Covering the Lies

by Sofia Grey

  “Karl and I are going for a drink, if you want to join us?” Adele spoke without thinking, and Nick’s surprise showed.

  He glanced at Karl, and then back to Adele. “Nah, I’ll pass. Have a good evening. Catch you tomorrow for coffee?”

  Nick and Jordan went onto the court, and Adele headed for the changing rooms, Karl at her side.

  “It’s none of my business,” said Karl, his voice casual. “But I was wondering if you and Nick had a thing going between you.”

  “No. Of course not.” She made her voice indignant. “He’s married.” Paris didn’t count. Besides, nothing happened there, so she wasn’t lying.

  “Okay.” He sounded as though he believed her, and a shard of guilt wormed its way into her gut.

  No matter how she told herself nothing happened, it almost did. She’d been a hair’s breadth from kissing him, and who knows what after that.

  She and Karl spent the evening in the Frog and Bucket, along with a crowd of other TM-Tech people. Adele was tired, though, and by nine she’d had enough of being sociable. She picked up her bag and shrugged into her jacket.

  She wasn’t surprised that Karl insisted on walking her back. It was another sweet gesture that put her at ease. She’d underestimated how lovely he was, and it nagged at her that she hadn’t paid him any attention when they first met. She’d written him off as a tech-obsessed-geek, when in fact, he was a gentleman.

  It wasn’t far to her apartment block, but she appreciated his presence. They linked arms, and it felt good. Now they were in the fresh air, Adele was in no rush to go home, so she dawdled, enjoying being with him.

  She blew out a breath and saw the vapour hang in the air. “Cold tonight,” she murmured and snuggled closer.

  “Yep.”

  “Will it take you long to get home?”

  “Twenty minutes on the Tube.”

  Now they were almost there, she didn’t want him to leave. “It’s still quite early. Would you like to come in for a drink?”

  He glanced at her. “I’d love to, but not tonight. I have to be in the office crazy early in the morning, for the next batch of moves.”

  In some ways, Adele might never be ready to sleep with a guy again, but if she was going to take that step, taking it with Karl would be the right way to go. The idea terrified her, but like going to a club with Nick, she couldn’t let it break her.

  She caught hold of the front of his down jacket. “You could—you know—stay the night.” The words tumbled out of her, and she paused to drag some control back. “It’d be quicker to get to the office from here. If you wanted to.”

  He held her gaze and slowly raised one hand to touch her face. He smoothed a tendril of hair off her cheek and tucked it behind her ear. “Another night, maybe?”

  She caught his hand and pressed it to her cheek. “Why not tonight?” Her voice was husky. She couldn’t bear to ask if he was rejecting her.

  Karl huffed a soft breath, and then slipped his arms around her, to hold her close. He smelled nice. “I’m not ready to have my heart broken again.” It was a whisper against her ear, and her heart lurched. She didn’t know what to say, so she enjoyed the moment while it lasted.

  All too soon, he pressed a kiss against her hair and said goodnight. As before, he made sure she was safe behind a locked door before he left, and Adele watched him wave and stride down the street.

  He’d only gone a few steps, when another man emerged from the building and set off in the same direction. There was something familiar about the guy. She recognised the long trench coat. One of the other TM-Tech people?

  He tossed a glowing cigarette into the gutter, and she froze.

  She must be more tired than she thought. For a second, he looked like Jason.

  Adele rubbed her eyes. No. Her heartbeat accelerated, and her lungs tightened. She had to be mistaken. There was no other explanation.

  ****

  Sylvie was running out of time. Daisy was due to arrive on Wednesday, which meant Sylvie only had until Tuesday night to find Alex. She’d also run out of sleeping pills.

  Despite Sylvie visiting every drinking hole in the city, her husband was nowhere to be seen.

  She drove onto the overnight ferry back to Holyhead, locked up the car, and made her way on weary legs to the cabin she’d booked. She was utterly heartsick. She came here convinced she’d find Alex, but all she found was disappointment. Where was he? Nobody had heard from him. He could have dropped off the edge of the planet.

