Page 26 of The World Outside My Window

‘Yes. Yes, I’m sure we can.’ He nods and then frowns. ‘Although we don’t actually know where he’s gone – do we?’ He glances for confirmation at Carol, who tuts loudly.

‘No, of course we don’t actuallyknow, Arthur.’ She smiles at Laura and rolls her eyes, then throws a glance at her husband that says ‘I’ll deal with you later’. She turns back to Laura, smiling. ‘No, I’m afraid Jim never told us he was going anywhere. Well, of course not, if he didn’t tell you. But I’m sure we can come up with something that might help. After all, we knew him quite well, didn’t we, Arthur?’

‘Yes, dear.’

Laura leans forward until it looks as though she might tip off the sofa. ‘I hoped you’d say that. I—’ She glances at Debbie. ‘We know Jim was friendly with a few of the neighbours and we thought, well, we hoped, that someone might have a clue, might remember something that could help us.’ She shrugs. ‘It’s worth a go.’

Carol nods so vigorously she feels dizzy. She can’t remember anything Jim might have said, off the top of her head, but she isn’t going to tell Laura that yet. She’s sure she can help her solve the mystery and find her missing husband somehow. She’ll be a hero, have her picture in the local paper and everything – imagine that!

She reaches out and pats Laura’s knee gently, ignoring the flinch as she does. ‘Now, where shall we start?’

Laura glances at Debbie, her eyes wide.

Debbie sniffs. ‘The last time you saw him, I suppose. Did he say anything unusual, or seem different that day? Can you remember?’

Carol screws up her face, her nose almost disappearing into the hollow between her eyes. The last time she’d seen Jim she had been in the garden, she was certain of it. Yes, because she’d been dead-heading the roses and he’d stopped and chatted with her on his way to the station. He’d seemed normal, she’d have said. But maybe, now she comes to think of it, therewassomething different about him that day. Yes, she’s sure of it in fact, now she’s given it some proper thought. She’s surprised she hadn’t noticed it before, actually. He seemed – sadder. That was it. Not his normal cheerful self. Preoccupied, as if he had something on his mind. She opens her mouth to share her memory, but before she can get the words out, Arthur pipes up again.

‘He came round sometimes, just to say hello. Carol loved his company and they’d always sit in here and she’d show him old photos, of the kids, the grandchildren, you know. One day, we’d had a man come round and try to convince us to remortgage our house – well, you know, we’re pensioners now, we don’t need to release any money to go on a big cruise or anything like that. Why on earth would we want to remortgage our house? But he’d been very insistent and had been round a couple of times, pushing us more and more to sign some papers. I’d told him to leave us alone more than once but he didn’t seem to take the hint. Well, Carol had been worried about it, and when she told Jim he told us not to worry, that he’d deal with it for us. He looked cross too, do you remember, Carol? I’d never seen him look like that before.’

Carol nods mutely.

‘Anyway.’ Arthur stops, rubs his hand over his balding head, smooths down a couple of stray strands. ‘It’s not that we’re incapable, you know. It’s just that Jim always seemed socompletelycapable, so it just seemed easier to let him deal with it. Do you know what I mean?’

Laura nods. She does. She knows exactly what he means. Jim’s all-roundcapability, she realises now, is precisely the reason she hasn’t tried hard enough to get over this anxiety, to get herself better. Not that she blames him, of course. But it’s just that, because Jim has always been so good at sorting everything out for her, it has never felt necessary for her to try very hard.

‘So what happened?’

‘Oh, nothing in the end. We never saw the man again, although I don’t know to this day what Jim said to him. But it worked, whatever it was.’ A smile flickers across Arthur’s face. ‘Carol was so relieved. She’d thought she was going to be conned out of all her money and end up onCrimewatch.’ He smiles and Carol grimaces at him.

‘I did not!’ She turns away from Arthur crossly. ‘I was just grateful to Jim for helping us. Our boys are so far away now, one in Australia, one in Sweden, we couldn’t have asked them, and I didn’t think this man was going to give up very easily.’ She shrugs, plucks a stray thread from her skirt and watches as it flutters to the flowered carpet. She wishes she’d hoovered; there are crumbs from Arthur’s fruit cake everywhere. She hopes nobody notices.

To distract attention from the floor she picks up the plate of biscuits from the tray and offers them round. Laura takes a Bourbon and nibbles on it distractedly. The poor girl looks as if she needs a good meal, she’s so pale and skinny. Maybe she can cook for her, try and fatten her up a bit.

‘Would you like to stay for lunch? We’re only having toad in the hole, but there’s enough if you’d like some?’

Laura catches Debbie’s eye. Maybe if they stay a bit longer they might get something more out of them? She gives a small nod.

‘That would be lovely, if you’re sure?’

‘We’d be delighted.’ Carol’s face lights up. She stands and smooths her skirt again. ‘Can you come and give me a hand, please, Arthur?’

‘What? Oh, right.’ He heaves himself out of his chair and smiles at the two women, then follows his wife out of the sitting room and into the kitchen. Carol is almost brimming over with excitement. She shuts the door firmly behind her, opens the fridge and pulls out a packet of pork sausages.

‘This is brilliant, isn’t it, Arthur?’

‘You’re not serious?’ Arthur takes the sausages from her and starts snipping the packet open carefully. Carol turns back to the fridge to look for the milk. ‘Of course I am, why not? This is a real-life drama, Arthur.’

‘Carol, you do realise that this poor woman’s husband has gone missing, don’t you?’

‘Of course I do, I’m not stupid. But I’m sure nothing serious has happened to him, and it means we can help find him, don’t you see?’

Arthur shakes his head. ‘Love, not everything is like it is onCorrie. Something badcouldhave happened to him. This might turn out to have a sad ending after all, you know.’

‘Oh, don’t be so dramatic. I’m sure Jim’s perfectly fine.’

‘Why?’

Carol stops, unused to being challenged. ‘Well – I—’ She lines the sausages up neatly on the baking tray with some onions and pours oil over them. ‘Well, I don’t know, do I? I can’t imagine anything bad will have come of him. Things like that just don’thappen, do they?’

---