Page 8 of The Boathouse By the Loch

On the one hand, Jake thought that for the sake of the company, for the sake of William and Marcus, he couldn’t afford whatever dodgy past Aubrey might be concealing to come out now, just when things might finally be getting back to some semblance of normality. But what if this boy, Ralph, was a missing person, and was in some police database? However unlikely that was, it was still worth a try. Jake had enough on his plate, both with trying to find out what had really happened when they had been skiing the previous Christmas, and with the promise he’d made to Marcus to return to the Ross Corporation while he checked into rehab. He could have done without having Martha’s wish to find her son on his plate too.

Jake made up his mind. ‘I’ll text you the photo.’ She said, ‘I can’t make any promises—’

‘It’s fine, Faye. I appreciate it’s the end of term, and you’ve got a million things to get done before the summer holidays …’

‘I’ll find the time to give him a call. I’ll let you know what, if anything, he can do.’

‘Thank you, Faye.’ He didn’t really anticipate that Martha’s son would show up on a police database. He just hoped Martha’s brother didn’t show up on a police database instead. Jake frowned, wishing Martha’s son and brother didn’t have the same name. He didn’t want to think about that. Faye was probably right. By the sound of things, it was more likely Martha’s son had been registered with an adoption agency, and it had involved the family courts. Jake wasn’t family. He wouldn’t have access to what he imagined were closed adoption records. So far, Faye’s contact was the only official channel he had access to, and he reasoned that it might be a shot in the dark, but it was worth a try.

‘I just hope this doesn’t get back to my dad,’ Jake heard her mumble.

Jake acted like he hadn’t heard that comment. He imagined she would not want her father thinking that because she’d been in contact with one of his old friends, that opened the door to resuming their relationship. He hoped she didn’t change her mind about the favour.

‘Is Marcus with you?’ She’d only met him one time, but the slight inflection in her voice gave her away; her concern for Marcus was evident.

The question surprised him. ‘No,’ he said gruffly. It still got his hackles up – this apparent interest in Marcus. ‘I thought he told you that he was checking into a rehab clinic?’

‘Yes. I just wasn’t sure when.’

Jake said irritably. ‘In fact,’ he glanced at his watch, ‘at this verymoment he’s on the flight to London.’ Jake didn’t know why he was telling her all this. ‘Look,’ Jake picked up the pack of peas, which were now soggy, and put them down again. His head was still throbbing, but the peas weren’t going to do any good. ‘Why all the sudden interest in Marcus? You only met him at my house the other day.’ Of all the people he could have turned to for help when he was arrested and thrown in a cell, why had Marcus phoned Faye?

Jake though that they must have hit it off. Now things made sense, like the way Marcus had turned up at his house, aware of his intended holiday. There was only one possible explanation. ‘You told him, didn’t you?’ said Jake irritably. ‘You told him about my holiday.’ Jake didn’t know why he was suddenly making a big deal about it. After all, Marcus had already told him that fact. And if it wasn’t for Marcus giving her a call, he realised he wouldn’t be on the phone to her at all. She’d still be avoiding his calls. Jake bit his lip, wishing he hadn’t said anything.

‘Marcus looked so unhappy.’

‘You saw Marcus again?’ Jake said in surprise. ‘When?’

‘It was later that day, after you’d found Marcus at your house, and you slipped on the glass from the broken door. You know … when I returned to work without you.’

Jake shook his head. How could he forget? That was why he was on an enforced holiday before the end of the school term.

‘Yes, we kind of bumped into each other and he said he really needed to see you, Jake, speak to you, but you wouldn’t return his calls.’

‘You bumped into each other,’ Jake said flatly, thinking sarcastically that it was a likely story. Of course he believed Faye, but Marcus didn’t just bump into people.

Faye said, ‘It was after school. He drove past as I was leaving work. He waved and pulled over.’

Jake sighed heavily. Since when did the route from the Ross Corporation’s skyscraper building in the city – where employees of the Ross Corporation, including the executive directors, lived – to the London head office in Canary Wharf take you past an inner-city school?

Jake couldn’t believe Marcus had been trying to get to him through Faye. He’d succeeded: Faye had told him that Jake was going on holiday. The thought had crossed his mind that perhaps there was nothing going on between them. Instead, Marcus was just using her to get to him. He didn’t like either scenario.

‘So, I just thought I was doing you and Marcus a favour.’

‘Me and Marcus … or just Marcus?’ said Jake with an edge to his voice.

‘What are you talking about, Jake?’ Her voice sounded more reasonable than he deserved.

He wished he’d shut his mouth. He was afraid that his friendship with Faye was slipping away under Marcus’s influence. Marcus and Faye talking to one another was bugging him, big time.

Jake raised his eyebrows, wondering why he was feeling jealous. Marcus had a fiancée – Lydia.

He closed his eyes, his hand grasping his mobile phone, and had a revelation; Marcus had taken Eleanor away from him and now he was going to take Faye from him too. ‘I’ve got to go,’ he said. He put the phone down.

He had the sudden urge to haul himself to the airport, get on the first flight back to London and confront Marcus. Instead, the urge passed as quickly as it had come. Jake calmed down. He was overreacting. It had been one hell of a long day, and he wasexhausted.

He stood up and walked over to the window. He stared at Gayle’s back garden, his eyes roving to the rooftop of The Lake House. He shook his head. ‘I’m an idiot.’ Marcus wasn’t trying to take Faye away from him. Marcus was the one who had promised him he’d get Faye to call. And it had worked.

‘And now like the idiot I am, I’ve ruined my chance.’ He hoped that wasn’t the case. He had an impulse to call her back right away and apologise. The trouble was that he was afraid she wouldn’t answer the phone to him after his rude outburst.

---