The Cloud Maker

Chapter 14

Cathy watched as Bill loosened his tie with two fingers and kicked off his shoes. He put his feet up on the coffee table with a sigh.

‘Really, I’m fine,’ he said. ‘It’s just been another bitch of a day at the office.’ Stretching his arms above his head, he yawned. ‘Everything’s fine.’

His wife perched on the arm of the sofa opposite, fingering the buttons on a cushion. Her shoulder-length hair was pulled back into a ponytail from a quietly pretty face and she was wearing one of Bill’s huge knitted jumpers, her hands lost in the long sleeves.

‘You keep saying “fine” but you haven’t been yourself since you’ve got back. I can tell something’s wrong. Why won’t you just tell me?’

‘Because there’s nothing worse than coming back from a long day at the office and being asked if you’re all right, over and over again,’ Bill snapped. He closed his eyes and sank a little deeper in the sofa, wiggling his toes in his socks. ‘It’s exhausting.’

Cathy took a deep breath. ‘Then why don’t you seem to notice when Ella and Hal are talking to you? Or me, for that matter.’ She hesitated, biting her lip, and continued, ‘I know it can be a bit of an anti-climax after these trips, but you’ve always seemed so pleased to see us before. This time… well, it’s like we’re barely here.’

‘That’s not true,’ protested Bill. ‘Of course I’m happy to be back with you and the kids.’

There was a brief silence. The TV flickered mutely, announcing the beginning of the seven o’clock news. Bill reached for the volume on the remote, then gave a yelp as Cathy jumped up and snatched it from him. The picture shrank to a dot as she flicked the power switch.

‘Enough, Bill. Something happened up that mountain, and seeing as I’m the person you’ve chosen to spend your life with, I think I have a right to know about it.’

Bill sighed and rubbed his eyes. He looked up, wincing to see her expression.

‘Look, I haven’t wanted to talk about this because I know what you think about Luca sometimes, and, well, he’s… my friend.’ Bill paused for a moment and slowly shook his head. ‘But since he hasn’t even called me or made any attempt to set things right…’

‘What did he do?’ Cathy interrupted, her voice steely.

Bill sighed and looked down at his large hands for a moment before speaking. ‘You know when I got altitude sickness? I think Luca was planning on leaving me up there.’

Cathy’s eyes widened. ‘What? He what?’

Bill flapped his hands as if trying to put out a fire. ‘Look, it didn’t happen so don’t make a big thing out of it. But he said something about going for the summit and leaving me on the ledge. You know, it’s hard to be sure what the hell did happen up there. I wasn’t exactly thinking straight.’ Then he turned his head, looking back towards the blank television screen. ‘The strange thing is that part of me wishes he had gone for the summit. Then I wouldn’t have to feel so damn’ guilty, like the whole thing is unfinished business because I got ill.’

‘Jesus, I always knew he was selfish but I never thought he’d go that far. The man ought to be locked up!’

‘Come on, Cath, you know you can’t judge what happens up there from the safety of our living room. It was just the heat of the moment and funny things can happen to your brain at altitude. Besides, he didn’t actually do it. And he was the one who got me down.’

‘But this isn’t a one-off! Luca has a track record. Everybody knows he walked past those people dying on Everest.’

Bill looked up accusingly. ‘That’s just what the bloody tabloids said, Cath, and you know it. Luca was trying to get the hell off the mountain. He didn’t even know those guys were up there.’

‘That’s what he told you.’

‘Yeah, that’s what he told me, and I believe him. I know Luca’s always had a hard side to him, but he’d never go that far.’

Cathy looked over at her husband. Bill looked pale and strained. He had dropped a few pounds, and there were shadows under his eyes from the restless nights he’d been having. Moving to sit down beside him, she leaned forward impulsively to give him a hug. As she rested her chin on his shoulder, her glance strayed to the framed photo of Luca and Bill standing at the summit of the Eiger. Their goggles were up around their foreheads and grins split their faces. It had been a speed ascent of the north face and the whole climb had gone without a hitch.

‘Well, at least you know you’ll never climb with him again.’

Bill remained silent.

Cathy pulled back and looked him in the eye. ‘Bill, please tell me you aren’t going to climb with him again? Look, we all know what Luca is like. The kids love him, and he’s sweet with me. Probably, underneath it all, his heart is in the right place. But in the end, Luca is out there for Luca. That’s not someone you can rely on.’

A lock of hair had escaped her ponytail. She pushed it back impatiently.

‘Besides, we have a deal, right? Some good, uninterrupted family time.’ She reached for his hand, her voice growing more determined. ‘Right, my love?’

The phone rang, making them both jump. Bill let go of her hand with a strained smile, crossing the room to pick up the receiver.

‘Hello,’ he said. ‘Yes… Oh, it’s you.’

He turned so that his broad back was to his wife. Cathy felt her heart begin to thump.

‘Fine, and you?’

There was a long silence before Bill spoke again.

‘Right. Well, that’s good of you, maybe some time later this week.’ He paused again and listened for a few minutes. ‘I see. OK, well, how about twenty minutes then? The Windsor Castle.’

He put down the receiver and turned back to face Cathy. She felt her heart sink as she saw the new light that had appeared in his eyes.

‘Talk of the devil. Luca wants to speak to me, face to face. To apologise.’ Bill started walking towards the door, picking his jacket off the coat-hook as he passed. ‘I said I’d meet him for a quick pint.’

Cathy looked down at her hands, realising they had started to tremble. ‘Don’t go,’ she said quietly.

Bill was in the middle of sliding his arm into his jacket. He looked round at her in surprise.

‘Why on earth not? We need to sort this out.’

‘Because I don’t believe for a minute he’d be apologising unless he’s got something else up his sleeve. And I can’t bear the thought of him persuading you to go on another trip. I just can’t bear it.’

‘My love, I’m going for a pint with the man. That’s it.’ Walking over to the sofa, he kissed her briefly.

‘I’ll be back in an hour,’ he said. ‘In plenty of time to help put the kids to bed.’

Three hours later, Cathy lay curled up in bed, pretending to sleep. As Bill crept into the bedroom she smelled the smoke from the pub on his clothes, heard the unevenness to his tread.

‘Cathy,’ he whispered as he sat down on the edge of the mattress, pulling off his boots. ‘Cathy love, are you awake?’

Even before he reached out to switch on the bedside lamp, she heard it in his voice. He was going away again.

Every instinct screamed inside of her. This time something bad would come of it.