Page 118 of An Unholy Affair
There was a pause. ‘Hang on, I’ll come and let you in.’
When Erica opened the door, her face was grave. ‘Hi Jack, do you mind if we have a chat?’
‘No, not at all. Is everything okay?’
She didn’t reply, leading the way down the corridor, ushering him into her office and shutting the door behind him.
His heart hammered. Something was seriously wrong. ‘Erica, has someone died?’
She shook her head. ‘Please, take a seat.’
Sitting opposite him, the lines on her face that were usually animated by laughter were now pinched with stress.
‘Jack, I wanted to speak to you privately before the other residents. I’m afraid there’s been a serious complaint against you.’
‘What?’ They couldn’t know he was an escort. No-one except Eveline knew, and he would swear on his own life she would never break his confidence.
Erica rubbed her forehead as if to erase the lines. ‘You’ve been accused of—’ She gave a bitter laugh, as if she couldn’t believe she was saying the words. ‘—peddling drugs, supplying alcohol, and being sexually inappropriate.’
Jack’s jaw dropped as he reminded himself he was actually awake and on the same planet as yesterday. ‘What the f—? Erica, this is insane. What drugs?Sexually inappropriate?Is this when I danced in the lounge with the residents? You were there the whole time! Do you think I acted inappropriately?’
She shook her head.
‘Then what exactly have I been accused of? And by whom?’
Erica sighed. ‘I’m afraid I can’t disclose who made the complaints, but I can give you the substance of them.’
Okay, so only one person. This is a start.
‘Apparently, you have given them alcohol, erectile dysfunction medication, and lessons on sexual performance.’
Jack blinked as the pieces fell into place, creating a picture of a wizened old woman with a shrivelled-up heart and ears that functioned better than bats. He sagged with relief and started laughing.
‘Jack?’
‘Sorry, Erica.’ He took a breath. ‘I take it this complaint has come from Simon Little on behalf of his mother, Gladys?’
Her eyes widened slightly and her nostrils flared.
Bingo.
‘I’m afraid I cannot confirm or deny that.’
Jack ran his hands through his hair. ‘Okay, before I tell you whatactuallyhappened, I need you to know that yesterday Simon scuppered all of Eveline’s plans to remove the pews from Saint Saviour’s.’
‘But why? He was supporting her!’
‘Because of me.’
Erica paused, reading his expression as he stared intently at her. ‘Ah,’ she eventually replied.
‘And as to those ridiculous accusations, Robert has been courting Shirley and gave me money to buy food and wine for a special meal he wanted to prepare for her. He’s unable to walk far because of his injury, let alone carry heavy bags, so asked if I could do it. The other day, he made a joke about Viagra, asking if I could pick it up at the supermarket. At the time of the conversation, I believed we were alone in the lounge. This was clearly not the case.’
Erica let out a breath.
‘But don’t take my word for it,’ Jack continued. ‘Please speak to Robert.’
She nodded. ‘Do you mind if you stay here whilst I do that? I’ll just see if I’ve got a spare member of staff who can sit with you.’
