The Visitor: A psychological thriller with a breathtaking twist

by K. L. Slater

  He’d been far too old for her, of course, but there was no harm in looking, was there? She’d felt so glad she’d taken Markus’s advice and freshened up a bit in the café. At least she didn’t look quite as rough any more.

  ‘OK, so let’s put your bags in the boot before I get into a fight out here.’ Brendan had winked at her and grinned.

  He’d opened the back door and she’d ducked under his arm and slipped inside the vehicle, inhaling the scent of the obviously new cream leather. She’d sighed in contentment, at last managing to push the hideous images of last night’s accommodation out of her mind.

  This was more like it, she’d thought to herself. This was what she’d come to Manchester for.

  How she’d love to see the faces of all those bitchy girls at school right now, the ones who’d looked down on her and treated her like she was nothing, like she’d never achieve anything. What would they think seeing her sitting there in a vehicle that she suspected had probably cost more than a small house?

  Markus and Brendan had still been in deep conversation outside. Every now and then, Markus would point to a feature on the car, and Brendan would nod and explain.

  The beeps from other drivers hadn’t stopped as traffic was forced to slow and squeeze around the big jeep. Brendan was so good-looking, and Holly had found she liked his arrogant attitude, forcing the traffic to wait until he was ready to go.

  They’d eventually set off, and about twenty minutes later, the jeep had turned into a car park just off a busy road, crawling slowly towards an impressive steel-and-glass building. A black-and-gold sign had displayed the words The Panther Bar in fancy scripted letters.

  Brendan had steered the jeep around the club and parked up at the rear.

  ‘Is this your place?’ Holly had asked, staring up at the impressive terrace dotted with lounge furniture and leafy potted palms. Underneath the decked area there appeared to be an entire wall of smoked glass.

  ‘It certainly is.’ Brendan had nodded, opening the boot and setting their bags on the gravel. ‘One of them, anyhow. But I keep my office here.’

  A heavy-set man dressed in a black suit had appeared and picked up their bags without speaking.

  Inside, a petite middle-aged woman had greeted them and offered them drinks. ‘A pot of coffee and some biscuits would be great, thanks, Myra,’ Brendan had told her. ‘Bring them through when you’re ready.’

  He’d opened a door on the left and they stepped into a large rectangular room featuring an entire glass wall overlooking the car park. Holly guessed this was the wall of smoked glass she’d spotted when they’d first arrived. It was crystal clear this side, whilst looking out, but a completely private screen for anyone trying to see in.

  At one end of the room was a large round glass table with ten matching Perspex chairs; at the other end a smaller, individual glass desk and pedestal chair.

  Holly was struck by the modern, minimalist look of the place, and it also occurred to her that the desk was probably the tidiest she’d ever seen, with barely a thing on it.

  ‘This place is amazing,’ Markus had said, slowly turning in a circle to take it all in.

  ‘Thank you. I like it,’ Brendan replied simply.

  He’d pulled out one of the chairs at the conference table and lowered himself into it. ‘Both of you, please, sit down.’

  Myra had brought in a tray of coffee and biscuits and set it down before leaving the room again.

  ‘So, Markus, we can talk about the IT stuff in detail a little later when my business partner gets here, but in the meantime,’ he’d turned to Holly, ‘Markus tells me you might be looking for a job yourself?’

  ‘Oh, yes!’ she’d managed, a little taken aback. ‘I’ll do anything. Bar work, waitressing… anything you’ve got, really.’

  ‘That’s what I like, a young person who’s willing to graft.’ Brendan had nodded appreciatively. ‘Actually, I have got something in mind, but it’s a bit different from what you’re suggesting.’

  She’d waited, all ears.

  ‘My wife needs a bit of help in the house. Cleaning, ironing, but mostly companionship. She gets a little lonely at times, with me working so many hours.’

  ‘That sounds really interesting,’ Holly had said. She could clean and iron, so that was a start, she’d thought to herself.

  ‘And… what are you like with kids?’

  That had taken her aback. She didn’t really know any kids; she was only just past being one herself.

  ‘Fine,’ she’d heard herself say. ‘I love kids, get on really well with them.’

  ‘That’s good.’ He’d nodded. ‘Not for us – we haven’t got kids – but some of the team bring them in here and it would help if you could keep them entertained for the odd hour or two, you know?’

  ‘That sounds… perfect.’ She’d made a great effort to keep her voice level because she’d actually felt like dancing around the office and punching the air. Could it really be this easy?

