‘It’s too soon... I’ll need at least two more weeks. If anyone so much as touches the fucking paint... Just wait until it’s properly hardened, or you’ll fuck up the sale.’ He ended the call slamming his mobile down, then kicked at the frame resting against the table. ‘Fucking stupid arsehole... I’d like to cut his throat.’
Taking a deliberate look at his wristwatch, Jack drained his wine. ‘Look, if you want to get everything out of the Jeep, let’s do it now. I should be home.’
Border quickly regained his composure, putting an arm around Jack’s shoulder. ‘I’ve got you interested again, haven’t I, Mr Detective? We’ll have dinner the next time we meet and catch up on everything that’s happened since we last met.’
For the first time in months, Jack didn’t feel a bubbling anxiety just beneath the surface. Being in the company of an art fraudster like Adam Border who was still on the wanted list could get him into serious trouble, but instead of making him feel stressed, it made him feel alive.
‘Maybe,’ he said with a smile.
With the children now in bed, Maggie sat in the lounge making a list of items still to be collected, hopefully by Marius, within the next few days. Penny came in carrying two cups of hot chocolate.
‘Jack not back yet?’ Penny already knew he wasn’t.
‘No, and I have no idea where he’s gone. To be honest, I wanted him here when I talked to you, but as usual, he’s off doing his own thing.’
Penny hugged the hot mug. ‘It’s all very worrying.’
‘He’s stubborn as a mule. He’s refused to see any more specialists but he also won’t say when he’s going back to work.’
Penny was about to mention the fact that Jack had previously experienced nightmares as a child, when Maggie reached out and took her hand.
‘We appreciate everything you do for us, Penny, and I don’t want you to take this the wrong way... but now the loft conversion is finished, and we’ve bought the furnishings, I’m hoping to return to work in the next week or two. So, I was thinking...’
A beaming Penny interrupted. ‘I’m so glad you want to talk about it because I agree... I was going to suggest something that might help ease the pressure on us all, but I wasn’t sure it would be acceptable.’ She paused and Maggie, glad this conversation was going more easily than she’d expected, nodded for Penny to continue. ‘Marius will be back any day now and I was going to suggest, as he has been such a godsend, that he move into the loft. It’d be a double blessing as he can drive me back and forth to school and the shops and be at home with me to look after both Hannah and Charlie. At the same time, if needed, he can do more decorating and handiwork.’ She sat back expectantly.
Maggie tried not to frown or look shocked. ‘Um... I would need to discuss it with Jack.’
‘Oh, I know that, dear. I want you to understand that Marius and I are very close, but purely on a platonic level. He’s a good friend, and we enjoy each other’s company. I would also suggest that he pay a bit of rent.’
‘Hasn’t he got a place?’
‘Yes, a little flat, but I know he’s looking to move, so this just seems... perfect.’
Maggie hesitated, trying to think of the best way to put things. She was not keen on having Marius living in the house, even though he had been doing a great job with all the rebuilding and Hannah liked him.
‘Well, we’re sort of thinking along the same lines I suppose. I was going to suggest that you might need some help with Charlie. He needs so much attention, and I don’t really want him to be in a nursery.’
‘Oh, Marius adores Charlie and vice versa.’
‘What I was thinking, Penny, was maybe getting a part-time helper for the mornings and the school run or perhaps a live-in au pair... as you said, with the new loft extension, we have more than enough room.’
‘Oh no, no. I wouldn’t want anyone else looking after Charlie and Hannah. Besides, it would cost you more money to have a helper or an au pair. I wouldn’t trust anyone else like I do Marius.’
Maggie smiled glumly, deciding she would need Jack to back her up on this one.
‘Maggie, be honest, you’re not concerned about me, are you? I would be very upset if you thought I was incapable of looking after the children.’
‘I’d never think that, nor would Jack. I was worried it might be too much for you when Jack and I are back at work all day.’
Penny was near to tears. ‘It isn’t, it won’t be... I’m upset that you think I can’t cope.’
Maggie put her arms around her. ‘Please, don’t cry. Of course we know you could cope.’
‘Thank you, dear.’ Penny wiped her eyes with a tissue. ‘I think I’m off to bed.’ She stood up then turned back to Maggie.
‘Oh, I meant to tell you something, Maggie. You asked me a few days ago if Jack had any childhood sleeping problems. At first, I couldn’t remember because it was so long ago, but now I recall he did.’
Maggie was all ears. ‘Go on.’
‘They didn’t last long, a month maybe. Terrible screaming fits, and the only way he’d stop was if his dad held him in his arms. He would try to climb out of bed, fists flying, screaming blue murder, and sometimes he seemed still asleep. We asked the children’s home if he had been like it when he was there and they just said he’d been difficult to handle.’
‘Did they tell you the reason?’ Maggie asked.
‘No, but after a while, the nightmares ended and never occurred again. Jack was happy with us, very loving, always holding out his arms for hugs and kisses, and we knew we would never let him go. He was the son, the baby boy we had always wanted.’ She dabbed at her eyes again. ‘I’m so sorry I didn’t remember when you first asked.’
‘Well thanks for telling me now,’ Maggie said. ‘I’m sure it’ll be helpful.’
Penny smiled. ‘I do hope so.’
After Penny had gone upstairs, Maggie thought about what she’d just told her. She doubted that Jack’s childhood nightmares were linked to his current sleep problems, which seemed so obviously linked to the trauma of the Middleton case. But perhaps Jack had always responded like this to traumatic events. Maybe something bad had happened to Jack before Penny and Charlie took him in. It was something she’d need to ask Jack, but only when the time was right.
It was almost eleven o’clock when Adam Border dropped Jack off by Maggie’s car. He then headed south, across Putney Bridge and onto the A3 towards Haslemere. After an hour he turned off the A3, then drove along a private lane to an ivy-clad Tudor mansion set in 20 acres of land. It was colloquially known as the ‘Rock and Roll’ mansion, due to the many famous rock bands who had used it as a recording studio over the years.
Border drove past the neatly manicured gardens and outdoor pool, then parked in the large two-car garage. He walked to the rear of the house, passing a flourishing vegetable patch, before kicking off his boots outside the stable door. Inside was a bright, modern kitchen with a long row of copper pans hanging above a welcoming Aga.
Border threw his denim jacket over the back of a chair, flicked on the kettle and got a coffee percolator from the cupboard. He used an electric grinder for fresh coffee beans, and then, with the coffee brewing, he went to the double-doored fridge and removed a bowl of salad.
Helga walked in barefoot, wrapping a silk kimono around herself. Her long blond hair was braided into a thick plait.
‘I was right,’ Adam said. ‘Jack Warr came straight back to the market. I drove him to the old school and had a glass of wine with him.’