Page 25 of The World Outside My Window

‘Gosh,’ Carol says. ‘I’ve never heard of that before. It sounds awful, you poor thing.’

‘It is. It’s—’ She stops again, swallows. ‘It’s been difficult these last few months. It was why we moved here, to try and get me better.’ She gives a self-deprecating laugh. ‘That clearly didn’t work out.’

Carol watches her for a moment, trying to decide what to say. To think, this woman has been too scared to leave her house, and yet here she is, sitting in front of Carol right now in her very own living room. This must mean something exciting has happened. But before she can ask anything more, Arthur pipes up.

‘This the first time you’ve been out of your house, then, is it, love?’

Laura nods. ‘Yes. Apart from a few practices in my garden, this is it.’

‘That must have been very difficult. You’re very brave.’

‘Thank you.’

Carol studies Laura a bit more closely. Now she comes to think of it, Lauradoeslook very pale, and she seems quite on edge, as though she’s about to burst into tears. Carol does hope she’s not, she’s not very good with people crying, and she doesn’t want to get the settee covered in snot.

‘Well, is there anything we can do to help you? Now that you’re better, I mean.’

Arthur shoots Carol a look and she frowns. What has she said wrong now?

‘I don’t think she’s better, Carol. I think she’stryingto get better. Isn’t that right, love?’

Laura nods again, and this time Debbie speaks.

‘It’s been a slow process, but Laura’s been doing brilliantly,’ she explains. ‘But there’s a reason for this happening now, and in fact we did wonder whether you might be able to help us.’

‘Oh?’ Carol thinks she might burst if they don’t tell her what they want soon – but she’s glad she’s managing to hide it well.

‘The thing is, Jim’s gone missing.’ This is Laura again, and her voice wobbles on the last word.

‘Missing?’ Carol repeats, trying to contain her excitement at this turn of events. Here she’d been, wondering what the day was going to bring, and now this mystery has been brought to her actual door. Who else on the street knows about it, or is she the first?

‘He left for Leeds on Sunday night, as usual, and was due to be home on Thursday, as usual. But he – he didn’t come home. That was two weeks ago.’

Now this is getting good. Missing for two weeks?

‘Oh no,’ Carol says, her hand fluttering to her chest. ‘You poor thing. We had no idea Jim had gone missing, did we, Arthur?’

‘Well, of course not,’ Arthur says.

‘And you haven’t heard from him at all?’

‘No, she hasn’t, Carol, that’s why he’s missing,’ Arthur adds, and Carol wishes, not for the first time, that he were close enough for her to give him a kick in the shin. She turns back to Laura to hear more of the story, but not before throwing her husband a dirty look that she hopes he’s seen.

‘No, I haven’t heard a thing. I’ve spoken to the police, who have said they’ll help, but I – I don’t think they’re taking it very seriously. I think they assume Jim will walk in the door at any moment and everything will be fine but – well, they don’t know Jim, not like I do. I know he wouldn’t do this.’ A single tear escapes from Laura’s eye and she swipes it away with the back of her hand. Beside her, Debbie’s hand reaches out and presses gently on her friend’s arm, then she takes over the story.

‘In a nutshell, Mr and Mrs Loveday—’

‘Please call us Carol and Arthur.’

‘Okay, thank you. In a nutshell, Carol and Arthur, we were hoping you might know something that could help us find Jim.’

‘Oh, I see.’ Carol sits back. Well, this is a turn-up for the books. Actually she can hardly believe her luck. A real-life drama is happening right in front of her eyes, in her own street, and she is one of the first to know about it!

A thought occurs to Carol then. That will have been what the police car was here for the other day. She wondered at the time, of course, only Arthur didn’t seem keen to go out and try and find out more, and she couldn’t because it was threatening to rain and she’d only just had her hair set at the hairdresser’s that morning, and the frizz would have been unspeakable. Anyway, she’s glad she’s solved the mystery now. She doesn’t like loose ends.

Arthur would say she watches too many soaps, of course, and that she’s getting carried away with herself. But she’s determined to help them. After all, doesn’t this poor woman need her? She’s just said as much. Ooh, it’s like an episode ofThe Bill.

‘Well, I’m sure we can help, can’t we, Arthur?’

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