“Who else?” Peter asked.
“Miss English, Tommy’s teacher, is surprised about Anne being an alcoholic. She used to see Anne regularly at the school when she collected Tommy and never thought Anne was drinking. So I’ll put her on the alcohol side with a big question mark beside it. Bear in mind that she also says that Tommy has only changed his behaviour since his mum moved out.”
Peter and Patricia nodded.
“Mr Byrne from rehab confirms that Anne is an alcoholic, so he goes on that side. And finally there’s Aaron, who believes Anne was being bullied.”
Patricia said, “So, things are no clearer. The only thing that everyone seems to agree on is that there was always a sense in the Banks’ relationship that things were not as they were portraying them and that there was a problem.”
Isobel smiled. “That’s a very good point, Patricia. This is what is bothering me: the only person who has witnessed Anne’s alcoholism is Thomas. Donna and Mrs Winter accept it but have never spoken to Anne about it. Sharon and Miss English don’t believe it. Aaron and Claire know she drank socially but are surprised at the extent of it. Mr Byrne never knew Anne before. So all of the people who were in any way close to Anne find it hard to believe and also haven’t spoken to Anne. Without Thomas telling everyone, they wouldn’t know.”
“Is that not normal in a situation like this – that the addiction is being covered up?” Peter said.
“Maybe. But bear in mind that without this recent conclusion a lot of people would still be thinking that Anne was the one who was in danger.”
Patricia was nodding enthusiastically. “Exactly. It’s like there was this one concern everyone had and now suddenly it’s the complete opposite.”
Isobel pointed her pen at Patricia. “Yes, exactly. It goes from people being worried about Anne to Anne being the problem. So . . . there are two different stories.”
She fell silent as Peter and Patricia studied the chart, puzzled.
Isobel changed tack. “You know, there’s a logic solution called Occam’s razor. Basically it states that the simplest, least complicated solution to the facts is the right one. In a way what you do is strip away assumptions. So try this for a stripping away of assumptions. Anne is not an alcoholic.”
“But she herself is saying that she is,” said Peter.
As Patricia went to add something Isobel held up her hand and she reluctantly fell silent. Isobel rubbed her head as she tried to keep her woolly thoughts together and follow her idea.
“OK. Let’s set aside the question of whether or not Anne really is an alcoholic and ask – why rehab?”
Peter opened his mouth to answer and Isobel shook her head. It was a rhetorical question.
“Rehab and her ongoing recovery and her move to a new area means that she’s no longer in her own world. No one who previously knew her has seen her or spoken to her.”
Patricia started. “My God, that’s right!”
Isobel continued to think out loud. “Why would that be important? Why would someone want to isolate her like that?”
“To make her vulnerable to suggestions, so she has no support and just takes a bad deal?” Patricia suggested.
Isobel inclined her head. “Why can she not visit her child? Surely, seeing Tommy would make her more inclined to go along with anything?”
“What if she’s being prevented from seeing Tommy until she signs the papers?” Peter said.
“Maybe. Thomas could be blackmailing her to take this deal. That’s certainly a possibility. But . . . Aaron said something that’s really bothering me and has got me thinking.”
“What was it?” Patricia asked.
“He said a woman came in with a photo of Anne and asked to have her hair done exactly like hers, same colour, same cut.”
“Where did she get the photo?” Patricia asked.
“She said Anne had given it to her.”
“So? Loads of people copy other people’s style,” Peter said.
“Aaron said that when he’d done her hair this woman looked so like Anne.”
“So he’s a good hairdresser, the customer got what they wanted?” Peter said.
“No, she didn’t just look like Anne – he said she was like her sister, her twin – her doppelganger.”
Isobel paused and the others looked at her blankly.
“What if Anne isn’t Anne?” she asked.
“What do you mean?” Patricia asked.
“What if someone is pretending to be Anne? They get her all done up to look like her. Obviously then, they don’t want her to meet people who know Anne. Who would see through an imposter, especially her son. What if a doppelganger is pretending to be Anne?”
“But why?” Patricia asked.
Isobel looked at Peter with a raised eyebrow. Peter returned her gaze but said nothing.
“What’s to be gained by having someone impersonate Anne and sign the divorce papers?” Isobel prompted.
Initially, Peter looked at her blankly, then like a sunrise realisation dawned on him, “So that everything could be put in Thomas’s name, the house, childcare, all signed to him.”
“Thomas wants the assets, that’s for sure,” Patricia said. “But where’s the real Anne, then?”
There was a silence. Isobel said nothing but glanced back and forth between the two.
“But Tommy – she wouldn’t just run away and leave him, would she?” Patricia said and then flushed as he glanced towards Peter. Her voice sounded shaken as she continued, “I mean, that can happen but everyone is saying that Anne was particularly devoted to Tommy. That’s one of our concerns – that she’s not seeing him. He misses her . . .” She tailed off, now looking from Peter to Isobel.
