by Joanna Neil
‘That’s because I happen to think that Elliot should stay with her, and if he’s going on to visit a client, maybe he could drive her to my parents’ house. It won’t take him too far out of his way. In fact, I’m going to go over there and suggest it to them right now. You and I could take Kayla to her party and leave them to it. At least it will give us time to talk.’
‘I’m not sure that I want to talk to you.’
He made a wry face. ‘I do realise that, but I don’t think we have any choice if we’re to go on working together. We have to find some way of settling our differences.’
She scowled at him. ‘Did you plan this when you knew that Elliot would be coming here?’
His mouth firmed. ‘No, I didn’t, but since they’re together and talking to one another, it seems like a good idea.’
‘I don’t know why I should listen to a word you say, let alone go along with your plans. It seems to me that you’re very quick to form conclusions and far too slow to admit that you might have been wrong.’
‘If I own up to my faults, will you agree to come with me?’
She wrinkled her nose at that. ‘I suppose I could consider it.’
‘Then I admit it. I might have been wrong. I jumped in with both feet and drenched us both, and I should have stopped and given it some more thought.’
‘Might have been wrong?’ She glared at him, but he was already turning away and heading for the table where Elliot and Amy were engrossed in taut conversation.
‘That’s all settled,’ he said, coming back to her a short time later and looking pleased with himself. ‘They’re going to stay and try to sort things out between them. I told Elliot that you would look after Kayla.’
She glanced back at their table. ‘Hmm…I’m not convinced that they will manage to sort out anything. Your sister looks as though she’s about ready to blow a fuse.’
His response to that was dry. ‘I should imagine Elliot is man enough to deal with that. Shall we go?’
‘I suppose so.’
Kayla slipped her hand into Emma’s, and together the three of them made their way down to A and E. Emma left Kayla with a nurse while she and Rhys went to check up on their car-crash patient. As expected, she was undergoing surgery, but they passed on their fears about what might have caused the accident to Emma’s former boss, the consultant in charge of the unit, and were assured that the matter would be followed up.
‘Are we going now?’ Kayla asked, beginning to be impatient. ‘I want to go to the party. I bet Tracey’s there already.’
‘We are,’ Rhys told her. ‘We’re going there right now.’
‘So where is this party being held?’ Rhys asked, turning to Emma as they went out to the car park.
‘Kensington Gardens. They’re all going to gather outside in the sunshine and enjoy the outdoor activities. There’s a huge pirate ship for them to play on, and there are teepees and lots of toys for them to enjoy. I think they’re going to have tea in the café later on.’
‘Sounds like fun.’ Rhys checked that Kayla was settled securely in her seat, and then he drove them to the venue.
The party organiser came to greet them, and after a few minutes Emma said goodbye to the little girl. She gave her a hug and left her in the care of a helper who had been assigned to look after Kayla and Tracey until Tracey’s mother was arrived later.
She walked back to the car with Rhys. ‘She looks as though she’s going to have a good time,’ she said.
Rhys nodded. ‘I’m sure Lindsey will appreciate that you’re making a good job of looking after her.’ He sent her a probing glance. ‘What does she think about what happened to her dog? I take it you’ve told her all about it by now?’
‘Yes, I’ve told her. I had to wait until she was stronger in herself, but she took it quite well. Of course, it helped to be able to tell her that he was on the mend.’ Emma paused. ‘She can’t think of any reason why anyone would want to do that to Samson.’
‘You didn’t ever believe that it was anything to do with Lindsey, did you?’
Emma shook her head. ‘No, I didn’t. I think it’s more likely that it has something to do with the stories that were printed in the newspaper. I have a horrible feeling that this has something to do with my father, and that someone bears him a grudge. I think they could have been getting at him through me.’
She gave an odd little shrug. ‘I’ve asked my dad if he can think of anyone who has a grievance against him. He said he would think about it.’ She fell silent, dwelling on all the other possibilities.
