What Lies Hidden

by Fran McDonnell

  “Well, in the case we have, the mother has stopped drinking but is crucified with guilt. Hopefully, soon she’ll be feeling able to reconnect with her son and things can stabilise again. Like you, the couple are divorcing. Obviously, we’ve supported this boy as much as he needed and advised his father where appropriate. We’re pleased with how things are going.”

  Patricia nodded and dabbed her eyes with the tissue again.

  Outside Isobel could hear children shouting in the playground – school must be out.

  “Perhaps we could see the classroom Luke would be in and maybe speak to his future teacher?” Isobel asked.

  “Oh yes, that’s a great idea,” Patricia said. “That would give me a real feel for the school, a real feel for where Luke would be.”

  Mrs Winter frowned.

  “We won’t take long,” Patricia said, “and obviously if the teacher is too busy that’s fine.”

  Mrs Winter stood up. “Very well. I’ll show you the classroom quickly.”

  Patricia smiled. “Thank you.”

  Conversation on the corridors was desultory. Mrs Winter stopped in front of a classroom and reached out to open the door. As she did, a young woman in high heels came marching along the corridor.

  “Oh, here is Miss English now,” said Mrs Winter.

  The teacher had long auburn hair, a sprinkling of freckles and a ready smile. She seemed open and friendly and warm.

  “Hello, headmistress!” she called out.

  “Miss English, another week over.” Mrs Winter smiled then gestured to Patricia. “This is Patricia King. She may be moving to the area very soon and her son, Luke, would be in your class. This is her friend Isobel. We were just discussing Luke and his needs. Patricia wanted to get a feel for our school so we came to look at the classroom. May I leave these ladies with you, Miss English?”

  “We won’t take up too much of your time,” Patricia said apologetically.

  Miss English smiled. “Come in, come in.”

  “Please let me know as soon as possible if you want a place for Luke, Mrs King,” said Mrs Winter.

  “I will – and thank you.”

  “Have a good weekend, Miss English – see you Monday.” With a smile, the headmistress departed.

  Inside the classroom, Patricia and Isobel wandered around, looking at the projects and artwork displayed on the walls. As Isobel perused the pictures she spotted one by a child called Tommy. It was a picture of a house, a big one, not unlike the one she had seen in Wimbledon through the gate, with a woman and a child in front of it. Isobel drew Patricia over to see the picture.

  Patricia opened her eyes wide at the signature.

  Turning to Miss English, she pointed at the picture and said, “That’s the sort of family that my son is going to be in now. Just mother and child. I hope Luke will be all right.”

  “Oh, I’m sure he will, with time and support.”

  “Miss English, when I was talking to Mrs Winter I told her that a friend recommended this school. She didn’t ask who but that friend is Anne Banks. The reason I’m considering this school for Luke is because she was happy with Tommy coming here and – because I’m in a similar situation to hers – I thought that would make it easier for Luke and of course maybe he and Tommy could be friends.”

  “Well, if you and Anne are friends no doubt the boys will be thrown together.”

  “Anne has had such a rough time recently,” said Patricia. “To be honest, I haven’t seen her much.”

  “Yes, she has. I was so surprised to hear about her circumstances.”

  “Yes. My soon-to-be-ex-husband is an alcoholic too.”

  “To be honest, I find it hard to believe,” Miss English said. “I keep going over in my head all the times I spoke to her when she collected Tommy. There were so many times, and never once did I sense anything other than a very committed and attentive mum. No matter what it was that Tommy needed she did it – extra help with reading, a costume for a play – every sports day she was here, every parent-teacher meeting. To me she was a devoted mother. I never smelt drink on her breath, she was never inappropriate, never even late. Tommy’s father does everything for him now but Tommy has become very withdrawn. He’s missing his mum. I’ve told his dad that and Mrs Winter too. I don’t know why they haven’t arranged a meeting, any meeting, supervised access, whatever it takes. I’m really concerned. If you know Anne, please beg her to see Tommy. I find it hard to equate the woman I knew with what’s happening now. To be honest, I think her drinking wasn’t a problem for Tommy but not living with her, not seeing her, is.”

  Miss English had talked until her eyes filled up and she had to turn away. After a few moments she looked at Patricia again.

  “Sorry, I shouldn’t have said anything about any of this. Please forgive me.”