  All the suspicion and dread she’d had about Manchester before that moment completely drained away in an instant.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Holly

  The next day at the briefing, Josh informed everyone that Emily would be in an hour later than usual as she’d had to make an emergency dental appointment after losing a filling the previous evening.

  ‘As discussed, I’ll be discounting the Brooklyn corner suite at some point this morning.’ He hesitated. ‘Bad luck, Holly. Emily told me you were certain you had that sale in the bag yesterday.’

  The other sales staff pulled sympathetic faces at her.

  Holly shrugged nonchalantly but the back of her neck bristled as she imagined Emily making fun of her to Josh.

  ‘And don’t forget, folks,’ he added, ‘we need to really push the Lalique vase, as Mr Kellington bought it not realising the new collection will be out in a couple of weeks’ time. Several of our customers are avid collectors, and once they realise, we could get saddled with it and lose some serious money.’

  Both Ben and Martyn, the other sales assistants, asked Holly how she was doing and told her to just ask if she needed help at any point.

  ‘Thanks, guys,’ she said, thinking how pleasant they were compared to Emily.

  She didn’t think it was her imagination that, thanks to Emily’s absence, the atmosphere today was so much more relaxed and cordial between the staff.

  Josh had barely finished unlocking the doors when the first customers of the day arrived. Holly immediately recognised them as Alice and Luke, the young couple interested in the corner suite.

  ‘Hi, Holly!’ Alice waved as they walked across the shop floor, and Martyn, who was nearby and already approaching them, nodded to Holly and fell back.

  ‘Hello again.’ Holly beamed when Alice gripped the top of her arm in excitement.

  ‘Holly, if you can get us some money off, we’re going to buy it!’ Alice spluttered, unable to hold in her glee. ‘Right, Luke?’

  ‘Right.’ He smiled at his wife. ‘Thanks for being so patient and giving us a bit of space, Holly. We just needed to be absolutely sure.’

  ‘Really?’ Holly’s eyes widened but she tried to look as if she pulled off this kind of sale every day. ‘That’s fantastic! And I totally understand you needed to be sure; it’s a lot of money to invest in your home.’

  ‘My aunt died recently and left us a bequest, you see,’ Alice explained. ‘We’d never ordinarily be able to shop at Kellington’s, but her gift has enabled us to put a big deposit down on a spacious new apartment and treat ourselves to something really special here.’

  So Emily had been right after all. Alice and Luke weren’t the typically wealthy Kellington’s type of customer, but that didn’t matter. They still had ready cash to spend, and that money was as good as anyone else’s.

  Emily obviously hadn’t factored that little consideration into her snobbish assumptions.

  ‘I’m so sorry to hear about your aunt,’ Holly
said kindly. ‘But it’s wonderful that you’re going to use her gift for something that will give you so much pleasure and comfort.’

  ‘Thank you, Holly. It will.’ Alice gave a small regretful smile.

  ‘Give me a sec then and I’ll see what I can do about the price,’ Holly said.

  She disappeared into the back office and was relieved to find it empty. She timed exactly one minute on her watch before walking back out.

  ‘I’ve just spoken to Mr Kellington and I’m pleased to say he’s given me special clearance to discount the suite for you today.’

  Alice bobbed up and down on the balls of her feet, completely unable to keep her face from splitting into a wide smile.

  ‘I can make it a nice round eight thousand; that’s nearly a full five per cent off.’

  Holly watched as both their faces dimmed.

  Alice bit her lip and looked at Luke.

  ‘I was hoping for perhaps ten per cent off,’ he said. His feet shifted, showing that he was clearly uncomfortable in a negotiating situation.

  Holly glanced around her, scanning the shop floor, as she’d witnessed Emily doing countless times.

  ‘Look.’ She spoke quietly. ‘I’ll probably get into trouble for doing this, but I’ll go down to seven thousand eight hundred. That’s nearly seven and a half per cent off… you’ll save six hundred pounds.’

  ‘Six hundred pounds! It’s a lot of money, Luke.’ Alice nudged him, her expression hopeful. ‘That would cover the new bedding and curtains we liked.’

  Luke held Holly’s gaze for a moment, and then he grinned, blowing air out of his mouth.

  ‘Deal!’ he announced, laughing as Alice launched herself into his arms.

  ‘Amazing!’ Holly exclaimed before remembering to stay professionally calm. ‘I’m so pleased for you both. What a stunning piece you’ve purchased for your new lounge – congratulations.’

  After agreeing a delivery date for the beginning of the following week, Holly escorted the couple over to the payment station, where Josh and Mr Kellington now stood, discussing the layout of the displays.

