by E. L Barry
“Hello, Josie speaking,” she said in her usual singsong voice.
There was no reply.
“Hello…?” she repeated.
There wasn’t a sound.
“Hello, is anyone there?” she enquired again.
There was silence and Josie hung up.
The phone rang again. Josie answered again as she had before. There was still nothing on the other end of the line. No breathing, no background noise, no nothing. She hung up again.
The phone rang again.
This is ridiculous and can’t be a pocket call now! Josie answered again quickly, with impatience in her voice.
“Hello, this is Josie.”
Still nothing. Josie was trying hard not to get frustrated and shout into the handset. It was really freaking her out now because someone had to be making the calls. There was nothing she could do, as there was no way to block a withheld number, and answering it made no difference.
I’ll just get a new number if this keeps happening, she thought.
At home, Josie showered and changed. She put a ready-made meal in the microwave and found her phone to call Mr Mellors.
The screen showed a further four calls from the withheld number, which she dismissed, and then scrolled through and looked up Mr Mellors’ number.
It was six pm, but as a family friend and solicitor, Josie knew that he would still be at the office and wouldn’t mind whatever time she rang. She remembered that when she was growing up, Mr Mellors used to pay her attention and always considered her feelings, even into adulthood.
The fact that her father was even more distant and cold towards her now, made her feel like anyone who acknowledged her was a nice person. But there was something different about Mr Mellors. He actually seemed to care, and even if her father had him do something that may have seemed harsh, he would always find a way to soften it without risking his role. The situation with the flat, for example, was unusual. Josie’s mother should have named her father as the beneficiary of all her assets in her will – but the flat was left to Josie.
Surely, Mr Mellors could have found a way to transfer it to Josie’s father, as Josie knew full well that as soon as her mum died, her father wanted nothing to do with her.
Maybe I should ask why? Josie wondered. It was painful to think about what the reason could be, but after she received the photographs of her mum and the mystery men, she needed to know more. Josie planned not to tell anyone for now, just in case it was someone she knew that had sent her the photos.
If anyone could give her more information about her mum, the first place to start would be Mr Mellors. Josie dialled the number.
“Hello, Josie,” a deep voice answered.
Josie recognised Mr Mellors’ voice instantly and began, “Hi, Mr Mellors, I hope I’m not disturbing you?” she asked, apologetically.
“No, no, dear. I’m still in the office as usual. What can I do for you this evening?” he enquired.
“Well...” Josie paused, as she hadn’t planned this part, “…I’ve been wanting to talk to you since I came to Father’s last time. How is he?”
“No change, which is a blessing for us all.”
“That’s good news. Who is looking after him now? I didn’t recognise the woman who was with him before?”
“His nurse has been with him now for over two years. Is it that long since you last saw him?”
“It must be about that long, as it was when I signed the paperwork for the flat.”
“Time flies by doesn’t it,” he mused, “It took a while for that to all come through as your mother dis... died three years before that,” he had corrected himself quickly, and Josie hadn’t appeared to notice.
“Mr Mellors…” Josie finally spoke, “I know you have told me before, but what happened to my mum?”
Josie could hear a cough and a deep breath on the end of the phone.
“Are you sure, Josie?” he asked, “bringing up the past can be painful for everyone.”
“Yes, I want to know everything. I need to know,” she insisted.
“Okay, but there isn’t much more to tell. Your mother, as you know, was working in the fashion industry to highlight the charity work that suppliers, retailers and fashion houses were doing with the supply chains. Once you turned eighteen, she was able to travel more. Before then, travelled when you were being looked after by your grandparents…”
“Yes, I remember that. Granny and Gramps used to take me to the seaside while mum was working,” Josie added.
“Yes, that’s right. So, on the last trip your mother went on, she was supposed to stay at the only five-star hotel in the city where she was staying abroad. I remember this, as she had asked if she could be moved to a different hotel.”
“Why?” Josie asked, puzzled.
He replied, “That’s what I asked too. It seemed odd that she wouldn’t want to stay in the most comfortable location where all her colleagues were staying. It didn’t make sense to me at the time.”
“What did she say?” Josie asked, curiously.
“Well, I believed her when she said that because it was charitable work, she didn’t want any negative press attention. She didn’t want it to look like she was using charitable donations for ‘posh’ hotels. I could see her reason and thought no more of it…” Mr Mellors’ voice trailed off.
“Are you thinking about it again now?” Josie asked.
“No, no,” he replied and continued, “I just wonder if things would have turned out differently if she hadn’t changed hotels.”
They both paused. Josie was thinking about how life would be different if her mum was still with them.
She’s not though, so I have to get on with things, she thought and returned to the question she really wanted to ask.
“How did she die, Mr Mellors? You told me she was in a fire. I never asked how you knew it was her?”