Peter took a ragged breath. “What are you thinking, Isobel?”
She could hear the dread in his voice.
“We’ve always been concerned about how the Banks were with each other, that something felt off,” she said. “Remember I said that I could feel no atmosphere between them, not even a bad one?”
“Yes, you did.”
“Maybe Thomas and the Anne we met are not a couple, just two people playing a role. We wondered if Anne was being treated fairly in the separation – well, this would explain that. We’re concerned about Tommy and his mother – well, they have been kept apart – and rehab and recovery is a good explanation for time apart.”
Peter face was slack with shock. “Jesus, Isobel, this is a bit farfetched.”
“Yes, perhaps, but I am deeply worried.”
Peter stood up and started pacing up and down. “What have I done? Why did I ever start this? You’re going to ruin me with your crazy ideas.”
Isobel’s face tightened but she said nothing.
“This is madness. The jump you’ve made is into fiction. Maybe this is why you’re on sabbatical.”
Isobel’s mouth dropped open in shock. Her eyes filled with tears.
Patricia stood and raised her hand to stop Peter. She took his arm and led him back to a chair.
“Go on, Isobel,” she said. “What are you suggesting?”
Isobel looked at her and bit her lip, a tear running down her cheek.
Patricia sat and touched her hand. “Go on.”
Isobel wiped her tears away with her hand. She swallowed and said, “I’m not going to be happy unless we check out this possibility.”
Peter stayed silent.
“How can you do that?” Patricia asked.
Isobel chewed on her lip. “Look, let me think about this overnight and maybe tomorrow we can chat again.”
Peter rubbed his face with his hands. “I’m sorry, Isobel. What I said was out of order. But I am worried. You aren’t going to do anything rash, are you?”
Isobel stood up. “No. I’m going to think about things, you know, sleep on it.” She turned to Patricia. “Why don’t we head home?”
Patricia nodded and, looking at Peter, said, “Let’s get some rest and we’ll talk again tomorrow.”
As they left, Peter was still sitting there, looking stricken.
Chapter 15
On the Tube trip home the two women said very little.
Isobel couldn’t quell the idea that ‘Anne Banks’ was not Anne Banks. She knew herself well enough to know that she would have to research this idea. She pulled out her phone and did some googling. Having satisfied herself, she sent a quick text to Dave.
Work going well. On way to bed. Talk tomorrow.
She really wasn’t up to talking to him tonight. She still had to talk to Patricia.
Patricia’s flat was one bedroom, compact but very comfortable. The sitting room had a sofa bed and Patricia efficiently made it up. Despite the fact that it was almost midnight the two women settled down with cups of tea.
“What do you think about my idea?” Isobel asked.
“About the Banks?”
Isobel looked at her and raised her eyebrows.
Patricia frowned. “I think your point that no one has really witnessed Anne the drunk was good. Also, that no one has seen Anne – when you said that I got a bit of a shock, to be honest. I suppose the idea that Tommy cannot meet Anne because she is …” She cringed.
“You think that was a bit of a jump?”
Patricia shrugged.
“What do you think is going on then?” Isobel asked.
“Any one of a number of things. Ann could be an alcoholic and Thomas could be sorting out the divorce to protect his son. Ann may want out of her life, out of being a mother and she may be happy to leave Tommy with Thomas – that’s what happened with Peter. Maybe Anne is having an affair with Brian Poole and is going to make a fresh start.”
“So you don’t think my idea of the two Annes is credible?”
Patricia grimaced. “It’s a possible explanation but . . . unless, of course, she’s run away and Thomas is just using her disappearance to get all of the assets. For instance, if Brian Poole has taken her away . . .”
Isobel made a face. “The flaw in that theory is that Brian could get wind of what’s going on, and then Anne could reappear and accuse Thomas of fraud.”
“That’s true. But, Isobel, you’ve met Thomas. He’s very friendly, very personable. Do you really think he’s doing all of this?”
“I don’t know. But I have to say I found him a bit too smooth for my liking.”
Patricia frowned. “So you think Thomas is a bully and has been bullying Anne. And now he has someone pretending to be Anne.” Her voice faltered. “So where do you think Anne is?”
Isobel bit her lip.
Patricia frowned. “Isobel, we’ve no idea what’s going on. There are so many possibilities.”
“I’m worried enough to want to check something out.”
“You have an idea?”
Isobel nodded.
“What are you going to do?”
“If I tell you, will you have to run and tell Peter?”
Patricia frowned. “Eventually I’ll tell him but as long as you’re not going to do him any harm professionally I won’t say anything.”
Isobel smiled. “OK. I’m going to ask Claire, Anne’s sister, to come to London and have a look at Anne.”
