The Netscher Connection

by Estelle Ryan

She exhaled, covered her face with both hands and started crying. Her shoulders shook as she sobbed. Vinnie walked past me and lightly bumped my shoulder. “I got this.”

  He walked to her and gently pulled her into a loose embrace. At the first contact, she tensed, but then collapsed against him and cried even harder. I stood frozen. Intellectually, I knew all the right things to say to someone in distress. I could even manipulate my nonverbal cues to communicate empathy. But none of it would be natural or genuine.

  When facing a threat, I analysed it and sought the best possible way to either avoid or deal with it. I never cried. If overwhelmed by information or danger, my mind simply shut down. In a way I supposed there was some similarity to the actions Olivia had taken. She’d run away and found a place of safety. My mind did the same. I wasn’t certain, however, that the fearful woman would agree when I told her that. I’d been told that my tone always sounded professional and distant.

  It was clear that Vinnie was giving her what she needed at the moment. Softly spoken words of reassurance, physical contact and patience. I didn’t have that to offer her. But I knew that Colin had spent most of the last twenty-four hours deeply distraught about this woman’s safety. So I offered her what I had. “I will do everything I can to find the truth, to find a way for you to return safely to your children.”

  She took a shaky breath, pushed away from Vinnie and looked at me. “Thank you.”

  “How long have you been in the woods?” Vinnie asked.

  “Two nights.” She looked at me. “You were right. But it wasn’t easy to find out where you stayed. As soon as I did, I made my way out here.”

  “Were you followed?” Vinnie looked into the trees, his eyes narrowed.

  “No. I bought a bicycle and cycled out here. It took me almost four hours because I took a few smaller roads and doubled back a few times as well.” She looked back to the copse of trees she’d been hiding behind. “My bike and backpack are there.”

  “Well, let’s get them and go to the villa. I’m sure everyone is interested in hearing your story.” Vinnie walked to the trees, I assumed to collect her bicycle. He was typing on his smartphone and I was quite sure that he was alerting Francine, Colin and Manny that we’d found Olivia and were taking her to the villa.

  Olivia stepped towards me, her hand outstretched. “I know you know who I am, but I still want to introduce myself. Olivia Webster.”

  I leaned away from her and put my hands behind my back. “The type and quantity of micro-organisms in soil is quite large and diverse. These include viruses, archaea, fungi, bacteria and even larger organisms such as protozoa. Exposure to these can cause anything from a classic infection to tetanus, botulism, gastroenteritis and respiratory syndromes. Your hands are covered in dirt.”

  Her top lip curled and her shoulders pulled up to almost reach her ears. She aggressively wiped her hands against her trousers. “That’s really gross. God, I’m really gross. I don’t think I’ve ever been this disgustingly dirty in my entire life.”

  “We have lots of showers.” Vinnie pushed a thick-wheeled bicycle from behind the trees and joined us. He shrugged and looked at the red backpack slung over his shoulder. “Is this all you have?”

  She nodded. “I bought a space blanket, a toothbrush, toothpaste and lots of water before I cycled here. All my stuff is in my hotel room.”

  “Not anymore.” I turned towards the villa. “We packed everything and brought it here.”

  “Oh, thank God!” Her eyes widened in excitement. “How far is it? Is it okay if we walk fast? I want a shower. No, I need a shower. A really long shower.”

  We did walk fast. At first I didn’t say much. Vinnie was successfully putting Olivia at ease. He had suggested that we wait for Olivia’s explanations until we were at the villa. I agreed. I loathed having to repeat myself or retell a story.

  The muscle tension in her body had decreased significantly, her spine had straightened and her arms were swinging slightly as she walked. The reprieve from the fear she felt for her life would most likely last only until we reached the villa and she had to tell us what had caused her fear. I followed behind the two of them, paying close attention to Olivia’s body language.

  Halfway to the villa, a lull in the conversation brought my attention back to the birds. Our presence didn’t seem to inhibit their singing. Their beautiful sound no longer distracted my mind from all the questions I had.