Rhys sent her a quick glance. ‘I sense that there’s something more going on in your head.’
‘Well, of course, I may be wrong. There’s always the possibility that I could be the target. The journalist hasn’t exactly been friendly towards me, but I don’t know how far he would take things. Maybe I should seek him out and ask him a question or two about that.’
‘I don’t think that would be a good idea.’
She looked at him. ‘No? I disagree. I think it could well turn out to be the answer.’
Emma glanced out of the car window and saw that they were heading towards Docklands. She frowned. ‘I thought you were going to take me home? This is certainly not the right way—I have to tell you, even in my wildest dreams I wouldn’t have been able to afford to live in this area.’
He laughed. ‘Possibly not…It just occurred to me that we might stop off at my place and get something to eat. You did say that you hadn’t planned on going straight home, didn’t you?’
‘That’s true.’ She sent him a cautious glance.
‘So is it all right if we go there? I thought you might like to look around. It’s a beautiful warm day, and we could sit and eat on the terrace. Not that the food would be the great attraction—but I think I could whip up a quick paella. I know that used to be one of your favourites, and I generally tend to keep something of the sort stashed in the freezer.’ He paused, and his dark brows came together momentarily. ‘You wouldn’t be expecting anything with fresh ingredients, would you?’
She chuckled, amused by his sudden doubts. ‘That’s all right. You may be an excellent doctor, and second to none on the emergency front, but I do know that cooking isn’t one of your specialties. I wasn’t exactly expecting you to provide me with food, but it sounds good.’ He was making an effort to put things right, and she realised that she wasn’t at all averse to the idea of going back to his apartment. In fact, she was intrigued to see where he lived.
His expression relaxed. ‘That’s settled, then. We’re almost there.’
He drove into a secure underground parking space, and from there they took the lift to his penthouse apartment. Emma wasn’t quite sure what she was expecting, but when he opened the door and gently ushered her inside, she found that she was unwittingly holding her breath.
They walked into a wide hallway, and from there he showed her into a huge reception room. At one end was a luxurious open-plan kitchen, with superbly modern appliances, all chrome and dark glass, and there was a utility room off to one side. Next to that, separated by an island bar, was the dining area. Beyond this was the great expanse of the living room, bordered along its length by floor-to-ceiling windows and glazed doors.
He opened up the doors and led her out onto the roof terrace. ‘What do you think?’ he asked.
She looked out at the stunning view of London and the Thames spread out before her, bathed in sunlight, the sky a beautiful pale blue.
She put a hand to her throat. ‘It takes my breath away,’ she said. ‘I’ve never seen anything quite so lovely.’
He looked as though he was pleased by her reaction. ‘Would you like to eat out here?’
She nodded. ‘Yes, please. That would be good.’ It was warm and sheltered there, and it was pleasing on the eye, with potted plants in abundance, adding bright splashes of colour.
‘First, I’ll show you the rest of the apartment, if you like.’
‘Yes,
please.’
The rest of the apartment was equally attractive. The bathroom was gleaming with ceramics and glassware, and the master bedroom was spacious, with French doors leading to its own balcony.
‘Oh, how the other half live,’ Emma said, as they went back to the kitchen. ‘I can’t believe that we’re so far apart when it comes to lifestyles. What must you have thought of my tiny place?’
‘I thought it was small and perfectly formed, just like its owner,’ he murmured, a glint coming into his dark eyes.
‘Yeah, right.’ She gave him a doubtful look. Was he really saying that he thought she was attractive? Her mind did an odd little leap, but then she dismissed the thought. He was just playing with words, that was all.
Rhys started to rattle pots and pans, and she pulled herself together and went to help out with the preparations for the meal. It didn’t take long. It was more a question of throwing ingredients into a pan and adding heat, and the microwave was a useful asset for everything else. Emma tossed salad and set things out on a tray, carrying what they needed through to the terrace.
