Lexie didn’t usually disturb people as they read, but tonight she decided to break her rule. She walked over and Dominique looked up. When she recognised Lexie, she closed her book. She didn’t smile, but her demeanour was open and approachable.
‘Hello, Dominique.’
‘Alexandra. Nice to see you.’ Dominique indicated one of the chairs at her table.
‘Just call me Lexie, everyone else does.’ She perched on the edge of the chair.
Dominique inclined her head slightly, but didn’t say anything.
Now with Dominique opposite her, Lexie wasn’t sure how to approach the subject of her mother. Why had she started this conversation? ‘How’s the exhibition going?’
‘Good.’
‘I’m sorry to disturb you.’ It was probably a bit late for that. ‘I wanted to ask you something.’
Dominique raised her eyebrows as if giving permission.
This feeling of diffidence was becoming more familiar. ‘Did you know my mother before you met her the other day?’ The words came in a rush.
Lexie guessed Dominique was about the same age as her mother, but other than that they didn’t have anything in common in their appearance. Jean was blonde and gave the impression of fragile porcelain. Dominique was vivacious; her olive skin made her look tanned although it was only early summer. Her dark brown eyes sparkled, even during this mundane conversation.
‘Have you asked your mother?’
Lexie sighed and sat back in the chair. ‘You sound just like her. Answering questions with questions. If there’s no big deal, then why won’t you just say?’
‘Have you considered it is no big deal and you’re making it into something more?’
‘Mum tried to make it appear that she’d bumped into you at the exhibition. But I do know some things about my mother. I caught the look on her face when I saw you both together. That tells me you know each other.’
‘So you have an answer to your question.’
This wasn’t going to plan, but she had no plan. That was the problem.
Nathan came into the garden carrying their drinks as Dominique picked up her book.
‘You should talk to your mother.’ Dominique moved from behind the table, pulled on a light top and picked up her bag. Her movements were fluid and graceful. ‘It was nice meeting you again, Alexandra. You have a wonderful mother. Make sure you appreciate her.’
Nathan put the drinks on the table and smiled at Dominique as she walked past. ‘Who was that?’
‘The sculpture woman I told you about. The one I saw Mum talking to.’ Her pleasure in the surprise evening out had disappeared with Dominique.
‘Hey, what’s up? You’re not going to cop out on me, are you?’ Nathan pulled his chair over to Lexie’s and put his arm around her. ‘We’ve got an evening out on our own. Enjoy it. We don’t know when we’ll get another chance. If this thing with your mother is worrying you, then sit down and talk to her about it when the children aren’t around. Just remember, you might not like the answer.’
8
Lexie considered her options as she drove back from school the following morning. Nathan’s comment had implications she hadn’t considered. When she wanted to do something, she became intent and focused, but Nathan was good at recognising other factors. It was one of the things she loved about him. She wanted to talk to her mother, but perhaps it might be better to leave it a while and get some perspective.
Her thoughts turned to Evelyn and Patrick. He was another enigma. His story was ridiculous, and he must realise that, but still he professed it was the truth.
She braked at the traffic lights. ‘You must be mad, wanting to go round there again.’ Her voice sounded loud in the silence of the car. Surely he wouldn’t do anything with Evelyn there. Damn her insatiable curiosity. This was what happened when she didn’t have work problems to think about. The driver behind beeped and she jerked the car into gear and pulled away.
She’d visit Evelyn to check she was okay but tell her parents where she was going and let Patrick know they were waiting for her. She wouldn’t spend long there. It was just to make sure Evelyn was fine.
As she arrived home, her father appeared with his laptop. ‘Mind if I set this up on the kitchen table? I need to check some emails.’
‘Not a problem.’ She gave the table a quick swipe with the kitchen cloth to pick up the children’s breakfast crumbs. ‘I’m going to pop round to Evelyn’s. I’ll be half an hour.’ She explained exactly where Evelyn’s house was and noticed the amused expression on his face.
‘Take your phone with you,’ he said. ‘It’ll be easier.’
