Page 45 of Five Gold Rings
‘She’s been at a wedding. She was drinking.’
‘It’s 5 p.m.’
‘On Christmas Eve?’
Noel pauses. ‘Hold up, have you just had sex with her? Are you a hook-up?’
‘NO!’ This may very well be the most random phone conversation of my life. ‘Not at all.’
‘Then who are you?’ he asks rudely.
‘Joe, a friend. You’re her twin brother.’
‘I am,’ he says, still suspicious that I know this. ‘Is she staying with you?’
‘She has been, yes.’
‘Can you tell me if she’s alright, is she safe? I’m going out of my mind here.’
‘She’s OK. She’s drunk but she’s safe.’ I glance at her in my backseat. She nearly fell out of my car a moment ago, but I picked her up. Despite everything, I’d always pick her up.
‘How drunk?’
‘Pretty smashed.’
‘The sort of drunk you’d be if you’d just broken up with someone?’ he asks.
My car shakes as a lorry goes past us a little speedily. I glance back at Eve. Nothing’s going to wake her from that nap, is it? I’m not sure whether to break that confidence as I know she’s not told her brother anything yet.
‘How did you find out?’ I ask.
‘I went round to her flat to drop off gifts. Chris was there, the flat was a tip, he told me everything.’
‘What did he tell you?’ I ask, curious why Chris is still alive in this case.
‘That she broke up with him. It wasn’t working… I literally spoke to her yesterday so I’m not sure why she’s not told me any of this?’ As soon as the words leave Noel’s mouth, I scowl because Chris obviously lied again to save his own skin. He’s changed the narrative and made her the bad guy. But why was he in that flat? To get his belongings? Confront her? ‘You’re very quiet, whoever you are. Please tell me my sister is alright, that she’s safe. I’m seriously worried,’ he tells me with a tremble in his voice that immediately evokes some emotion in me because I think about my sisters in the same situation, how they’d have my back for an eternity.
‘Noel, I don’t know how to tell you this…’ I say, glancing back at Eve. ‘She found Chris with someone else. In their flat. Only yesterday. The fact they’ve broken up is all him.’
‘What? But Chris said…’ His voice is trembling.
‘I wouldn’t believe anything that shitbox tells you.’
His anger seems to shift towards the correct person now. ‘I knew it. I had a feeling but he just… I will hunt that bastard down.’
We take a moment to process how awful this must be for her.
‘How is she?’ he asks.
‘She’s a bit of a mess,’ I tell him.
‘Then that will be a change. I’m normally the hot mess in this partnership… You said you were at a wedding? Whose?’
‘She’s found some distraction with work – she’s doing a favour for the jewellers’ where she works and delivering some rings. I’m helping out, too.’
‘Well, that’s good of you both. I know I don’t know you but let her sleep and get her to call me. Tell her…’ He pauses. ‘I bloody love her and just look after her, yeah?’
‘I’ll try.’