The House on Findlater Lane

by Helen Goltz

  Juliette grinned. ‘Are you sure? I feel like I’m jilting you.’

  ‘Don’t be crazy. I moved here on my own, remember? Besides, it’s a bonus for me. I’ve gone from missing you to seeing you one night, two afternoons and a morning! Bargain.’

  ‘Brilliant, how exciting. Unless…’ she hesitated, ‘… Lucas and I don’t hit it off again tonight, then I’ll be crying on your shoulder for the rest of the weekend,’ Juliette said, a little anxious.

  ‘I’ve got wine and tissues,’ Holly assured her, ‘but that won’t happen. He’s crazy for you.’

  ‘Do you think?’

  ‘I can tell.’ Holly felt Juliette relax beside her. She remembered only too well the anxiety of new love. She hoped to feel it again one day.

  They arrived at Findlater House and stopped to admire Lucas’s work in the front garden as they walked to the cottage door.

  Juliette stopped. ‘Someone’s in your house. I can hear music!’

  Holly froze. For the love of God, Alexander! She could hear the record playing as well.

  She took a deep breath. ‘It’s fine, I put it on just as I was leaving – I like to come home to a house with the lights on and a bit of noise in the background.’

  ‘Phew.’ Juliette patted her heart. ‘For a moment there, I thought we might have a home invader with dubious music taste.’

  Holly laughed. Oh, I’ve got a few of those, she thought, and one of them is two-legged.

  A comfortable pair of shoes

  Saturday night was the first time that Holly had the opportunity to talk with Alexander alone since her library visit. She saw him watching and waiting for her return on Friday night, and then he disappeared once he saw her in safely and on her own, not with J.J. in tow. She couldn’t work out if he was being paternal, a protective friend, or acting like a jealous boyfriend.

  Tonight, they had the house to themselves after a full-on day; Juliette was out to dinner with Lucas and would not return until late the next morning.

  Sitting outside on their small terrace surrounded by her new garden, Holly sipped her white wine. It was a beautiful sunset; the air was crisp, the sky was red, and she greeted the occasional passer-by. Alexander sat beside her looking chilled out and not cranky for a change. He, too, sipped his drink, which he hid from view when someone passed. The glass remained full.

  ‘So peaceful,’ Holly said.

  ‘I know. I’ve always loved it here,’ Alexander said, and sighed.

  ‘Loved it enough not to leave?’

  Alexander smirked. ‘C’mon, you’d miss me. Look at us, we’re like a comfortable pair of shoes.’

  She grinned. ‘Strangely, I think I might miss you. It’s only been a short time but you’ve grown on me.’

  She waved and greeted some walkers on the other side of her street. It was an admirable effort that some villagers walked up Findlater Lane to the top of the crescent, seeing as it was reasonably steep.

  ‘It does worry me just a little, though,’ she said.

  ‘What? That you’d miss me? Luckily you don’t have to,’ he said.

  ‘No, that I’m turning into my grandmother, Loopy Lily,’ Holly said.

  Alexander scoffed and sipped his wine. ‘Becoming crazy? You’ve been there for a while, sweetheart, let me assure you. How many people have things find them! Not to mention seeing ghosts.’

  She turned, frowning in his direction. ‘Hmm, perhaps you are right. But on the upside, the author Lewis Carroll said all the best people were a bit bonkers… or something like that.’

  ‘Speaking of finding things,’ Alexander said, ‘two of the items in your “found” basket were claimed this morning,’ he said, with a nod towards the basket sitting beside the post box with the FOUND, PLEASE TAKE IF YOURS sign attached. ‘I could tell they were the owners by the expression of complete surprise on their face when they saw their things in there.’

  Holly brightened. ‘Well, that’s good news, I love things to find their home.’ She sighed, pleased with herself.

  Alexander became serious. ‘So, given we’ve established you’re already nuts, are you worried you won’t meet anyone while you’re living here with me?’

  She turned to look at him. ‘I hadn’t given it a lot of thought. But no, not really. Unless you’re intending to scare off any prospective lovers I bring home.’

