Behind A Twisted Smile (Dark Minds Book 2) (21 page)

It was then I fully understood my dilemma. Amanda had given me her mobile number, but should I have contacted her? If she was sick, mentally ill, then how much of her story could I believe, anyway?

Chapter 28

I decided Amanda had been telling the truth, nervous breakdown or not. I looked up her cousin’s accident in the newspaper records. It was all perfectly feasible. But I was in for a further shock. I rung Amanda’s telephone number and was surprised when she refused to talk about Martyn, let alone arrange a meeting between us.

“I don’t want to talk about him.”

“But you said if I ever wanted to talk and meet up...if I suspected anything then—”

“Look, I know what I said. I was wrong.”

I waited a few seconds for this to sink in. I took another tack. “Did you know my sister, Evie, has died? In Antigua, you said I might be in danger, but I didn’t mention Martyn was seeing my sister. They got married, quickly like your cousin, and then in hardly any time at all, she was dead. Took her own life, apparently, but you and I know better.”

The silence between us stretched, and I hoped Amanda was making up her mind to arrange something. When she did reply, my heart sank like a stone in a deep pond.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, and I wondered if someone was listening. “I’m really sorry, but I can’t help you.”

“Can’t or won’t? Who’s got to you, Amanda? Is it the police?”

And then without her even saying another word, I guessed, and I felt dreadful. That time before Evie and Martyn were married, I had confronted Martyn and told him I had met Amanda and I knew all about her cousin. Martyn must have gone to the police and complained. Harassment, he would have called it. Someone at the station obviously believed he was innocent. No wonder Amanda had been forced to leave. “It’s him, isn’t it? Martyn. What’s he said to you? What’s he done?”

“I have to go.” The line went dead.

***

It was less than a month to Christmas, and we had been having flurries of snow for a few days. My appointment book was as full as ever. It seemed women and men wanted to look and feel good for the forthcoming festive season, and money flowed as it had always done.

Jon returned, and although we jumped into bed within minutes of him walking into my flat, afterwards, he seemed a bit pre-occupied. I felt I couldn’t breathe. Had he found someone else in America? I couldn’t bear the thought, and to hide my misery, I talked more than usual as we shared a bottle of champagne in bed.

Eventually, he reached over, removed the glass I was waving around as I gesticulated with my hands and placed a finger over my lips. “Hush.”

I raised my eyebrows and waited, hardly daring to ask. “What? I know you’ve something on your mind.” I turned over onto my side and regarded him through my tousled hair.

He stretched out an arm and ran his fingers lightly over my hips and down my thighs. I gasped as his fingers traced a feathery pattern, my limbs melting under his touch.

“I’ve been offered a new position.”

“Ah!” I let my breath out slowly…
here it comes. The slow but gentle let-down
.

“In San Francisco.”

“And?”

“There are lots of pros and cons. I wanted to run it by you first.”

“You did?” I asked. His news was pretty startling, but at least it wasn’t another woman. My vision blurred as a rash of tears threatened. Was I really still that strung up?

It transpired Jon had been offered a temporary post as director in a new office which was still under negotiation. The position was tentatively for a year to get it up and running. What did I think?

“A great opportunity. Do you have to make you mind up at once?”

“No. But I have to let them know after Christmas. I…I thought I might take it. It
is
only for a year.”

I nodded.

“You could come with me?”

I gaped at him. “Really? You’d like that? You’d want me to? But my job…”

He laughed. “I think so. Or if you didn’t come for the year, you could come for an extended stay. I’m not kidding when I say I’ll be frantically busy, and it won’t be much fun setting it all up. The Americans work damn hard and don’t have as much leave as us. You’d spend a lot of time doing things on your own, but,” he paused and in a deeper and softer voice explained, “we would have every night together.”

