‘What?’ Mel says, twisting round. She grips the arms of the leather chair. ‘That’s terrible. But… but residents don’t keep money in their rooms. Do they?’ Mel knows that cash is discouraged, that any extras residents may wish to purchase are handled by an in-house card system and added to the bill. The Cedars has its own little shop, selling books, magazines, a few luxuries. Plus there’s a hair salon on site.
Josette pulls a face, tightening the already tight skin on her forehead and cheekbones.
‘Apparently, Bob’s son had left him three hundred pounds in cash for emergencies. It was in a jacket pocket in his wardrobe. Not within our guidelines, of course, but we can’t prevent such instances. But what we can prevent is theft. When Bob’s son visited on Sunday, he went to check the cash and it was gone. He categorically states it was there two days before, on the Friday.’
‘That’s terrible,’ Mel says. ‘Maybe Bob hid it elsewhere and forgot.’ She doubts that’s true. Bob’s mind is sound, even if his body isn’t quite as robust these days.
‘His son turned the room upside down. No cash.’ Josette strides back over to her desk, towering above Mel in her patent black heels. She perches on the corner of the desk, arms folded across her white blouse. ‘Do you know anything about this, Melanie?’
‘Me?’ she replies, instantly feeling her cheeks redden. She can’t help it. ‘No, no, of course not.’ She swallows. ‘I’d never—’
‘Money’s tight as a single mother, am I correct?’ Josette says, staring down at her. Her dark eyes bore out from beneath her straight-cut fringe.
‘Well, yes, but I don’t see—’
‘So if you were, say, helping Bob to get dressed and the cash fell out of his pocket or, indeed, you discovered it in there, it’s also correct to assume it would be very tempting for you to slip it into your own pocket. Yes?’
‘No!’ Mel says as firmly as she can without making matters worse. She absolutely won’t be accused of something she didn’t do. ‘Of course I didn’t take Bob’s cash. I’m not a thief, Josette. Surely you know that? I’m a good employee, and—’
‘Were you caring for Bob on Saturday, Melanie?’
‘He was on my list, yes,’ Mel replies, willing the burn in her cheeks to subside. She pushes back her shoulders and holds her head up. She won’t be bullied into admitting to something she didn’t do. She’d be fired for sure, and there’s no way she can afford to lose her job. ‘I was working alongside Clara. She’ll vouch for me.’
‘Were you ever alone with Bob in his room?’
‘I really don’t see why—’
‘Just answer, please, then we can wrap this up so I can report to the family. Naturally, they’re very distressed.’
Mel sits there, her mind melting into a mix of not understanding any of this to actually wondering if she may have somehow, inadvertently or accidentally, gathered up Bob’s cash by mistake. And she’s also conscious that she’s going to be late picking Kate up from after-school club.
‘I… I was alone with Bob for some of the time, I guess, yes,’ she replies quietly, thinking back, her eyes narrowing as she tries to remember. ‘But that’s not unusual. Clara may have been called to help with someone else, or maybe went to fetch something. You know how busy it can get.’
Josette remains perfectly still, her arms clamped across her chest, her long legs stretched out in front of her as she sits on the edge of the desk.
‘I took him for a walk. The weather was nice and he likes the fresh air.’
‘Which meant putting a jacket on, I’m assuming? It’s only April, after all.’
‘Yes, yes, I helped him into a jacket. And he wore his tweed cap. But honestly, I don’t recall seeing any cash. And if I had, I’d have mentioned to Bob about keeping it safe and reported it to the duty manager.’
‘What colour was the coat?’
It’s as if Josette isn’t hearing her – hearing only what she wants to hear to dig herself and her care home out of an awkward situation. If she gets fired, Mel knows Josette will have her replaced within a matter of hours through the agency. She’s expendable.
‘Green?’ Mel says.
‘Are you asking me or telling me?’
Mel takes a breath, glancing away briefly, forcing herself to keep calm. ‘It was green. A dark green corduroy coat with a brown collar. I remember commenting on how smart it was.’
Josette says nothing for a beat, just stares at her, as if she’s waiting for more to come out. But Mel doesn’t have anything else to say. She just wants to go and fetch Kate, imagining her standing alone outside the school gates. She can’t help the brief glance at her watch.
‘Do you have somewhere better to be, Melanie?’
‘No, sorry. It’s just my daughter… I have to fetch her and—’
‘What’s in there?’ Josette says, lightly kicking the carrier bag on the floor with her court shoe.
‘Just something I picked up for Kate. A pair of trainers,’ Mel replies, looking down at the supermarket bag.
The tightening of Josette’s jaw, the narrowing of her eyes, doesn’t go unnoticed by Mel. And neither does the thumping in her own heart. She doesn’t deserve this grilling.
Josette sits down behind her desk again, resting her elbows on the polished wood, her fingers steepled together in front of her face. ‘You can go now,’ she says, turning to answer her phone, ignoring Mel completely as she gathers her belongings, says goodbye and leaves.
Three
‘What a nightmare,’ Mel mutters under her breath as she slams the car door, throwing her bags onto the passenger seat. How, after nearly three years of loyal service, could Josette possibly think that she would steal money from a resident? From anyone?
Quickly, she lifts up her T-shirt to examine her scalded skin. Sure enough, there’s a red patch about the size of her palm just to the left of her navel. She blows on it, desperate to get home for some ice.
Mel shakes with anger as she drives away, trying to calm herself before picking up Kate. As soon as she’d left Josette’s office, she’d messaged her daughter to say she was on her way. But Kate hadn’t replied yet.
‘Come on, come on,’ she says impatiently at the lights. Every set seems to be changing to red as she approaches the junction. Finally, after taking a couple of shortcuts, she pulls up outside Portman High, scanning the street where Kate usually waits.
There’s no sign of her.
It’s only her second term – such a huge contrast to the primary school she loved – and she’s not made any friends yet. In fact, she knows the opposite to be true. ‘Kate, Kate, where are you?’ she whispers, calling Kate’s phone. It rings out, going to voicemail.
‘Dammit,’ she says, her heart rate rising. She dials again, just as she spots someone – a thin and stooped female figure – coming round the corner from the street just beyond the school. She squints, praying the figure resolves into Kate as she gets closer. At the same time, an old, rusty red van pulls slowly out of the turning, cruising alongside the person, and only when the figure flicks a quick wave at the van does it speed off. The light flares off the windscreen as it passes so Mel doesn’t see the driver.