Questions Of Trust: A Medical Romance (15 page)

There didn’t seem to be much more to talk about, so Chloe got up to go. Mike held the door for her.

‘Needless to say –’

Chloe said, ‘I know.’ She made a zipping motion at her mouth. He grinned and let her out.

Now, as she trudged the streets, the initial shock dissipating slowly and leaving her with a clearer head, Chloe ran through the possibilities. She wasn’t sure if Tom had learned of the allegations himself yet. She supposed he probably had, although if the woman in question had approached the papers alone then perhaps word hadn’t got out yet. If so, he was bound to find out today at the latest. The
Pember Valley News
in particular would be all over the story by now. The paper had something of a reputation for being proud of its precarious financial position. It was popular, and sold in high volumes, but its profits were forever being offset by the damages it was forced to pay out in successful lawsuits against it by people it had printed blatant lies about. Its policy seemed to be to rush to print first and take the consequences later. So this week’s edition, due out tomorrow, would probably already contain the allegations.

If Tom had heard the allegations already, Chloe felt a responsibility to talk to him about them. In a way, Mike’s refusal to allow her to pick up the story left her in an easier position; she could weigh in quite openly on Tom’s side and give him the support he needed without any conflict of interest coming in, without laying herself open to accusations of bias as a journalist. On the other hand, not having the backing of the
Pemberham Gazette
meant that her access to information was restricted. She couldn’t seek out and interview the woman who’d made the allegations, not in any official capacity as a reporter.

There was another option, Chloe knew. She could investigate the matter on her own, off her own bat, using the limited resources available to her. One such resource was her reputation. She was becoming known and respected in the local community for her journalism. This might open doors for her which would otherwise remain closed.

First things first, though. She needed to lay the groundwork by gathering as much information as she could about the allegations, and about who had made them. That inevitably meant sounding Tom out, first of all to find out if he’d heard about the charges against him yet.

He’d be at work, so she’d have to contrive a way to get to see him. She couldn’t bring Jake along on the pretence he was ill and needed to see the doctor. That was exactly the type of underhand journalistic trick the
Pember Valley News
would employ, and which she detested. Wasting professionals’ time in the course of their duties wasn’t her style.

No. She’d be up front, ring him and ask for a meeting, and gauge from his reaction whether or not he knew what it was about. Her journalistic ear was fine-tuned to detect subtle nuances of speech and breathing, and she felt confident she’d be able to tell quickly if he guessed that she’d heard about the allegations.

Chloe strode up a cobbled slope to a higher point in the town centre, where the phone reception was better. She dialled Tom’s number and waited.

Chapter Nine

In the event, meeting Tom wasn’t as straightforward as Chloe had anticipated.

She’d rung him from the town centre that morning and hadn’t been surprised when his phone went to voicemail. He was, after all, in the middle of a morning surgery. She left a brief message.

‘Tom, it’s Chloe. I realise you’re busy, so I’m sorry to hassle you. Could we meet up some time today for ten minutes? I’m happy to come to the surgery. There’s something I need to talk to you about.’

She went back home, leaving Jake with the other mum who’d said she was happy to look after him until after lunch, as she had a little boy herself of Jake’s age and the two got on well together. At the cottage Chloe drove herself to a solid hour-and-a-half’s work on the article, banishing all thoughts of Tom and his predicament ruthlessly from her mind.

One o’clock came, and went. Wasn’t Tuesday one of the days Tom worked a split shift, spending four hours at the practice and then picking Kelly up from nursery to spend the afternoon with her? In which case, he must have finished his first shift and would surely have checked his phone’s voice messages by now. She chided herself almost at once. He was a busy man, and had a lot else on his plate now in addition to his work. It was egotistical of her to expect that he’d give priority to returning her call. She told herself to be patient and get on with her work. There was time for another half hour’s writing before she had to go and pick Jake up.

The afternoon passed, Chloe losing herself to some extent in first a chat over a cup of tea with the woman who’d looked after Jake, and later an extended reading session with Jake. She noticed with delight that his ability to identify letters was growing rapidly. What was more, he was fascinated by books, to the extent that she sometimes struggled to pry him away from them at meal times.

At four o’clock Chloe checked her phone, saw that nobody had called, and decided to give Tom another try. He’d be with Kelly now, and although she was reluctant to intrude on his time with his daughter, she thought there was more chance of his answering than if she waited until later when he’d be back at work for the evening surgery.

It went to voicemail, again. She left a similar message to before, hoping she didn’t sound too desperate, like some sort of stalker. It occurred to her that if Tom was aware of the allegations against him – and he surely must be, by now, she thought – he was probably hardly in the mood to respond to a woman’s invitation for a meeting. Silently Chloe cursed herself for her short-sightedness.

She’d leave it, for today. If Tom didn’t want to meet her, or speak to her, that was his decision. Perhaps she’d try again tomorrow. But badgering him wasn’t going to help him at all, and would just make her look foolish.

And it was with that thought that Chloe’s instincts took over.
Fortune favours the bold.
She’d promised herself to offer Tom her full support, and that was what she was going to do. Propriety be damned. She scooped up Jake, who was excited when she told him they were going out for a drive, and set off in the Astra.

Chloe parked across the street from the surgery. One or two people were lingering outside, waiting for it to open its doors for the evening session. She checked the dashboard clock. A quarter to five.

She spotted Tom’s Ford turning into the street and pulling into one of the parking spaces reserved for staff at the side of the surgery.

Drawing a deep breath, Chloe climbed out, lifted Jake from his seat in the back and crossed the road. The staff car park was round the corner from where the patients were waiting, so they wouldn’t see her approach Tom.

He saw her as he was stepping out of his car, and Chloe was appalled by the expression that appeared on his face for an instant. He flinched, visibly, fear flaring in his features. A second later the expression was gone, to be replaced by one of wary politeness.

