Heart and Soul (45 page)

Molly Carroll had a phone call at eight a.m. to say that there were three customers standing outside the launderette and nobody had opened up.

“But Ania's there at seven to open the place up.” Molly was full of concern.

“She's not there today Molly.”

So, clucking with disapproval, Molly Carroll left breakfast set out and bustled off to open the launderette. They depended on early-morning people, knowing they could put in a bag of clothes in the morning and collect them later the same day. It was so unlike Ania.

Hilary was listening to the overnight messages on the clinic's answering machine. They all had to do with being sorry. A woman had chest pains in the night and had called the emergency number, but it turned out to be a thing of nothing. She was sorry for upsetting everyone. A man, who had got the wrong number, kept explaining that he was sorry to have missed the appointment but would make it up in spades on another occasion. And one from Ania saying that there was a bit of a crisis. She was very sorry indeed and would explain everything in a few days. She had left the keys to the clinic in an envelope in the restaurant downstairs from her flat. Johnny could pick them up.

A crisis that was going to last a few
days?
Ania? Hilary was very startled.

Lidia and Tim hadn't slept a wink. Where could Ania have gone? She gave no indication at all.

“I
know
all her friends,” Lidia said. “I've tried them all and no luck.”

“What about Father Flynn?”

“Not a word. He's asking everyone at his center, but no word yet.”

“She can't have gone to the airport. It was too late,” Tim said, mainly to reassure Carl Walsh, who was almost mad with worry and claiming that it was all his fault because he hadn't been there to meet her and welcome her in. Lidia hadn't understood the full details of what had gone on at the party and tried to calm him down.

“It can't have been your fault. She was so pleased to be invited. And did your mother like her gift?”

“Don't talk to me about the gift!” Carl cried, his face distraught. “There must be
someone
we haven't thought of!”

Fiona came by to tell Declan the news that Ania had disappeared, and together they sat and ate the grapefruit Molly had left out. It was better than the two fried eggs, sausages and fried bread Molly would have insisted on if she'd been there.

They had been talking on the phone to Lidia, Carl, Hilary and Father Flynn. There was the slight possibility that she might turn up at the heart clinic, but they didn't think it was likely. They were alarmed when Hilary told them about the message on the answering machine.

“So should we get the Guards?” Fiona asked.

“She specifically asked Lidia not to make any fuss,” Declan said.

“But she must have been so upset.”

“I know, Fiona, but what's the point of asking your friends not to make a fuss if you can't trust them to do what you ask?”

Fiona looked at him, surprised. “What kind of a doctor are you going to be, Declan Carroll?”

“One who takes my patients’ wishes seriously.”

“How far would you go down that road?”

“Only time will tell. Time and the knowledge that I will have a good, wise wife beside me to mark my card. What are you doing on Saturday? I thought then we might go and look at rings. I was wondering, would you like an opal?”

“You're not to spend too much on it. Please—anything would do me, Declan. Honestly. I don't need an expensive ring—just to know you love me is enough.”

“It's your birthstone. I thought that was important. Now let's go and look after sick people. That's what we do.”

He looked so devoted, she felt almost weak. What had she done to deserve all this love?

Father Brian Flynn discovered a girl who had seen Ania waiting for an airport bus.

“But there are no planes to Poland at night,” he said.

“I think she was going to London first.”

“But there wouldn't have been planes there until the morning.” Brian Flynn couldn't believe that the levelheaded Ania had disappeared into thin air.

“I do not know, Father.”

“Of course you don't. I'm just worried, that's all.”

“You would have been more worried if you saw her last night. She was like a person who had seen something terrible.”

Bobby Walsh came into the kitchen for his breakfast.

“Didn't they leave the place immaculate?” he asked his wife as he helped himself to tea and toast.

“Yes.” She spoke sharply.

“Where's Carl?”

“He went out last night and he didn't come back.”

“So, he went straight into the school, then?”

“I think not. They called here looking for him.” Rosemary finished her coffee.

“So where is he?” Bobby was alarmed.

“Being deeply silly,” Rosemary said and left the house.

He heard her car starting up and leaving. The car sounded as angry as she had looked.

Bobby Walsh suddenly felt very lonely in the big house by the sea.

