Last Resort (26 page)

"Fine by me/ he said, tipping his head back as he put the beer bottle to his mouth.

"By the way, I hope you don't mind but I used the phone while you were upstairs."

"No, I don't mind/ she said, wishing she could shake this sudden bad mood.

"I called Marielle/ he went on.

"She wasn't there so I left a message. I thought someone had better break the news about Pauline Fields to her and I didn't imagine you'd have much of a problem with that someone being me."

"None whatsoever/ she answered, knowing that Marielle was going to turn green with envy and black with fury that she wasn't doing the interview.

"I wish you luck."

There was a lengthy pause after that, during which only the cicadas and the calming trickle of the fountain could be heard. It wasn't a silence Penny was particularly comfortable with, but she couldn't think of anything to fill it.

Unless of course she brought up the subject of Pauline Fields again. But she didn't want to do that: it would be a long conversation and she was expecting Esther Delaney in fifteen minutes.

She stole a quick look at David, who gave every appearance of being perfectly at ease with the silence. Come to think of it, she'd never seen him anything other than totally relaxed. How wonderful it must be to feel so confident, so at ease with yourself, she thought. But then, looking like him, being as rich as him, and so blessed with charm and all those other detestable qualities he had, who wouldn't feel pleased with themselves?

Tell me, David/ she said,

"doesn't anything ever get to you?"

"In what way?"

he asked.

She shrugged, already sensing she was going to regret 193

getting into this.

"Well, don't you ever get really wound up about something?"

she said.

"Sure I do/ he answered. "But only things that matter. Penny nodded.

"What sort of things matter? she asked, trying to sound offhand.

"Depends."

"On what?"

., .,

He regarded her closely for a moment, then said,

"There are plenty of things that get to me, Penny Moon, you don't want to worry about that."

"I wasn't worried,'she told him sharply.

"Good. So, tell me about your neighbours. Have you met any of them yet?"

"Only the ones immediately next door. There's a house just through those trees over there,"

she added, pointing.

"French?"

he asked.

"No. English."

"What do they do?"

,

"They're in antiques,"

she answered.

"The onental kmd,

1

"nfnodded as his eyes narrowed thoughtfully Must be doing pretty well for them to afford a place out here, he remarked.

"Mmm,"

she said. , ,

Again there was a silence. For some unaccountable reason she really wished she could read what was going on in his mind The trouble with David was; yout never knew and, she supposed, that was why she found it so easy to be angry with him.

"Ah well/ he said, putting down his empty glass, time I was on my way."

.

Penny walked with him to his car.

"Are you serious about your relationship with Marielle?"

she asked as he

8 She saw his smile even before he raised his face to look up at her and braced herself for his mocking eyes But, to her surprise, whatever quip he was about to

194

make never materialized as the usual humour retreated from his eyes and he said,

"At this moment in time there's only one woman I'm serious about, and it sure as hell isn't Marielle. But/ he added, with a wink,

"things can always change/ and starting up the engine, he circled the car around the forecourt and drove off.

Trying to pin Esther Delaney down to the subject of Christian Mureau was proving much harder than Penny had anticipated. The two of them had been sitting on the terrace for almost two hours, the sun had gone down and Esther's tongue did not, for the moment at least, appear to be loosening with the liberal oiling of alcohol. When she had arrived Penny had had to turn away to smother a smile at the knee-length red silk pleated skirt, black fishnet tights and black silk wrap-around top. Funnier still were the high-heeled shoes, with which the old lady clearly had a balancing problem.

But Penny's humour had quickly died when she'd found that any attempt she made to bring Mureau into the conversation was met with one of the old lady's irritatingly staccato little laughs and a flurry of hands about her face and throat. What Penny had managed to learn, though, was that wherever Wally was right now he was with Christian and that Esther's recent trip to the United States had been made alone. That didn't surprise Penny, however, for Christian Mureau was hardly in a position to cross American shores when he was currently at number five on the FBI's hit parade. But what Esther Delaney had been doing in the States for the past three weeks was something Penny was no closer to finding out now than she was before Esther arrived.

