Page 200 of The Hallmarked Man
‘Hi Mum, sorry I didn’t answer earlier, I was on a job. Is everything OK?’
‘Carmen’s had the baby,’ said Linda.
‘Wait – what? I thought she wasn’t due ’til—’
‘He’s a month early,’ said Linda, ‘and it was a bad birth, and they think there’s something wrong.’
A chill ran through Robin.
‘With the baby?’
‘Yes,’ said Linda. ‘We’re waiting to hear, we’re at the hospital.’
‘What—?’
‘He’s not moving an arm properly or something, I don’t know,nobody’s giving us full information. They think it’s a birth injury, torn nerves, or – nobody seems to know.’
‘Oh no,’ said Robin, who felt completely helpless. ‘I – what can I do?’
‘Nothing, nothing, I just needed to let you kn – Robin, that’s the doctor – I’ll call you back.’
She hung up.
‘Everything all right with your spaghetti?’ said the young waitress, reappearing at the table.
‘Fine,’ said Robin, looking up. ‘Could I have the bill, please?’
‘Are you sure there’s nothing—?’
‘No, please – please just get me the bill.’
Five minutes later, Robin emerged into the icy night, and set off in the direction of the nearest station. Finally, unable to bear her anxiety alone, she tugged off her gloves and called Ilsa.
‘Hi, how’re you?’ said the latter, answering on the third ring.
‘I’m really sorry to do this to you again, Ilsa, I just need to talk to someone. Well, to you.’
‘Why? What’s wrong?’
‘I – my brother’s girlfriend’s just had her baby a month early, and there’s something wrong with him, I just heard—’
‘Oh no, Robin, I’m so sorry—’
‘It’s not that, I can’t do anything about that tonight,’ said Robin distractedly. ‘Maybe I shouldn’t care about this right now, but Ilsa, I just need to know, was Strike violent to Charlotte Campbell?’
‘What?’
‘I just met a man called Valentine Longcaster, and—’
‘Him,’ said Ilsa, her tone scathing. ‘Oh, I knowhim.We met him a couple of times. There was a bloody terrible party on a barge, and some dinner in Belgravia. How on earth did you meethim?’
‘It’s complicated,’ said Robin. ‘Anyway, he told me Strike knocked Charlotte around, and Ilsa, if he did—’
‘Did he hell,’ said Ilsa.
‘Are you sure?’ said Robin, and even as she said it, she knew nobody could give her the total assurance she craved. Who knew what happened when a man and a woman were alone together, unwatched, unheard? ‘I can’t work with him if – I can’t take this, on top of everything else—’
‘Robin,sheinjuredhim.She threw things, clawed his face—’