  There was no gradual decrease in the forest. It ended abruptly on the edge of the villa’s large lawn. The moment the imposing mansion came into view, Olivia’s arms moved closer to her torso and her shoulders rose towards her ears. She slowed down and waited until I was next to her. “I should’ve asked this earlier... God, I should’ve asked a lot of questions earlier. But first just tell me if Jackson is okay with seeing me.”

  I wanted to correct her, but didn’t know if Colin wanted me to reveal his name wasn’t Jackson Roanne. So I considered my answer for a few seconds, then nodded. “He’ll be most relieved that you are well.”

  “Hmm.” She exhaled loudly, then stopped and turned to me, her back to the villa. “Are you married to him?”

  “No.”

  “Do you know about... us?”

  “Yes.”

  She waited for more, but when I didn’t elaborate, she closed her eyes for a second while taking a deep breath. When she looked at me, she appeared more relaxed. “It took me a long time to get over him. He was my entire world. When he walked out on me like that, it killed me. It was only when my first child was born that I felt completely whole again. And honestly, I think my husband is a saint. To have put up with my emotional crap in the beginning could not have been easy.”

  I raised my hand to stop her rambling. “What is your real concern?”

  She huffed a laugh, looked at Vinnie who was waiting for us a few metres away, then looked back at me. “Honestly, I don’t know. I suppose this is just a bit awkward. I don’t even know if you two are an item and here I am all worried that you won’t like me.” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “That you won’t want to help me.”

  “I don’t know you, so I have no reason to like or dislike you. And your past relationships have no bearing on my commitment to find the truth about this case that you’re involved in. Why would they?”

  She stared at me for a few seconds, blinking slowly. “You’re different.”

  “Hey.” Vinnie walked back towards us, but stopped when I shook my head and looked behind him. He turned and nodded when he saw Colin walking towards us. Olivia had her back to the house, her focus completely on me.

  “You’re right. I am different.” I studied her face. “You showed no nonverbal cues to indicate malice. You appear relieved.”

  “I am.” She crossed her arms, again giving herself a full-body hug. “I still don’t know why Jack really left me. After years of trying to figure it out, I only went with what I knew about him. He was the most caring man I’d ever met. The only reason I could think he’d left me was that he was trying to protect me from something.”

  “I was.” Colin stopped next to me and stared at Olivia, a gentle expression on his face. “Hello, Liv.”

  “Jack.” She pressed her hand hard against her mouth, but wasn’t able to control her reaction. Tears streamed down her cheeks and her shoulders shook.

  “Shit.” Colin pushed his hands through his hair, then closed the distance between them and hugged her hard against him. “I’m so sorry. Sorry that I left. Sorry for how I left.”

  She shook her head against his chest. “That’s not why I’m crying.”

  “Okay.” He drew out the word and leaned away from her to look at her face.

  She wiped her cheeks, looked at me, then looked back at Colin. “I’m crying because for the first time in almost two weeks I feel safe.”

  “Yoo-hoo!” Francine was standing on the veranda waving at us. “Bring the party here, people.”

  Roxy was standing next to Francine, blowing kiss
es to Vinnie. From this distance, I could not see their facial expressions, but their body language loudly communicated curiosity.

  Colin hugged Olivia once more, then let her go. He stood next to me and took my hand. “Olivia, I would like to introduce myself.” He held out his right hand, showing no concern for the dirt on her hands. “Colin Frey.”

  Her eyebrows rose high on her forehead. “Jackson Roanne isn’t your name?”

  He shook his head, remorse etched on his face. “And I’ve never been an art dealer.”

  “Wow.” She looked at his hand for a long time before shaking it once, then putting both her hands behind her back. “Was everything a lie?”

  “No.” The word came out strong, with conviction. “Only my name and occupation. Everything else was true. Deeply true.”

  Vinnie was following the conversation with intense interest. And a genuine concern for Colin. His brow was furrowed as he waited for Olivia’s reply.