‘Hello, Chloe. Hi, Jake.’ He managed to waggle his eyebrows, something that never failed to send the boy into peals of laughter.

Chloe kept a respectful distance. She plunged right in: ‘Tom, I’m really sorry to ambush you like this. It’ll just take a second. But you haven’t been answering my calls. Not that you’re obliged to, of course, but I have to speak to you.’

He stood watching her carefully, still holding the car door open. Something changed in his features, as if he’d read something in hers that eased his wariness.

‘So you’ve heard, then,’ he said quietly.

‘Oh, Tom.’ She’d prepared a set speech, but for a moment Chloe was at a loss.

‘It isn’t true,’ he said.

‘I know it isn’t.’ She risked a step closer to him. ‘That’s why I wanted to speak to you. Tom, this is terrible. You must feel awful. Who’d do something like this?’

He seemed about to speak, but shut his mouth, still gazing at her.

‘I know it’s a clichéd thing to say, but – if there’s anything I can do, anything at all, please ask.’ She was dispirited at how trite she was sounding, how the bold, no-nonsense approach she’d intended was withering in the face of the utter anguish she could see was holding him in its grip.

The memory of the expression on his face when she’d first accosted him – the fear – caught up with her suddenly, and a shock of understanding came to her. ‘Tom… you didn’t think…
I
was the one who made the accusation, did you?’

He was silent for only a fraction of a second too long, but it answered her question. Of course; it made sense to Chloe now. His avoidance of her phone calls. His wariness around her now. He thought she’d taken offence after their kiss a week ago and was trying now to destroy his career and his life.

‘I didn’t know what to think, Chloe,’ he murmured. 

She wanted to step closer to him, to embrace him (however awkward that would be, not least because she was holding Jake in her arms), to tell him she was sorry; sorry that she’d run away that evening last week and not been back in contact, sorry that she’d been so aloof with him over the last weeks and months, more or less spurning his offers of friendship; sorry that he was in the nightmarish predicament he found himself in. And she wanted to assure him that he wasn’t alone, that she’d help him in whatever way he could to fight this thing, clear his name.

But she didn’t, of course. She just stood and stared at him, helpless.

‘Tom, talk to me,’ she said. ‘Who’s been making these allegations? All I’ve heard so far is rumours, vague hints. I don’t know what’s going on.’

‘I don’t, either,’ he said, closing the car door as if he’d just remembered it. He had his jacket draped over a forearm, his briefcase in his hand. ‘I’ve no idea who’s been making the accusations. None whatsoever. But I’ll be able to read all about it in tomorrow’s paper. As will you, and every other living soul in this town.’

‘Which paper? Not the
Gazette
?’ Surely they weren’t ready to run a story yet, especially not after letting Tom have a chance to defend himself. that wasn’t Mike’s style.

‘No. The
Pember Valley News
.’ Tom starting walking towards the front of the surgery and Chloe had to fall into step beside him to keep up. Jake, seeming to sense the tension in the air, clung to her neck, saying nothing.

‘They doorstepped me this morning, asking if I had anything to say about the allegations,’ Tom went on as he walked. ‘I said I didn’t know what they were talking about. Then, this afternoon I got a phone call from one of the paper’s editors, saying they were going to run the story in tomorrow morning’s edition and did I have any comment. Again I said I had no idea what they were on about. So I suppose I’ll find out tomorrow, along with everybody else.’

‘Tom!’ Chloe said, trying to keep up with his brisk pace, almost pleading. ‘You have to get an injunction or something. Stop them spreading lies in print.’

‘But that’s just the problem, Chloe,’ he said, stopping and turning to face her, an expression of intense weariness written across his face. ‘I don’t know what they’re going to print. All I’ve heard is that a woman – I haven’t been told her name – has made an allegation of sexual harassment against me. I haven’t been formally accused of any wrongdoing, not by any regulatory body or by the police. It’s all, as you say, rumours at present.’

‘Then you need to sue them, Tom. Make them pay for whatever lies they print.’

‘I could do that, yes. But it won’t undo the damage. The seed of doubt will have been planted in everyone’s minds.’ There was a bitterness in his tone Chloe had never heard before, and wouldn’t have thought him capable of.

She felt utterly deflated. ‘What are you going to do?’ she managed.

He paused for a long moment, deliberating. Then he said: ‘I have to leave, Chloe. Leave Pemberham. Start again somewhere else as best I can.’

‘Tom –’ This time Chloe did reach out to him, unable to help herself. Her hand fell short of his arm. ‘Leave? All on the basis of some…
rumour
?’

‘You don’t understand,’ he said quietly, but not unkindly. ‘I know what this is all about. I know what’s going on. And the only course of action is to leave. For Kelly’s sake.’

He was right. Chloe didn’t understand. She couldn’t remember being more confused before in her life.

‘Tom,’ she said, her voice trembling. ‘Please understand. It wasn’t me. I didn’t do this.’

His smile was gentle. ‘I know it wasn’t, Chloe. I didn’t think it was, but seeing you now, I’m certain of it. and that’s why I have to leave.’

More bewildered than ever, she stood hugging her son, watching Tom disappear round the corner towards the entrance to the surgery. A faint, good-natured cheer rose up, presumably from the waiting patients, as he went inside.

***

For the second Tuesday night in a row, Chloe couldn’t sleep.

This time what was keeping her awake wasn’t the turmoil of confusing, mixed emotions, churned up from the silt at the bottom of her soul where she’d thought them long dead and fossilised. That was what she’d gone through last week, after the kiss with Tom. Tonight, she was being kept from sleep by a realisation far sharper, purer, better defined, one that she was unable to draw her attention away from.