  Patricia reached out and gently touched her arm. “You obviously care about Tommy and Anne and that’s a good thing. I do too. Hearing your concerns has just reinforced my desire to make sure things get resolved in the best way for Tommy.” She withdrew her hand. “I can see how much you care for the children in your class and that gives me such reassurance when I think of Luke coming here. Thank you.”

  Miss English looked relieved. “It’s been a long week.”

  When they left the school grounds Isobel hugged Patricia. “You were fantastic.”

  Patricia grinned back and looked at her watch. “It’s nearly four thirty, by the time we get into the city it’ll nearly be time for Peter to finish. We could have a coffee and then meet him for dinner.”

  “There is one more meeting I’m hoping to have today.”

  “Who with?”

  “Anne’s regular hairdresser, Aaron.”

  “What do you think he’ll be able to tell you?”

  “Maybe nothing, but it can’t hurt.”

  “I keep changing hairdresser so I haven’t got to know any of them.”

  “Well, you’re missing out. A good haircut and a chat is great therapy. I’m going to stay around here and wait for Aaron to finish. I’ll get dinner somewhere.”

  “Do you want me to eat with you?”

  “No, you go and meet Peter and we’ll catch up later.”

  “Are you sure?”

  Isobel grinned. “Don’t you want to have dinner with Peter?”

  Patricia blushed.

  “Go on. I’ll see you both later and we can brainstorm.”

  Isobel smiled to herself. Maybe Anne and Thomas Banks’ divorce would bring Patricia and Peter together.

  Chapter 13

  It was a quarter to eight when Isobel arrived back at Brushstrokes. Through the window she could see a man finishing a blow-dry. He was tall and slim with fair hair. From his body language it was clear that he was having an animated chat with his present customer. He certainly seemed the sort of person who was a great confidant. Isobel was encouraged – she just hoped she could get him to open up about Anne Banks.

  The receptionist recognised Isobel from her visit earlier in the week. He showed her to a white couch and went to confer quietly with Aaron who glanced up at her briefly and then, giving a nod, went on with his work. Isobel picked up a magazine and browsed. Five minutes later, after showing his customer her hair from all angles and exchanging air kisses, he came over.

  Up close Aaron had large, soft brown eyes and full lips that she could see were used mostly for smiling. He appeared to be a gentle person.

  “Hello, how can I help?”

  “Hi, Aaron. My name is Isobel and I know Anne Banks. I was hoping I could buy you a glass of wine and maybe talk to you privately. I’m a bit concerned about Anne and I thought you might be able to help me.”

  Aaron looked at her and pursed his lips. “OK – one drink because you’ve piqued my interest but I’m not promising to stay.”

  Isobel nodded. “That’s fine.”

  Aaron collected his man-bag and led the way to a wine bar further down the street. Obviously he was a regular as the barman g
reeted him by name and asked if he wanted the usual. Aaron had a Hendrick’s gin with cucumber and lots of ice and Isobel had a glass of cool Sauvignon Blanc. They found a quiet booth and faced each other across the table.

  Isobel said, “Please just hear me out before you make a run for it.”

  Aaron sipped his drink and raised an eyebrow.

  “I’m working as a consultant for Peter Wright, Anne Banks’ solicitor in her divorce. Peter has been concerned that Anne’s interests aren’t being met in the divorce settlement. Before he speaks to her again about this, he’s checking with some people in her world about how her life was and if there were problems that she may not have told him about which are working against her and weakening her position in the divorce. I had the idea of coming to you, because I know how I talk to my hairdresser and I thought if anyone knew how Anne really was, it might be you and, to be honest, she doesn’t seem to have any close friends or be close to her family.” She paused and then said, “We’re concerned that things are not as they’re being portrayed to us, but it’s mostly a feeling and we’re trying to see if there is indeed something to be concerned about.” She cringed. “I’m sorry. I’m not explaining myself very well.”

  There was long silence, then Aaron leant forward and said, “I haven’t heard from Anne in nearly four months. She always came to me every six weeks to get a cut and she never missed. Her last appointment was a no-show and she never rescheduled. I couldn’t get her on her mobile. I was concerned so, in the end, I rang her house. I thought she might be sick. Her husband told me that she was in rehab and had moved to another part of London. When I asked for her new address he got really angry with me and told me that she had more important things on her mind than getting her hair done. I hung up. I’ve been worried about her.”