  She wiped her eyes and laughed softly. “This has honestly been the weirdest two weeks of my life. But this here?” She pointed at Colin, then at me and her. “This has to top it all. By a lot.”

  “I’m sorry.” The contrition on Colin’s face was genuine.

  “Oh, stop saying that.” Olivia sniffed. “God, it’s been twenty years. I’m totally over you.”

  They stared at each other, then burst out laughing. I didn’t know what had caused their amusement, but the strange tension that had tightened around my chest released at their laughter.

  Colin’s hand tightened around mine and he pulled me closer to his side. “It’s really good to see you, Liv. I’m just sorry that it’s under these circumstances.”

  “Weird, right?” She looked at our hands, then at Colin. “She told me you’re not married. What are you?”

  “Happy.” His smile was genuine. “Olivia, meet the woman who is daily making me a better man. And also the woman who will outsmart all of us. Genevieve Lenard.”

  Olivia smiled at me. “It’s truly a pleasure to meet you, Genevieve.”

  I nodded. So far her presence in my life had not brought me pleasure so I simply couldn’t return the polite greeting. Being polite was most definitely not a priority for me at the moment. We needed to get Olivia settled and get all the information she’d gathered. “You need to shower.”

  “Oh, God, don’t remind me.” She turned towards the villa and noticed Francine and Roxy waiting for us. “Urgh. This is not the way I like to make first impressions.”

  She straightened her shoulders, took a deep breath and nodded before she started walking towards the villa. Vinnie pushed her bicycle and we walked next to her in silence until we reached the veranda. Francine inhaled to say something, but stopped when Olivia raised one hand, her thumb tucked in and the other four fingers separated in pairs to form a ‘V’.

  “I’m Olivia. I come in peace. Take me to your leader.”

  Chapter EIGHT

  “What’s wrong?” I stared at Francine for three seconds before I turned to Roxy on my other side. I was sitting at the dining room table, searching for information on Ferenc Szell. He was one of two deceased Hungarians mentioned in Olivia’s notebook. I planned to find out as much as possible about them before asking her why they’d been important enough for her to mention. I would ask her as soon as she finished her shower.

  I’d been reading about Ferenc Szell’s success as a highly respected architect for the elite in Hungary when Francine and Roxy sat down either side of me. Roxy glanced at the kitchen where Vinnie was helping the cook prepare breakfast, the nonverbal cues on her face loudly communicating internal conflict and guilt.

  She glanced at the kitchen again when Manny raised his voice. Colin was also in the kitchen and the three men were discussing strategy for keeping Olivia safe. Roxy leaned closer to me, her eyes wide. “We like her.”

  “Who?”

  “Olivia.” Francine slapped her hand on the table, her eyebrows pulled low. “She’s funny, pretty and smart. She’s genuinely interested in who we are and what we do. Like really interested. She thinks it’s supercool that you’re a body language expert. And did I mention she’s funny?”

  “Your point?” It was clear to me that these were not the reasons Francine was upset.

  “And we like her!” She threw her hands into the air, her bracelets jingling. “I don’t want to like her.”

  “Why not?” I didn’t understand what was happening.

  “She’s the ex. That’s why.” She sounded exasperated.

  “Ex? Wha...” I stopped and thought about this. And thought some more. Then I shook my head. “I can’t find a rational reason for you to dislike the woman who’d been engaged to Colin.”

  Francine straightened in her chair and stared at me. “You’re really okay.”

  Even though she’d stated her opinion, her expression told me she needed an answer. “Yes.”

  “Wow.” Roxy poked my arm twice, then leaned against the table and stared at me with wide eyes. “I think you’re a superhero.”

  “There is no such thing.”

  Roxy laughed. “Well, I think you are. I wish I could be like you.”

  I shook my head. Then had a hard time stopping. It took mentally writing two bars of Mozart’s Violin Concerto to stop the involuntary movement. “I don’t understand why you would want that.”