She strode out into the garden. ‘D’you mind if I go and see Evelyn for a while?’
Jean put down her book. ‘Not at all. It’s lovely of you to take such an interest in her. Do you want company?’
She’d feel safer with company, but Patrick wouldn’t appear if anyone else was there. Come to that, he may already have gone. The trip to Dorchester the previous day and the evening out meant she hadn’t been able to visit. ‘No, that’s fine, Mum, you stay here and read. Evelyn gets a bit tired if there’s more than one person.’ Evelyn loved company and meeting new people, but this was a visit Lexie had to make on her own.
She marched along the lane and knocked on the door. ‘Only me, Evelyn.’
‘I’m in the living room, dear.’
Evelyn was standing by the bureau when Lexie came into the room.
‘Are you okay? Do you need any help?’
‘I’m fine. Actually, I’m feeling really good.’ Evelyn looked well. Having Patrick around was obviously good for her.
Evelyn held a tiny, dark blue drawstring jewellery bag in her hand. She carefully placed it in a small box and closed the drawer of the bureau. With the help of her stick, she got back to her chair. Lexie plumped up the cushion in an effort to stop herself helping Evelyn, as Evelyn was obviously determined to walk unaided. Lexie waited by the chair and helped Evelyn sit down and settle herself.
‘Sorry I didn’t make it yesterday.’
‘That’s fine, dear, don’t worry. I know your parents are visiting and those beautiful girls of yours will keep you busy.’
There wasn’t any sign of Patrick. Lexie wasn’t sure if she was disappointed or relieved. She didn’t like to ask if he had left already as it might seem that was the only reason she’d come.
‘We went to Dorchester yesterday.’
‘My goodness, it’s a long time since I was there, but such a lovely market town.’
‘I could take you there one day. We don’t have to get out or anything if you’re not up to walking. I could drive you around in the car and you can see if it’s still how you remember it.’
‘That sounds lovely. It would be nice to see it one last time. Or maybe The Cobb at Lyme Regis. Patrick’s father proposed to me there.’
‘Then we’ll do both. We’ll choose a couple of lovely sunny days and go exploring in the car.’
Evelyn fussed around for a moment settling into her chair then handed Lexie the small jewellery box. ‘I’d like you to have this, dear.’
‘You don’t have to give me anything just because I said I’d take you to Dorchester.’
‘I know, and that’s not why I’m giving it to you. It might not be a good idea, but it’s the only thing I can think of at the moment.’
‘Then keep it yourself until you’re sure.’
‘No dear, definitely better someone else has it.’ Evelyn nodded at the box. ‘It’s a charm bracelet. A bit old-fashioned now. My husband gave it to me on our first wedding anniversary and over the years he added more charms. After he died, Patrick continued the tradition.’
‘Oh, Evelyn, I can’t take something like this from you. Patrick should have it so he can give it to someone special.’
Evelyn shook her head. ‘Caroline was Patrick’s someone special. I’m not sure there’ll ever be anyone else. I’ve always been realistic, and what Patrick is doing
is dangerous. I want you to have it. It’s important, to me and to Patrick. Please keep it safe.’
She seemed quite concerned, so Lexie opened her bag and placed the box in a zipped pocket inside her handbag. ‘I’ll look after it for now.’
Evelyn shook her head. ‘No, dear, it’s a gift from me.’ Her knuckles were white as she gripped the arm of her chair.
‘Thank you, Evelyn, that’s lovely of you. I’ll treasure it and make sure it’s safe.’ She patted the side of her bag, feeling the corner of the box under the fabric.
‘Would you mind getting me a drink of water?’ Evelyn asked.
Lexie went into the kitchen and filled a glass with cold water. A floorboard creaked, and she jumped when Patrick appeared in the doorway. Some of the water slopped over her hand and onto the floor. ‘Bloody hell, you scared me.’
‘Sorry, I didn’t mean to.’
