Free A Life Less Lonely by Jill Barry

tell us a bit more. So if you can’t get along there to cheer them on tomorrow, keep listening and you’ll hear a bit more about this scheme and how to become involved.”
    Rosemary sat back in her chair. She loved gardening. It sounded like they needed people to help. Maybe she should go along now. No time like the present. She abandoned her half-eaten apple, stood up and went to find a carrier bag. She’d take her trowel and gardening gloves from the shed. She could walk through the park and follow the signs to the hospital.
    Within minutes, the elderly woman was trotting along the road, passing Lizzie Dean’s house without a second glance. Inside, Lizzie was crawling around her loft, moving things to make room for stuff she wanted to store before her new tenants moved in. She glanced at her watch. She’d told Rosemary she’d call round at five o’clock, bringing freshly baked scones for tea. There was plenty of time.
    Rosemary walked purposefully through the park. She wore her floppy gardening hat with a silk poppy attached to the brim although the day was dull and a wee bit chilly. No matter. She’d soon warm up when she started work. She arrived at the far gates and approached the pedestrian crossing just as the little green man sign appeared. A couple of minutes later, she saw the hospital looming in the distance.
    ***
    Keir was satisfied with the way the conference preparation had gone. He wasn’t quite so pleased with his own feelings about Andrea. Sitting within touching distance of her had been pure hell. When she stood to present her findings, he’d caught a drift of her scent, relishing its fresh, meadow-like fragrance. He hated those powerful brass band perfumes so many women seemed to use. Andrea’s scent seemed to suit its wearer’s personality.
    He groaned as he walked along the corridor towards the rear of the university building where he’d left his car. This kind of thinking was off limits. What kind of a man was he? What would come next? Writing love poems, maybe? He really needed to get a grip.
    Keir pushed through the swing doors and strode towards his vehicle, intent on returning to his office and catching up with a bunch of referrals Lyn pointedly kept moving to the top of the pile in his in tray. The traffic was light for once and soon he was reversing into his personal parking space at the hospital. Occasionally, a colleague in a tearing hurry might sneak into it but luckily not this time.
    He grabbed his briefcase, zapped his key and heard the locking system operate. Movement in the newly created garden alongside the car park caught his attention. Keir had been following the steady horticultural progress over many months. Tomorrow the Mayor was coming to open it. There’d been emails arriving and eye-catching posters and paper sunflowers pinned to notice boards proclaiming the date and Keir had been pleased to contribute towards a bench.
    He wondered why a woman police officer stood in the middle of the garden. She wasn’t alone. A small group of people clustered around her. Keir hesitated. Had he got the date wrong? What was going on? There was nobody there wearing a chain of office but he noticed an elderly woman who seemed very distressed. His diagnostic antennae tuned. The female police officer took hold of the woman’s arm and someone who looked like a security officer stood at her other side. The guy was speaking into whatever sort of communication gadget they used these days.
    Before Keir could take a step forward, a police car, lights flashing, turned into the car park and drove straight towards him. The driver parked his distinctive vehicle, blocking Keir in then snapped his seatbelt loose and jumped out to face him.
    “Excuse me Sir. Is this your car?”
    Keir nodded. “It’s all right, Officer. I’ve only just arrived. It looks like I might be of assistance here.”
    “Could I ask who you are, please?” The second officer posed the question while his colleague strode