The House on Findlater Lane

by Helen Goltz

  Holly gasped.

  Juliette held up her hand. ‘Don’t panic, not that much truth. I told Astrid I saw the necklace in her online feed – true – and I had a client who was very interested, another truth. I also said I had a couple of beautiful bespoke pieces that she might like, which is true. She came back and said the pearls, as she called them, were sentimental and not for sale but she did have a few pieces she wouldn’t mind an appraisal on and she’d be interested in seeing what I’ve got.’

  ‘That’s brilliant. And have you… you know… all the rest of what you promised?’ Holly asked.

  ‘Absolutely. That’s why my company is happy to send me.’ She reached down to her handbag under the seat in front of her, and grabbed an iPad. ‘I’ve got three beautiful gold necklace and bracelet sets made by the hottest young designer in the UK, Zane Harper.’ Juliette looked to Holly for a reaction. ‘Everyone is after his pieces. He works with gems and pearls, too. You’ve never heard of him?’

  Holly sighed. ‘I’m so out of touch, I haven’t heard of anyone.’ She glanced at the images as Juliette flicked through them. ‘Wow, so beautiful.’

  ‘I know,’ Juliette said, and after showing Holly she put her iPad away, but not before smiling when she saw a message waiting for her from Luke.

  ‘So we just need to focus on finding the brand mark on rhe Tender Heart necklace, then we know it’s the real thing and Esther can pursue justice, and then you can do your thing with Astrid and make some sales, hopefully,’ Holly concluded.

  ‘She’s bringing her boyfriend, too, he’s a musician,’ Juliette said.

  ‘Two against two. How did she come across?’ Holly asked.

  ‘I hope I’m wrong, but kind of privileged.’

  ‘Great.’ Holly sighed. ‘I hope you can win her over. I’ve had enough tension these past few months to last for the rest of the year.’

  ‘It’s all good, let’s just play it by ear. As you said, the most important thing we’ve got to do at this meeting is find that symbol – the brand.’ Juliette clinked glasses with Holly. ‘To bringing the Tender Heart home.’

  ‘To reuniting families,’ Holly agreed. She clinked and sipped her champagne. It made her think of Alexander and Meghan, then Esther and the Tender Heart, and all the lost and found items that came her way and, for just a moment, she felt like she might be doing some good in the world.

  He hated to admit it, but Alexander was missing Holly.

  ‘Bullocks’, he said, wandering around the house, his hands in his pockets. It felt empty. ‘Bloody crazy,’ he said, shaking his head. ‘I’m an idiot’.

  He stopped at the front windows, glancing out just in time to see a woman and her young son claim a thin red pencil case with superheroes on it from the Lost and Found basket. He smiled, watching as the young lad clapped with delight on finding his pencil case and finding it still full; he opened his school bag to put it in.

  Alexander shook his head. She’s a weird chick, he thought, musing about Holly and her business of finding lost and missing items. And then he realised he was lost without her.

  ‘I’ll do something useful,’ he said, to an empty room. He saw Holly’s laptop on the desk – she’d taken the smaller one on her trip, the one she called a pad or something like that. Alexander opened it, turned it on and waited for it to load. A login screen appeared.

  ‘Login? Well how the hell do I know what that is? A number, a name? For the love of God,’ he said, and angrily pressed the same button to turn it off.

  He stood and paced some more. What did I do before she arrived? he thought.

  ‘I know, I’ll go read up on Andy. Holly was going to see him, anyway.’ Alexander glanced at a couple of files on her desk and finding the one with his name on it, sat down and opened it. It didn’t occur to him that she might not want him to look, or that she was keeping the information from him – he was the client, after all.

  There were the notes about his own death, copies of press clippings from the funeral and investigation, the photo of him and Meg taken by the gardener. It stopped him in his track as he stared at the two of them.

  God, so young. Beautiful, beautiful Meg.

  He flipped through her notepad; there was no information on Meg. Did she expect I would look here? Where is she keeping that info, or doesn’t she have anything yet? He glanced at the laptop. Bet it’s in there. I should have paid more attention when she was using it.