  Sylvie didn’t know where else to turn. She’d called every hospital and clinic, as well as each of the many spas and retreats, and done everything short of contacting the press. If nothing else, this matter remained private. Her heart would continue to break, but nobody outside their immediate circle would know.

  With no white pills to knock her out, she sat awake all night, gazing into space. There was no sudden burst of inspiration. Things had never looked bleaker.

  She was practically on her knees with exhaustion when she docked at Holyhead. It took two of Frankie’s yellow pills to lift her enough to go back home.

  Daisy arrived in the afternoon, full of excitement for her new job. Sylvie gave her a thin story about how Alex was working away for a few days but would meet them in London.

  Wherever he was, surely he’d keep the appointment with Social Services.

  She had to keep Daisy occupied. She showed her around the house and surrounding area, and they worked together to make sure everything was ready for Callum. Then it was a matter of waiting.

  They drove down to London on Thursday afternoon, to stay with Kate and Jordan, as planned. Sylvie wanted to shout Alex’s name from the rooftops. She wanted him here with her. She couldn’t do this by herself—not just Callum, but also the memorial service. Alex promised to be with her for this. She couldn’t bear that he would let her down.

  Five days had passed with zero contact. At what point did she notify the police that he was missing?

  She retreated to bed with more of Frankie’s white pills and a large glass of malt whisky from Jordan’s collection. For the first time since Saturday—since her life imploded—she gave in to the luxury of crying herself to sleep.

  ****

  Jordan was stunned by the amount of people that wanted to attend the memorial service, some merely to offer their support. Jon and Anita would be there, along with most of the families of the deceased and many other friends and colleagues.

  Marcus and Thaddeus were due in town on Thursday afternoon, and Jordan made the time to meet them at the airport. Thaddeus was tall and vigorous, as usual, despite several major heart attacks the other year.

  The last time Jordan saw Marcus was as he left for Houston at the start of the year. At the time, Marcus had been recuperating from a long spell in the hospital, and had been white faced and thin. Now he’d filled out again and looked as he always did.

  Jordan left no room for awkwardness. As soon as he saw them walk through the Arrivals Hall, he stepped forwards and clasped hands with Marcus. “Good to see you, man,” he said. He’d lost Rico and come close to losing Marcus. To be able to greet his oldest friend was a blessing.

  “You too.” They slapped each other’s back, and Jordan took a moment to compose himself before turning to his father.

  Thaddeus nodded to him. “Jordan.” He wasn’t big on greetings.

  “Thaddeus,” Jordan replied. That was the extent of the small talk.

  As they headed to Canary Wharf in a cab, Thaddeus demanded to know about TM-Tech matters, while Marcus checked his emails.

  It was fair to say Jordan had an unusual relationship with his father.

  After the workday was done, Jordan picked up Kate, and they went to meet Marcus at his hotel.

  Kate greeted Marcus with an excited squeal and a huge hug. “Hello, stranger,” she said. “We’ve missed you so much.”

  He hugged her back. “Have you, really?”

  “Yes, of course. You must see Poppy b
efore you go back. She’s grown so much. And how is Ted? Do you see much of Louisa?” Kate’s happy chat propelled the conversation forwards, while Jordan watched and admired her.

  There was a difficult question to get out of the way, though. “How is Marianne?” Jordan asked.

  Marcus smiled. “She’s good. Thanks. It hasn’t been easy, but we’re planning on getting married next year. When the divorce is finalised. She wanted to come with me, but I felt it would make it harder for Sylvie.”

  It had been Marianne, Sylvie’s boss, that Rico was rescuing from the rubble when he was killed.

  “I’m glad you’re okay,” said Jordan, and he meant it. “I hope you’re happy.”

  Marcus met his gaze. “You warned me at the time. You said it would be hard to leave Louisa and Ted, and by God, you were right. But Marianne has made it all worthwhile.”

  They spent another hour together, before Kate started yawning and they headed back to the apartment. Jordan was used to being in charge and fixing problems as they arose. The issue with Alex frustrated the fuck out of him, but he had no solution.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Alex surfaced with his mouth parched and his head thumping. He blinked in the daylight. What time was it? Early morning, maybe.