  Alexander grimaced. ‘It’s crossed my mind, especially if I don’t think they are suitable,’ he said.

  ‘Really?’ Holly exclaimed. ‘How does a ghost manage that?’

  ‘I have my ways and if I fail to scare them off, I’ll find some dirt on them. Like that Fast Express courier driver who’s currently having an affair. His wife is pregnant and doesn’t know. So many good lines there, but that’s another day.’

  ‘No! I’ve seen him around town. Now I’ll never be able to look at him in the same way. What a rotter,’ Holly said.

  Alexander laughed.

  ‘Well, he is. Men!’

  Alexander continued to laugh.

  ‘What’s so funny?’

  ‘Rotter. You read too many Victorian novels. I thought you’d say scumbag or asshole.’

  ‘Well, that too,’ Holly agreed.

  He smiled and shook his head. They sat in silence for a while, enjoying the dusk light and the scent from the newly established garden.

  Alexander turned to Holly. ‘You know Meg and I loved Lily, your grandmother. When we first met her, she was only about a decade older than us, but because I died, I knew her right up until her death,’ Alexander said.

  ‘Thanks, that’s kind of you to say,’ Holly said. ‘She was seventy-one when she died – a good innings for our clan.’

  Alexander continued: ‘She was good-looking. Even when she was an old girl, she still had her looks. When she was reunited with your grandfather on my side, it was very touching.’

  Holly’s hand went to her heart and her eyes filled with tears.

  Alexander cleared his throat. ‘Christ, didn’t mean to say that, sorry.’

  Holly looked out to sea and wiped her eyes. ‘I’m so glad you did, thank you. Grandma Lily died about fifteen years after Grandpa. How romantic.’

  ‘Yeah, guess it’s nice to know that they rock on together in the afterlife,’ Alexander said. ‘But back to you. I’m more worried that because I’m such great company and so good-looking, you won’t be seeking the real thing,’ he teased.

  Holly chuckled. ‘Yes, that’s keeping me up at night.’

  He laughed… a deep baritone laugh which Holly found very attractive.

  Out of the blue, Holly asked, ‘Why didn’t you scare me off?’ She finished her wine and turned to face him.

  He shrugged. ‘I tried.’

  ‘Not very hard.’

  ‘That’s true.’ He sighed and looked into her eyes. ‘You reminded me of Meghan, and I’d hate for her to be scared or worried,’ he admitted, his voice lowered.

  ‘Thank you.’

  Alexander nodded. ‘Should we talk about what you found out?’

  ‘Lets,’ Holly agreed.

  ‘I know what you want to ask me… it’s about the last person I saw, because of the proximity of my wound, isn’t it?’

  Holly nodded.

  Alexander continued: ‘I know it might have been Meg’s cousin, Ronan, but he’s still alive so I don’t know for sure. I can’t believe that, though. I don’t believe it. Something else happened. Tell me what you found out.’

  Holly took a deep breath and filled Alexander in on her findings, the coroner’s report, the description of the weapon, its entry into his body and the inquiry after, which was shut down rather promptly.

  Alexander listened without interrupting. When she finished, he thanked her.

  ‘So what now?’ he asked.

  ‘I need you to think back and tell me who was on your left, in front of you, to your right and anyone you can recall who was in close proximity to you… from your squad and from the enemy camp. Then I’m going to
track those people down and ask to talk with them, if they are still capable of remembering the past.’

  ‘That sounds risky. I’ll come with you. They won’t see me but they’ll bloody well feel me if they try anything on.’

  ‘You can do that?’ Holly asked.

  ‘Of course. I just prefer not to leave the house unless I have to, but we’re going together,’ Alexander announced. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes as he spoke. ‘You have to remember it was chaotic that night. There were bombings and people panicking, running and screaming past me. The emergency vehicle sirens were so loud and the whole time I was trying to keep my eyes on my squad so I didn’t get separated from them, and also watching out for what was going on around me.’ He opened his eyes and saw Holly studying him.

  She shivered. ‘It’s getting cold, the sun is almost gone.’

  ‘Want to go in?’ Alexander asked.