Clara looked up when Hilary brought in the mug of coffee. “Where's Ania?”

“Nobody knows,” Hilary said. “She left an odd message.”

They puzzled over it. Anyone in the clinic could have called in sick. But not Ania. She would have crawled in if she had breath in her body.

“Is it love, do you think?” Clara asked.

“Well, yesterday she was all sunshine. She was going to a ruby wedding at Bobby Walsh's. She's very fond of Bobby's son, Carl.”

“I wonder how she dealt with that Rosemary.”

“I know Ania had bought a lovely little red glass dish for her.”

“Maybe the Walshes know where she is.”

“I don't fancy making the call, Clara.”

“All right, cowardy-custard. I'll do it.”

“Hello, Bobby. Clara Casey from the heart clinic here. No, no, nothing to do with your tests, you're doing fine. No, oddly it was something else entirely. I was wondering if you had seen our Ania? You see, she was going to your house last night to an anniversary party. No? Oh, I think she was there. No, of course, with so many people. I wonder, would Mrs. Walsh recall? Oh, she's gone out? Right…Sorry for bothering you, Bobby. See you next week, as usual. Yes, right, of course we'll let you know.”

Hilary looked at her questioningly

“That man Bobby Walsh should be canonized in his own lifetime. He says he's very sorry, he didn't see Ania last night. He'd love to have talked to her. No one told him she was there. We're to let him know when she surfaces.”

“If she
surfaces,” Hilary said.

Fiona was passing the desk when the phone rang. She picked it up absently, her mind still on buying an opal ring and what on earth could have come over Ania. It was Rosemary Walsh.

“Is that Clara?”

“No, Mrs. Walsh, it's Fiona.”

“It was actually Ania, the Polish girl, I was looking for.” She gave a tinkling laugh to underline the unexpected nature of her call.

“We are all looking for her, Mrs. Walsh.”

“What do you mean?” Mrs. Walsh sounded alarmed.

“She hasn't been seen since she was sent into your kitchen last night.”

“Er …yes. She's a most helpful girl—she offered to help with the washing-up.”

“No. I think you
asked
her to do the washing-up. She thought she was a guest.”

“Oh, that's all been cleared up by now.”

“No, it hasn't. She hasn't turned up for work. She's left her flat. Father Flynn has been looking for her. Carl has been on the phone every few minutes. I don't think it's been cleared up at all!”

“Kindly don't take that tone with me, Fiona.”

“I'm not taking any tone, Mrs. Walsh, I'm just telling you that the Guards are being called and they will be here shortly.” Fiona had the great pleasure of hearing Rosemary Walsh gasp. It wasn't true about the Guards. But, oh, it was worth it just to hear that intake of breath.

When Ania's bus pulled into her village she got out and went into Mrs. Zak's shop.

“This is a surprise, Ania. Does your mother know?”

“No, Mrs. Zak—may I make one quick call to Ireland, please?”

“I was sure you would have a mobile phone like all these young girls are getting.”

“They are too expensive, Mrs. Zak. I will pay you for the telephone call.”

Mrs. Zak watched astounded as Ania seemed to speak in perfect English into the telephone. She couldn't understand what the girl was saying, but it sounded very fluent. Little Ania, who had been afraid to lift her eyes to anyone until she met that troublesome boy Marek.
Now
look at her! She was speaking a foreign language as if she were a professor.

Ania spoke to Clara. “I am so sorry to do something so unexpected as to run away. You see I made a big mistake. Perhaps Fiona told you?”

“She did, Ania, and you're not the only one who makes mistakes with Rosemary Walsh. Her life is one long history of mistakes.”

“But I embarrassed everyone. Carl must think I am a fool.”

“He is so worried about you, Ania. Every few minutes he rings to ask have we any news. Perhaps you could telephone him. He'll be so relieved to know you are all right.”

“No, I can't do that. Please, Clara, perhaps you could ask Fiona to do it?”

“And when will I say that you're coming back?”

“I have only just got here, Clara. I haven't been to see my mamu-sia yet. I do not know.”

“All right, Ania. Don't sound so worried. Everyone will be so happy that you are safe. You have many friends here, all very concerned about you.”