In fact, under any other circumstances Penny might have admired Esther's surprising ability to dodge questions she didn't want to answer. But, as she chuntered on about her time in Malaysia, seeming more and more on edge as each minute passed, as though she knew that

195

Penny wasn't going to let her off the hook, Penny decided she had let her witter on long enough, and pouring more wine into both their glasses, she took control of the conversation.

"Did Christian tell you that he left a message on my answerphone the night of the vernissage?"

she asked bluntly.

Esther's eyes instantly glazed.

"Did he tell you?"

Penny said firmly.

"Uh, um, yes, you know, I think he might have/ Esther answered, taking a gulp of wine.

"Did he tell you what he said? He said he thought we should meet."

"Mmm, yes, mmm,"

Esther responded, looking anywhere but at Penny.

"Has he changed his mind?"

Penny asked.

"No! Um, yes. Yes, he changed his mind/ Esther finished decisively.

She was a very poor liar, Penny thought.

"Maybe, since I don't know how to get hold of him myself, you would give him a message for me/ she said.

"Oh dear/ Esther said, appearing more agitated than ever.

"Surely it won't hurt to give him a message/ Penny responded, disguising her irritation with a smile.

"Maybe you could tell him that I am not looking for a story unless, of course, he wants to give it."

"No, no! Doesn't want to give a story/ Esther replied, sounding quite definite. Wants to meet you, but not for a story."

Penny was heartened to hear that and refrained from reminding the old lady that only moments ago she had said he'd changed his mind about wanting to meet her.

"Then if you give him my assurance that I am not on the lookout for a story, perhaps he will call me again/ she said.

"Where is he now?"

"Lawyers/ Esther mumbled.

"Talking to his lawyers.

196

Wally drove him there."

"Where?"

"Paris."

Penny nodded, then with no prompting at all, Esther said,

"He's giving himself up."

Penny's face froze and her heart began to pound.

"Giving himself up?"

she repeated, appalled by how close she was to panicking.

Esther nodded.

"Got to strike the right deal with the District Attorney's office first. Then he's giving himself up."

"How long will the deal take to arrange?"

Penny asked, unable to accept the idea that he was about to disappear for good when she hadn't even met him. Esther shook her head and suddenly looked so unbearably sad that Penny said softly,

"You're very fond of him, aren't you?"

Tine boy/ Esther answered staring down at her drink.

"Damn fine boy. Going to miss him if he goes."

Penny waited for several moments to pass, then said,

"If he's intending to give himself up, there doesn't seem any harm in us meeting, does there?"

"Not definite yet,"

Esther replied.

"Destined to meet, though, I know that. Billy told me."

Penny blinked and wondered if she had heard correctly.

"Billy?"

she repeated.

"Yes, Billy. I talk to him, you know. Through a medium, of course. He tells me things."

Penny took a moment to digest this. Spiritualism wasn't normally something she put a lot of store by, but under the circumstances she wouldn't mind hearing a bit more. So, leaning her head to one side as a ploy to encourage the old lady's eyes back to hers, she said,

"What sort of things?"

Esther's mouth opened and her lips trembled for a moment before she seemed suddenly to deflate.

"Wally doesn't like me to talk about it,"

she answered.

"But Wally's not here, is he?"

Penny said.

"And I'd like

197

to know."

Esther's face twitched, then to Penny's surprise she seemed to relax a little.

Tou're a dear girl/ she said, reaching over to pat Penny's hand.

"A dear girl. All a bit complicated, though. Can't tell you anything unless given the all clear. Won't get it, though. He won't give it, I know that."

Penny forced herself to smile.

"I already know/ she said carefully,

"about the drugs."

Instead of the chaos she'd expected this to throw Esther into, Esther simply nodded and said, Thought you might. Never did any harm to anyone, though. He's a good man. Bit of a rascal/ she chuckled, "but he has a good heart. Always good to me. Wants to meet you, but Wally says no."

