone in a red-leather jacket and Rebecca began to panic. What had happened? Had she got out of the train at a previous stop? Or caught the wrong train? Or had she decided for some reason not to come?
Surely if that was so then she would have phoned her, Rebecca reasoned as she pulled out her mobile and dialled Cindy’s number. It rang for quite a while and then it went dead. She tried again and the same thing happened.
Rebecca felt at a complete loss. She didn’t want to ring Cindy’s home and worry the Masons unnecessarily, nor did she want to ring her own home for the same reason. In the end she rang Jake.
‘I took her to the station at Frome,’ he told her.
‘Well, she hasn’t arrived. Do you think she got on the wrong train?’
‘I shouldn’t think so. She had about ten minutes to spare. I simply dropped her and her case off outside the station, because it’s so difficult to find a parking space and anyway she said she didn’t need me to come on to the platform with her. Then I turned round and came home. Dad was a bit peeved because I was taking time out when we were so busy, so I wanted to get back home as quickly as possible. Try phoning her again.’
‘OK, I will. Don’t mention anything to your mum, I don’t want to worry her. I’ll phone you as soon as I locate Cindy.’
Even more puzzled by the strange turn of events, Rebecca phoned home. Her mother answered the phone.
‘Not arrived? Well, she probably caught the wrong train or missed the one she should have been on.’
‘No, I phoned Jake and he told me he drove her to Frome station and she had ten minutes to spare before her train left.’
‘Did she have to change at Temple Meads?’
‘I don’t know. Jake never said so and I never thought to ask him.’
‘Well, there you are then. She probably did and caught the wrong train from there. Try phoning her again. Her train might have been going through the Severn Tunnel, and that would be why she didn’t answer because there would be no reception.’
‘OK, Mum, I’ll try again.’
‘Right. I must go, I want to keep the line open.’
‘Why? Is something wrong?’
‘Yes, your Granny is worse. They sent for Dad again today and he was going straight to the nursing home after finishing at the market. We both thought that would be a good idea because it’s only five miles from there. He said he would phone and let me know how she is and what time he would be coming home.’
Thirteen
Rebecca hung around the railway station all evening, meeting every train that arrived from Temple Meads station. She felt sure that Cindy must have missed her connection. And possibly gone for a snack and then missed the next train as well.
After she’d been there for over two hours, the station staff became suspicious of her motives. She knew they were watching her and was not surprised when one of the railway police came up to her and asked her why she was hanging around.
He was a tall, broad man in his early forties with a hard-looking face and thin mouth. She felt intimidated.
‘I’m waiting for a friend,’ she told him and smiled nervously.
‘A friend?’ He sounded dubious. ‘A boyfriend?’
Rebecca shook her head. ‘No, a girlfriend.’
‘Were you meeting for an evening out?’
‘No, she was coming to stay with me for the weekend,’ Rebecca told him.
‘Where’s she coming from?’
‘She was catching a train from Frome, but she would probably have had to change at Temple Meads. I think she must have missed her connection.’
He frowned. ‘Surely she would have been on the next train to leave there? There have been three trains since then that have stopped at Temple Meads, so she could have caught any of them.’
‘I know. That’s why I’ve been dashing from platform to platform,’ Rebecca
sighed. ‘She said she’d be wearing a red-leather jacket, so I can’t possibly have missed her. Anyway, I’ve phoned her mobile three or four times and there’s no answer.’
The policeman pursed his lips and shook his head almost as though he didn’t quite believe Rebecca’s story.
‘Perhaps you should give up and go home in case she has already arrived and is waiting for you there. It’s almost ten o’clock, you know.’
‘Yes, I do know, I’ve been checking the station clock and I’m worried sick about what can have happened to her,’ Rebecca said in an irritated tone.
‘Well, like I said, she may already be at your home waiting for you.’
‘Then why doesn’t she answer her mobile? I’ve phoned her countless times. Or else phoned me to let me know where she is?’