It was difficult asking these questions. Mr Mellors reassured her, “Josie, the most important thing you need to know is that your mother loved you and always wanted the best for you.”
“But how did it happen?” Josie asked again.
“A fire broke out at a factory that she was visiting, and as there were so many people and only one exit, just one person made it out alive. It was an awful tragedy and many like you lost their parents.”
“How do you know she was there?” Josie pressed.
“I’m sorry she’s gone, Josie, and I’m sorry that I can’t tell you anymore.”
“Can’t or won’t?” Josie responded sharply. She surprised herself and hoped that she hadn’t pushed Mr Mellors too far.
“You know that if I could take away the pain I would. Your father is unwell and soon you will be on your own. Your mother would want you to stay strong and keep going. Trust me when I say it’s best to leave the past in the past,” he warned, “take care of yourself Josie,” and he put the phone down.
Josie sat back, stunned. She had called to find out more but had come away with added confusion and what felt like a threat. She knew Mr Mellors would never harm her.
But why on earth did he feel the need to tell me to back off? What could I possibly find out that I shouldn’t know already? Could my mum still be alive?
Chapter 15
Josie sat on the window seat and laid out the photographs she had been sent. How was all this connected?
Reading crime thrillers through her teen years didn’t help. There wasn’t a ‘how to solve a mystery’ book with instructions she could follow. Josie’s future was in limbo. She would have to leave her mum’s flat – the place that she called home. Now her past was in turmoil too. She thought she had known all she needed to move on with her life, but now she felt she didn’t know the truth about her mum. How could she move on and understand why her world had been turned upside down?
“Stay calm, Josie, and think logically,” she told herself out loud. She got up and found a pen and paper.
Brainstorming always helps, she thought.
“So, what do I know for sure? No assumptions!” she started to write,
1.Mum died in a fire, or did she?
2.Three men with her – who are they? How do I find out who they are?
3.Someone tried to hurt Kim. Who and why?
4.Withheld number calls? Who and why?
Josie paused, she then wrote down all the other things that were bothering her.
5.Am I being followed by a 4x4?
6.Why does Nicholas keep showing up out of nowhere?
7.Why does my father hate me so much?
Josie had become so caught up in her Q&A list that she had completely forgotten her meal in the microwave.
The food was ruined. It was still early so she opted for a takeaway instead. Justifying it as essential after the stress of the day, she promised herself she would do better tomorrow. Fingers crossed this would all be over soon.
The week was hectic as Josie got to grips with her new work and picked up Kim’s tasks too, while she was still off. Gareth had visited Kim each day and he kept Josie up to date when they saw each other at work.
Josie admired Gareth. He was so calm and protective. She admitted that she wished she had someone like him to spend time with.
Although her attraction to Nicholas was overpowering and she couldn’t wait to see him at the weekend, there was something in the back of her mind that was nagging her. She still didn’t know Nicholas well at all, and when she did try to find out more about him, he avoided revealing anything about himself.
Dismissing any doubts, Josie focused on finishing up her Friday reports so she could leave on time and fit in a workout before the weekend.
Most people relaxed on a Friday night as they wound down into weekend mode, but for some reason, Josie preferred to finish off the week with some physical activity and getting the housework done.
She loved nothing more than waking up on a Saturday morning and getting on with the day instead of being faced with a list of chores.
Josie smiled as she looked forward to the next morning. She had decided to go to the library, as she hadn’t received any client bookings.
This decision had also been influenced by another coincidence. One day when she was eating lunch at the café, she had spotted a flyer titled, ‘Where are you from? It’s more than DNA.’
It went on to describe how some people had made some great discoveries about their ancestry through researching old news articles and official public records. There was a talk scheduled at the library that week to learn more and access the search records too!
Josie had read about people taking DNA tests for ancestry research, but there were some sad stories of people who had found out that they weren’t genetically related to the parents who had brought them up, causing turmoil.
Josie wasn’t sure what she was going to learn by going to the library, but as the questions swirled about her own history now, she felt compelled to search deeper – maybe even just to find out if there were any newspaper reports of the fire from five years ago, which could shed some light on her mum’s death. Josie felt a mix of apprehension and curiosity.
“Hey Josie,” someone called out when she arrived at the gym. It was one of the reception team members who attracted her attention.
“Yes,” Josie replied, “Is there something wrong?”
“Sorry,” he paused, “No, nothing wrong, it was just that there was a message left for you earlier today.” He gave her a piece of paper.
“Thank you,” she replied as he went back to reception, and she went to the changing room to drop off her things.
Distracted by the note, which could only have been from Nicholas about meeting her later, she didn’t look up in time and bumped right into someone coming out of the changing rooms.
“Sorry, so sorry,” they both said in unison.
As Josie looked up, she couldn’t contain the surprise in her voice as she saw her father’s driver.
