Letting out the Worms: Guilty or not? If not then the alternative is terrifying (Kitty Thomas Book 1 by Sue Nicholls (primary phonics .txt) 📕

A ring tone shrilled, and they all leapt for their phones. It was Sam whose screen lit up.

‘Hi Liz.’

The tinny voice of the former restaurant worker leaked from Sam’s phone, but Lucas could not make out what she was saying. She must have apologised for calling, because Sam said, ‘It’s OK. I’m in Chelterton Hospital. Kitty’s been injured in a motor accident.’ Sam left the room with the phone to his ear, and Lucas sat in his vacated seat, facing Paul, whose eyes followed Sam, now outside the room, pacing in one direction, then another, then in a circle. When Sam returned, thrusting his phone into his shirt pocket, Lucas made to stand up, but Sam shook his head, his eyes on Paul.

‘That was Liz, Paul. You remember the woman who used to work for Millie?’

‘Yeah. She came to our engagement do.’

‘That’s her.’

‘Why would she be ringing you?’

‘Oh…’ Lucas thought Sam hesitated. ‘She was just being friendly. Asked how the wedding went. She was at the engagement party, so I suppose she’s taking an interest.’

Paul shook his head. ‘Nosy.’

Sam’s voice hardened. ‘Not nosy. I think you’ll find it’s called caring.’ He glanced at his watch then tiptoed to Kitty and whispered, ‘It’s late and I need to be somewhere.’ He kissed his fingers and touched them to her bruised, unconscious face, shook Lucas’s hand, and Paul’s, and left.

53 SAM

Sam lay on his bed and stared up at his painted ceiling, mulling over the possibilities presented by Liz’s information. It seemed Paul was carrying out improvements upstairs in Millie’s restaurant on the same afternoon that Max was eating there. Max was among the first people to dine, but would he have been early enough to coincide with Paul’s presence? If Paul saw Max, he would recognise him. Why, if this was the case, did he not mention it in court? Or was Max following Paul? Sam rubbed his fingers over his curls and wondered if the entire thing was a coincidence.

Kitty’s words came back to him. ‘I don’t believe in coincidences.’

‘In this case,’ he said to the ceiling, ‘Neither do I,’ and he swung his feet to the floor.

When Liz answered, Sam could hear flowing water in the background.

‘Hi Liz. Is this a good time to talk?’

‘Give me a moment.’ The phone clunked against something, and soon the hollow splashing faded, and Liz came back on the line. ‘I was running a bath.’

‘Sorry if I’m disturbing you,’ Sam said.

‘It’ll wait. How’s Kitty?’

Sam was not able to tell her much, but his anxiety must have transmitted across the ether to Liz because her voice grew emotional. ‘Poor, poor girl. I want to help, but it’s like last time. I imagine I’ll be in the way.’

‘I don’t think you’d be allowed in. They don’t want too many people round her bed. But I’m sure she’ll appreciate your company when she recovers a bit,’ he grinned, ‘And I venture the staff will be grateful to anyone prepared to distract her.’

Liz chuckled. ‘Poor Kitty. Will she be OK?’

‘I have to believe she will.’ Sam made his voice firm.

‘So,’ Liz sounded business-like, ‘Was there something else?’

‘If you have a moment, I have questions about what you told me.’

‘No problem.’ Her breathing became heavier and Sam guessed she was going down the stairs, ‘Anything to help,’ she said.

‘Thanks. I wondered how you knew Max was in the restaurant at the same time as Paul.’

‘It just came to me. No idea why. That sometimes happens when I’m drifting off to sleep. Paul offered to help Millie with upstairs. He took a week’s holiday to do it He didn’t finish, but he got rid of the racking and gave it a coat of paint. I think he might have done some electrical work, too.’

This seemed odd, considering all that had happened. ‘Why Paul?’ Sam asked.

‘I’m not sure. He must have offered. He was good at practical things, and Millie had already spent a lot of money on renovating downstairs.’

‘Did she pay him?’

‘Sorry, I don’t know.’

‘It’s OK. You’re being helpful. Do you think Paul and Max could have seen one another?’

Liz paused. ‘Possibly. Max was at the corner table. If Paul had stood in the right place...’ She hesitated, then said, ‘Yes. I imagine they could. It’s also possible that Paul saw Max without Max seeing him. If it was dark up there, say he turned out the lights, or maybe the electricity was turned off - would that be possible - to turn off the electricity upstairs and leave downstairs still working?’

‘Yes,’ Sam said. ‘If upstairs was on a separate ring main.’

‘So, if the restaurant was lit, it would have been easy for him to stand in the shadows and see Max at that table.’

After saying farewell to Liz, Sam returned to lie on his bed and crossed his ankles, then uncrossed them, remembering Nanny Gloria’s admonition that it was bad for his circulation. Nothing made sense. If Paul had seen Max in Millie’s restaurant, why did it not come up in his court evidence? Had Paul learned that Max was stalking the three women? If so, why not do something? Paul said he didn’t know that Max was the man dating Fee until Mick saw them at the airport on their way to Mauritius. If that were true, then it was probable he didn’t see Max in the restaurant. But did Max see Paul? And would that have been important?

Sam put this fresh information aside for now. He would bear it in mind should anything else crop up. First thing tomorrow, he would visit Kitty, then go on to Maurice’s. It was time to put pressure on his dad about that calendar.

54 SAM