I was more tempted than I let on. I thought it might have been a good time to tell him what I had planned with my flat and business, but something stopped me. Did I really want anyone to know? I hadn’t breathed a word to anyone in case Martyn got wind of it. I trusted Jon, but the least people knew the better. The same went for my last visit down at the police station. Nobody knew. Faye hadn’t contacted me, and I certainly hadn’t told her.

“It sounds wonderful, especially the last part. I like the idea of going out, if not for the year then for a really long stay. I think you should go for it if you want to.”

He hugged me. “I was afraid you’d get the wrong idea and want us to finish. I’d understand, of course, but that’s the last thing I want. You’ve come to mean a lot to me, Moya.”

It was the nearest we got to admitting we both wanted a long-term relationship. In my mind, I shouted with joy, and I rolled onto my front and straddled him.

“I’ll show you what I really think,” I purred.

***

Faye finally telephoned and asked whether I would like to meet her and Kate in town for lunch after some serious shopping. It seemed ages since I had bought anything new, and I liked the idea of some female company, so I accepted at once. She suggested we meet for lunch in a wine bar near the salon where she had her hair done.

I arrived early and made a few purchases before setting off for our lunch date. With Christmas round the corner, I bought Mum, Angela and Darcy something expensive and gorgeous for each of them. Something I knew they would love but would never spend the money on. None of us would feel very Christmassy, but we had each vowed not to let things slide and to do our best for each other.

I was shown to our pre-booked table and ordered a glass of Chablis. Within ten minutes, the door opened and both women stepped through.

If Faye looked good, then her younger sister looked even more amazing. I was accustomed to Faye spending money on her appearance, but I was forgetting Kate had just returned from New York, and—it appeared—she was loaded. Not only had she done well out of her divorce, but Faye intimated she had wangled a parting severance from her last employer. I wondered just how good a PA she was.

The sisters shimmied over to where I was sitting, bulging carrier bags grasped in both hands. Apart from sharing the same nose and mouths, the two women couldn’t have been more different.

They threw the bags down onto a couple of empty chairs, kissed me and then sat down. Both looked flushed and excited, and I wondered how much money they had spent; no doubt more than I paid out in a year, but then I was known to be stingy, even though I had money tucked away in various bank accounts. Dad had been shrewd with his investments, and Mum and us girls had always been comfortably off.

“Guess what?” Faye asked. “Kate paid for both of us to have our hair done, and we had the works. Do you like it?” She touched a hand to her smart new style, cut, coloured, and with an added streak here and there; it looked fabulous as well as expensive.

“I do. It really suits you. Yours too, Kate.” I turned to glance at the darker of the two. Kate had also made a radical change. Her long silky tresses had been cut to just below her chin, tapering downwards at the back. It reminded me of a seventies hairstyle and I said so.

“If we’d known earlier, we could have booked you in,” Kate said, picking up the menu.

I laughed and fingered my own blonde hair, which I had let grow longer than usual. “If that’s a gentle hint that mine needs a good looking at, I have to agree. I can’t remember the last time I had it cut. Things, well, you know…” I let my voice trail off. Normally, I was proud of my hair and looks—in my job I had to look good. But all things considered, I hadn’t paid as much attention as I should have. I had to get a grip and start sorting myself out.

“So what do we all fancy?” Faye said brightly. “How about a plate of oysters flown in from Scotland, followed by a light steak and salad?”

“Sounds good to me.” Kate closed her menu and leant back in her chair to glance round the crowded restaurant.

“I’ll pass on the oysters…you know I don’t like them. I’ll have garlic prawns and go with the steak, though.” I smiled. “So what’s new?” I asked, as soon as the waiter had taken out orders and disappeared. “Have you decided to stay local, Kate, or are you looking for another job?”

Faye and she exchanged looks, and I wondered what the secret was. There again, they
were
sisters, although I fancied Faye and I had always been closer.

