Now, as she pulled up in front of Phyllie’s house, she wondered what she should do. Hannah had said to stay away from the chat room, but she knew she had to log in. She didn’t plan to chat with Eliza or Suze, but she wanted to read through their previous conversations to see what she’d missed. Surely there must have been something said at some point that should have alerted her to the fact that it was a set-up?
‘Hey, Nat.’
Nat turned as she climbed out of the car and saw Leon approaching her.
‘I’m nearly bursting with all the unsolicited advice I’ve been storing up for when you visit. Every day Rainbow looks out hopefully, but you never appear. Should I tell her it’s never going to happen?’
Nat’s stomach flipped as she looked at Leon. He was smiling but there was something else in his face. She wasn’t sure if it was hope or desire or a combination of the two. Part of her would love to say yes right now and go and join him for a glass of wine, but after the day she’d had she needed to get on to the chat room and see what was happening. What if Suze was lured into their trap too?
‘I’ve had a difficult day and have something I really need to attend to right now,’ she said.
Leon immediately looked concerned. ‘Can I help?’
Nat stared at him for a moment. She would love to confide in him, tell him everything that was happening. Have his strong arms comfort her . . . She gave herself a mental shake. This wasn’t helping. ‘Thank you, but probably not at this stage. I’m hoping it will be sorted out in the next few days.’
‘Well, if you do need any help, just let me know.’
‘Thanks. And please tell Rainbow I’m not standing her up. In fact, tell her I’ll come over on the weekend with a bottle of my favourite red, a carrot, an apple and whatever other suitable goat food I can find along the way.’ She grinned. ‘I guess I can just pick flowers from your garden before I arrive.’
Leon’s eyes twinkled. ‘Speaking on behalf of Rainbow, she’s looking forward to it already.’
Nat was still smiling as she pushed open the front door. She stopped, her smile slipping. Phyllie, hands on hips, was standing on the other side of the door as if she’d been waiting there all afternoon.
‘What have you been up to, missy?’
There was not a trace of humour in Phyllie’s words and her face was contorted with anger as she waited for Nat to respond.
Surely she wouldn’t be this angry about Nat agreeing to spend an evening with Leon? ‘He’s just a friend, Phyllie. I promise I won’t ruin anything you have with him.’
‘I’m not talking about Leon. I’m talking about something else.’
‘Then you’ll have to be a little more precise with your questioning. What specifically did you want to know?’ Nat closed the front door and moved into the house.
‘I would like to know why your father and Sue are coming to collect me on Friday morning to take me to the doctor’s for’ – she raised her fingers into air quotes – ‘a check-up. What exactly have you been saying to them?’
‘What reason did they give you?’
Phyllie shook her head. ‘That’s not answering my question. In my entire adult life, your father has never suggested he take me to the doctor. Yet, a short time after my granddaughter moves in, suddenly I need a check-up. I’m not stupid, Nat.’
Nat sighed and held up her hands. ‘Okay, fine. Dad, Sue, Hannah and I were talking, and we decided that as much as you hate us interfering in your business, we did at least want you to have a check-up every six months to make sure you’re kept in optimum health. There are some vaccinations you should have every ten years too, like whooping cough. We wanted to make sure you were up to date.’
Phyllie narrowed her eyes. ‘That’s all it is? Just general health and some vaccinations?’
Nat nodded. ‘As far as I know. Unless you’ve got other issues you need to discuss with the doctor?’
Phyllie shook her head. ‘No, I don’t, and I don’t know why your father couldn’t have just said that when I asked him. His cock-and-bull story about receiving a letter from the government saying as next of kin it was his responsibility was just ridiculous. Did he think I’d be too scared to have an injection?’
Nat couldn’t help but smile. Her father had never been very good at making things up on the spot. She guessed they should have come up with a better story when they decided to make the appointment at the doctor’s.
Phyllie sank into her armchair. ‘I’ve been worried all day for nothing. Now, you’d better go and fix me a whisky. That blasted computer of yours has been playing chimes all day too. Next time, could you turn it off before you go out?’
Nat had a quick look at the computer. She’d been in a rush that morning and hadn’t switched it off like she usually did. The only program that was set up to chime with new messages was the online chat room. She opened it quickly and saw twelve alerts. Scrolling through them she saw they were Eliza checking if she was available. Interesting. She stepped away from the computer and went through to the kitchen to get Phyllie’s drink. She filled a tumbler with ice before pouring a decent measure of whisky into it and carried it through to the living room. She placed it on the small side table next to Phyllie’s chair.
‘Not joining me?’
‘No, I need to have a look at some of these messages. I’ll make us some dinner a little later, if that’s okay?’
‘I already ate,’ Phyllie said. ‘Shepherd’s pie – it was delicious.’
Nat stared at her grandmother. ‘The one with the grated cheese on the potato?’
‘Mm, yes, my favourite. I highly recommend it. There’s none left though. The baking dish is soaking.’
Nat went back to the kitchen. She’d made the shepherd’s pie when she’d arrived home from work the previous day, and they’d eaten it for dinner. So what had Phyllie eaten tonight? There was no baking dish in the sink. She opened the dishwasher. It was full of breakfast dishes, and a small plate that she assumed was from Phyllie’s lunch. There was nothing else – certainly no baking dish or a plate with remnants of shepherd’s pie.
She walked back to the living room, choosing not to say anything, and plonked herself down in front of the computer screen. Thank God she’d spoken up about Phyllie to her father and Hannah and something was being done. She was feeling guilty enough about her father’s money. She didn’t want to add guilt about Phyllie to her load.
Another alert chimed on her screen. It was Eliza.
LizaE
You there, Lia? Have some news. Dying to share it with you. Can see you’re online so hopefully you’ll see this message.
Nat clicked on the ‘Hide Me’ icon so she could appear offline as she navigated the chat room. She scrolled to the top of the conversation with Eliza and Suze and read through every entry. Reading this, it was hard to believe anything was wrong; it all seemed so genuine, so much like they were making friends. It was crazy to think that Eliza had organised them meeting up too. Who would do something like that? Wouldn’t you want to remain anonymous? But then again, it certainly made it all the more believable. And Doug, she guessed he didn’t even exist. So she’d been receiving advice on her gambling issues from a woman who had probably never experienced or knew anyone with similar problems.