Rhys opened a bottle of chilled wine. ‘It’s light,’ he said, as he poured some into a glass for her, ‘and it has a fruity taste. I think you’ll like it.’
He was right. She did like it, perhaps a little too much. The food and the wine had a calming effect on her, helping to smooth away the rough edges of the day, so that after a while she felt languorous and completely at ease. When she had eaten her fill she leaned back in her chair and simply enjoyed the view.
‘You’re a better cook than you thought,’ she murmured, sending him a lazy smile. ‘That was delicious.’
‘Sure I am,’ he said, tongue in cheek. ‘Just think of all the hours I spent preparing everything.’
She gave a soft laugh, but perhaps that was a mistake because it drew his glance to her mouth, and soon she became all too conscious of his gaze wandering slowly over her. Her blood began to race through her veins. Inside, her head was swirling, but that could have been the effect of the wine she had drunk.
Wasn’t she setting herself up for danger by sitting here beside him, soaking up the balmy atmosphere? He was so close to her that she only had to reach out a hand to touch him, and she only had to say the word and he would kiss her, just as he had kissed her the day before. Wasn’t that what she wanted?
A ringing started up in her ears, and at first she thought it was the wine, weaving a heady, intoxicating spell on her, but then Rhys flipped open his phone and the ringing stopped.
‘No, I haven’t seen her since this afternoon,’ she heard him say. He glanced at his watch. ‘That would be about three hours ago now, I guess. Perhaps she’s gone to Elliot’s place. Have you called his number?’
He waited, listening for a moment, and then said, ‘All right, try not to worry. I’ll ring around and perhaps I’ll go over to her place and see if she’s there. It might be that she’s taking time out and isn’t answering her phone for a while. I’ll get back to you.’
He cut the call and glanced at Emma. ‘That was my mother. Amy didn’t meet them for tea as planned, and they’re beginning to worry. Normally she would have called them to cancel.’
‘Perhaps she’s still with Elliot. It could be that they’ve made up and are spending some quiet time together.’
He shook his head. ‘No, Elliot says she walked out on him and disappeared before he could catch up.’ He grimaced. ‘I’d better see what I can do to find her. In her state of mind, she might do something silly.’
‘Is there anything I can do to help?’
‘I don’t think so. Besides, you probably have to get back to Kayla, don’t you?’
‘Yes, I do.’ There wasn’t any immediate hurry to do that. Tracey’s mother was collecting the girls, but Emma sensed that he didn’t want her tagging along. This was a family issue, and they were closing ranks. She wasn’t wanted and, if the truth were known, she was part of the problem.
‘I’ll arrange a taxi for you,’ Rhys said. Already he had withdrawn from her, his mind focussed only on his sister. That was how it should be, but Emma desperately wished that she could be included. Instead, she felt the cool chill of rejection settle around her.
CHAPTER EIGHT
‘WHAT’S that noise?’ Kayla stirred and rubbed her eyes, peering into the darkness.
Emma smoothed down the bed covers and tried to settle the little girl once more. ‘It’s just the wind making the leaves of the trees rustle,’ she explained. ‘Don’t worry about it. Try to get some sleep. Think about all the fun you had at the party.’
Kayla smiled. ‘We played chase on the pirate ship, and we hid in the tents.’
‘You’ll be able to tell Mummy all about it tomorrow, won’t you?’ Emma stroked the little girl’s hair, soothing her, and waited until Kayla’s eyelids began to droop. Once she saw that the child was sleeping, she slipped quietly out of the room.
She went and checked the security chain that Rhys had fitted, and then made sure that all the bolts were pushed home. Her nerves were beginning to fray at the edges. It wasn’t the wind that Kayla had heard, she was sure of that.
Emma had been in bed when she’d first heard sounds of scuffling, and when she had looked out of the window, staring out into the night, she had caught a glimpse of a shadowy figure. Someone had been prowling around outside, and Emma’s spine had tingled in response. Her first thought had been to protect Kayla.
