by Anita Notaro
‘He’s been acting a bit odd lately, mostly at night,’ I told Maddy. ‘I wonder if there are strangers around? You know the way sometimes mobile-home parks attract burglars during winter? Guys in Hiace vans trying to see what they can steal easily, because in general no one comes near their holiday home between October and Easter the following year.’
‘Lou, this is not your average mobile-home park. There are how many – four – chalets? And each one is well hidden from the other, so you’d have to know about them.’
‘I suppose. Yeah, you’re right.’ I took out my keys and put one in the lock, but it wasn’t necessary. ‘It’s open,’ I told Maddy, puzzled.
‘Did you lock it?’
‘Yes. Well, actually, I don’t know, but I think so.’
‘OK, just let’s check inside.’ She went in first, but everything was exactly as we’d left it, even down to her handbag on the kitchen table.
‘Well, that decides that then,’ Maddy said. ‘My bag’s got my credit cards, chequebook, the lot, which was pretty stupid of me, actually.’
‘I always lock up,’ I told her, a bit bemused. ‘And check the handle afterwards.’
‘But hang on, weren’t you texting as you went out?’
‘Yeah, that’s right. I was messaging Clodagh.’
‘And I followed you out. I don’t remember you turning back to lock up.’
‘No, me neither,’ I agreed.
‘And let’s face it, no burglar worth his salt is going to leave a handbag behind, even if we disturbed him. I had two €50 notes in the zip pocket.’ She opened it and pulled them out. ‘Besides, he couldn’t have escaped without us seeing him, could he?’
‘No. There are two doors but only one entrance off the deck, although he could have jumped the handrail at the back,’ I supposed. ‘I think I’m just nervous because of Pete being edgy, that’s all. God, I hope I’m not turning into a scaredy-cat.’
‘Well, I can stay again tonight if you like?’
‘No, I’m fine,’ I told her. ‘I’d just better double-check as I leave in future, though. I guess I am a bit isolated here, especially in winter.’
‘OK, firstly, Pete would alert you if anyone even approached the van, wouldn’t he?’
‘Yes, definitely.’
‘And I take it you have the number of the local gardai on speed dial in your mobile?’
‘No.’ I didn’t even like talking about it.
‘OK, well that I can sort straightaway.’ She dialled Directory Enquiries and I watched while she saved the number for me seconds later. ‘And have you got a number under ICE?’
‘ICE?’ I hadn’t a clue what she was talking about.
‘I – C – E. In Case of Emergency. The police and other agencies have told everyone they should have someone listed in the event of say, an accident. That way they can simply spool through your phone and your next of kin should be there. It’s a worldwide initiative, as far as I know, or all over Europe at least.’
‘Wow, that’s clever. How come I never heard about it?’
‘Because you’re living on animal planet.’ She grinned. ‘You’re mine, by the way.’
‘Your what?’
‘My ICE buddy, stupid. Will I be yours?’
‘Oh, yes, of course.’ I hugged her. ‘Thanks, Maddy.’
‘For what?’ She’d saved her details in my phone in seconds.
‘I dunno, just for being there. And for being you. And for always making me feel better.’
‘You’re welcome. Now, finally, who’s your nearest neighbour?’
‘That house over to the left, but I’ve never seen anyone, in spite of them living just across the hedge. I notice a light through the bushes at night, that’s about it. They’d come and go through the front door, obviously, and that’s the other end of the lane. I often see one or two cars out there as I leave for work.’
‘OK, come on, let’s check them out.’ She was out the door before I could stop her.
‘Honestly, it’s not necessary, I’m just being stupid. I’m tired today, time of the month and all that.’
‘Come with me, I’m not leaving until I’m satisfied you’ll be OK.’ She grabbed my arm and led me down the lane. ‘Nothing to lose by just checking to see if they’re home,’ she reasoned.
The two cars were there and, before I could stop her, she’d rung the bell and introduced the pair of us to a young woman, who immediately invited us in for a New Year drink, even though it was barely lunchtime.
‘Any excuse,’ she laughed. ‘Jack, my partner, is downstairs in the kitchen.’ She led the way, and I asked if it was OK to bring Pete in. I was so addled I’d forgotten to leave him on the deck and secure the gate, and he’d followed us up the lane, naturally.