  Then he saw the information on his mate, Staff-Sergeant Andy Davies. She’d printed out a message he sent with his suggestion to visit and the address.

  ‘Right then,’ Alexander said, taking the paper and closing the folder. ‘I’ll head to Andy’s place and do some study of my own.’ And then he vanished.

  Holly recognised her immediately. She nudged Juliette and nodded in the direction of the bar where a beautiful dark-haired woman sat with a handsome guy. The hotel bar was sophisticated and private.

  Astrid looked like money: her clothing, her haircut, her jewellery and her handbag said it all. Holly felt like a Bohemian cousin allowed out for the night. Fortunately, Juliette knew how to play the game and matched Astrid’s appearance dollar for dollar.

  The maître d' approached them and Juliette gave their names and indicated Astrid. They were led to her table. Astrid’s boyfriend rose to greet them; Holly liked that.

  ‘You must be Astrid and Timothée,’ Juliette said, extending her hand and introducing herself and Holly. ‘It’s great to meet with you.’

  The ladies sat, with Juliette next to Astrid, and Holly beside her, next to Timo.

  ‘It’s lovely to meet with you, too,’ Astrid said, speaking English with a delightful French lilt. ‘We both speak English,’ she said, anticipating Juliette’s question.

  Holly felt an odd division at the table; Astrid and Juliette were like two peas from the same pod – fashionable, sophisticated, comfortable in the spotlight. She and Timo were comfortable in their own skin, happy to remain in the warmth of their glow.

  They made small talk about their journey, the weather and the environment while Holly and Juliette ordered tea and Astrid and Timo ordered coffee and a selection of dainty desserts to share.

  ‘This is a beautiful room,’ Holly said, admiring the chandeliers, plush furnishings and beautiful wallpaper.

  ‘It’s my favourite,’ Astrid said.

  ‘It is,’ Timo agreed and looked a little embarrassed. ‘We almost have a regular table.’

  After their refreshments arrived, Juliette got down to business. She produced a number of samples of her client’s work, including the bespoke work of the U.K.’s hottest designer, Zane Harper. Juliette also showed several images from her iPad.

  Astrid gushed over them. ‘So he could make this exclusively for me?’ she said, admiring a set of gold and pearl drop earrings.’

  ‘Indeed,’ Juliette said, ‘he only produces bespoke pieces.’

  ‘Ooh, I love it. What do you think, Timo?’ she asked.

  Timo turned his attention to the piece and admired it as expected. He withdrew as Juliette and Astrid continued to speak.

  ‘I’m not much of a jewellery advisor,’ he said, with a grin.

  ‘Nor I,’ Holly confessed.

  ‘I can tell,’ he said. ‘You are only wearing a watch. Most practical.’

  ‘Jewellery irritates my skin,’ Holly confessed. ‘And I’m a little lost as a fashionista, as well. I didn’t get that gene.’

  Timo laughed. ‘Well, that makes two of us.’

  ‘I hear you are a musician,’ Holly said to him.

  ‘A violinist,’ he confirmed.

  ‘Professional?’

  ‘Yes, with the Orchestre de Paris,’ he said. ‘I only made my debut recently.’

  ‘Congratulations, you must be very good,’ Holly exclaimed.

  ‘Thank you,’ he said, and turned his amber eyes away shyly. Holly, too, felt the connection. He was a handsome man, not showy enough for Astrid, Holly thought. He was dressed
in light cream pleated pants, a crisp white dress shirt and brown brogues – very neutral but tasteful. His brown hair was neat, short back and sides and he was clean-shaven.

  ‘I love the violin,’ she continued. ‘My Aunty Kate – whom I’m very close to – loves the ballet and orchestra. I have been her plus one at many a performance in London… lucky me.’

  ‘Indeed. You don’t play?’ Timo asked.

  ‘No, I play the piano, with little talent.’

  Timo laughed again. ‘And what is your talent?’ he asked.

  Before Holly could respond, Juliette interrupted.

  ‘Holly, you must see this, it’s the Tender Heart we saw online,’ Juliette said, getting her attention as Astrid displayed a black jewellery case in front of her.