There was a shocked silence.
“You really do believe someone is impersonating Anne?”
“It’s the only thing that makes any sense of all the facts to me. I know it sounds farfetched – that’s why I’m going to this extreme. But I need to figure out a way for Claire to see Anne without Anne seeing her. Then if I’m wrong no harm done. Anne won’t realise we’re checking things out. Only Claire will know and she won’t say anything.”
“You came up with this on the train?”
“I’m not crazy, Patricia.”
“I know. He shouldn’t have said that.”
“He shouldn’t have.” Isobel sighed. “Anyway, this explanation feels true to me so I’m going to either confirm it or prove it untrue.”
Patricia nodded.
“I would ask Aaron but he’ll be working tomorrow. It has to be someone who knows Anne really well and the only other person I can think of is Claire. She’s her own boss so she should be able to take the day off and I think she’ll do it. We just need to make sure that she isn’t recognised.”
“I know how we could do that.”
“You do?”
“I have a Muslim friend, Yani, who wears a niqab – Claire could wear that and get close to Anne. As well as the head-and-face covering, there’s a full-length black cover-all robe. Yani could lend her all of that. It would be impossible to suspect it’s Claire.”
“Patricia, that’s a brilliant idea! But what about her eyes? I’m vague about the different styles but there’s a slit, isn’t there?”
“Well, she could make the opening very small or even wear sunglasses – Yani sometimes does.”
“Perfect.”
“Let’s go see Yani then.”
“Yes, let’s.” Isobel hesitated. “But, Patricia, are you sure I’m not putting you in a difficult position with Peter?”
“No. We need to find out if you’re right or rule this out. Anyway, this is only going to help Peter.”
Isobel hesitated and then asked, “Patricia, what’s the story with you and him?”
Patricia shrugged. “Oh, Peter doesn’t realise how I feel about him. Don’t tell him. If he doesn’t feel the same there’s nothing I can do.”
Isobel looked at her bowed head and shook her own. “Maybe he’s been too focused on work to consider it, or maybe he’s just being very professional – or maybe the man hasn’t the sense he was born with.”
Patricia’s head snapped up. “If he felt the same he would know.”
“Maybe . . . ”
“Maybe what?”
“Maybe he doesn’t realise how he feels, maybe he doesn’t know that what he feels is more than a good working relationship and could be a good life relationship. At some point you have to take a risk and tell him – then you either date or you need to move on.”
“I know.”
“How long have you worked for Peter?”
“Five years.”
“Soon then.”
“Yes. I know. I just hate the thought of not seeing him.”
“I know but what about what you might be missing?”
Patricia bit her lip. “Do you think I have a chance?”
“He thinks a lot of you, but you have to decide what you want. If Peter isn’t interested then you need to move on. Five years is a long time. Have you dated anyone else while you’ve been working with Peter?”
Patricia looked at Isobel for a few seconds and then shook her head.
“You’ve got it bad, girl.” Isobel reached out and touched her arm.
Patricia nodded.
“I’m going to have to go back to Petersfield tomorrow,” Isobel said. “Claire is already worried and if I tell her what I suspect over the phone I can only imagine how she might overreact. So I think I’m going to have to go and see her.”
“I’ll come too.”
“No.”
Patricia looked her in the eye. “I’m coming because you can’t take all of the stress of this yourself. You look really tired. I want to help.”
Isobel bit her lip. “My sabbatical – it was because I was sick.”
Patricia nodded.
“I had cancer.”
“I know. I’m sorry.”
“You guessed?”
“The wig, the sabbatical. Apart from that you wouldn’t know. Is everything all right now?”
“I hope so.”
“Me too.” Patricia squeezed her hand. “You’re doing us a huge favour looking into things and I want to help you with that. Plus, the niqab was my idea. I might actually be good at this investigating.”
Isobel grinned at her. “True.”
“What time do you want to leave tomorrow?”
“Early.”
“Let’s get some sleep then.”
�
�I do appreciate the help, Patricia – thanks.”
The sofa-bed was extremely comfortable. Despite that, Isobel didn’t sleep well. Her dreams featured a child who was crying and searching for his mother. Isobel woke feeling sad. She was determined that, for Tommy’s sake, they had to find out all they could.
Chapter 16
Saturday 26th May
Isobel and Patricia woke early and spent an hour trying to concoct a foolproof plan. They considered ways in which they might lure Anne from her flat – for instance, Isobel in her guise as Patricia’s replacement making an appointment to meet her in the café across the road on some pretext. But, of course, she might insist on Isobel coming up to the flat instead which would defeat their purpose. Besides, Peter would get to know and would be enraged – that is, if they didn’t succeed in proving that Anne Banks was a fraud. They were forced to conclude that a stakeout was the only option.
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