‘Sure, we love animals. I’m Jill, by the way, and don’t say it: I’ve heard every Jack and Jill rhyme known to man, including a few that aren’t repeatable. We’re about to rescue a dog, by the way, so maybe he could have a play date with yours?’ She giggled. ‘Have you any kids?’
I shook my head.
‘Me neither.’ She seemed pleased. ‘And that’s by choice. Loads of nephews and nieces but never had the urge. Neither has Jack, so we’re happy, although my mother, who lives down the road, still hasn’t given up hope.’ She was amazingly open and friendly, and I liked her. I could see Maddy did too.
‘Jack, where are you? We have visitors,’ she called. ‘It’s the girl who lives in the van down the lane.’ A man had his back to us as we entered the nicest country kitchen I’d seen in a long time. He was putting turf on the fire.
‘We wondered when we’d meet you.’ Jill smiled. ‘Jack, say hello to Lulu and her friend Maddy.’
‘Hello.’ He was a big bear of a man in his late thirties, I guessed, with a mop of dark hair and a beard. ‘Glad you dropped in.’
Jill produced four beers without asking, and we all sat around the fire as Maddy explained why we’d called.
‘Well, I’m delighted you did.’ Jack had a hint of a Welsh accent. ‘If you ever hear a noise and you’re worried, just ring and I could be with you in ten seconds. There’s a gate at the back that we never use, but I’ll check it first thing in the morning and make sure the area isn’t overgrown.’
‘We were just saying the other day how nobody knows their neighbours any more; we only discovered by accident that an old lady of eighty-seven lives two doors up from us,’ Jill said. ‘I could easily check in with her and do a bit of shopping if she needs help. But everyone’s so busy – and I suppose reluctant to get involved – that we’re missing out, I feel.’
Maddy and I agreed, and then Jack called out the house number and gave me both their mobiles and I gave mine in return. I couldn’t believe how nice they were, so much so that Maddy and I giggled our way down the lane an hour later, having had two beers and no food. Even Pete had liked them, although he had been given a rib bone to chew right in front of the fire, so I reckoned he’d be leaving me for them if I wasn’t careful. I made a mental note to drop them in a bottle of wine to say thanks and felt much more secure as Maddy and I made pancakes, just as the light faded. We settled down with a big pot of tea and a stack of warm, doughy rounds to watch yet another old movie and stuff our faces.
That night, Maddy was staying with her mother, and she insisted on taking me and Pete home with her, in spite of my protests. Connie was thrilled and fussed over me no end. She was a real Dublin mother; she wore an apron and always had a pot of something simmering on the stove. Nothing threw her, and she seemed to be constantly in the middle of one of her neighbours’ traumas and had tea on the go day and night, no matter who called. She made brown bread for me and tried to ‘fatten me up’, forcing an apple tart on me as I prepared to leave, then insisted on driving me home herself next morning when she heard Maddy had an interview to do. She was delighted to finally see my new home and was as positive as she always was about every aspect of my life.
‘You’re like another of my broo
d, always have been,’ she shouted as she shot into reverse down the lane.
After a very lazy weekend, life returned to normal the following day, and the heavy traffic and Arctic weather combined to create the annual January blues.
‘Is it me, or is the whole world extra grumpy this year?’ I asked Mary, after a very angry woman in a jeep hurled abuse at me because I was two seconds late taking off at a green light close by our office.
‘It’s the bills,’ she told me. ‘Angela in the caterers told me her Visa bill arrived this morning for over €3, 000.’
‘Ouch, that’d do it all right. Thankfully, I didn’t go mad, for once.’
‘Does your diet start today, like the rest of the world, or could you be tempted by a warm apple fritter, courtesy of our new best friends next door?’
‘Absolutely. Life is too short to diet.’ I grinned. ‘The caterers did Louis’s party, by the way, and he was very impressed.’
‘I’m glad, things are tough out there.’ Mary got up to put the kettle on. ‘By the way, you never told me your friend Maddy was famous. She’s on the front of one of the papers today. Some big TV series.’
‘Oh my God, which one? I have to get it.’ I rummaged for my purse.