  “Do you know anything about her drinking?”

  “Well, I know she liked a glass of wine or gin. We know each other a long time. She always got her hair done during the day when Tommy was at school and Thomas at work. A few years ago we started going for lunch after I’d done her hair. We’d have a couple of glasses of wine at the very most. I was working and she had to collect Tommy from school. It seems she didn’t go out much. I invited her to come out with the staff from the salon a few times but she wouldn’t come. She said she wanted to be with her family when they were home.” Aaron paused. “She did call in on spec a few times to see if I could go to lunch with her, but I couldn’t. Unless I plan something I just squeeze my lunch in, so I wasn’t free.”

  “It seems that she was drinking during the day.”

  “Well, all I can say is that I’m shocked. I didn’t think she had a problem with drink. I also find it hard to believe that Tommy isn’t living with her. She loved him so much I just can’t imagine her being happy to move away from him.”

  “What about Thomas, her husband, what was their relationship like? Did Anne say much about him?”

  “To be honest, Anne rarely mentioned him. Usually women either give out about their partner or else they’re constantly saying ‘we this’, ‘we that’ and you know that things are good. With Anne it was neither of these. Mainly she talked about Tommy and the trips and things she’d planned for him. She never seemed to go on holiday, not even a short city break. I asked Anne once about that and she said that Thomas didn’t like to be away from home. All her trips were daytrips with Tommy to London or Alton Towers.”

  “Aaron, one of our concerns, or one possibility, is that her husband is intimidating her and is forcing her to accept a deal in the divorce that is disadvantageous to her. Do you know anything about whether there was bullying or abuse in her relationship?

  Aaron looked away and frowned.

  Isobel bit her lip. It seemed there was something. “Please, Aaron, we’re very concerned. If you know anything that might help us understand what’s going on …”

  “There was one thing years ago. Tommy was only three or four. Anne was in for her cut and as I was doing her hair I found this huge bump on her head. I was shocked at the size of it. Anne said that she slipped on the stairs and banged her head. That day she winced when she had to get out of the chair. I asked was that also from the fall and she said yes. I was really concerned. I wanted her to go to casualty and be checked out. She absolutely panicked when I said that. I had one of the other girls take over my next appointment and I took her into the back. She cried her eyes out. I didn’t know what to do. I asked her what was wrong. She wouldn’t say. I begged her to tell me. She looked terrified. In the end I asked if someone had hurt her. She just shut down. She assured me that it was a fall and that she was also worried about a family member who was sick and that everything was just overwhelming at the moment. I wasn’t convinced but what could I do? I was always suspicious after that, but I never again found any bruises or bumps on her head. Anne always wore long sleeves and never anything revealing. As I said, she rarely went out but there was a benefit a few months ago. Anne got her hair done especially. I asked her to bring in a photo to show me her all dressed up and she called in a couple of days later. She just had one photo of Thomas and her taken at home before they went out. She looked beautiful. I wanted a copy to show our clients for hairdos we can do but Anne said no – she said that Thomas wouldn’t like private photos being used like that. That was the last time I saw her.”

  Aaron wasn’t looking at Isobel. He was looking out at the bar and seemed to be a million miles away. Isobel stayed silent.

  After a protracted pause, he said, “Funny, though, about a fortnight later a woman came in with the same photo. I’d never seen her before. She asked if I could do her hair like the woman in the photo – you know, the same colour, the same cut. I said I knew Anne and asked how she’d got the photo, knowing that it was a private family picture. She said Anne had given her the picture. I thought that very odd, considering Anne had said that Thomas wouldn’t like their photo being used like that. So . . . I did her hair . . . and when I’d finished she looked so like Anne it was as if she was a sister, even a twin. They say we all have a doppelganger, don’t they? Well, I can tell you that this was Anne’s.”

  Isobel could feel goosebumps rising on her arms and a cold shiver at her neck.

  “Mind you, she may have looked like Anne but she didn’t have one tenth of her personality. She was quiet, cold, unfriendly, not like Anne at all. Anne was always so warm and chatty, and she cared about people, you know?”

  Reaching into her bag for her phone, Isobel brought up the photo of Anne and Thomas she’d got from the dress shop. “Is this the picture?”

