‘So soon? Tomorrow? Amazing the way these young people fly about these days. Come on now, Rose, it’s for a few weeks. I tell you what, dinner at my place tomorrow night. I’ll cook up one of my famous veggie pies.’ She squeezed Rose’s hand.
Rose nodded, took a tissue out of her pocket and wiped her tears. ‘Just what I need. Thank you. I’ll bring a dessert and some wine.’
‘Oh, just the wine. I make the most divine desserts. I’ve always loved making them. My darling children tell me all those desserts have made me fat. Probably right too.’ She grinned. ‘Oh Barney, stop it!’ He had started barking at another dog picking its way over the rocks—the little Westie with the wagging tail.
‘Barney come here! I wish you were as well-behaved as that darling dog.’ Catherine grabbed him and picked him up, but Barney refused to settle. He wiggled and yapped and spilled out of her hands. The man following behind the Westie smiled and nodded at them, then whistled to his dog. It turned and clambered back up the rocks. He scooped it into his arms and, with a nod at Catherine and Rose, turned back the way he’d come.
‘Oh, Barney, I think I’m going to have to take you back to dog school. He’s been, but it’s the Jack Russell in him. They love a good bark. God, the little Westie is well behaved though, isn’t she?’
Rose nodded. ‘Cute as a button, too.’
‘Have you talked to the owner?’ Catherine whispered. ‘Where does he live, I wonder?’
‘No idea. I’ve seen him around, but just nodded to him. All I know is he always wears sunglasses and a hat. Oh, and those Birkenstocks. I loathe them.’
‘The shoes, you mean? Oh my, you wait till you grow old and have sore feet. They’re wonderful.’
Rose wrinkled her nose and Catherine laughed. ‘Ah, the arrogance of youth,’ she said. ‘Just wait, is all I can say.’
* The judge stood behind the rocks, listening to the women. Knowing it was meant to be. Katie’s leaving tomorrow, Rose had said. Katie’s leaving tomorrow. A life of its own. That’s what this plan had. If Katie was away, then he wondered about the boy. Sam. It’d been easy to find out information like names and ages. But he needed to know whether the boy was away too. He probably was, but the judge never left anything to chance. If he could help fate along,
he would.
He put his dog down and watched it meandering back and forth along the water’s edge. He smiled and thought about what he must do tomorrow. It really was simple. A visit to the library before his first court session should solve the problem.
* The librarian leapt to attention as the judge walked in. Having a judge walk into the university law library wasn’t a rare occurrence, but the librarians always showed due deference. He smiled at her, Miss Egan, at least seventy if he remembered
correctly.
‘Can I help you with anything, Sir?’ she asked.
He shook his head. ‘No, thank you. I want to check a few points. Need to feel the pages between my fingers, every now
and again.’
‘Of course.’ As a librarian, she understood. He thanked her and continued to the back of the library, pulled out some books and found a desk, one with a view of the front counter and the librarian.
He didn’t have to wait long. A few minutes, at most, until he saw her disappear with a flustered barrister. He knew they’d be hunting the shelves for a while—not everything was on the computer. The librarian earned her money.
He walked to the front desk and picked up her phone. He knew the number to call. He had memorised it earlier in the day.
‘Hello,’ Rose said.
‘Good morning, I’m trying to contact Samuel Jones.’
He heard her hesitate. ‘In relation to what?’
‘Ah, yes,’ he said, keeping his voice affable. ‘I’m calling from the university library. I need to check a couple of details with Samuel. His database entry is incomplete. We’re taking this opportunity to sort out our records.’
‘Oh. He’s away at the moment.’ Her voice was hesitant.
The judge sighed. ‘Holidays. Yes. I’ve been hearing about holidays all morning.’
‘I’m sure. But can I help?’
‘Well, strictly speaking, no. Privacy legislation.’
‘Oh,’ said Rose. ‘That makes it awkward.’
‘Indeed. When will he be back? It’ll wait until then.’
‘Best to leave it till after Christmas. January? Or you could try him on his mobile.’
‘No,’ said the judge, with a laugh in his voice. ‘He’ll need to check some ID numbers with me. I’ll make a note to try again in January. Thank you.’
‘You’re welcome.’
The judge returned to his desk and studied a book. It wouldn’t matter if he’d been seen using the phone. If he’d asked, the librarian would have given it to him on a silver platter, but he’d always believed in discretion.
Sitting at the desk with a book in front of him, his body tingled. It took all his concentration to sit still, to reign in the enormous surge of energy pulsing through his body. Soon the time
must come.
He sat for another five minutes before returning the books to the shelves and making his way out into the open air. Any day now the judge knew it would happen. Both children were gone. Rose was on her own. When the time was right, there would be a sign. He was ready. He had laid the groundwork.
* The constant sense of dread Alex carried with him had deepened. The judge’s wife had been gone for nearly three weeks. Three weeks of walking a tightrope. He tried to tell himself he was miserable because his girls had finished university for the year and had gone back to their mother for the holidays. He missed them. He missed the noise and the chatter. He almost believed it too, but when he woke up the next morning and looked into Dog’s eyes he knew it was rubbish.