  “Yeah, I think I spoke faster than I thought.” Her expression sobered. “I suppose I envy the way that you manage to look at things so rationally. I’m an emotional, hot mess. I talk too much, giggle like a teenager and offend certain people with my footwear.” She winked at Francine. “You’re so organised. And Colin is always so calm. I swear I’ve never seen him rattled.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “Huh?”

  “It means she’s never seen Colin flustered.” Francine blinked a few times. “You know, that’s true. He’s always so serene.”

  I didn’t know what to say. They were talking about someone I not only respected immensely, but also loved. Someone who was extremely private.

  “Just the other day Colin really came through for me.” Roxy stared towards the kitchen. “I had a patient who needed very specific treatment, but couldn’t afford it.”

  “Surely that happens a lot,” I said.

  “Yeah. But not to adorable seven-year-old girls. Man, it broke my heart when her parents sat in my office crying because they didn’t have any way of getting the thousands of euros needed to help their child.” The helplessness she’d felt then was reflected on her face now. “I told Vinnie about it that night. Colin was also there and asked me a few questions. The next day, the parents came rushing into my office with the news that a famous local artist was looking for a charitable cause to improve his online profile and had picked their daughter.

  “The artist was sponsoring all the child’s medicine as long as he could paint her and take a few photos to post on his social media sites. I don’t even know how Colin discovered the parents’ names, and I actually don’t want to know. I’m just glad that child is now getting the treatment she needs.”

  “And let me guess.” Francine pressed her lips together in an annoyed pout. “Colin didn’t know what you were talking about when you asked him.”

  Roxy laughed. “Yeah. He just gave me one of those gorgeous smiles of his and said he’s happy it all worked out.”

  “Typical.” Francine became more annoyed. “He does this all the time. Helps everyone out and never asks for anything. He doesn’t even want anyone to know that he did something amazing.”

  “Like the stuff he does for Martin.” Roxy’s anger confused me. She acted as if Colin was committing crimes.

  Again I remained quiet. Colin was helping Eric’s father, Martin, with many things. Phillip Rousseau, my previous boss and a man who’d become a father figure in my life, often met with Colin and Martin to help the younger man. Martin had just graduated from the first part of his law studies and was relying heavily on Philli
p for guidance on how to proceed with his career.

  Since we’d discovered Nikki was pregnant with Eric and that together she and Martin had decided not to get married, Colin had made sure to set up meetings with Phillip and help Martin in any way he could. Colin had been the one to find a comfortable apartment close to us so it was easier for Martin to spend time with Eric.

  I’d seen the pleasure it had given Colin to help Martin. But it was Nikki’s reaction that was really his reward. She had been extremely proud that Martin was proving to be such a responsible young man and father. I didn’t know if she knew that Colin had played an important role in that behaviour.

  “He’s always been like this.” Francine was looking up and left, recalling memories. “I’ve known Colin for a long time and I can’t think of any instance where he didn’t go out of his way to help someone.”

  “Like he did for Vinnie.” Roxy’s strong emotions lowered her pitch. “He allowed Manny to arrest him so Vin didn’t have to go to prison.”

  They both stared at the kitchen. Then Francine straightened and knocked on the table. “We were talking about Olivia and that we don’t want to like her so much.”

  “You’ll never succeed.” Olivia walked into the room and sat down across from me. She looked at Roxy, then at Francine. “I’m amazing. I’m extremely likeable. You won’t be able to stop yourself from totally falling in love with me.”

  “See!” Francine pointed at Olivia, but glared at me. “That’s what I’m talking about. She’s wonderful. But you’re my best friend and I feel like I’m betraying you.”

  I froze and for ten seconds studied Francine’s face. “You’re serious about this.”

  “Of course I am.”

  I looked at Olivia, trying to make sense of this strange situation. She looked much more relaxed after her shower. She’d insisted on cleaning up before telling us everything she’d discovered and had followed Vinnie to one of the many guest rooms. Her blonde hair was only partly dried, her make-up fresh, and she was wearing jeans and a dark-green silk blouse. Her smile was soft and genuine. “They feel weird that they like me when usually a friend’s ex-fiancée is a total bitch.”