After what had happened to the dog, she didn’t want to take any chances. Her phone was to hand, and at the first sign of anyone trying to get inside the house she would call the police.
After half an hour or so she went back to bed and huddled under the duvet, clutching it around herself as though it was a kind of protection from the outside world. She tried to get some sleep. She had to be on duty in the morning, and she needed to be fit for work.
Rhys gave her a long look when she arrived at their base some hours later. ‘Are you feeling all right?’ he asked.
‘Yes, why do you ask?’
‘You’re very pale, and there are dark circles underneath your eyes. Are you sure that nothing’s wrong?’
She decided to own up. ‘I didn’t get a lot of sleep. I thought someone was hanging about outside the flat. I can tell you, I was really glad of the security chain and the bolts. Even so, I think I was trying to listen for noises, just in case.’ She made a grimace. ‘Normally, I wouldn’t have thought much about it, but after what happened to Samson I’m very much on my guard.’
‘Didn’t you tell the police about what happened to him? I would have thought they would make enquiries.’
She gave an awkward shrug. ‘I didn’t get around to it—I’ve had such a hectic time of it lately, with one thing and another, and, anyway, I thought they might be too busy to check up on something like that. They would perhaps assume that he had got on someone’s nerves with his barking and so on. I just wasn’t sure that it was the right thing to do.’
‘You don’t think that putting poison down was a very strange thing for anyone to contemplate?’ He gazed at her, an incredulous look in his eyes.
‘Well, yes, of course I think that…I just wondered if they would take it as seriously as I did.’
He shook his head as though her logic was beyond him. ‘How are you going to cope tonight? You can’t let this situation go on, can you?’
‘I’m taking Kayla over to my sister’s house. She’s having a get-together for her birthday, and we’re going to have a sleep over. It’ll be a bit cramped, but I’m sure it will turn out to be fun.’
A bleeping sound interrupted them, and James said, ‘There’s been an accident on an industrial estate. A spillage of chemicals at a factory, and several people are suffering from the effects of inhaling the vapours. We’re supposed to put on protective clothing before we attend.’
They all sprang into action. As soon as they were kitted out, they ran to the helicopter, and when they were under way Emma asked Rhy
s, ‘Did you manage to find Amy last night?’
‘No…there’s been no sign of her. She isn’t at home, and Elliot hasn’t seen her. I’ve tried the house, but I don’t think she slept there last night. Apparently she and Elliot had a row after we left them.’
Emma winced. ‘Perhaps she needed to get away for a clean break. It could be that she went to a hotel for the night.’
‘I can’t see why she would want to do that.’
‘Perhaps you’re worrying for no real reason. She’s an adult after all, and she might have wanted to spend some time thinking things through without being disturbed.’
‘There is that, I suppose. It’s just that she’s been through such a lot and, with her fragile state of mind lately, we’re all worried about her. My parents are beside themselves. I’m going to have to go and look for her again, some time later on today. She isn’t answering her phone.’
Emma frowned. ‘Do you have any idea where to start?’
‘No, but I suppose, as you say, I can at least check some of the local hotels. I’ll have to give it some thought.’
The helicopter lurched as they began to make the descent towards the factory. ‘What kind of chemical we dealing with?’ Emma asked.
‘It’s a liquid used in the production of polyurethane polymers. It gives off noxious vapours. It’s nasty stuff, and it acts as an irritant, so we can expect respiratory problems and skin reactions—maybe some gastric problems, too. We have to concentrate on getting people out of there as fast as possible, and above all we need to make sure that their airways are secure and deal with any breathing difficulties.’
Emma prepared herself for what awaited them. When they set down, it was apparent that everyone had already been brought out of the building. There were several ambulances in attendance, and the place was surrounded by police and fire crew.
Emma’s first patient had stopped breathing, so she secured his airway and started CPR. When he took his first gasping breath, she gave him an injection of a bronchodilator and hurried with him to the helicopter.
