‘It’s OK, I meant you to pick up,’ he says. ‘Make yourself at home. I hope you like it.’
‘It’s beautiful,’ she says, lying down on the double bed. ‘And so big. Amazing. I can’t believe you’ve been keeping it from me all this time.’
‘I wanted you to be ready, well enough to enjoy it.’
She can smell his scent on the pillows, clean and fresh as heather. It feels so good to be here – secure, cossetted, safe. Her worries of earlier are falling away with every passing second.
‘When are you coming back?’ she asks.
‘Late, I’m afraid,’ he says.
‘No worries,’ she replies, but she feels a pang of disappointment.
She turns to look at a photo on his bedside table. It’s of her, walking out of the surf in her bikini, a little chubbier than she’d like. Should she ask him about Cara? Tell him that she thinks she’s being followed? It sounds so paranoid, on a par with thinking that he’s been replaced by a double. Maybe it’s just another symptom of Capgras.
‘Dr Varma should be with you shortly,’ he says.
‘That’s good.’ She pauses, feeling awkward at the prospect of Ajay’s visit. She hasn’t told Rob the real reason why she wants to see Ajay and she wonders if she’s wasting his time. Once again, Rob sounds like himself on the phone. ‘Will I be asleep when you get back?’ she asks.
‘I hope not. We’ve some catching up to do.’
‘Shall I get some supper for us?’ she asks, smiling at the thought of what they might do together later.
‘I’ve put a few things in the fridge,’ he says. ‘You go ahead. I’m sorry.’
‘It’s OK. Really.’
This time she fails to hide her disappointment. She’s genuinely looking forward to seeing him, to being in this bed with him. The two of them here together, in his flat, is exactly what she needs right now. It’s a new stage in their relationship, the first time she’s been in London with him, and she can’t wait to celebrate that. She’s moved on from her old life, the village, Jake, and she’s going to put her fears behind her – no more stressing about the dead man on the beach, about Cara, about Rob’s double.
‘What are your plans after seeing Dr Varma?’ he asks.
‘I thought I might pop out to visit a gallery,’ she says. ‘It’s been a while.’
‘Nice.’
‘Then come back, run a deep bath, light a few candles. Get myself ready.’ She pauses. ‘I can’t wait to see you.’
‘Me too.’ He hesitates before continuing, his voice less confident. ‘I bought you a few clothes. They’re in the wardrobe. See you later – I’ve got to go.’
He hangs up.
She lies there for a few seconds, smiling to herself, and then slips off the bed, pulling open the cupboard door like an excited child on Christmas Day. It’s full of new clothes, all her size and just her look. Bohemian summer dresses from Ghost, Rubina slides from Paul Smith, linen kaftan-neck tops from Toast. There’s some nightwear too – thin cotton pyjamas from the White Company. Rob knows her so well. She should ring him back to thank him, but he sounded busy.
After going through all the clothes and setting out each item on the bed, she lies down beside them, holding the photo frame, and starts to cry. Happy tears but also sad ones. Jake bought her White Company pyjamas in their last days together, but she gave them back, told him to get a refund and spend the money on fixing the boat’s leaking windows. They were broke, but it was still unkind of her. He knew she loved the pyjamas, couldn’t understand her reaction. She gets the orange dress out of her bag and hangs it in the wardrobe.
Something catches her eye as she places the frame back on the bedside table. Another photo is hidden behind the first, one corner just visible. Rob with a different woman? Does he change the photos depending on who’s staying in his flat? She tells herself to relax as she slides the photo up. It’s of Rob when he was much younger, on an exotic-looking beach. Could it be Thailand? There are palm trees, small islands on the horizon. He isn’t smiling at the camera.
She examines it more closely, scrutinising the photo for clues. Is it him? It looks exactly like Rob. He’s wearing a floral shirt, shorts and espadrilles and seems drunk, almost leering at the camera. Then she notices a watch on the left wrist. Rob is left-handed. Maybe the picture was printed incorrectly, as a mirror image. He wears his watch on the right, doesn’t he?
61
Jake
Jake pushes back his chair, staring at the screen as he calls Bex on his mobile. Her computer is behaving strangely. First, the camera came on unprompted yesterday, and then it woke up without any reason when Kate was here today. He’s checked the settings and it hasn’t been programmed to sleep or wake at certain times. And now the screen cursor seems to move occasionally by itself. It might just be a hardware fault, but it’s making him jumpy.
‘Technical support here,’ he says. ‘Have you been experiencing any problems with your computer recently?’
‘How was Kate?’ Bex says, ignoring his attempt at humour.
Kate’s obviously told Bex about her flying visit to the village and Bex obviously doesn’t approve.
‘Fine,’ he says. ‘I put her back on the train.’
‘How did you find her?’ Bex is sounding like she always used to when she talked to him – dismissive, short. It’s as if their recent conversations about Kate never happened.
‘It was good to catch up,’ he says, not sure where the conversation is heading. ‘We talked some more about Capgras.’
‘And?’
‘I think she found it reassuring – she’s going to talk to Dr Varma about it.’
Bex doesn’t reply.
‘She also told me about the body on the beach,’ Jake continues. ‘I’m sorry.’
‘Nothing personal, but I can’t believe she jumped off the train like that,’ Bex says, choosing not to pick up on his mention of the dead body. ‘She was so focused on getting to London. Being with Rob.’
‘She wanted to see the boat,’ Jake says defensively. ‘How are things down there now?’
‘The dog’s doing my head in, but otherwise fine, thanks.’ She pauses. ‘Actually, not great. I can’t get the image of the dead man out of my mind. And because I was one of the first to see the body, everyone wants to talk to me about it.’
‘Better out than in,’ Jake says, struggling to find the right words. ‘Talking about it, I mean.’
‘I’ve been thinking,’ Bex says. ‘I might come back up to the village – I need to get away from here, the beach.’
‘Tonight?’
Jake glances back into Bex’s kitchen. He will need to tidy up, find somewhere else to stay.
‘In Rob’s car,’ she continues. ‘He said I can use it. I’ll bring the dog too.’
‘Do you want me to move out?’ he asks.
He’s become quite settled in Bex’s house.
‘Don’t be daft.’ She pauses. ‘I’d rather not be on my own right now.’