The policeman gave an imperceptible shrug. ‘Who knows, perhaps the battery is flat.’
‘I doubt it,’ Rebecca said defensively. ‘She would have made sure it was fully charged before she left home. I’ve never known her to have a flat battery.’
‘Well, you can’t hang around here all night. Go home. I’ll keep an eye out for her, and if she arrives later this evening I’ll tell her to phone you.’ He pulled out a notebook from his pocket. ‘I’ll need your name and address and your mobile phone number. You’d better give me hers as well,’ he added.
Rebecca hesitated. She didn’t mind giving him hers. But if she gave him Cindy’s address, would he ring her home and cause a fuss? She supposed it was a risk she’d have to take. As soon as she could, she would phone Jake again and let him know what had happened.
By the time Rebecca left the railway station it was so late that the pubs were turning out. The streets seemed to be full of slightly inebriated groups, all singing and chanting and pushing one another around, so she caught a bus home.
Cindy was not standing on the doorstep, so she tried ringing her again but she was still not answering so she phoned Jake. His phone was switched off, which meant he was probably already in bed or else driving home after an evening out with some of the village lads.
She thought of phoning her own mother, but remembering that she was already worried because Granny Peterson was so ill she decided it was better not to. It wasn’t as if her mother could help, and even if she asked her to phone Cindy’s mother most likely she would refuse and say that Mavis was probably in bed and asleep so she couldn’t disturb her at this time of night.
Still puzzled by Cindy’s absence but quite sure there had to be some logical explanation, she made herself a hot drink and got ready for bed.
She couldn’t decide whether to sleep in her own bed or on the camp bed she had made up in the living room so Cindy could have her bedroom to herself. In the end she decided to sleep in her own bed and sort things out when Cindy arrived.
She slept fitfully, tossing and turning and waking up at the slightest noise in case it was Cindy trying to rouse her.
When she did sleep she had some fearful dreams, all involving Cindy.
She gave up in the end, and was up and dressed as soon as it was light. She made some toast and tea, and the minute she had swallowed them she set off back to the railway station in case Cindy had arrived very late and had spent the night in the waiting room there rather than disturb her.
It was a dull morning with misty rain falling and she felt cold and miserable by the time she reached Wood Street, even though she was wearing a fleece under her thin raincoat.
The staff on duty at the station were all different from the ones who’d been there the evening before. She was about to buy a platform ticket so she could make sure Cindy wasn’t there, then hesitated. Would they have let Cindy stay in the waiting room all night? Perhaps it would be better if she spoke to one of the staff and explained the situation.
‘No one has been here overnight, indeed no. Everybody who arrived on late trains scooted home the moment they could get through the ticket barriers,’ the genial middle-aged porter told her.
Bewildered, Rebecca walked slowly home again. As she went along St Mary Street, the stores were just opening their doors and the thought of all the wonderful plans she had made for her weekend with Cindy flooded her mind.
Where on earth could Cindy be? That was what worried her.
Back in her room, she phoned her mother and explained the situation. Her mother didn’t sound very interested or concerned. ‘Perhaps she changed her mind? Have you tried her phone this morning?’
‘Of course I have and it’s completely dead,’ Rebecca told her crossly.
‘Then try it again,’ her mother said irritably. ‘Why ring me? What can I do about it? I’ve got enough worries as it is.’
‘You mean about Grandma Peterson?’ Rebecca said contritely, conscious that she hadn’t even asked if there was any fresh news about her.
‘Yes, she’s so ill that your father stayed all night at the nursing home.’
‘Oh dear, that does sound serious.’
‘Yes, they are talking about moving your grandmother into hospital and he thought he ought to be there when they do and make sure she is settled and find out what the doctor’s latest prognosis is.’
‘And then he’s coming home?’
‘I certainly hope so. I don’t like running the shop on my own. He needs to be here to cut up the joints and chops and so on. I can’t face that sort of work. I don’t mind serving the customers but I do draw the line at actual butchery,’ her mother said grimly.