‘There it is on top of the filing cabinet; I bought it for you. I guessed you’d want a copy. She looks stunning,’ Mary called over her shoulder as she disappeared off towards the kitchen.
I was so excited I could hardly speak. There was Maddy – my friend Maddy – on the front page of one of the tabloids with three other women under a headline that screamed BET YOUR LOCAL DOCTOR NEVER LOOKED LIKE THIS? Of the four women on display, Maddy looked the best by a mile, and yes, I am biased. Her long hair was windblown, her dress was sheer and colourful and she radiated energy.
I dialled her number. ‘Bitch, why didn’t you tell me?’
‘Tell you what?’
‘About the photo.’
‘What photo? Lou, it’s early, it’s Monday, it’s January. Any of those things would make me feel a bit groggy, but when all three come together – well, what can I say? All I need is to find a stack of bills on the mat and I’ll have to take a tablet. Besides, why are you ringing when I haven’t even had my coffee yet? Whatever you’re waffling on about had better be good, OK?’
‘Oh, sorry. Listen, I’ll go and leave you in peace so, instead of going on about how fantastic you look on the front page of today’s paper.’
‘What? Are you serious? Jesus, read out everything while I put on the kettle. Word for word, don’t leave anything out.’
‘How come you never told me you’d done it?’
‘Done what?’
‘Posed for a photo with your three co-stars.’
‘I didn’t. Are you on something?’
I described it in detail and read every word, including the caption.
‘Oh my God, I remember now. At the final auditions they set up several different groups, did our make-up and then mixed and matched us. We were asked to bring a few different outfits. I assumed it was just for their own reference. Bloody hell, I didn’t take it seriously at all, sure I was messing around half the time.’
‘Well, it shows. You look a hundred times more relaxed than the other three,’ I told her. ‘Now, get dressed, go and buy it and ring me back for more detailed analysis,’ I instructed. ‘Meanwhile, I’ll phone Clodagh.’
‘OK. I still can’t believe they’ve used one of those photos. Are you sure it’s me?’
‘I think I’d know my best friend, even when she looks a million dollars. And how could you not have suspected they might use them? Was it not a professional photographer and all that?’
‘Yeah, I suppose, but you know, we were in a TV studio, it was all very casual, but now you mention it there were lights and touch-ups and all that, but sure they hadn’t even offered anyone the job.’
‘Well, they were obviously making final decisions, and seeing how you looked together in various combinations must have been a part of it. So, from now on, get your roots touched up every three weeks, buy a pair of huge, expensive sunglasses immediately and ditch those awful pink-velvet sweatpants. Meanwhile, go get that paper so we can really gossip.’
‘You’re on, sure I’ll nip down to the local in my pyjamas. Isn’t that the latest trend anyway?’
‘Maddy, you’re a star – there might be photographers waiting outside your front door,’ I joked.
‘In that case, I’ll go in my bra and pants,’ she decided, and we laughed so much I ended up having to run to the loo.
By the time all three of us had dissected every inch of the photos and agreed unanimously that Maddy was the youngest, prettiest, sexiest – and a lot of other adjectives ending with ‘est’ – it was after ten thirty, so I got down to work, already an hour behind. Luckily, I’d no clients scheduled that day, but when I listened to my answering machine, I realized that not everyone was as relaxed as I was starting off the New Year.
27
FIRST MESSAGE WAS FROM FATHER VINCENT. I DECIDED TO CALL HIM straightaway, hoping for some good news for Dinny.
After we’d exchanged pleasantries, he got down to business. ‘I spoke to Joan, as I said I would, but I’m sorry to tell you it’s probably not the news you were hoping to hear,’ he told me. ‘I’m afraid she asked me to tell you that she has no interest in rekindling the . . . friendship. I did my best, tried to get her to think about it for a while, but she was insistent.’
I felt he knew more than he was letting on, but I wasn’t in a position to discuss it so I was at a loss to know what to do next. ‘I’m very grateful for your assistance, Father, and to be honest, I’m not sure if there’s anything else I can do. Would it help if I rang and explained his situation?’ I wondered aloud.
‘I don’t believe it would. I’ve never heard her so adamant, actually, in all the years I’ve known her.’