“What are you doing here?” Josie asked.
“We need to talk, but we can’t be seen together.”
“But how?”
“I’ll be in the alley next to the café in forty-five minutes. Meet me there,” he said, dashing past her.
Josie was rattled. How did he know I was going to be here? Now a secret meetup!
She looked around wondering if she was being watched. There wasn’t much she could really do apart from carry on and have a half an hour work out before going to meet the driver in the side alley. Josie wasn’t a sneaky type of person and she felt out of her depth. Still, it couldn’t hurt to find out what was so important to have to meet in secret.
Was it to do with the pictures and her call with Mr Mellors earlier that week?
She wondered again about all the questions she still needed answers to, and the session flew by. Once showered and dressed, she headed towards the alley.
Occasionally she checked to see if there was anyone following her or a car nearby that she recognised.
She was starting to feel like she was in a spy film and that someone would walk past her whispering ‘we have eyes on her’. Josie shivered.
She was a moment or two away from the alley so did one last check around her before entering.
She saw a skip to her left and walked towards it, hoping that there wasn’t any danger behind it.
Relieved, she saw there were two conference chairs outside a door, which must have been the back entrance to one of the shops on the other side. She felt a hand on her shoulder which made her jump and spin around.
“Thank goodness it’s you. I nearly had a heart attack,” she said as she sat down.
“Don’t sit,” he ordered her.
Josie jumped back up, surprised.
He continued, “We haven’t got long. I have to warn you not to look into your mum’s death. Nothing good will come of it.”
Josie furrowed her brow. “How did you…”
He interrupted, “...know? Doesn’t matter. I do and you should stop. Your father and mother went to great lengths to keep you safe and there are people who will stop at nothing to keep the truth buried.”
“My father? What has he got to do with any of this?”
“Any of what? What have you been doing?” he changed tone as if confused by something she had said.
“Oh, nothing,” Josie dismissed the suggestion. If this was so important, she wasn’t about to share anything else.
Who can I trust now?
Josie tried again, “What does my father know about how my mum died?”
“All I can tell you is your father needs to live as long as he can to protect you.”
Josie clenched her hands in anguish, “But he’s never protected me.”
“Don’t believe everything you see and hear. All you need to know now is you need to stop digging up the past and go and live your future. I have to go now. You must listen to me. Stop looking.”
“Wait...” Josie called back as he turned away. But it made no difference, he was gone.
Josie stood alone in the chilly and grey alley while she tried to take in all that she had heard. So, there was something about her mum dying that someone wanted her to find out about.
But why couldn’t they just tell her why? And why was she being warned off? She had to know the truth no matter how dangerous it was, and she walked back out on to the road and into the sunshine. The last thing she wanted to see was the 4x4 across the road.
Josie was even more determined to go to the ancestry talk. She had been to the library before on occasion, so it wouldn’t arouse that much suspicion, although she was sure she was being followed now.
I could go under the guise of work and look up property history and make sure I bring some books back to look like I’m working, she thought.
Her bookshelf was already full with her own collection of books she’d accumulated over the years.
That’s another reason I’m skint!
She couldn’t resist the temptation of learning something
new or experiencing something that might be a once in a lifetime opportunity. The shelves reached from the ceiling down to the floor and stretched across the whole living room wall.
The window seat looked amazing nestled between the books, and she could imagine her mum choosing one of her favourites and reading all afternoon.
“Hmmm, I wonder.”
The top shelves still had her mum’s books on them. Josie had left them there, as it was comforting to have her mum’s belongings surrounding her.
Josie hadn’t known about the flat before her mum died, so she had never been there to see what it was like before. Josie hadn’t even wondered why her mum had a flat in the first place, assuming it was hers before she married her father and that it was rented out to someone.
She wasn’t so sure that it was as simple as that. If mum wanted her to live in the flat until her father died, who actually owned it? Josie had no wealth of her own and hadn’t made any progress in saving, thinking that she would sort it out when she was older and had a proper career. Now she had a proper career, but she still hadn’t figured out a plan.
Josie found the stool she sometimes used to reach the curtains when she needed to take them down to wash them.
With the stool, Josie could just about reach the bottom of the highest shelf. With a little wriggle and tip of the spine, she could get one out at a time. She found the one she was looking for. Fashion for the Unfashionable. Josie remembered that her mum used to say that fashion was for everyone. Josie opened the book and a sheet of paper fell to the floor.
Chapter 16
Josie picked up the page and tucked herself in on the window seat. She wasn’t sure what she was about to discover but her legs suddenly felt like jelly. The paper was an off white-colour and felt thin in her hands, almost like rice paper used for decorating cakes. The writing was cursive and in black ink that had greyed slightly over time. She started to read…
Dearest Louise,
When will I see you again?