Kate shook her sleek new head of hair. “No. The truth is I like not being at the beck and call of anyone. Workwise, that is. Wayne was…er…difficult before I left. I felt I had to get away. He wanted to make decisions on my behalf, and I didn’t want that. He became far too pushy, and my time was never my own. No, I’m going to take six months to a year off and then think about what I want to do. Martyn…” She paused. I tensed but made sure my mouth smiled even if I knew my eyes never could.

“Yes?” I urged.

“Martyn says Scotland is a gorgeous place to experience. Do you know I’ve never been up there?”

“So, is that what you’re going to do then? Visit Scotland?”

“Why not? One side of our family comes from the Highlands. I thought it might be fun to look it all up in the genealogy records and trace our family tree.”

“That sounds like a good idea. Have you made any plans?”

She shrugged and laughed after flicking another glance in Faye’s direction. “Not really. I’ll let you know. Ah! The oysters have arrived!”

We ate, drank and chatted as if there was nothing wrong with the world. But I could sense a subtle shift between Faye and me. It was a faint and barely perceptible parting of the ways. As the meal dragged on, I felt disappointed and filled with a profound awareness of unease. Something had happened to change the deep friendship between us.

Eventually the conversation turned to Evie, and Kate asked me how I and the rest of my family were coping.

“Okay, I suppose. Mum seems to be coping. She’s thrown herself into charitable works which helps fill her days. I spend more time with her too, which I know she appreciates even if she doesn’t say much. Darcy went off the rails for a few weeks. Mum couldn’t control her, and I appointed myself her watchdog, but she’s quietened down now. In fact, if anything, Darcy’s gone in the opposite direction. She’s staying in far more, keeping to her room. Sometimes she scares me. She doesn’t say a thing and gives me the oddest looks. At times I think she’s about to say something, and then she shies away at the last minute.”

“She’s just growing up. It can’t be easy for a girl of her age.”

“Maybe. I’ve asked her if anything is troubling her, and she says there isn’t, but I don’t believe her.”

Faye laid down her dessert spoon and joined in. “She’s probably mooning over some boy at school. You remember how we all were? We changed our minds about who we fancied almost every week. You mark my words, in a few days’ time she’ll be more like her old self.”

I shook my head. “Normally I’d agree, even with Evie’s death still very much on our minds. But this time, she’s acting incredibly strange.”

A silence hung between us as the waiter brought us coffee, and I broke it by asking Faye how Simon was.

“He’s fine. Simon is quite chilled at the moment. I raised the subject of babies again, and he said he’ll go along with whatever I want. He said he wants me no matter what! So we’ll definitely be getting hitched early next year.”

“That’s wonderful news. I’m really pleased for you. A spring wedding! And Jon and I are getting along really well. He’s been given the opportunity to work in San Francisco next year and has asked if I want to go along. I just might.”

I noticed how Faye shot a glance across to Kate before she answered. “Thank you. And I’m happy for you too. It’s nice knowing you’re finally getting over Martyn.”

I blinked. She really thought I still missed him! I held my tongue and took hold of my coffee cup. As I raised it to my lips, I felt my hand shake.

Kate leaned forward and touched my wrist lightly. For the first time, I noticed her voice had picked up a slight American accent.

“He’s such a nice guy. Do you know he went back to work at the hospital almost immediately? He said it was easier to forget Evie by being busy and what was better than helping sick people?” She sat back shaking her head. “So sweet and caring. I can see why you liked him and why Evie fell in love as soon as they met. And he’s been so lovely to me. He understood why I had to get away from my employment with Wayne. He said he couldn’t stay with anyone who tried to manipulate him either. Wayne wasn’t that bad, but he did like to know exactly what I was doing every minute, twenty-four seven!”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Faye and I have encouraged Martyn to get out more. He agrees there’s no point in staying at home and being depressed and lonely. He’s put the house on the market, as it holds such sad memories for him. We’ve done all we can to help, spent a few evenings together, and he’s really making an effort to come to terms with his loss. You’d be surprised how he’s learnt to manage these last couple of weeks.”