“Yeah?”
“I’m making some tea. Would you like one?”
“Please. That would be lovely.”
“And toast?”
“Uh huh.”
“One or two slices?”
“Two, please.”
Beth was walking to the kitchen when Nate called her name.
She returned to the bottom of the stairs. “Yes?”
“How are you feeling? I heard you being sick earlier. You got morning sickness?”
“I guess so, but better now.”
“You’d tell me if there was something wrong, wouldn’t you?”
“Of course. Don’t worry.”
“OK,” he said cheerfully, “be down in a sec.”
He seemed to be taking this baby seriously after all. Miracles do happen, Beth thought as she filled the kettle with enough water for two. She settled it back into its cradle then took some bread out the fridge. Putting two pieces in the toaster, she leant back against the worktop and waited.
She didn’t have Nate down as a ‘new man’ like Richard E Grant was at the beginning of ‘Jack & Sarah’, one of Beth’s favourite films, but he was at least showing an interest. The kettle boiled as she noticed her mobile sitting on the counter. Nate wasn’t likely to look through it but she slipped it into her dressing gown pocket, not wanting to take any chances. She was a “safety girl”. Beth smiled as she remembered the line from another of her cherished movies, ‘Pretty Woman’.
She wasn’t sure how long he’d had the phone, the first time she remembered seeing it was yesterday but he was unlikely to have even noticed the names otherwise he would probably have deleted them. Not that the names would have meant anything anyway, but she had a feeling they meant something to Alexis and that she meant something to someone else; to Jessica, Simon, Veronica and possibly still to a man called Daniel.
With a busy day ahead, Beth decided to wait until Nate was firmly out the house to call Veronica, Daniel then Simon.
Heavy footsteps down the stairs snapped her out of her thoughts.
“Morning.”
“Mmm?” Nate plodded in scratching his head. “Morning, Beth.” He watched her butter his toast and hand him the plate. “Are you sure you’re all right?”
“Yes fine. What about you? You look dreadful.”
“Mmm, I’m… fine.” He said, stealing her word and munching his breakfast. “Just tired. And you sure the baby’s OK?”
“Of course, don’t worry. It’s all quite normal.” Beth walked over to the kettle and made the tea.
“You haven’t been for a scan yet, have you? I haven’t missed anything?”
Beth laughed. “Not yet. Going on Friday, come with me?”
“Of course. I can’t believe you’re six weeks gone already?”
“Yes, Nate, six weeks ‘gone’ as you put it,” she said, handing him his tea.
“And you’ve only known a week?”
Beth nodded.
“Didn’t you know straight away?”
“Nate, how old are you? It amazes me that you even know how babies are made.”
Nate sniggered. “Oh, yes, I know that all right.” He looked at the expression on her face but grinned and said, “Sorry, not funny.” He put the mug and plate on the worktop then bent down to put his head on her stomach. “Has baby taken mummy’s sense of humour away already?”
Beth gave her husband a light tap on the top of his head. He looked up and grinned again.
“You can melt the sternest of women’s hearts, Nathan Peter James Morrison.”
The only other people he’d ever heard use his full name were his parents and the priest at his and Beth’s wedding and that’s the way he wanted to keep it. “Thank you, mother.”
It then dawned on her. She was going to be a mother; responsible for another human being; two children in the house. Beth smiled and shook her head. She couldn’t stay cross for long and maybe she’d got him wrong about the phone. If he was involved with anything she’d know. Wouldn’t she?
“Nate, what are you up to today?”
“Oh, the usual; nip out for a paper, come back, make some calls, have some lunch, go down the job centre and…”
“Why don’t you go down the job centre this morning?” she said a little too eagerly.
“I’d rather stay here with you.” He fluttered his eyelids at her playfully.
She curled her lips into her mouth to suppress a laugh. “I’ve got chores to do. You’ll only get under my feet.”
Nate looked wounded. “Don’t you want me, Bethy Wethy?”
“Ever since I said I was expecting your baby you’ve gone all mushy.”
Nate hugged her fiercely then pulled back a little, looking at her stomach.
“It’s the size of a peanut. You can be as rough as you like.”
His cheeky grin re-appeared.
“Anyway,” she said, trying to return to the subject, “job centre. This morning?”
“I ought to, given our change in circumstances.”
“That would be good. We can’t keep going on my wages.”
“Speaking of which, will you be gone by the time I get home?”
“Probably, I’m on two ’til ten until Sunday.”
“So you don’t mind if I…” He paused.
“If you what?”
“Go to the pub at lunchtime with the lads.”
Beth normally wouldn’t have been particularly thrilled with the thought of him spending time with the reprobates he called friends but if it meant him being out the house longer then it suited her just fine. Of course she could make the phone calls on a break at work, but being home alone meant no prying ears. Besides she wanted to do some digging around the house without him in it. “I’ll have a shower then.”
“Mmm?”
“I didn’t think you were listening.”
“Sorry.”
“I’m going to have a shower.”
