The phone rang as Gemma came out of the tube near the hostel. It was Paulina Blair. Gemma saw the cell number and used her general American accent.
Paulina was in London, it turned out.
Gemma was not expecting that.
Could Gemma meet for lunch at the Ivy tomorrow?
Of course. Gemma said how surprised she was to hear from Paulina. They had spoken a number of times directly after Will's death, when Gemma had talked to police officers and shipped back items from Will's London flat while Paulina nursed Corey in New York City, but all those difficult conversations had finished some weeks ago.
Paulina normally had a busy, chatty way about her, but today she sounded low and her voice didn't have its usual animation. "I should tell you," she said, "that I lost Corey."
That was a shock. Gemma thought of Corey Blair's swollen gray face and the funny little dogs he doted on. She had liked him very much. She hadn't known he was dead.
Paulina explained that Corey had died two weeks ago of heart failure. All those years of kidney dialysis, and his heart had killed him. Or maybe, Paulina said, because of Will's suicide, he had not wanted to continue living any longer.
They talked about Corey's illness for a while, and about how wonderful he was, and about Will. Paulina said what a help Gemma had been, handling things in London when the Blairs couldn't leave New York. "I know it seems strange for me to be traveling," Paulina said, "but after all those years of looking after Corey, I can't bear to be in the apartment alone. It's filled with his things, Will's things. I was going to…" Her voice trailed off, and when she started talking again it was forced and bright. "Anyway, my friend Becca lives in Hampshire and she offered me use of her guest cottage to rest up and heal. She told me I had to come. Some friends are just like that. I hadn't talked to Becca in ages, but the moment she called—after hearing about Will and Corey—we started up again right away. No small talk. It was all honesty. We went to Greenbriar together. School friends have these memories, these shared histories that bind them together, I think. Look at you and Will. You picked up again so brilliantly after being apart."
"I'm very, very sorry about Corey," Gemma said. She meant it completely.
"He was sick forever. So many pills." Paulina paused, and when she went on she sounded choked. "I think after what happened to Will, he just had no fight left in his body. He and Will, they were my sweetie potatoes." Then she pushed her voice again into busy brightness: "Now, back to the reason I called. You'll come to lunch, right?"
"I said I'd come. Of course."
"The Ivy, tomorrow at one. I want to thank you for all you did for me, and for Corey, after Will died. And I even have a surprise for you," said Paulina. "Something that might actually cheer us both up. So don't be late."
When the conversation was over, Gemma held the phone to her chest for a while.