"Wally?"

Penny repeated, unable to believe that Wally Delaney would have any influence over a man like Mureau.

Too risky for him/ Esther answered.

Penny pursed her lips thoughtfully for a while, then said,

"I can understand Wally's objections to us meeting, but, tell me, do you object to it too?"

Esther's eyes fell to her glass.

"Have to do what Wally says/ she answered bleakly.

"But do you personally have any objections?"

Penny pressed.

Esther shook her head.

"Busy man, but lonely since his wife left him/ she said, almost in a whisper.

Penny's eyebrows went up as she saw now what she should have seen before: that to appeal to the romantic side of Esther Delaney would be a better approach.

"How did he get my phone number?"

she asked.

"Did you give it to him?"

Esther's blush was answer enough.

"Can I ask what he said about me?"

she said.

"No, don't think I can repeat that. Wally wouldn't like it."

198

Damn Wally to hell, Penny thought angrily.

"Would it surprise you/ she said calmly,

"if I told you that I found him very attractive?"

"No, wouldn't surprise me. He said the same about you,"

Esther confided.

Penny's heart skipped. Then an extraordinarily rash idea suddenly occurred to her. If Christian Mureau could go to vernissages, then what was there to stop him going to launch parties? But almost as soon as she thought it she dismissed it, for getting Esther to go behind Wally's back to issue the invitation would be next to impossible. Not only that: if Christian did come, Wally would accuse Esther of having had a hand in it. But what if she, Penny, somehow managed to issue the invitation herself... ?

Sighing, she sat back in her chair and picked up her glass of wine.

"You know, this is very frustrating for me,"

she said.

"I very much want to meet him and in your heart I think that's what you want too. But unless I can persuade you to give him a message from me I don't see how that's ever going to happen."

Esther simply looked at her.

"All I want is for you to ask him to call me again,"

Penny said gently.

To Penny's unutterable frustration the old woman shook her head.

"He won't call,"

she said.

"Wally's told him not to."

Only just managing to hang on to her temper, while having no problem imagining Wally describing her as some kind of unscrupulous hack prepared to employ every trick in the book to get her story, Penny said,

"Why is Wally so set against us meeting? I mean, what possible harm can it do Wally?"

"Have to talk to Wally about that,"

Esther answered.

"He knows more than I do. Lot of people involved, though ... all very complicated."

"I understand that,"

Penny said snappishly,

"but since

199

you gave Christian my number, without my permission, I think you should at least give me his in return."

Esther's eyes rounded with anguish.

"I'm determined to get my own way over this/ Penny said tersely, not at all proud of resorting to bullying tactics, even if they were probably all that would work on Esther Delaney.

"So either you give me the number or I shall let it be known where Christian Mureau can be found."

The old woman's papery face turned white.

"Mustn't do that,"

she gasped, obviously not realizing that Penny was hardly in a position to when she didn't know whereabouts in Paris he was.

"No, no, mustn't do that."

"Then give me his number."

"I'll take the message/ Esther replied.

"And you won't tell Wally?"

"No, no, mustn't mention it to Wally."

Half an hour later Esther Delaney was walking unsteadily down the drive. When she reached the gates she looked back, to see Penny closing the shutters at the front of the house. Poor dear, Esther was thinking glumly to herself, she really doesn't have any idea.

200

Chapter 10

"Congratulations! It's your lucky day!"

David grinned, closing Penny's office door behind him and coming to sit down.

"Well, as it so happens, I could do with one of those/ Penny answered, selecting the printer's ID on her cornputer, ready to transmit an editorial for the third edition of Nuance. Then, deciding to abandon it for the moment, she turned to David and to her dismay felt her heart churn. Why was it, she asked herself irritably, that after managing to hold herself together perfectly well all day one look at him was making her want either to dissolve into tears of frustration or scream like a mad woman?