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The gas flames of the feature fire warmed her back but still she shivered.
‘How is he?’
‘Not so good.’ She picked up the sachets of assorted sugars from the bowl on the table between them.
‘What’s happened?’
She sorted the sugars by the colour of their wrapping, unable to look at him as she spoke. ‘After school I stayed away. Didn’t want to come back here and I was still angry with him for sending me to that school. I went to university in Wellington. Did an arts degree. I didn’t want to go out to work so went on and did honours, then a masters. It was a cushy life—Grandfather paid the fees. I figured he owed me some fun. I came back briefly in the holidays. But not nearly as often as I should have.’
She rearranged the sugars into rows according to type. ‘I didn’t really notice at first. Sometimes when I phoned he seemed confused, but I figured he’d probably just had one too many gins or something.’
‘Where was Polly?’
‘She died about six years ago. Had a stroke.’ And yes, since his housekeeper had died the decline had been even more rapid. Amanda’s heart ached. Polly had almost been a mother to her.
‘Too young,’ Jared murmured.
She’d only been in her mid-sixties. Amanda nodded. ‘I didn’t realise how vulnerable Grandfather was. He’d always been so much the boss. So strong, the authority figure.’ She sighed and swept her hand through the sugars, scattering them wide. ‘I came back a couple of Christmases ago and he was stressed. He’d lost a lot of money when all those finance companies went under.’ There’d been an economic crunch and many investors had lost out. Her grandfather had lost heavily. At the time Amanda hadn’t realised just how heavily. ‘But he’d said not to worry. He had fingers in another pie and it would all work out. I thought he was capable. He’d been the big businessman in town. People came to him for advice, you know?’
She looked up and saw Jared nod.
‘It was a property development scheme. He’d met the developer. Said he was a gun with fantastic ideas. He bought it all—hook, line and sinker.’
‘It fell through?’
She nodded. ‘Grandfather pretty much lost everything.’
‘The guy was a con?’
‘I think so. He got away without paying off his creditors. Last I heard he was involved in a new development on the Gold Coast of Australia.’ She rubbed her fingers over her temples. ‘Grandfather was agitated. At first I put it down to the stress of the finances. But then it was more. I talked to his GP. Grandfather had never told me but he was already on medication to slow it.’
‘Dementia?’
‘Something like that.’
‘Do you think his ability to make the decision on the property scheme was impaired? Do you think the guy took advantage of that?’
She dropped her hands and looked at Jared hopelessly. ‘I could never try to prove it. I’d have to have Grandfather declared unfit or something, wouldn’t I? He’d hate that. You know what he’s like, Jared.’ Proud, independent and so sure of what was best for him—Amanda had inherited some of the same failings. She could see that now. ‘We sold the big house and managed to get a little unit for him. I came down to see him more.’
‘Wasn’t there someone else who could help?’
‘There’s no one around any more. All his old mates have either passed on or gone the same way. Bill’s gone to live near his grandchildren in Tauranga. The town has changed. I don’t know most of them any more.’
She tried the coffee but it was still too hot. She set the cup down. ‘The deterioration sped up even more. He couldn’t stay alone. He’d wandered a couple of times and couldn’t remember his new address. I worried he’d leave an element on or something.’
‘So he moved into the home.’
‘It was the nearest one that had a secure unit.’
Jared took a sip of his coffee, apparently not bothered that it was boiling hot. ‘What’s been going on?’
‘I don’t know.’ She lowered her voice. ‘I’m not happy with the place. He seems unhappy. But I can’t be sure why. I didn’t come down for a month when I first got the job in Auckland. That’s when I really noticed it.’
‘What?’
‘He’s lost a lot of weight. So I started coming more often. Lately it’s been every other weekend. Something’s not right.’
‘Not right how?’ His intensity made her tremble.
She looked around behind her. There were a couple of other customers but they were at tables far away. Music was playing. They wouldn’t overhear the wildness of her thoughts. ‘He has bruises.’
