慔e抯 taking paracetamol,?she says. 慖 hope he抣l feel better soon.?There抯 a quaver in her voice that Nelson has never heard before.
慜f course he will,?says Nelson, hearing his voice sounding falsely hearty. 慔e抯 as tough as old boots.?
慔e is,?says Judy, sounding more like herself. 慖t抯 just . . . I抳e never known him to be ill. Everything feels wrong. The kids and I don抰 know what to do with ourselves. And Thing抯 going crazy.?
The dog was always slightly crazy, in Nelson抯 opinion. The bull terrier does not have Bruno抯 superior intelligence. The house still seems very strange without Bruno. Nelson keeps thinking he can hear his claws clicking along the wooden floors or his tail swishing things off the coffee table. Maybe he抯 being haunted by Black Shuck, a spectral dog who crossed his path ?in a non-corporeal sense ?on another case. Cathbad would definitely say so.
慖抣l pray to St Carlo,?he says. 慚y mum says that he抯 good on Covid.?
慖抦 praying too,?says Judy. 慖 just wish he抎 get better.?
慚e too,?says Nelson. 慣ell him get well soon from me.?
慖 will. Bye, boss.?
態ye, Judy.?
慦ho抯 ill??says Laura, coming into the room.
慍athbad. He抯 got Covid.?
慜h no!?Nelson had forgotten that Laura, too, has a connection with Cathbad. He抎 been kind to her after Tim died and Laura had attended Cathbad抯 meditation classes for a while.
慙et抯 hope it抯 not serious,?he says, although something in Judy抯 tone tells him that this is a faint hope. 慚ost people recover quickly.?
慍athbad isn抰 most people,?says Laura. 慖抳e made stew for supper, but shall we FaceTime Rebecca and Mum first??
慦here抯 Bruno??is the first thing Rebecca says when she pops up on his laptop screen.
慔e抯 staying with Jan for a bit,?says Nelson. 慖抳e got a lot on at work.?
慦hy??says Rebecca. 慉ren抰 all the criminals locked up in their houses??
慡adly not,?says Nelson. 慦hat抯 going on with you??
Rebecca tells him about going for walks on Brighton seafront with Asif. 慖t抯 so strange to have the whole town to ourselves. We walked around the Pavilion yesterday.?
慣ake care,?says Nelson. 慦ear masks.?
慦e抳e got matching masks,?says Rebecca. 慖t抯 very cute.?
Michelle, speaking from her mother抯 immaculate sitting room, seems delighted to see Laura and Nelson side by side on the sofa.
慖抦 so glad you抳e got company, Harry.?
It抯 really only Michelle and his mum who call him Harry these days. The name sparks an almost physical response, a twinge in his gut that抯 somewhere between love and guilt.
Georgie appears and the twinge becomes a wrench.
慏addy! Laura!?
Georgie looks really well, tanned from all those trips along the Blackpool sands. Michelle, on the other hand, looks pale and rather drawn. Nelson asks if she抯 OK.
慖抦 fine,?says Michelle. 慖t抯 just hard being so far from home.?
慡urely you can leave Grandma soon,?says Laura.
慖 don抰 know. I抦 really worried about her with this awful Covid.?Michelle says it as if the virus were an unpleasant neighbour.
But, when Michelle抯 mother appears on screen, she seems in better shape than her daughter, immaculately dressed as ever, talking about online fitness classes and someone called Joe Wicks.
慚um will be home soon,?says Laura when they ring off. 慓randma looks very healthy to me.?
慡he does to me too,?says Nelson.
慏on抰 worry,?Laura gives him a quick hug, 慚um will soon be back and Cathbad will get better. Are you ready for some vegetarian stew??