Capital Falling | Book 4 | Sever Winkless, Lance (most popular ebook readers TXT) 📖

“That’s what I thought,” Josh says.

My phone tells me I to have a missed call from Winters too, along with several others from two numbers my phone doesn’t recognise. One of the numbers is a landline number, with a Plymouth dialling code. I would guess that call has a good chance of being the hospital, trying to see where I am and the other, a mobile number was probably doing the same.

My absence from the hospital has obviously not gone unnoticed, as I knew it wouldn’t. The pretence that the tests were for my benefit didn’t fool me for one minute. I know full well that the authorities are desperate to find out what has happened to my body since it was infected. I understand the reasons why they are desperate, and I am willing to let them run their tests, just as soon as I have the time...

I debate for a moment on whether to phone Lieutenant Winters back and tell him I am delayed, and that I will phone him again as soon as I can attend to make a new appointment. But I decide against it, he would have numerous questions on why I’ve missed my appointment and they are questions I don’t want to answer right now.

“I have missed calls too, from Lieutenant Winters and two other numbers,” I tell Josh and Alice. “I think it’s best if we ignore the calls until we are finished.”

“It must be nice to be so popular,” Josh jokes after he and Alice agree about the phone calls.

“Always popular me,” I reply sarcastically.

“Are you hungry?” Alice asks, after a minute. “I have your sandwiches here.”

“Yes, I am. I’d better eat them before we arrive. Thanks.”

Alice rustles through a bag and hands me the sandwiches back over the seat together with a packet of crisps and a bottle of water. By the time I’ve finished my snack, Josh has turned off the motorway and we are driving through the side roads to reach Richmond.

“We’re not far now. We will be in Richmond on the other side of this bridge,” Alice tells us as we drive over the river Thames. “And they’re just around the corner.”

“What are their names?” I ask.

“Bill and Lillian.”

“Very American,” Josh jokes.

“Take a right here,” Alice says, ignoring Josh’s quip.

Josh does as he’s told, without any further witty remarks and after several more instructions, Alice tells him to slow down.

“This is their house,” Alice confirms as Josh comes to a stop outside a large and affluent looking house.

“It looks dead,” Josh says, referring to the fact that the house is in complete darkness.

“Yes, it does,” Alice agrees. “It’s usually lit up like a Christmas tree.”

“Perhaps they have left the house due to Richmond being close to London or they could be laying low inside,” Josh guesses.

“I’m not sure where they would go if they have left? They’ve no family here or back home in the States. This house was their life,” Alice tells us.

“Well, there’s only one way to find out if anyone’s home,” I announce and pop open the Defender’s back door.

Josh and Alice follow me out of the four-wheel drive. Josh and I then let Alice lead us up to the front door and climbs up a flight of stone steps that lead up to the house with some confidence, but she then looks quite nervous when it comes to the knocking part. She looks back over her shoulder before she knocks, and I give her a nod of encouragement for her to go ahead. The first knock goes unanswered, as does the second knock, but on the third one a dim light switches on inside the house.

I don’t know about the other two, but I feel relieved when I see the light come on. The last thing we wanted to do after we arrived was to have to start trawling the riverbank looking for a boat to ‘borrow’. Somebody being home is our best bet for getting a boat and getting some rest before we set off.

“Who is it?” an old-sounding, male voice, with an American accent asks nervously from behind the large wooden door.

“Uncle Bill, is that you? It’s Alice, Alice ward.”

“Alice?” the voice asks surprised.

“Yes, it’s Alice. Can you open the door please?” Alice requests.

A few seconds of hushed voices talking from the other side of the door is followed by the sound of a lock turning and then finally the door opening up, but only a sliver. In the gap, the side of an elderly gentleman’s face appears to look upon his visitor.

“Alice?” the man says once more.

“Yes, Uncle Bill, it’s me.”

“What are you doing here my dear?”

“My friends and I need to ask you and Lillian a favour, can we come in please?” Alice asks, convincingly.

The face disappears back behind the door, which is pushed to again for a moment. More hushed voices talk feverishly until the door begins to open again. This time the door opens wide, and the man ushers us into the house urgently.

“Thank you, Uncle Bill, Aunty Lillian,” Alice says, looking at the shocked elderly couple, who are standing in their hallway in their nightclothes and dressing gowns.

“I didn’t recognise you in your uniform Alice. We have been worried about you, haven’t we Lillian?” Bill says.

“We certainly have dear,” Lillian confirms. “Who are your friends?”

“This is Captain Richards and his son Josh. We need your help, if you’re willing.”

“Oh, well you know we will help you if we can, but let’s not stand in the hallway. Let’s go through to the kitchen and you can tell us all about it,” Bill suggests.

Bill leads us all down the extensive hallway and through a door leading into a large kitchen and dining room at the back of the house. He then insists on making us all a hot drink before he will hear anything about why we have disturbed their night.

While Bill makes the drinks, I wander over to the large windows and patio