Masters & Lovers Box Set Three

Michael

James rolls the razor over the line of jaw to neck, angling in the mirror to see the result.

“You’ve got it all,” I say. “Bloody nuisance for you having to shave as often as you do.”

He harrumphs, then, “Maybe I should grow a beard.” He looks himself left then right in the mirror. “What do you think?”

“It’s not my opinion you should ask.” I cock my head towards the door.

“Mmmm.” He runs a finger from chin to ear, sucking in his cheeks. “How is she?”

“Pretty hyper. I’m beginning to wish I’d not told her about the address; checked it out first myself. I could easily have found a different Christmas gift if I tried… If we get there and don’t find anything. If her mother’s moved or died…”

“Worst scenario…” says James, “No-one’s heard of her at all. No-one knows anything. Anything else is at least a step forward.”

“Yes, but that’s really why I wanted you to come along too. If it’s bad news, I can’t drive and hold her hand too…”

Charlotte bounces into the room. “I’m ready when you are.”

I look her up and down. “Have you just changed your clothes?”

“Er… yes. First, I thought I should go dressed in my best. Then I thought it might look a bit odd, wandering around a strange neighbourhood like that. So I changed into jeans, then I thought, if we find my mother, I should look nice and then…”

I step forward, tug her to me by the waist. “Charlotte, you would look ‘nice’ if you dressed in an old carpet. If we find your mother, how you’re dressed is the least of what will be happening.”

Her eyes fall. “If…”

“Yes, it’s still ‘if’. The address was old. Even the police file made it clear that they didn’t know what had happened or where she might have gone from there.”

“I know.” Her words are tight, constricted. “But I’m just hoping that…”

I tilt up her chin. “I know what you’re hoping, but with the best will in the world, this is almost certainly just a fact-finding mission. I did a lot of searching through old files just to get as far as I did.”

She nods against the pressure of my finger then, “Michael?”

“Mmmm?”

“Whatever happens, whatever we find, thank you.”

I press my lips to hers. “My pleasure.”

*****

“My car?”

“If that’s alright with you.” James pats his thigh. “Given the distance, it would be easier if you were driving.”

“Fine.” I turn to check Charlotte’s not in earshot. “The pair of you sit in the back seat. I don’t need a navigator and I’d rather her be close by you.”

They sit together, he with an arm wrapped around her while she just stares out of the window. Occasionally our eyes meet in the mirror.

*****

“This is it?” Charlotte stands, staring around, looking lost.

To one side; a car park, huge, able to take hundreds, perhaps thousands of cars. To the other; a hypermarket, DIY and white goods stores, acres of sheet glass displaying computers, TVs, household goods, clothes…

The acreage is vast. The retail park perhaps ten years old. No trace remains of what it replaced.

James stands beside her, a hand on her shoulder.

“I’m sorry, Charlotte,” I say. “But we won’t give up. We’ll keep looking.”

She nods, her face screwing up with suppressed tears, then she gets back in the car.

*****

and I seat ourselves on a couple

Order…?

and ruining Charlotte’s birthday, since he chose to apologise,

need

in the slight breeze. So early in the year, the light wind

do noses go red and fingers go

ever, the soup is excellent. My chef really knows how to turn out the right meal for the weather. Ben sniffs at steam fragrant with

it is. Sally knows her

“I’ll give you that one.” He nods out over the area we just cleared, now hacked down to a few inches clear of the ground. His patchwork of a mongrel terrier, Scruffy, digs with industrial-grade ferocity in one corner. “What’s next? That need

But the old out-buildings on the far side…” I wave across the stubbled earth… “… Some need demolishing. Some I want to fix up.

the collection of dilapidated sheds, shacks and ramshackle stables

when she was younger. I know she

to look up. “Stonework’s sound, but the

reminds me of that old place

wait to rob apples from his

did, didn’t we. Hey… you remember that day when he spotted us and he was white-washing his

It was

brought you home covered in white-wash.” He laughs,

sure why it was you

was the older one. I’d taken you out and I was supposed to bring you back in

I chuckle. Cold air gusts over me and

this.” Ben jerks a thumb at the sheds. “I went back there one day a few months ago. Even the house is falling apart. The old man died. The

a hotel maybe? Like this place. Convert the outbuilding

will that it can’t be sold out of the family. So it’s

Shame…

did you

do likewise. Then, “And… I just wanted to

What’s going on?

changes direction and a shower

his stub of a tail wags furiously as earth scatters behind him. “What

his cheeks. “Rats maybe. Could easily be a burrow coming

Mmmm….

we should have a dog or two

nose wiffling at the breeze. He trots over, sits by

*sigh*

rock by my feet. Scruffy laps it up then moves to Ben, pointing snout, and the mole-hill now attached to the top, at Ben’s mug. He turns soft eyes on his junk-heap mutt,

my bother.

Family…

you for apologising to Charlotte and James. It means a

going to hang on to my brother? Since it was clear you were going to side

“She's my wife, Ben.”

Change the subject…

going

tone is gloomy. “… at least

Now what…?

it too far,

won't,

Here it comes…

wants to ask

another failed ‘Ben

kind of girl who’d put you

what I thought too,

you thought you wanted, suddenly you

mug revolves

Am I being dense?

Missing the sub-text…?

“So, what’s going wrong?”

... this time...

tightens,