She tore off a piece of kitchen roll and mopped up the water, her heart still beating faster than usual. She wanted to hear what else he had to say, but her curiosity was tempered with anxiety. ‘I wondered if you were still here, or if you thought it was better to go.’
He spread his hands, palms upwards. ‘Still here. I don’t want to leave Mum, but I’ll have to go soon. It’s not safe to stay too long.’
Perhaps he got off on this idea of being in danger after spending so much time in war zones. Did he now see corruption and conspiracy everywhere?
‘Does your mother know? About you going soon, I mean.’
‘Yes.’ He followed her back into the living room.
Evelyn smiled at them both, her expression serene. ‘Don’t worry about me, Lexie. I knew Patrick couldn’t stay for long. I’m just happy we’ve had this time together.’ She turned to her son. ‘I don’t want to make things dangerous for you.’
‘You haven’t, Mum. It’s just this is a fairly obvious place to look for me.’
Lexie put the water down on the table next to Evelyn and sat in the chair opposite. Patrick sat next to his mother. Lexie was glad of the distance between her and Patrick.
‘Don’t mind me.’ Evelyn tapped Patrick’s shoulder. ‘You carry on telling Lexie about Caroline.’
‘Do you want to hear more?’ he asked.
Of course she did, but she managed to suppress her eagerness and gave a nod.
‘I was away for a week or so immediately prior to the day Caroline was killed.’
‘Working on a story?’
‘Yes. We spoke every evening. I’m not sure which night she first mentioned it, perhaps the second night I was away.’
‘Mentioned what?’
‘I don’t remember exactly. I saw something funny today or a phrase like that, and then something about a photo. She didn’t explain much more than that.’
‘And you didn’t ask her?’
‘At the time I didn’t realise my life was going to depend on it.’
Lexie considered the comment rather dramatic but kept quiet and waited for him to carry on.
‘It was one of those throwaway comments you make when you tell someone about your day. I was away and missing her, so I didn’t really take much notice about the work part of the conversation.’
Lexie could understand that. She and Nathan had those conversations, at least they used to when she had a job.
‘My contact hadn’t turned up, and I was really missing Caroline. Our phone calls were the best part of each day, not so much for what we said, but to listen to her voice. Whatever her comment actually was, she mentioned it along with something else about work. If it was a photo, I guess she’d seen it at the office. I didn’t think anything more of it at the time.’
‘So it could have been a photo taken for the magazine.’
‘That’s what I assumed.’
‘What happened after that?’
‘I finally heard from my contact and met up with him. He said he hadn’t made the previous meeting as he thought he was being followed. After that I flew on to a couple of other places to follow up on some leads.’
Lexie wanted to ask where else he’d gone, but his tone stopped her. He obviously didn’t want to talk about the story he’d been researching.
He carried on. ‘Caroline was a little distracted when I rang her next. I asked what was wrong and she said there’d been some trouble at work. I’ve no idea whether it was connected to what she’d previously said. She didn’t want to talk about it, and I didn’t want to waste our time on work stuff either.’
So far, Lexie hadn’t heard anything to make her think Patrick could be right about a conspiracy. Considering he was a writer, the story was rather pathetic. If he had been the driver and it was an accident, it would be better for him to admit it.
‘At the end of the conversation Caroline said she was going to visit her uncle.’
‘What? Why?’ Had she missed some of the conversation?
‘Something to do with whatever she’d seen.’
‘Didn’t you ask her exactly what it was?’
Patrick was obviously uptight about his situation, and it couldn’t be easy for him talking about Caroline to a near-stranger, but he managed an ironic smile. ‘You don’t give people much tolerance, do you?’
What was that supposed to mean?
‘Most of our conversation was not about Caroline’s job, or what she might have seen or said. I asked her to marry me. I was going to wait until I got back, but I couldn’t stop myself and the question popped out. She said yes, so we weren’t exactly concentrating on much else.’
‘Caroline saw something or someone in a photograph that seemed strange or peculiar or out of place.’
‘I think so, but it could have happened on a shoot. She didn’t go to them often but sometimes she got pulled in.’
