The Long Call (Two Rivers #1) - Ann Cleeves Page 0,57

to you for money?’

The question seemed to throw her. Perhaps she didn’t want to be seen as mean or uncharitable. Not in this grand apartment, with its spectacular views. ‘You know about that? Yes. Simon got a very good deal out of the divorce. I thought it was his responsibility to pay back his friend.’

‘Even though he’d invested in your joint business?’

‘It wasn’t like that. There was nothing formal. It was a loan to a former colleague, a mate.’

‘Tell me about that second phone call. The one from the Ilfracombe landline.’

She paused for a moment. ‘It was as if I was talking to a different man, the man I first fell for. He sounded well. Peaceful. He said he’d started to put his life together. No more self-pity or anger and he’d pulled back on his drinking. He’d found somewhere to live. Nowhere grand, but it would be fine until he got himself sorted. He was cooking again, volunteering in a cafe in a community centre.’ Another pause. ‘He said I wasn’t to worry about him.’

‘Quite a transformation.’

‘Maybe. Though, like I said, it was almost as if he was himself again and the angry, self-loathing Simon was the man who’d changed.’

‘Where did you first meet?’

‘At school. We were childhood sweethearts. He was a couple of years older than me and I fell for him. Worshipped him from afar for a while and couldn’t believe my luck when he noticed me.’ She sipped her coffee, seemed lost in memories. ‘There was something frail about him even then. Emotionally, I mean, not physically, but I thought it was attractive. That vulnerability. I felt that I was strong enough for the two of us. I thought I could look after him.’ She looked up. ‘The arrogance of youth, right?’

Somewhere in the distance, schoolboys were playing a ball game. It would be rugby probably, here in Clifton. Jen could hear cheering, boys’ voices shouting. She waited for Kate to continue, glared at Ross so he wouldn’t jump in. Sometimes people had to tell their stories in their own time.

‘Simon joined the army straight after school. I couldn’t understand it. I mean, he was never a macho kind of guy. But I can see now that he was probably looking for security, a family. His mum was on her own, pretty dysfunctional. She died a couple of years ago. He and I kept in touch, though, and I saw him whenever he was home on leave. I started at uni, dropped out after a year. My parents blamed Simon for that, said it was an infatuation, but it was nothing to do with him. He was encouraging me to stay and complete the course. The academic life just wasn’t my thing. I got a management trainee post with a boutique hotel chain and worked my way up. Then Simon asked me to marry him. It was what I’d been dreaming of since I was sixteen. Of course I said yes.’

‘But it wasn’t quite what you expected?’ Jen knew about marrying too young, what it was like to be caught up with the romance of the idea, to blink away the solid reality of the man.

‘Not quite.’ Kate gave another little smile. ‘Simon was an officer in charge of catering for his regiment. He was sent to war zones, went with the men when they were away on exercise. They have to be fed wherever they are. He was often close to the front line. He might be chatting to a fellow officer one day, drinking to him the next because he was dead or invalided home. And while he was away, I wasn’t there to support him. I had no role in his life. I couldn’t be the dutiful army wife, staying in quarters, waiting for my man. I carried on working. It was no wonder we drifted apart.’ She paused. ‘We hadn’t actually spent very much time together since we were at school. It’s hardly surprising he seemed like a stranger when we did meet.’

‘So, he decided to leave the army.’ Jen thought she’d misjudged this woman when they’d first met, had her down as hard and cold because she had a smart home in a classy neighbourhood. People were always more complex than she realized and she was always too quick to jump to conclusions.

‘Yes, we decided to set up in business together. A little restaurant. Simon’s cooking and my admin skills. Where could we go wrong? I’d saved a bit and we