‘Sorry I troubled you, Mum,’ Rebecca murmured apologetically. ‘Let me know how Granny is as soon as you hear from Dad.’
There was only one thing for it, she decided, she would have to ring Jake. If she couldn’t get hold of him, then as a last resort she would phone Cindy’s mother.
Jake was as bewildered as she was. He insisted that he had left Cindy at Frome station in plenty of time to catch her train.
‘She really was excited about coming to Cardiff to see you and about all the things the two of you were planning to do over the weekend.’
‘Then where is she? Why didn’t she turn up? I couldn’t possibly have missed her. I stayed at the railway station until after ten o’clock. In fact the railway police became suspicious and wanted to know what I was doing there. I went back there this morning in case she had spent the night sleeping in the waiting room for some reason, but there was no trace of her. I spoke to a member of staff and he assured me she hadn’t been there.’
‘Well, it’s a mystery, that’s all I can say,’ Jake agreed.
‘So will you tell your parents, or do you want me to phone your mother?’
There was a long pause before Jake spoke. ‘I suppose I’d better be the one to do it,’ he said rather reluctantly. ‘Mum is going to be terribly upset.’
‘I’m sure she will be, but she ought to know what’s happened. And she might even be able to throw some light on what’s going on.’
‘I don’t think that’s very likely. As far as I know, she thought the same as the rest of us – that Cindy was coming to you for the weekend.’
‘Well, don’t forget to let me know as soon as there’s any news. I’m terribly worried about her, Jake.’
As soon as Jake ended the call, Rebecca phoned her own mother to let her know what had happened.
‘Poor Mavis, she’ll be so upset and very worried.’
‘I know, Mum, but I felt it was only right she should know Cindy isn’t here in Cardiff with me.’
‘Quite right, dear, but where on earth can Cindy be?’
‘I don’t know, none of us seem to know. Jake has promised he will phone me if there is any news.’
‘I’ll try and get up to see Mavis when I close the shop,’ her mother promised. ‘I can’t really do anything until then.’
‘I understand, Mum. How are you coping? I take it that Dad is still at the hospital with Granny Peterson.’
‘Yes, I’m afraid so. They don’t think she has very long to live and I think he will stay with
her till the end.’
‘Oh dear, it’s all so sad. Everything seems to be happening at once. How on earth are you managing to run the shop?’
‘Ah …’ Her mother’s voice lightened. ‘Everything here is more or less satisfactory. I still have to be in the shop all day, of course, but your dad has arranged for a young man to come and help out. This young chap has completed his training as a butcher and can deal with the butchery side of things, but he hasn’t had very much retail experience. Still that doesn’t matter as long as I am at the shop to deal with that side of things.’
‘Really! Well, that sounds fantastic. A load off your shoulders, Mum,’ Rebecca said with a laugh.
‘That’s very true. He’s a very nice young man, his name is Nick Blakemore. You ought to try to get home next weekend and meet him. I’m sure you’d like him.’
Fourteen
Sunday dragged by slowly. Rebecca tried to study, but although she read each paragraph over several times the words didn’t sink into her brain. In fact sometimes they didn’t even make any sense. She wanted to phone Cindy’s mother, but she wasn’t sure if Jake would have told her yet that Cindy was missing.
Or was she? Rebecca knew that Cindy was quite good at telling white lies. She remembered the days when she’d planned to start work at the supermarket in Shelston. Cindy hadn’t wanted her mother to know anything about it until she was sure she had been accepted for the job, so she’d told her mother that they were going out together, even though Cindy knew it was the day when Rebecca would be starting at university.
There were countless other occasions when Cindy had skirted round the truth and got away with it. Was coming to Cardiff for the weekend a blind for something else she planned to do? Was Cindy really missing? Or had she used the proposed trip to Cardiff to indulge in a weekend away with her boyfriend?