‘And because of that she decided to go and see her uncle.’
Patrick nodded.
‘But you don’t know why.’
‘No.’
‘Can’t you hazard a guess? Was she close to him? How about her parents?’
‘Caroline’s parents are dead. She was very fond of Alec and would visit him as often as she could.’
‘Have you thought about visiting him?’
‘Yes. It’s what I plan to do after this. I’m pretty sure Caroline wouldn’t have mentioned him at work. She was a very private person, and I learned to keep personal information to myself a long time ago.’
‘With your work?’
His look was grim, but he nodded.
‘I think it should be safe for me to go there. Certainly safer than here.’
‘Where does he live?’
‘Scotland.’
‘For someone who prides himself on keeping stuff private you’re telling me quite a lot. Like your plans, for example.’
Patrick laughed, more of a chuckle, but Lexie suddenly saw a hint of the man that Caroline had fallen in love with. ‘Mum hasn’t known you for long, but she’s a good judge of character, and she trusts you.’
Evelyn sat perfectly composed in her chair with no hint of embarrassment at Patrick’s words. ‘I can’t do anything to help my son. Just by visiting me, he’s putting himself into more possible trouble. I want someone else to know what he’s doing and why.’
‘But what do you expect me to do?’
‘Nothing,’ said Patrick quickly. ‘I don’t expect anything. I intend to find out who and what is behind this.’
‘If it makes you feel easier, dear, I also told him Helen would be good at keeping quiet.’
Lexie couldn’t help smiling. There wasn’t much to smile about, but Evelyn laughed with her. ‘That looks better. I’ve been worried about you.’
‘You don’t need to worry about me.’ Lexie leaned across and patted Evelyn’s hand. It was so typical of her to worry about everyone else, despite Patrick’s problems and her own health worries.
‘Anyway, going back to your question,’ said Patrick. ‘What do you actually know of my plans? To go and see a guy called Alec in Scotland. Yo
u don’t know his surname or where in Scotland he lives, or even if I told you the truth and there is such a person.’
‘So you don’t really trust me, then?’
Patrick looked at her, and for a moment Lexie felt as if he could read her thoughts. If he could, all he’d find was a murky mess.
‘His name is Alec Gillies and he lives in a small place called Tairnoch.’
From the brief period of lightness, the mood was now serious.
Lexie wasn’t sure what to say in response, and to give herself a moment she spoke to Evelyn. ‘Are you okay? Do you want some more water?’
‘I’m fine, dear.’
It was now or never. ‘What happened?’ She wasn’t sure exactly what she meant and left that to Patrick to determine.
‘I sent Caroline my return flight details. Initially I didn’t know when I’d be back and so Caroline had already made arrangements to have dinner with a friend.’
‘Were you going to her place?’
‘No, I needed to start work on the story. She said she’d come round to my flat after dinner.’
It sounded reasonable.
‘Is that what happened?’
‘Caroline met her friend and they had dinner. After that I don’t know.’
‘What about your plans?’
‘That’s where it all went, not wrong, but… Looking back, it all seems so dodgy, such a set-up, but at the time…’ He shrugged his shoulders. ‘You need to understand the world I work in. What I’m going to tell you will sound weird, but believe me it happens.’
‘What?’ Lexie shuffled in her chair. She wasn’t sure how long they had before someone else came to visit Evelyn. Why didn’t Patrick get to the bit about the accident?
‘A man came up to me at the airport. He knew who I was and said he needed to talk to me. He showed me a security pass for GCHQ and told me he worked there. He said there were things the public needed to know that were being hidden.’
‘And you believed him?’
‘I believed it could be the start of a story. I know in your world this would belong to a TV programme, but many of my exposés have started in a similar way.’ Patrick stopped and pursed his mouth. ‘This guy was good. Nervous, hesitant, yet excited. Exactly as I’d expect someone to be in that situation.’
Still Death (A Lexie Wyatt murder mystery Book 1) Page 7