“OK.”
“Do you want anything from town when I go?”
“No, thanks. I work at Tesco, remember?”
“I know but there must be things that even they don’t sell.”
“That’s sweet of you, but we’ve got a full fridge and I’ll bring home some stuff to top up the freezer. Unless you can think of anything?”
“I’ll surprise you.”
“All the time, Nate, all the time.”
###
Chapter 22: Simon
Simon frowned at the computer screen. So much for the internet being the fountain of all knowledge. It was as if Alexis Starr, the fifty-one Berry Avenue Alexis Starr anyway, was a ghost. He needed to get hold of Veronica. Maybe a call to the phone company would help. He’d have to phone them at some stage to say what was going on. He leaned over the desk to pick up the cordless landline when his mobile rang. “Hello?”
“Mr Price?”
“Speaking.”
“Mr Price, Sgt Lewis here.”
“Hello. Do you have some news?”
“Our investigations are ongoing but we’ve interviewed everyone on the scene and forensics are still working the vehicles. It shouldn’t take much longer.”
“Thanks for letting me know.”
“What I was phoning about is that your sister’s body is being released. Do you need any help with making the arrangements?”
“Do the police do that?”
“We can put you in touch with–”
“Thanks but we have a company in mind. They were very good with my dad.”
“Of course. No problem. I’ll keep you updated but...” He paused. “You take care, Mr Price, and let me know if you need anything.”
“You’ve been so kind.”
“You’re welcome, sir. Speak to you again no doubt.”
Simon stared at the phone holster and slowly slotted the handset back in it. That was it then. His sister was dead and those arrangements had to be made. He tilted back his head as he felt the tears coming. There was nothing
to stop him, no one around but that was what worried him; that he wouldn’t be able to stop. He leant over the desk and picked up the landline phone, typed in his mother’s number and was about to press the phone icon when ‘ICE MUM’ appeared on the screen. “ICE hey, Jess? Your ‘In Case of Emergency’? How ironic that the thing you programmed in your phone to help you, killed you. The stuff that you loved playing with when you were younger, had in your Southern Comfort and Lemonades, skied down, watched that film on DVD with Sid the Sloth that made you laugh, with his lisp like Granddad’s.”
Simon pulled back the study curtain to reveal a Christmas card scene. Snow was falling heavily and settling on the grass and shed roof. He shivered. His left hand vibrated. He looked at the screen and ‘ICE MUM’ stared back.
“Hi, Mum.”
“Simon?”
“Yes. Hi.”
“Have you seen the weather?”
“Just opened the curtains. Bit heavy isn’t it.”
“Are you going to be long?”
“I’ve got a few things to do here.”
“Oh, Simon. Please hurry before the roads get bad. I’d hate to think of you…” she paused.
“OK. I’ll leave now.”
“Would you? Thank you. I know I’m being silly but…”
“No, it’s fine. I’ll switch off the computer and come back.” Without wireless internet connection in his mother’s house, it seemed pointless in taking the computer with him.
“I’ll see you shortly then.”
“OK.”
“Thanks, Simon.”
###
Chapter 23: Simon and Veronica
Simon hung up and was about to put the phone back in its cradle when it rang again. The screen showed ‘Withheld number’.
“Hello?”
“Oh, sorry, I think I’ve got the wrong number.”
“Who are you after?” Simon blurted.
“I think…”
“Were you after Jessica?”
“No. I have. I’ve got the wrong number. Sorry to…”
“Please.” Simon begged. “Don’t hang up. Were you after Alexis?”
Silence from the other end.
“Alexis Starr?” Simon repeated.
“Yes.”
“Do you know Jessica?”
“No, sorry.”
“Is she friends with Alexis?”
“I don’t know. I suppose so.”
“You suppose so? I’m sorry I don’t get it.”
“Alexis is… is an… employee of mine but she seems to have gone off the radar.”
“Are you Veronica?”
Another pause. “Have you been listening to the messages?”
“Yes.”
“Is Alexis there?”
“No. I don’t think she’s been here for a while. Her clothes and things are still here but…”
“Then she can’t have gone far.”
“I don’t know. I don’t know what’s missing. You see, it’s my sister’s house.”
“And your sister is Jessica.”
“Yes.”
“Then can I speak to her?”
“I’m sorry you can’t.”
“Can you give her a message she can pass on to Alexis?”
“Sorry, I can’t.”
“Get her to ring me?”
“I’m sorry. I’m not being awkward. It’s just that… Jessica died on Monday morning.”
“No! How?”
“Road accident.”
“That’s terrible. And Alexis?”
“I don’t know. I think she might be away on business.”
“I doubt that.”
“Why?”
“Because as far as I know she only works for me and I’ve not sent her anywhere this week.”
“What is it that you and Alexis do?”
“We’re in… we’re in Human Relations… Resources. I’m her… HR manager. There’s little travel in HR.”
“Client interfacing, isn’t it. Keeping everyone happy.”
“You could say that, yes.”