“Thank you, Clara. I am sorry I was such a poor choice of a worker.”

“You're the best worker we have here. You've been here for months. You'll always have a place here when you need it.”

Two big tears came down Ania's face. Mrs. Zak looked at her over her glasses. The girl was probably pregnant. Why had she come back to upset her mother with further bad news?

The word spread quickly that Ania was back in Poland having a rest. Clara phoned Carl first and then Frank Ennis in hospital administration. They would need a temporary replacement.

“Did she give you adequate notice of her trip to Poland?”

“It was an emergency.” Clara was crisp.

“Well, I'm not expected to find temps in trees,” he said.

“Right. Will we appoint our own, then?”

“No.” Frank wanted nothing more to escape his grasp.

“Good. We'll see a temporary replacement for Ania tomorrow.”

“For how long?” Frank asked.

“You will be informed,” Clara said.

“We don't
really
need a replacement for Ania. We'll all pitch in,” Hilary said.

“Where is your solidarity and sense of self-worth?” Clara was shocked. “If Frank thinks we can manage without Ania then we'll be managing without her forever. This is just to save her job.”

“Bobby?”

“Are you home, Rosemary?”

“Yes, of course I am. Is everything all right?”

“I've had nothing but phone calls all day, Rosemary. That little Ania from the clinic has disappeared. The last anyone saw of her was here, apparently.”

“I'm sure that's not right.”

“Why didn't you tell me she was here, Rosemary? I'm very fond of her.”

“You're not the only one,” his wife said.

“What do you mean?”

“Your son has been sniffing after her too.”

“I'm not sniffing after her, Rosemary.”

“No, no, of course you're not. Sorry … I would have paid her, Bobby”

“Sorry? Paid her for what?”

“For working in the kitchen.”

“I thought she was a guest. That's what Clara said. What Carl said. What Fiona said.”

“When did all these people say these things?” Rosemary looked drawn and frightened.

“On the phone. Today”

“She wouldn't have done anything silly, Bobby? Anything really silly? Would she?” Rosemary looked very worried.

“Why would she have done anything silly?”

Rosemary breathed more easily. He hadn't been told the whole story.

“Europeans,” she said. “Very unstable.”

Declan went to a library and looked up opals. There was some bad luck attached to them, but then there was bad luck attached to all stones. He found a story about the Spanish king Alfonzo, who gave someone an opal and she died, and everyone who got that opal died. Declan, who was practical, thought they would have died anyway. People had such a short life expectancy in those days. He wasn't going to attract Fiona's attention to it.

He went to the jeweler's and told him the upper limits of his spending power. The jeweler said he would make up a tray and see him on Saturday.

The temp they sent was Amy Barry, daughter of Peter, the pharmacist. Clara looked at her with interest. Amy looked up from under her dark fringe.

“Oh, it's you,” she said to Clara, without much enthusiasm.

“Very nice to see you again,” Clara said.

“Don't suppose I'll get the job now. I mean, knowing I worked in a bondage shop. Not much chance for me here.”

“Why not?” Clara seemed to think working in a fetish shop was fine preparation for a clerical job in a heart clinic.

“Why didn't you marry my dad?” Amy asked with interest. “He was mad about you.”

“We were too old and set in our ways. It would have been too much adjustment.”

“You know I always liked you,” Amy said.

“And I liked you too.” Clara smiled easily.

“But not enough to give me a job?” Amy's fists were ready for the fight.

“Of course you can have the job. Just tell me why you left the corsets and bondage, and that you do know that when Ania comes back we have to let you go.”

“The corsets and bondage are bankrupt, and I do understand about this being just a temp job.” Amy grinned.

“Right. You can start straightaway.”

“That's great. Have you any hints for me?”

“Yes—we are united in our hatred of Frank Ennis,” Clara said. “You should regard him as the natural enemy of this clinic and you won't go far wrong.”

Carl Walsh was staying with Aidan and Nora Dunne. They were very easy company and asked him no interrogating questions. If they wondered why a man whose parents owned a seaside mansion wanted to stay on the sofa of a poky little flat like theirs, they never made any reference to it. There was such affection in these small rooms compared to the icy-cold life his mother ran in her mansion. Carl could hardly believe it was all in the same city.