CHAPTER THREE

Call Me!

A customer came into the bookshop the next morning. William knew Mr Smith well.

'Have you got any books by Dickens?' Mr Smith asked.

William sighed. Not again. 'No,' he said slowly and patiently, 'this is a travel bookshop. We only sell travel books.'

'Oh. And that new John Grisham book?'

'No, John Grisham doesn't write travel books either.'

'Oh, right. Have you got a copy of Romeo and Juliet?' William looked at Mr Smith, then shouted, 'Martin, your customer!'

Martin came out from behind some shelves with a warm smile on his face. 'Can I help you?' he asked Mr Smith.

As William stared sadly out of the window, a bus went past the shop. On the side was a large picture of Anna in her new film, Helix. He couldn't stop thinking about her.

A few days later, William walked into his kitchen.

'Hi, Spike.'

'Hi.'

Spike was never Britain's best-dressed man, but today his clothes were even stranger than usual. He was wearing William's scuba diving suit, with a pair of goggles on his head.

'Er ... Spike? Why are you wearing my scuba diving suit?'

'No clean clothes.'

'There never will be if you don't wash them sometimes,' William suggested.

'And I was looking around your room and I found this. Great, isn't it? I think I look good in it, eh?'

It was a lovely day and they went outside into the sunshine. Spike, still in the scuba diving suit, tried unsuccessfully to read his newspaper through the goggles.

'There's something wrong with these, William,' he said, pointing to the goggles.

'That's because they were made specially for my eyes. So I can see the fish.'

'Oh, right.'

'So ... any messages for me?' William asked.

'Yes, I wrote down two.'

'Two. Were there only two messages?'

'You want me to write down all of them?'

William closed his eyes and sighed. 'The ones you didn't write down ... Who were they from?'

'Mmmm ... Was there one ...? No, it's gone. I just can't remember anything about them. Oh no, wait! Your mother's leg is hurting her again. And don't forget lunch on Saturday.'

'Any others?' asked William hopefully.

'No, that's it. No others.' Spike sat back in his chair and closed his eyes. Then he seemed to remember something. 'Ah ... but if you want all your messages, there was one from an American girl a few days ago. Anna, I think she said.'

William's heart stopped. 'What did she say?'

'Well, it was a bit strange. She said, "Hi, it's Anna." And then she said, "Call me at the Ritz." And then she gave a different name.'

'What was the name?'

'No idea. One name's difficult enough to remember, but two ...'

William ran inside.

'Hello, is that the Ritz Hotel?' he said, when a man answered the phone.

'Can I help you, sir?'

'Er ... I hope you can. I'm a friend of Anna Scott. She left me a message. She's staying with you. She asked me to call her.'

'I'm sorry, sir. We have nobody here of that name.'

'No, that's right ... I know that. She's using another name. She left a message with my lodger—a bad mistake. Think of the stupidest person you know ... well, my lodger's even worse. He's so stupid ...'

'Try "Flintstone".'

William looked up from the phone and turned towards Spike.

'What?'

'Try "Flintstone",' Spike repeated.

William spoke slowly into the phone. 'Is it possible that Flintstone means anything to you?'

'I'll put you through, sir.'

William could hear another phone ringing. He tried to stay calm.

'What shall I say?' he thought to himself. He practised a few words. 'Hi. Hi. Anna. Hi.' And then he heard her voice.

'Hi.'

'Oh ... hi. It's William Thacker. We ... er ... I work in a bookshop. You called me ...'

'Well, yes. Three days ago.'

'I'm so sorry. You probably think ... It was a mistake. My stupid lodger, Spike, took the message. And he didn't give it to me until now.'

'Oh, OK,' she said slowly.

'Perhaps I could come to the Ritz for ... tea, or something?'

'Yes, but I'm a little busy today ...' She was silent for a minute. 'But let's try. Four o'clock.'

'Right, great.' William put down the phone. 'Wonderful.'