‘Well,’ says Larry, hands on his large stomach, ‘I was surprised to hear from you. I haven’t seen Victor in … gosh … years. How is he doing?’
‘Okay, thanks. He’s retired.’
‘How is your mum? I went to their wedding … What must it have been now? Thirty-five years ago.’
‘My mum … she died fourteen years ago. An accident.’
Larry’s face falls. ‘I’m sorry to hear that. She must have been young.’
‘Yes. Too young.’ Theo swallows. ‘I know it must seem strange, me asking to meet you, but …’ He looks across at the kind-faced man, with the large, happy family, and knows he can be honest. ‘I found something of my dad’s and it’s raised more questions than answers.’
‘Okay.’
‘You and my dad had a clinic together. Back in the 1970s.’
‘Yes, that’s right. A private practice. We worked together for years.’
‘And I was wondering …’ He pauses when Marge comes in with two mugs. He takes one from her, careful to keep it away from Bonnie’s head, which is still resting on his leg.
‘And you were wondering?’ Larry prompts, when Marge has left the room.
Theo concentrates on pulling his thoughts together. ‘I don’t know, really. This all started after I found a newspaper article on my dad’s desk.’ He hesitates. ‘Have you heard of a Rose Grey?’
Larry thinks about it. ‘I don’t recognize the name.’
‘Saffron Cutler?’
Larry shakes his head.
‘My dad is so secretive. He never even told me he used to have a business partner.’
Larry regards Theo patiently over the rim of his mug, waiting for him to get to the point.
‘Why did you and my dad decided to part ways?’
Larry looks regretful. ‘Yes. That was a bad business.’
Theo’s heart quickens in anticipation … and also dread at what Larry might reveal. ‘Did my dad do something wrong?’
‘Um … well, nobody knows for certain. Of course Victor always maintained his innocence. But there was a complaint from a young woman. I’m sorry, this won’t be easy to hear.’
Theo braces himself. Whatever it is, he knows he’s probably imagined it.
‘A woman complained that Victor was inappropriate with her. During an examination.’
His heart sinks. Out of all the different scenarios he’s been envisaging, this one hadn’t occurred to him. ‘Don’t they have to have nurses in the room with them?’
‘This was the 1970s,’ Larry says, by way of explanation.
‘Did the woman press charges?’
‘She went to the police. But it was her word against his.’
Theo can just imagine how a woman, forty years ago, would have found it harder to be listened to, to be believed.
A white-hot anger rises within him at the thought his dad could be capable of something so awful, and he takes a sip of his tea to try to extinguish it. He can’t get emotional about this, not now. Not yet.
‘Do you remember the woman’s name?’
Larry thinks for a few moments. ‘I can’t remember. I want to say Sandra, but I might be wrong. Sadly she killed herself a year later.’
The tea curdles in Theo’s stomach. ‘Oh, God, that’s awful.’