  ‘One more question first,’ Holly said. ‘Tell me who was around you at the time. Do you remember?’

  ‘Yes. There were really only two people close to me. The rest were a few feet away, or hurrying past. Ronan was directly in front of me. I pulled him up off the ground after we collided.’

  Holly thought about the trajectory of the knife and if Ronan could have put it into Alexander as he rose up from the ground.

  Alexander continued. ‘Beside me was the Staff-Sergeant, my commanding officer Andy Davies. He’s the guy I’d mentioned to you once before – my mate that we checked out on Facebook.’

  ‘Do you think he –’

  Alexander cut her off. ‘Absolutely not! We went way back. He had my back.’

  Holly nodded, not taking her eyes off him.

  Alexander lowered his eyes and she heard him mumble the word, ‘Maybe.’

  In pursuit of the truth

  It was a whirlwind weekend. Juliette was in love, Holly was delighted for her and happy with her new surrounds, Alexander was getting more relaxed with his new tenant-cum-housemate, and life was good. Then the night tipped over and it was Monday. Holly could see Esther walking up the path to Findlater House.

  ‘She’s here,’ Holly said, going to open the door before Esther knocked; behind her, Juliette finished making tea. Alexander was waiting patiently in his portrait until Esther was shown into the kitchen and then he threatened Holly that he would join them in there.

  Holly opened the door with gusto, enjoying the blast of salt air that rushed in. It could be a touch windy on Findlater Lane, hence the need to keep the door closed sometimes – Lord knows what might blow in for Holly to find.

  ‘Esther, hello, it’s lovely to see you again,’ Holly said, moving aside. ‘Please come in.’

  Esther – looking smart in dark green and blue tweed pants, a matching navy jumper and sensible shoes – entered.

  ‘It’s good to see you again Holly, and I love what you have done with the front garden, well done,’ she said, stopping on the doorstep to cast an eye over it.

  ‘Thank you. Lucas from How Does Your Garden Grow? did it. I love it.’

  Holly noticed that as Esther came in, she glanced at the portrait and gave the Sergeant a nod. Holly looked over in a panic. Phew, Alexander was framed in there, for now!

  ‘We’re just making tea,’ Holly said, closing the front door and moving into the kitchen area. ‘Let me introduce you. This is my best friend, Juliette Holmes.’

  ‘Ms Bohmer.’ Juliette extended her hand.

  ‘Please call me Esther. Lovely to meet you, Juliette, and Holly tells me you’ve been subtly using your networks to help our case.’

  Esther accepted a seat, placing her folder on the table and her handbag on the floor beside her. Juliette brought the teapot to the table and sat opposite Esther as Holly joined them with a plate of fruit cake. They made small talk about the weather and village life as Holly poured tea for the three ladies and passed each a cup when done.

  She saw Alexander join them and made a mental note not to keep looking towards that part of the kitchen. Holly filled Esther in on Juliette’s subtle involvement.

  ‘I’ve been an antique dealer and jewellery buyer for some time now and there are several people I trust implicitly… they are always happy to share their knowledge. But I’ll let Holly fill you in on what we know so far,’ Juliette said.

  ‘Right, down to business. It appears that you were right,’ Holly started, ‘we think the Tender Heart is in France – in Paris, to be exact. If we have the right pearl and diamond necklace, then the people who currently own it are a very successful and wealthy family – the Bellerose family. Does the name mean anything to you?’

  Esther shook her head. ‘No, I haven’t heard the name before.’

  ‘That’s okay. Juliette was able to find it because the necklace had been registered for insurance,’ Holly said. ‘The only daughter, Astrid, is the public relations face of the family. They own a respected brand in the pharmaceutical and science area that goes back generations. Astrid is young, beautiful and rich.’ Holly opened the folder in front of her and pulled out some colour photos of Astrid. When she came to the final one – a photo of Astrid wearing the necklace – she hesitated, then placed it in front of Esther.

  Esther gasped. ‘That’s it! That’s the photo I saw, too. She’s wearing it.’

  ‘It appears so,’ Holly said. ‘Juliette will explain the marking.’