  Astrid opened the case and Holly gasped. ‘Oh, it’s breathtaking!’

  She felt Timo shuffle uncomfortably beside her and look around. It was an expensive piece to have out in the open and Astrid put them at risk putting it on show.

  ‘My great-grandmother was given it on her wedding day,’ Astrid said. ‘It must be passed down to the first-born women in my family line. Now that my mother has passed, it’s mine to mind for this generation,’ she said.

  Holly watched her as she spoke, so self-assured and glamorous. She returned her attention to the necklace and thought it the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.

  ‘May I?’ Juliette asked, reaching for it.

  ‘Of course,’ Astrid said.

  ‘It is a thing of beauty,’ Timo said. ‘German heritage isn’t it, Astrid?’ he said.

  ‘Yes,’ she said, and said no more. She looked displeased at his comment.

  Juliette looked at the piece closely, turning it over and admiring it. ‘A beautiful design indeed.’ She saw the logo engraved on the gold clasp at the top of the necklace. With a glance at Holly, she gave a barely discernible nod.

  They had found Esther’s Tender Heart.

  War and peace

  Andy must have finished his military career with a reasonable pension, Alexander thought as he surveyed Andy’s modern room in the aged care complex. Not too shabby at all. Alexander thought aged care meant you’d be living in a cubicle, but Andy had a large room, with a big TV, a private bathroom and a reasonable minibar and kitchenette. Alexander also had a decent collection of wine on the shelf, which two cleaning staff were moving around and wiping as Alexander arrived. One of them shivered, feeling the chill of his entry. She looked around and suggested to her co-worker that a breeze was getting up, which her colleague thought was just fine, given the heat of the day.

  So where was the old bastard, Alexander wondered. He’d sit and wait. That took all of a minute and as the ladies were finishing up, Andy entered, wheezing and leaning on a cane. He thanked them as they left. Nothing had changed; his salacious ogling of the two ladies as they walked out of his room and down the hallway to the next bedroom belied his seventy-plus years. Alexander shook his head, thinking that he himself might be dead but he’d kept his figure and knew his boundaries. He chuckled at his own joke.

  Now he had to work on his subliminal thought skills; he hadn’t used them for years. Well, that wasn’t quite true… he’d used them to try and move tenants along from his house, but he hadn’t used them to find out any serious information for a long time, maybe forever. Shouldn’t be too hard with Andy, though, given he’s just been communicating with Holly. I should be fresh in his mind. Alexander took a deep breath and began to think about their days in the army; he kept his focus on Andy.

  Staff-Sergeant Andy Davies sighed, glanced to the clock and poured himself a large glass of red wine. He must be a patient with quite a few liberties, Alexander thought. Andy sat down next to Alexander; he couldn’t see him.

  ‘Steady on, mate, that stuff will kill you.’ Alexander joked.

  Andy took a large gulp and, sitting back, he crossed his legs, placing them on the coffee table. It was quiet in the unit; you could hear the whirl of a vacuum sweeper in the next room – the cleaners were hard at it. Occasionally, a splash could be heard from the pool outside, or a laugh from downstairs, the sound of a car coming and going, but in Andy’s room, they sat quietly.

  Alexander went back to work, implanting his name in Andy’s memory.

  Andy sighed, put his wine down and rose, walking to the bookshelf where a scattering of books and a few photo albums were displayed. Alexander waited. In a few moments, Andy selected a photo album from the shelf – the old-fashioned type, ring-bound, with a nature photo on the front. He sat back down, reached for the wine glass and took another large gulp. And then he flicked it open.

  ‘Ah, now we’re talking,’ Alexander said, folding his arms across his chest. The album contained shots of Andy’s military days.

  ‘Looking young and slim there, son,’ Alexander said, and perhaps Andy had heard Alexander subliminally or perhaps he had just thought the same thing, as he smiled at the photos. He flicked through every now and then, commenting on the photos or saying someone’s name.

  ‘Jesus, look at Rod there, I’d forgotten that silly bugger,’ Andy said, at the shot of himself, Rod, and a few of the other lads that had come and gone.