  He assessed the state of his stomach. Not great, but he’d been worse.

  He’d talked to someone. Who was it? Rico. The dream could have been real. He’d touched Alex’s arm and Alex had felt it, as though Rico was there with him.

  He stared out the window, at the canal in the distance. The ducks were back, this time being fed by some young children, their mothers at their sides.

  Callum would be coming soon. Alex had to make sure he was home to meet the nanny. When was she supposed to arrive? Sylvie had been taking care of that. Alex took a shaky breath. He’d have to look after all the details now.

  He’d have some coffee. It might shift the dryness from his mouth. As he lurched towards the kettle, his back stiff from sleeping in a chair. He picked up his phone and switched it back on. There was a little charge in the battery. Enough to check in with the nanny. What was her name again? Lizzie? Dizzy?

  There were six missed calls from Sylvie, more text messages, and multiple voicemail notifications. Fuck. He couldn’t listen to those. The sound of her voice would break him. His heart was heavy, as he deleted all her messages unread.

  He had a ridiculous number of texts waiting to be read—Jordan, Kate, Charlie, Sylvie, Mick, Frankie. He skipped over them all. Then he came to a message from Daisy. Yes. This was the nanny.

  Hi, Mr H. Really looking forward to working for you. I’ll be at your house on Wed afternoon as planned, see you then. Yours, Daisy

  He breathed a sigh of relief. Wednesday was ages away, wasn’t it? He flicked back to the main screen of the phone, to check the time and date.

  Holy fuck. It was now seven thirty-two on Friday.

  He’d lost three days.

  ****

  Adele never worked in the old building, so she had no memories of it as it had been. It felt strange, though, to have so many people wandering around, commenting on the changes. She was busy, preparing for a special Exec meeting Jordan had scheduled, when Nick sent her an instant message.

  N.ANDERSON: You got time for a quick coffee?

  A.BISSET: Sure. Usual place, 10 mins?

  N.ANDERSON: See you there

  N. ANDERSON HAS SIGNED OFF

  Nick sat waiting for her, looking very smart in a dark suit, pale grey shirt and dark tie. Everyone was dressed sombrely for the memorial service this afternoon.

  “Melda.” He kissed her cheek and nudged a latte towards her.

  “Thank you. What’s up?”

  He smiled. “Not seen you all week. Is it true you’re dating Karl?”

  “News travels fast.” She liked the idea of dating Karl, but they weren’t quite there yet. “We’ve been to the gym, and out a couple of times, but that’s all. He’s busy all this week, with the office moves.” She curled her fingers around her cup. “Nosey, aren’t you?” She was teasing, but Nick didn’t laugh.

  Instead, he leaned forwards and squeezed her hand. “Lara told me a strange thing last night. She’s seen a guy hanging around our street at night, who she reckons looks like Jason.” He seemed at a loss for words. “How can that be?”

  Adele’s good mood shattered in an instant. Fear galloped around her heart. “It’s not just Lara. I’ve seen him as well.”

  ****

  Lara juggled her schedule so she had time for a quick catch-up with Sylvie on Friday morning, before going into the office. She met up with her at Jordan’s apartment.

  Always slim, Sylvie had lost weight, and her clothes hung off her. Her normally glossy hair was lank, and her face puffy from tears. The difference from a week ago was staggering, and Lara folded her friend into a tight hug.

  “Still no sign of Alex?” Lara asked.

  Sylvie trembled in her arms. “Nothing. Oh, Lara. I can’t bear it. I can’t do this.”

  She wriggled free a moment later, dug into her tiny handbag, and pulled out a pill bottle. Shaking two yellow capsules into her hand, she pulled a face at Lara. “Herbal supplement. I’m turning into a junkie. What with these and the sleeping pills, I’m not in a great place at the moment.” She dry-swallowed the tablets, and then went to the sink to pour a glass of water. “Can I get you a coffee?”

  “Tea, please. Coffee makes me want to hurl these days.”

  She watched as her friend knocked the tea canister with her elbow, spilling tea bags across the counter, and didn’t notice. Sylvie then poured boiling water into an empty cup. She stared at it as though she didn’t understand what was wrong.

