Page 103 of A Helpin g Hand for the Village Nurse

Flo shook her head. ‘On the phone. She said she’d get Heath into trouble if I didn’t give her some. I only have a bit put away, but she knows how much it is and she wants it all. Ottilie…what should I do?’

‘You certainly won’t give her any money!’ Ottilie exclaimed. ‘Listen, I know people – my husband was a policeman and I know people in Manchester who can go and talk to her. This sounds like extortion or blackmail or something, but whatever it is, it’s out of order. She’s scared you half to death, hasn’t she?’

‘But what will she do to Heath?’

Ottilie paused, her frown deepening. ‘What has she said she’ll do to Heath?’

‘She didn’t say.’

‘Then I’m sure it’s all bluff. Heath said…’ Ottilie thought back to their conversation about his ex. He hadn’t told her what Mila had done, but he’d said how good she was at gaslighting. ‘It won’t be anything. She’s saying what she thinks will get you to hand over your savings. Let me phone Heath?—’

‘Don’t! He’ll think I’m ever so silly!’

‘He’d want to protect you! He thinks the world of you, Flo! For the love of God, please let him deal with this. He knows his ex-wife better than anyone and he’ll know what to do.’

‘Do I have to go home?’

‘Not if you don’t want to. You won’t be able to sit with me because I have patients, but I’m sure Lavender won’t mind if you stay with her in the reception.’

‘I can’t. She’ll want to know why I’m there.’

Ottilie pondered for a moment. ‘OK,’ she said finally. ‘Would you be all right if I sit you in the kitchen with a cup of tea? I’ll come and see you in between patients. We’ll phone Heath now and he can be here in an hour or so. How does that sound?’

Flo gave a weak nod. Ottilie had never seen the usually indomitable old lady so distressed before. Whatever Mila had said or done, she must have really meant business.

Flo had cheered dramatically sitting in the surgery kitchen with some leftover Victoria sponge and a pot of tea. Ottilie had explained to Lavender and Fliss that they shouldn’t ask her what she was doing there and that she was taking care of the situation, and they’d been content to leave it at that – though both women must have been wild with curiosity. Ottilie hoped to get permission to explain it to them later, if she even got a full explanation herself, that was. There were no guarantees. If Flo didn’t want to share all the details, it wasn’t up to Ottilie to push it.

An hour and a half later, Heath arrived. Lavender phoned through to Ottilie’s office between patients to tell her she’d sent him into the kitchen to see Flo. They were deep in a very intense conversation when Ottilie managed to get there, both turning at her entrance with faintly guilty expressions.

‘I’m sorry,’ she said. ‘I don’t want to interrupt; I only wanted to see if everything was all right, or if there’s anything I can do.’

‘I don’t think so,’ Heath said. ‘I mean, I don’t think we need you to do anything. Thank you for letting her sit here until I arrived.’

‘It’s no problem.’ Ottilie hovered at the door.

Heath glanced at Flo. ‘Do you want to tell Ottilie about it?’ he asked his gran.

Ottilie held up a hand. ‘I don’t want to know if it’s going to cause a problem.’

‘No, but I think you deserve an explanation. You’ve been more than patient – with the both of us. It’s only fair we’re straight with you.’

‘Honestly, it doesn’t matter. As long as Flo is OK – that’s all I care about.’

‘I know,’ Heath said with a tight smile. ‘And that’s why I know I can trust you.’ He glanced at Flo again before turning back to her. ‘It’s been a long time since I felt like I could trust anyone.’

Ottilie went to sit at the table with them.

‘But she said…’ Flo began.

Heath shook his head. ‘Gran, she’s trying it on with you. She can’t do any of the stuff she says she can.’

‘Like what?’ Ottilie asked, her curiosity getting the better of her. She’d vowed to stay neutral and she hadn’t wanted to pry, but there was a growing part of her that needed to know what was going on here. She was convinced, more and more, that it somehow mattered to her too.

‘Oh, some bull about getting me in trouble – says she’ll make an anonymous phone call to the Inland Revenue for dodgy tax, or tell the police I did something or some such crap. I don’t know – every word that comes out of her mouth is a fantasy. It took me a while to realise that, but I see it now. She’ll do anything for money because that’s all she cares about. It’s not even the worst thing she’s done – not by a long chalk – but still, by her standards it’s desperate.’

‘What’s the worst thing?’ Ottilie asked, afraid of the answer but unable to stop the question.

Heath looked at his gran. ‘I’d better get you home.’

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