uneaten noodles around my plate now that they’re in a solid lump.
Rob plonks down onto the kitchen sofa as if the question has pushed him in that direction. ‘You never eat takeaway. In all the time I’ve known you, you’ve never ordered one.’
‘I think the time has finally come. It’s about time I surprised myself by indulging. Anything will be more appetising than this.’
I don’t like being wasteful. I think of Clive, and how he never buys any new clothes. But even I’m able to admit when something is inedible.
We agree on Chinese food and opt for the dishes that offer the most vegetable content. It’s a forty-five-minute wait and even though my tummy is grumbling, we both get on with the life admin that we need to tend to. Rob puts on a load of washing and I plonk my uneaten meal in the bin and clean my plate, running a cloth over the kitchen surfaces for good measure.
When the doorbell goes my stomach rumbles in a low wail and I’m not sure if it is in relief or a call to the wild so everyone will know my belly needs to be first in the queue.
Much to my stomach’s disappointment, there are no complimentary prawn crackers awaiting me on the other side of the door. Instead, I recognise PC Doyle, along with a colleague, on the doorstep.
‘Evening, sorry to call so late, but we’ve been trying for the last two days and no one’s answered.’
I sense the floor falling out from under me.
‘I’m so sorry. Is there something I can help you with?’
Please go away, I echo in my head. I’d never wish an emergency on anyone, but if something relatively urgent draws them away right now, it will be a marvellous turn of events.
‘We were wanting to talk to Mr Ellington. We understood he was staying with you. It’s with regards to his property.’
‘He’s not here,’ I say, short on anything more to tell them.
‘Can you tell us where he is?’
No, no, I can’t.
The knowledge that I have the police at the house and I can’t come out with the truth is enough to make me want to run away. ‘He’s out,’ I say.
It’s not a lie.
‘Is everything okay?’ Rob joins me at the door after clocking I’m not having a discussion with a delivery driver.
‘Do you know where Mr Ellington has gone out to?’ PC Doyle sounds impatient.
‘Who?’ Rob asks.
‘He said he was meeting a friend at the pub. I don’t know which one. Can I take a message?’ I say it quickly, hoping that the rush of words will camouflage my housemate’s questioning expression.
‘We need to speak with Mr Ellington directly. Can you ask him to call me when he’s back?’ PC Doyle looks over my shoulder to Rob. ‘I don’t suppose you know which pub Mr Ellington went to?’
Rob’s expression is blank as he looks to me for answers. ‘Nope. Not a clue.’
‘Hmmmm…’ the police officer muses. ‘We’re on duty all evening. I want to hear from him before I go off shift, understand?’ He passes me a card.
It’s at that moment that a terrified-looking delivery driver arrives. Judging by his age he’s one of the university students and his expression says he’s never been this close to what might be trouble before. ‘Chinese order,’ he says, weakly.
‘I’ll make sure he gets in touch as soon as he’s back.’ I try to sound confident and cross my fingers, hoping Rob doesn’t say anything that will give the game away.
The police leave, but not without throwing a narrowing of the eyes in my direction. It sinks in that this is the closest I’ve ever been to trouble as well.
Once the delivery driver scarpers and I close the door, Rob rips open the prawn crackers and offers me one before also helping himself.
‘What was that all about?’
I dish up our order of sweet and sour chicken with vegetable noodles and despite everything that is going on, my stomach continues to rumble.
Lucy obviously hasn’t told him anything, like I requested. ‘They’re just trying to get hold of someone.’
‘Yeah, but who? And why have they come here trying to find him? Unless we have a new housemate I don’t know about?’
‘He’s not a housemate. They just think he lives here.’ We both settle at the table, eager to eat.
‘Why? What’s been going on?’ Concern pushes through Rob’s features, an extra crease appearing on his brow.
I hesitate for a while, not least because I’m chewing the biggest piece of