  Juliette nodded and pushed her auburn fringe out of her eyes. She told Esther about the symbol that jewellers often put on their work and how, in the past, many European jewellers registered it.

  ‘Yes!’ Esther exclaimed, ‘I know exactly what you are talking about and I’m sure there is one.’

  Juliette glanced at Holly then back to Esther. ‘I hope your father didn’t just use the letter “B”. The Bellerose family might try and claim that as their mark.’

  Esther shook her head. ‘No dear, it’s fine. Bohmer is my married name. My maiden name was Hirschell.’

  Juliette gasped. ‘I know the Hirschell name in jewellery… I’m sure it is registered.’

  ‘Let’s see,’ Holly said, opening her laptop and waiting for the Antique Jewellery University page to load. ‘This is so exciting, and stressful,’ Holly said, with a glance to Esther. ‘Are you okay?’

  ‘I’m exhilarated,’ Esther said. ‘This is more progress than I’ve had for decades.’

  ‘I just hope there’s something there now,’ Juliette said, and bit her lower lip.

  ‘How did you come across the Bellerose name? No one else to date has,’ Esther asked.

  ‘Holly found it,’ Juliette said, and Holly tried not to look panicked. How did she explain a ghost gave it to her?

  She stumbled out an answer. ‘It wasn’t hard. Once you mentioned that the necklace was worn by a socialite on social media, I just started going through Parisian fashion shows and social media accounts…’ Her voice trailed off. Technically, she had done that but hadn’t found the Bellerose name or Astrid on that occasion.

  The page loaded just in the nick of time and Holly typed in the registered name of Hirschell. She turned the screen so that everyone could see it and then the brand came up. A solid U and H shared a surface, interwoven, representing Esther’s father’s name –

  Holly clicked on the logo and a list of registered jewellery pieces made by Esther’s father, Uri Hirschell, came up on the screen.

  ‘Oh my,’ Esther said, placing her hand on her heart. ‘My father’s work and there’s the Tender Heart listed. I’m sure I’d recognise some of those pieces. Not all were stolen, of course. A lot were bespoke.’

  ‘And that’s the symbol we need to find on Astrid’s necklace,’ Holly said, studying it.

  ‘So… what’s the plan now?’ Juliette asked.

  Esther and Holly looked at each other.

  ‘We’ve got a few avenues,’ Holly said, knowing Esther was waiting for her response. ‘This has to be handled very sensitively.’

  ‘I agree,’ Esther said.

 
; Holly continued. ‘If we just contact Astrid Bellerose, there’s a chance the necklace might simply disappear. The same might happen if we contact –’ she glanced at her notes before continuing, ‘– the World Jewish Restitution Organisation or similar organisations. I’m not sure how they approach these matters.’

  Esther drew in a deep breath before speaking. ‘They have a process, naturally – it is meticulous and cautious as you would expect, as they do the research and file each claim for restitution. It would not surprise me, either, if the necklace went undercover then, too, if they started making queries.’

  Holly nodded. ‘So I think we need to establish firsthand that it is the necklace, even though we are confident it is. Let’s remove all doubt by laying eyes on the marking.’

  ‘Agreed,’ Juliette said and continued. ‘Then we could talk directly with Astrid and discuss the situation – gauge how she feels about it and how open she might be to accept the true owner of the necklace. What do you think?’ Juliette asked.

  Holly shook her head. ‘I would be very surprised if Astrid would willingly give it up, even if she did hear its history. I’d also be nervous that she’d hide it and deny everything.’ Holly swallowed. ‘So, my plan is this: I think we should find the brand on the necklace, somehow snap a photo of the necklace and symbol if we can, then provide this information, plus Astrid’s details and the photo of her wearing it, to Esther.’

  ‘And then?’ Juliette asked.

  ‘Then Esther approaches the Restitution Agency with all that evidence and they do what they do officially.’

  ‘I think that’s safer,’ Esther agreed. ‘It appears this young lady doesn’t need money, but the necklace may be sentimental to her if it’s been handed down.’

  Holly turned to Juliette. ‘That will be safer for your business reputation, too, don’t you think, Juliette?’