I took a deep breath, deciding I’d nothing to lose. ‘Would you at least ask her if she’d accept a call from me? And please explain that I’ve no real connection with Denis. We only became friends recently.’
He was silent for a moment. ‘I will, yes,’ he said eventually.
‘Thank you so much, I wouldn’t normally push, but I know how much this means to Denis.’
‘I’ll try her now, might as well strike while the iron is hot.’ He said goodbye, and I wondered what a rejection would do to Dinny. He was more vulnerable than he appeared.
Within minutes, my phone rang. I was surprised to hear Father Vincent back on again so quickly.
‘I just spoke to Joan.’ He didn’t waste time. ‘She’s happy to speak with you, but only in person. She’ll be in Dublin next weekend, as it happens, for a business meeting. She wonders if you’d like to meet for tea at 4 p.m. on Friday in the lobby of the Shelbourne Hotel? She asked me to tell you she’s tall and dark and she’ll be wearing a black-and-white check coat.’
‘Wow, that seems like a done deal, so?’ was all I could think of to say.
‘I think you’ll like her. She’s a very private person, though, so I was surprised she agreed to your request at all to be truthful. I think you’ve made the right decision, my dear,’ Father Vincent said quietly. ‘If there’s any progress at all to be made, then this can only help your friend Mr Cassidy.’
‘I see. Right, well, thank you very much. Would you give Joan my mobile number just in case her plans change? Otherwise, I’ll be there at four.’
‘I will of course. And do stay in touch if I can be of further assistance. God bless.’ With that, he was gone.
I rang Dinny immediately and filled him in.
‘So she wants nothing to do with me?’ he said in a small voice.
‘Well, that’s not exactly true,’ I told him. ‘So stop feeling sorry for yourself.’
‘But she refused to even talk to me?’
‘Yes, but obviously she wants to hear what you’ve got to say if she’s agreed to meet with me.’
‘Can I come with
you?’ he asked, sharp as a button. ‘I could stay out of the way but you could tell her I was around the place and it might make her change her mind.’
‘Absolutely not, Dinny. I’m not really comfortable being in the middle of this at all, to tell you the truth, so I am definitely not playing any games of that sort.’
‘You will go, though, won’t you? I really need your help, Lulu.’
‘Yes.’ I’d no idea how I’d gotten here.
‘I’ll pay for your time, and your expenses, of course,’ he added quickly.
‘Dinny, this is not about money. I’m doing this only because we’ve become friends and I know it’s important to you.’
‘Thank you. I appreciate that more than you’ll ever know, that’s the truth.’ He paused. ‘I’ve made a mess of this whole thing, and I’ve wasted so many years,’ he said quietly. ‘All I want is to try and make up for my mistake.’
‘I know that, Dinny, but sometimes these things are not that easy to fix. And you might have no choice but to accept that.’
‘Should I give you a cheque to give her, I wonder? Maybe that would convince her I’m serious?’
‘I don’t think so.’ He was such a sweet, decent man, I didn’t have the heart to tell him that money might only make it worse. ‘I’ll do my best to persuade her to at least talk to you. That’s all I can do.’
‘You’re right. Sure that’s all any of us can do in life – our best. And I’ll start a novena to the Sacred Heart tonight,’ he told me. ‘He never lets me down.’
‘Try Saint Anthony as well,’ I advised. ‘He works for me.’
We chatted a bit more about what information I’d give Joan, and he promised to ring me later in the week for a final chat before I met her.
At that stage, it was past lunchtime, and I was starving. My next message was from Emily, but Mary had already made an appointment for her to come in the following day, so I checked my emails then took the dog for a walk and grabbed a sandwich en route. I had to leave Pete behind in the office, because I had two new clients who wanted me to visit them at home, which meant a serious detour to get him on my way home. I feared I was going to have to buy an old banger for days like today. Mind you, I hadn’t known what today was going to be like, I told myself, so I probably wouldn’t have taken the car anyway, even if I had one. Still, at least with the bike it was easier to double-back in rush-hour traffic, so I left him snoring, and Mary promised to bring him out for a pee before she left if I wasn’t back. And both appointments sounded like nice normal doggy problems, so I was in my element.