  Andy kept turning the pages until he came to a squad shot. He turned the album on its side and studied the faces. Alexander found himself amongst the group.

  ‘Geez, we were young, Andy,’ he said.

  Andy turned the page and there it was, larger than life – a shot of the two of them together in uniform and laughing. It was just before they boarded the plane, just before the mission started.

  It stopped Alexander in his tracks; he’d forgotten that shot had been taken. He hadn’t seen it since then.

  Andy shook his head, and Alexander turned to watch his reaction.

  ‘You silly bastard, Alex,’ Andy said.

  If Alexander was living, he would have held his breath. Instead, he froze, waiting for Andy to say more.

  Why? Alexander thought, waiting. Because I got myself killed, or because you didn’t like me saying hello to my in-law, Ronin?

  Andy flipped the page to another squad photo. Then he flipped back and looked at the photo of himself and Alexander together. He ran his hand across his face and snapped the book closed.

  Alexander watched him, trying to read if it was remorse or guilt that had brought on the reaction. Holly would be able to ask those questions, but realistically, Alexander knew Andy wouldn’t admit to anything. He may have seen more than he reported at the time and have something up his sleeve; he might have mellowed over the years and would offer up more now as he got closer to checking out of this life.

  Whatever was going on in his head, Alexander wasn’t going to find out just now, unless Andy drank a fair bit more of that red wine.

  Now that the heritage of the Tender Heart had been established, Juliette got to work, presenting Astrid with the trendy jewellery designs and Holly could breathe again; her work was done. In truth, she just wanted to call Esther but had to wait. She did manage to get a photo, however, offering to get a shot of the two ladies with the necklace and a scattering of other designs for their social media feeds. Holly never got her head around why they could be bothered.

  ‘I think we’ve been forgotten,’ Timo said, turning his attention to Holly.

  ‘Understandable,’ Holly said, with a smile. ‘When it comes to conversing about jewellery, I’ve got nothing.’

  He laughed. ‘Me neither.’

  There was an undeniable connection between them – a current of interest and genuine attraction. A spark.

  Timo continued. ‘So do you get to Paris much? You know, maybe to attend the ballet or orchestra with your aunt?’

  Holly thought his voice held some hope.

  ‘I’ve been a couple of times, but she’s a London season ticket holder. Does your orchestra tour at all… perhaps in London?’

  ‘Occasionally, but I come to London more times with my history group.’

  ‘Who
or what is that?’ Holly asked, with genuine interest.

  ‘We’re very dull,’ Timo said. ‘It’s a group of friends from my graduation year – I studied music and history – and we go to exhibitions around Europe that excite our inner history nerd. My brother, on the other hand, follows his rugby team around Europe. I believe that is much more exciting to most people.’

  Holly laughed. ‘Ah, call me a nerd then. I’ve been known to spend hours in the museum. One day I’ll travel to the U.S. and spend a week at the Smithsonian! Now, that would be exciting.’

  They were so engrossed in their conversation that it surprised Holly when Astrid and Juliette excused themselves to briefly move to a table with better light. Juliette wanted Astrid to see the true colour of a selection of gems.

  Holly watched them go and then returned her attention to Timo. He poured another round of tea from the pot, offering her a cup and she accepted with thanks.

  Timo lowered his voice. ‘You know the history of that necklace, don’t you?’

  Holly bit her lower lip and studied him. It was too risky to tell him too much. He would have to be loyal to Astrid, surely; he would have to tell her that they were here on a mission.

  He nodded, taking her silence for agreement.

  ‘It belongs with its rightful owner,’ he said, with a quick glance over to Astrid. She hadn’t heard him.

  ‘Why do you say that?’ Holly asked. ‘Do you have some interest in this area?’

  He nodded. ‘My passion is history, but it’s more than that. I’m Jewish.’

  Holly breathed out and nodded slowly. ‘I understand. I have a dear friend in my village whose father was a jeweller. He made a beautiful necklace for his bride, her mother. It was only a few years after they married – when my friend was a young girl – that their lives changed.’

  ‘Their lives ended?’ Timo asked.

  Holly nodded.

  ‘Then you must make it right,’ he said. ‘Bravo.’