“And you have no idea where Alexis is?”
“No. Not since the weekend.”
“And you’ve not heard from her. No, of course you haven’t otherwise you’d not be phoning here.”
“Have you tried her mobile?”
“Yes. I’ve been trying it since Monday but there’s a guy answering.”
“I get a woman.”
“You have Alexis’ mobile number? Sorry, what did you say your name was?”
“Simon. I listened to your messages and assumed you’d got the wrong number but then I was going through Jess’ mobile and Alexis’ number was on it. I assumed it was the same Alexis so...”
“So you rang it and got a woman’s voice?”
“Yes.”
“And you’re sure it wasn’t Alexis?”
“She said it wasn’t; didn’t know her or Jessica.”
“Then I don’t know what we can do next. Just wait for her to call or turn up?”
“Aren’t you worried? That she’s not turned up to work?”
“A little, especially because she left under a cloud…”
“That Daniel chap?”
“Yes. But she’s freelance so she sort of comes and goes as she likes.”
“You can get freelance HR?”
“Yes. Anyone can go freelance on just about anything these days.”
“So that would explain the account.”
“Sorry?”
“Jessica set up a joint account with Alexis and I’m trying to tie up loose ends.”
“This is the only other number I had for Alexis other than her mobile so I assumed it was her house. They were living together?”
“I’m not sure. It looks like she was living here but Jessica had never mentioned her. She would have if it were serious enough to have a joint bank account, surely, even if it were a business account.”
“Unless she had a reason not to. Are you sure they were only living together?”
“What do you mean?”
“They weren’t married… you know civil partnership or life partner or…”
“Oh, no. Jess would have said something. It would have killed my mum if she’d not been to her wedding, civil or otherwise. Our mother’s very open-minded and besides, Jess had never said of any feelings towards women, and I’d know. She had a string of men in her life.”
Veronica snorted.
“Veronica. Can I ask you a question?”
“You can ask.”
“How did you pay Alexis?”
“I can’t say.”
“It won’t go any further. I promise.”
“It wasn’t regularly like wages. I’d pay her in…” Simon could tell she was trying to weigh him up. Did he sound like a snitch? “It was always cash. Lump sums. Easier that way.”
“Thank you, Veronica. That matches the bank statements but I wanted to be sure. So, what do we do now?” Simon continued.
“I guess we wait for Alexis to surface. I’ve brought her quite a lot of work over the past few months so I don’t think she’ll be in hiding too long... unless she’s moonlighting somewhere else.”
“Maybe. I’ve got plenty of other things to sort out without worrying about Alexis.”
“And I’ll let you know if I hear anything from her.”
“Please. Can I give you my mobile number?”
“Sure, let me grab a pen and paper.”
Simon read out his number and thanked her for calling. He hung up and put the phone back in its support. Conscious of his worrying mother, he closed the computer programmes and shut off the machine, waiting for all the lights to disappear before switching off the wall sockets.
“That wasn’t a productive afternoon, Simon,” he said to himself. At least he’d finally spoken to Veronica and whilst neither of them had got very far, he felt he had an ally, someone else who was trying to find the elusive Alexis, and surely two heads were better than one.
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Leaving the book in the hall, and the door at the same angle, he locked up and trudged down the white path back to his car. He switched on the engine, put the heating up full blast and watched the snow fly off the windscreen as he set the wipers going. He used a credit card to clear the side windows and wiped it on his jeans before putting it back in his wallet.
The roads were slushy but he was still rather nervous driving back to his mother’s. It was too early in the evening to be icy but he wasn’t going to take any chances. He’d not had his tyres checked since the MOT back in the summer and made a mental note to do so next time he was going past a garage. He made another mental note to buy a notepad to write down all the mental notes he’d been making. His head was hurting and he didn’t have the best memory in the world. Jess seemed to have been born with the recollective brain cells and he wished he’d asked her how she did it.
###
Chapter 24: Beth and the Phone Calls
With Nate showered and dispensed to the job centre, Beth sat down on the sofa with her mobile and large mug of hot sugary coffee. She took a sip, winced as it burnt her tongue and scrolled to Daniel’s name in the phonebook. Making these calls was all she’d thought about since the night before yet she didn’t have a clue what she was going to say.
She pressed the ‘call’ button. It rang twice before being answered.
“Yes!” Daniel barked.
“Is that Daniel?”
“Yes. Alexis?
“Erm…”
“Lexi where the hell have you been?”
“I’m sorry…”
“I bet you are, you little tart.”
“Now, hold on…”
“No. You don’t run out of me, take my money then expect…”
“Wait.”
“What? You’re phoning to say sorry? Give it back?”
“No.”
“Then what, Alexis?”
“I’m sorry, but you don’t understand.”
“Hold on. You’re not Alexis.”
“No, that’s what I was trying to say.”
“Then who the hell are you? And where’s Alexis?”
“I don’t know.”
“You don’t know who you are?”
After Jessica: A mystery novella Page 7