  “Jesus, for a supposedly private family photo the cat and his mother have a copy! But, yeah, that’s it, the same shot.”

  “And what was the woman’s name?”

  “Sandra – Sandra Jones. I took special note of her name as it was all so odd. She was from Manchester.”

  “Address?”

  “None given.”

  “Credit card?”

  “No. Cash.”

  “Has she been in again?”

  “No. She begged for details about the colour we used so she could get her own hairdresser to do it. I gave her those and I never saw her again.”

  “No tracing her then.” Isobel grimaced. “So, when exactly did you last see Anne?”

  “Let me see . . . the dance was on the Saturday before Valentine’s.” Aaron pulled out his phone. “That would have been the 10th of February. She popped in during the week to show me the photo. She had an appointment for a month later but, as I said, she didn’t turn up.” He paused and when Isobel didn’t speak, asked, “Will you be seeing Anne?”

  “Yes,” Isobel said distractedly.

  “Please tell her I said hello and that I hope life is going well with her. I would love to hear from her, so any time she feels up to a chat we could go for a coffee.”

  “Sure, Aaron, I’ll pass on your message and when everything’s sorted I’ll let you know. It may be a phone call because I may be back in Ireland
but I’ll let you know.”

  The drinks were nearly finished and once they were Isobel said goodnight.

  The minute she was outside she phoned Peter to arrange a meeting. Once again he suggested his apartment.

  She sat on the Tube, counting off the stations on her route and mulling over all that she’d heard. She needed a map to help her figure out what was going on in the Banks’ marriage.

  Chapter 14

  It was ten o’clock by the time Isobel arrived at Peter’s. Patricia made tea and they sat in the sitting room.

  Patricia had already described to Peter her experiences at the school with both Mrs Winter and Miss English. Isobel told them about Mr Byrne and Niamh, Brian and finally what Aaron had said.

  “What I want to know is how Brian Poole got a photo of Anne that’s a family picture if he wasn’t in touch with her,” Peter said.

  “Good question – and the answer?” Isobel fixed her eyes on him as she waited.

  “That Brian has been in touch with Anne and lied to you.”

  “Bingo. But why lie to me unless there’s something to hide? And if so, what’s he hiding?”

  “An affair he’s having with Anne?”

  “Maybe,” said Isobel. “He’s certainly still in love with her or obsessed with her.”

  “We’re no further forward,” Patricia said. “There’s this mixture of stories about bullying that turns out to be about drinking. It should all be clear but it still feels very mixed up.”

  “Yes, it does,” Isobel said. “I had some mad dreams last night and then Aaron said something this evening that has got me thinking. May I have some sheets of paper, please?”

  Peter went and took a few sheets of paper out of his printer at the back of the room.

  Isobel drew a line down the centre and put bullying on one side of the line and drinking on the other. “Let’s look at who we’ve talked to and what they’ve told us. Grace, the neighbour, said she had concerns that Anne was being abused – she mentioned bruises, changes in her behaviour, a sense of fear – so let’s put Grace’s name on the bullying side. Then Thomas came and told her about Anne’s alcoholism. I’m going to put her name on the drinking side too but I’m going to put an arrow between the sides with Thomas’s name on it because Grace never witnessed Anne’s drinking, she was told about it. Next, Sharon from the nail shop had nothing to say about bullying but she found it hard to believe that Anne was an alcoholic. She was so vehement that I’m going to put her name down on the alcohol side but with a big question mark beside it. The most helpful thing that Sharon contributed is that she’s so shocked that Anne is not in touch with Tommy. Then Donna, Anne’s mother, early on in their relationship had concerns about Anne being bullied so she goes on that side. She believes now that Anne is an alcoholic but again because Thomas told her. She has no direct experience, so again an arrow with his name. Claire, Anne’s sister, is definite that Thomas was a bully and was abusing Anne. She says Anne drank but she believes that the alcoholism is Anne’s get-out plan, so she goes on both sides. Brian Poole claims ignorance of recent events but he dislikes Thomas and thinks he’s controlling, so he goes on the bullying side. But, Brian Poole knows more than he’s letting on and he is definitely lying to us, as we know from the photo. Mrs Winter is singing Thomas’s praises as an attentive father. She’s firmly in the camp of Anne being an alcoholic but again because Thomas told her. She goes on the alcohol side.”