Page 63 of Below the Deck

He’s watching us.Tap tap-tap tap.He steals our stories.Rat-a-tat-tat-a-tat.They’re all the same.Dum-dum-da-dum.

Eleni felt unsteady in her seat.Come on. I need to finish this.She looked up at Sam.

‘What happens to you is not my problem. You’ve made this mess yourself,’ she said.

‘Maybe. Unless …’ Sam turned his head from side to side, then glanced behind him. A cold drip of fear trickled down Eleni’s spine.

‘Unless what?’ Her voice didn’t betray her anxiety.

Another pause, then: ‘Unless we can find a way to keep this between us.’

Sam took one slow step towards her.

LUCY

Lucy crept further along the passageway below deck, turned the handle to the treatment room’s door and stepped inside.

The room was dark; she needed the torch on her phone to see Rory. He was lying on the massage bed with his eyes closed, a thick bandage covering one side of his face. As she closed the door behind her, Rory startled and lifted the torch next to him, flashing its beam in her eyes; she shielded them.

‘Lucy.’ He exhaled; he seemed relieved to see her.Was he expecting someone else?‘Come to check on your old boss, have you? I’d love a foot rub, if you’d be so kind.’

Lucy wrinkled her nose in disgust.

‘I was silly, not listening to Johanna about staying on the sofa,’ he went on. ‘That’ll teach me to ignore the fairer sex.’ Rory gave her what Lucy assumed was an attempt at a winning smile, but it withered away as he saw her expression.

‘Indeed,’ Lucy said. She cleared her throat. ‘I’m here because – actually, I wanted to talk to you about something – a work thing,’ she began.

‘Mmm? That sounds ominous … especially on our holiday. If it’s work-related, we can just pick it up back in the office next week, surely?’

Lucy gave a stiff laugh. ‘Not ominous. Just … I’m curious, I suppose. I was thinking about Ashworth’s acquisition of that care home – Willowbrook Lodge – before I joined. It must have been a couple of years ago now. Do you remember it?’

In the darkness, Lucy sensed rather than saw Rory’s body stiffen: his jaw clench, his shoulders hunch.

‘Goodness,’ he said. ‘What on earth got you thinking about that while we’re in the middle of the ocean on the other side of the world? That deal was done and dusted, what – two, three years ago? It was way before your time.’

Lucy paused. She wasn’t ready to reveal the whole story yet. She’d already come up with another plausible explanation. ‘I read something online earlier about a psychiatric hospital being converted into luxury flats – it reminded me that I’d seen something about the acquisition of Willowbrook when I was looking into some historic accounts.’

‘Really? Where’s that, then? Who’s doing the development, did it say?’

Damn. She should have anticipated he’d ask that. ‘Gosh, I can’t remember – sorry …’

Rory made a huffing sound. ‘I’ll have to see if I can find the article.’

‘Anyway,’ Lucy continued, ‘it got me thinking about what actually happens to all the people – the patients, I mean – somewhere like that, when they’re bought out.’

There it was again: the rise of Rory’s shoulders; the twitchat his jawline. He didn’t want to talk about this deal, or be reminded of it.

Rory sighed. ‘The residents are all moved somewhere else perfectly adequate for their needs, with financial compensation to boot. That’s what happened at Willowbrook, and it’s what will happen in whatever this latest deal is too.’

Lucy spoke slowly. ‘And you’re … sure about that? That all those people were … properly taken care of?’

Rory tutted. ‘For goodness’ sake, Lucy. Why on earth are you bringing this upnow? Can’t this wait? I’ve just taken quite a bump to the face, and I’ve got more than enough to be dealing with already …’

Lucy shook her head. ‘No. I’m sorry, Rory. It can’t wait.’

She put the phone right in his line of vision. Muttering something under his breath, Rory squeezed his eyes shut, then opened them again. ‘If you insist on me looking at this now, you’ll at least have to zoom in, Lucy. I’m afraid my eyesight isn’t what it used to be, and I don’t have my reading glasses with me.’

Suppressing an eye-roll, Lucy pinched the screen with her fingers to enlarge the picture, then held it back out towards him. She watched as his eyes took in the person in the photo; he flicked her a confused look. ‘Ah … who’s this?’