  “Sit down.” Lara guided Sylvie towards a seat at the table, and then rescued the teabags and made the drinks. “Sylvie, are you okay? I mean, I know you’re not, but is there anything I can do?”

  “Find Alex for me. I’ve run out of ideas.” She drummed on the table with her fingertips. “For God’s sake, where can he be?”

  “You’ve tried—”

  “Short of announcing it to the press or calling the police, I’ve tried everything.” She rubbed her eyes. “He left his passport behind, so I know he’s still in the UK. I haven’t told Daisy. She thinks he’s busy in meetings or something. I was vague as fuck, and I’m sure she knows I’m lying.”

  “If he doesn’t turn up tomorrow, are you still going for Callum?”

  “I have to. If they think Alex is a flake, they’ll probably revoke the foster approval. I can’t take that chance.”

  “And if the worst happens? Are you going to bring up Callum on your own?”

  She sank her head into her hands. “I don’t know. I don’t know anything.”

  ****

  Alex checked out of the hotel and settled his bill in cash. He’d used his normal practice of registering under an assumed name—Alexander Smith this time—and from there, he headed straight to Dublin Airport. He was lucky; there was a flight leaving in the next half hour. He stunk like a polecat, but there was enough time to buy a clean shirt, deodorant, toothbrush, and toothpaste.

  He freshened up in the bathroom. A stranger looked back at him from the mirror over the basin. His eyes were dull and empty, his hair tangled and beard scruffy, his skin grey. He looked like someone who’d slept in the gutter for the past week. The only saving grace was that nobody was likely to recognise him like this.

  It was a short hop to Heathrow. He forced himself to eat some bread and butter—the first food in days—drank as much water as he could stomach, and thought about Sylvie. Callum, the band, the tour, his home—everything came back to Sylvie. Their lives were so closely twined, it was impossible to eradicate her without trace.

  Today was the memorial service. His heart ached for her. She was dreading it and had been relying on his support to get through it. What kind of shit would he be, if he left her to deal with it alone?

  ****

  Sylvi
e was nervous about seeing Callum, especially without Alex, but she figured it’d be a good idea for the boy to meet Daisy.

  As before, he hugged his foster mother and refused to make eye contact with Sylvie. She’d be taking him with her tomorrow. How would he feel, being dragged away from the world he knew, to go live with strangers?

  Daisy managed to entice him to the floor, to play with him there, and Sylvie watched in awe. Daisy managed more in half an hour than she had in two sessions.

  Back at Jordan’s apartment, Sylvie had another shower to warm up. She felt permanently frozen these days. Her hair was a mess, but she couldn’t be bothered fiddling with it. It’d dry into messy waves and curls, and that was fine. Nothing mattered any more.

  When did she last take one of the yellow capsules? Not for a while, and there were plenty left. She needed all the energy she could get, so she popped another two pills. They were herbal. She’d be fine.

  ****

  Nick was worried about Sylvie. Her dilated pupils and restlessness made him wonder if she was high on something. Surely not. Sylvie wasn’t the sort to fall into the drugs scene. She didn’t even smoke.

  Lara said Sylvie was upset about Alex still being AWOL. Nick hoped that was all it was. Sylvie didn’t look good at all.

  ****

  Sylvie felt beyond weird, otherworldly, and remote from everything. Her body was tense and jittery, while her head was strangely numb. She was so stressed about the service. She had a buzzing in her ears too—a high-pitched whine like a mosquito. She shook her head, but it wouldn’t budge. Perhaps she had water in her ears, from the shower?

  She watched as Jordan made the opening speeches, his soft drawl carrying easily across the assembled crowd of people. Lara stood to her left, Nick on her right. All she saw was a mass of faces, some familiar, some not. When they started blurring together, she forced herself to concentrate. Her body might be there, but her mind had left the building.

  A minister stood next and made a blessing of some sort. Soft weeping punctuated the silence.

  Jordan read the list of the deceased. In a few minutes it would be Sylvie’s turn to step forwards and say a few words about Rico.