Maeve picked up two cups and went over to sit beside Gemma. She pushed one of the cups toward her friend.
“Come on, old girl,” she said affectionately. “Drink up.”
Gemma looked at Maeve, her eyes brimming with tears.
“It’s just so awful, Maeve,” she said quietly. “I can’t believe it.”
“I know,” said Maeve, patting her friend’s hand. “I know.”
“There’s still hope,” said Annie, taking a seat next to Sally. “People can bob around for ages waiting to be rescued. They might have got pulled farther around the bay, past the crag.”
“Absolutely,” said Sally. Though Annie felt she was humoring her more than speaking with conviction.
“John’s a strong swimmer,” said Maeve.
“And Alfred’s a stubborn old bugger!” said Annie. “With that power combination they’re bound to be okay.” Annie had forgotten how wet she was until she saw Maeve shivering uncontrollably. She looked down at her hands and saw that she too was shaking as she tried to pick up her cup.
“I think it would be a good idea for you all to get out of those wet clothes, if possible,” said Georgina. “Have you got any spare jumpers? Or extra blankets, Annie?”
Annie nodded. “Sure,” she said. “I’ll get some.”
“I can go if you like,” said Georgina.
“No, it’s fine. Thank you. I’d rather be busy.” Annie pulled off her water-filled wellingtons and her sopping socks, her feet blue with cold and her toes wrinkled, and headed barefoot up to the flat.
In the quiet of the flat, she took a few moments to compose herself before she pulled open the door to the airing cupboard and began to fill her arms with quilts and heavy blankets. She pulled off her wet clothes, threw them into the corner, and redressed in a baggy jumper, jeans, and warm knitted socks. In her chest of drawers, she found a couple of jumpers that would probably fit Gemma and Sally, and hanging in the wardrobe was an old cable-knit cardigan that had belonged to her mother, which she pulled out for Maeve; she grabbed a couple of pairs of sweatpants too, just in case.
Before leaving the flat, Annie scanned the dark horizon through the sitting room window, but the view was the same as she had left it. She left the light on, just in case John and Alfred had lost their bearings and needed a beacon to draw them home.
She came back into the café to subdued but amiable conversation and quickly pulled on her discarded ankle boots from earlier.
Wet clothes were draped over chairs and replaced with ill-fitting hand-me-downs and warm blankets. Annie was just bringing a large bell jar filled with tomorrow’s cookies to the table when the lights went out. Gemma squeaked.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake, what now?” Annie groaned into the darkness.
At the sound of a match striking, Sally’s face glowed yellow in the darkness as she lit the candles left on the table from book club.
“Power cut?” asked Maeve.
“I don’t know,” said Annie. “It could just be something’s tripped the fuses. I’ll go and check.”
Annie took the torch from the sideboard and headed out of the café and down into the cellar. The fuse box was on the wall, halfway down the cellar stairs. She opened the box and shone the torch in. Sure enough, the circuit breaker had tripped. Annie carefully checked all the switches for obvious problems. Everything seemed to be in order, so she flicked the trip switch back to the on position and the light in the hallway came back on; the gratified sounds coming from the café told her that the electricity was back on in there too. She snapped the fuse box shut and turned to leave when a faint thudding noise distracted her. She stood still and listened. There it was again.
Annie made her way gingerly down the cellar stairs. The thudding continued. The closer she got to the bottom of stairs, the more prominent the sound became.
“Are you all right down there?”
Annie jumped and pelted down the last three steps, then looked up to see Maeve draped in a tartan blanket, standing at the top of the stairs.
“Shit, Maeve! You scared the crap out of me!”
“Sorry, old girl. Was just making sure you were all right.”
“There’s something moving down here.”
“A rat?”
“That’s what I wondered.”
The thudding came again.
“Did you hear that?” Annie called up the stairs.
“Not really.”
“I’m going to have a look around.”