The Doctor

A minute later, ‘I’m back to where you arrive.’

‘OK, now press delete and keep deleting until just after I’ve gone.’

‘Yes, I’m doing it.’

Emily waited. She could hear Alisha’s breath coming fast and shallow.

‘Done it.’

‘Good. If Amit finds out, just act dumb and say you don’t know anything about it. He’ll think its malfunctioning.’

‘I think I must be dumb,’ Alisha said.

‘No. You just panicked. Are you OK now?’

‘Yes.’

At that moment, the light went off in the outbuilding and the door opened. ‘Alisha, Amit’s leaving now. Is the television back to normal viewing?’

‘Yes.’

‘Try to relax and stay calm. Do what you would usually do. I’ll see you Friday. You can switch off the CCTV before I arrive and then put it back on after I’ve gone, but we’ll speak again before then.’

‘Yes. Thank you.’ The line went dead.

Emily stayed by the window and watched Amit Burman as he carefully padlocked the door of the outbuilding and then began up the path towards the house. Alisha’s fear of being discovered had unsettled Emily. She had been panic-stricken. Genuinely afraid. Emily had heard it in her voice. Why, if Amit really was looking after her, as Alisha had claimed? She had doubts now.

Emily drew the curtains and then saved Alisha’s house phone number to the list of contacts in her mobile, just in case it should ever be needed.

Chapter Seventeen (#ulink_ec2affb3-8fde-5cb9-aa53-30fdb41e180f)

‘It’s off, I’ve switched it off!’ Alisha declared, having phoned Emily’s mobile at 1.55 on Friday. Emily heard her sense of achievement and the excitement in her voice.

‘Great. Well done. I’ll be round in five minutes. Just putting Robbie into his coat.’

‘See you soon.’

Alisha was waiting behind her front door and ready to open it as soon as Emily and Robbie approached. She was smiling, wearing a lovely dress and had styled her hair.

‘You look nice,’ Emily said, helping Robbie over the doorstep.

‘Thank you. I thought I should make an effort. You always look very fashionable. It’s so long since I had a visitor.’ Alisha quickly closed the door. ‘You and Robbie can sit in the living room while I make us some tea. Oh, but I need to take your coats first,’ she flustered. ‘Sorry, I forgot.’

‘Don’t worry,’ Emily said and slipped off her coat, touched by just how much their visit meant to Alisha. It nearly hadn’t happened. The day before, she’d had to spend ages on the phone persuading Alisha that the sky wouldn’t fall in if she switched off the CCTV for a while.

Emily handed their coats to Alisha, who hung them in the under-stairs cupboard.

‘Please go through to the living room and make yourself comfortable,’ she said a little formally. ‘I found some of Eva’s toys from when she was younger for Robbie to play with.’

‘Great,’ Emily said. Taking hold of Robbie’s hand, she steered him into the living room while Alisha went into the kitchen to make tea.

Laid out on the rug by the hearth was a collection of brightly coloured early years activity toys. They were similar to the ones Robbie had at home with buttons and knobs that could be turned and pressed to make different sounds, music, numbers, words and letters. Robbie toddled over to investigate as Emily sat on the sofa and looked down the garden. While her own garden was very bare in winter – a sea of lifeless twigs and brown earth – this garden was largely evergreen, with a screen of shrubs all around the edges forming a tall hedge. The one she’d cut between their gardens was shorter than those on the other two sides and she felt another stab of guilt. But she hadn’t known then that they were there to stop prying eyes from seeing Eva.

‘Please help yourself,’ Alisha said, returning with a tray set with tea and a plate of pastry savouries.

‘Wow. You’ve been busy,’ Emily enthused, impressed. ‘These look delicious.’

‘It was nice to cook something different. Eva’s food is very simple and Amit often eats at work.’

Emily took a couple of the pastries and put them on the plate Alisha gave to her, together with tea in a white bone-china cup and saucer.

‘What about Robbie?’ Alisha asked. ‘Does he want anything?’

‘He’s all right for now, he’s just had lunch.’ Emily settled back, took a sip of her tea and a bite of one of the pastries. ‘Very nice,’ she said. Alisha smiled, pleased. ‘So, you worked out how to switch off the cameras, well done. And you know how to switch them on again?’ she asked.

‘Yes. It’s simple when you know how. I’d never had a reason to learn how to use it before.’

‘You seemed very worried that Amit might find out.’

‘He …’ she stopped.

‘Yes?’ Emily prompted.

‘Amit has a lot on his mind and he can sometimes become angry over little things, but everything is all right, really. It was nice of you to help me.’

Emily gave a half-hearted nod. ‘No worries.’ Perhaps with time Alisha would confide in her. ‘What exactly does Amit do in that outbuilding?’ she asked as she had before. ‘I know you said it was research to try to find a cure for your illness, but how?’

‘I don’t know the details,’ Alisha replied, avoiding Emily’s gaze. ‘And I don’t ask questions.’

‘You’re very good. I’m sure I’d ask,’ Emily returned with a small irreverent laugh.

‘But you’re different to me,’ Alisha said, and looked sad. ‘You’re more confident and do as you wish. You feel you can speak your mind.’

‘Too much sometimes,’ Emily said. ‘So tell me to shut up when you’ve had enough.’

‘I wouldn’t do that,’ Alisha said seriously. ‘I am pleased you came. But I honestly don’t know what Amit does in his lab and I wouldn’t question him.’

‘Ben is jealous. He calls it a man cave. He wants one,’ Emily laughed.

‘I’m sure Ben would much rather spend his time with you and Robbie in the evenings and weekends than in a building at the bottom of the garden.’

Emily saw Alisha’s hurt and disappointment. ‘Yes, I suppose he would really,’ she said quietly and took another sip of her tea. ‘I’ve accepted Tibs isn’t coming back,’ she said, changing the subject.

‘I am sorry. Will you have another cat?’

‘Maybe in the future, although Ben would like a dog.’

‘It’s such a pity she didn’t come home. When I found her collar, I was hopeful it had just come off and she would return.’