  ‘Luke and Alice have just bought the Brooklyn suite at a special price,’ Holly told Sue, the cashier, in a loud voice. ‘Seven thousand eight hundred pounds all in. Delivery slot for Monday, please, Sue.’

  She glanced at Josh, who briefly raised an eyebrow and winked at her.

  Mr Kellington introduced himself, shook Alice and Luke’s hands and generally made a fuss, congratulating them.

  ‘Thanks so much, Mr Kellington,’ Alice gushed. ‘For agreeing to the discount, I mean.’

  Holly’s heartbeat seemed suddenly to relocate to her head as her fib was revealed, but she needn’t have worried.

  ‘You’re most welcome, my dear,’ he replied graciously and without hesitation. ‘I’m pleased Holly has been able to assist you in finding something you love.’

  ‘She’s been brilliant.’ Luke nodded. ‘To be honest, we were on the brink of walking out of the store yesterday after that other snooty saleswoman told us to go and look elsewhere, but Holly looked after us and answered all our questions. She gave us the time and space to make our minds up.’

  Holly’s cheeks nearly burst with gratitude. She looked modestly at her hands.

  Mr Kellington continued to nod and smile at the customers, but Holly hadn’t missed the shadow that passed over his face the instant Luke made reference to Emily’s snub.

  That would teach Miss Emily Beech to gossip about Holly’s supposed failed sales with Josh, and it would keep that smug look off her face, at least for a while.

  Holly couldn’t stop smiling to herself, even when her customers had left the building.

  The old cliché was true. Revenge tasted very sweet, like nectar.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Holly

  ‘You’ve done incredibly well, Holly,’ Mr Kellington said when she returned to her desk. ‘A very clever little ruse you used there, too, telling them I’d authorised a discount.’

  Holly felt a flare of heat beginning to climb up her neck. She wasn’t sure Mr Kellington would approve of her lying to customers.

  ‘I’d already told them I was new, you see,’ she said quickly. ‘I had to, because when Emily walked away… well, I wanted to be honest with them about just having started here… in case I couldn’t answer all their questions. And they were so overjoyed at buying such a beautiful suite from Kellington’s, I decided to make it extra special by saying you had personally authorised their discount.’

  Mr Kellington beamed at her. ‘Very astute, and just the kind of added value we like to give our customers, Holly. But from what I understand, their experience was almost ruined.’ His unkempt brows met in the middle.

  Holly looked down. ‘Yes, well… I know Emily is very experienced, but it turns out she was wrong in her assumption. They weren’t time-wasters after all.’

  ‘So that’s her game, is it?’ he blustered. ‘Categorising people on sight, at their point of entry to the store?’

  ‘I… I’m sorry,’ Holly stammered. ‘I didn’t mean to speak out of turn, I…’

  ‘You have nothing to apologise for, my dear. I can see the spirit of Kellington’s in you where it may be missing in certain other members of staff.’

  Holly excused herself and disappeared upstairs to the staff bathroom. Once inside, with the door locked, she did a little jig.

  Mostly because of the juicy slice of commission that would be coming her way at the end of the month. But, she had to admit, also to celebrate dropping Emily in it.

  She had tried her very best to like and get to know her colleague, but she had been snubbed at every turn. And it had hurt.

  To her delight, when she got downstairs, Josh brought a cup of coffee and a vanilla slice over to her sales desk. ‘It’s a bit of a Kellington’s tradition we like to uphold when someone gets a big deal,’ he grinned.

  Ben and Martyn came over to offer their congratulations, followed by Mr Kellington himself.

  Holly sipped her coffee and allowed herself to bathe in the glory of their compliments.

  ‘Let us into your secret, then,’ Ben urged. ‘I’ve been here three years and the biggest single purchase I’ve managed is five grand.’

  ‘Yeah, you’ve been here literally five minutes and you’re already in front of the entire sales team,’ Martyn added good-humouredly.

  Holly could tell they were both genuinely chuffed for her, although she felt sure it would be a different story altogether when Emily heard the news.

  Speak of the devil and she shall appear was the phrase that popped into Holly’s mind when Emily suddenly entered the shop floor via the back door.

  She looked her usual striking self in a black pencil skirt and purple fitted jacket. Her long, slender legs were sheathed in sheer black stockings and her customary black patent heels, and she wore her hair pinned up in a neat French roll.

  Holly watched as she strode across the shop, tall and authoritative, clutching her expensive-looking oversized handbag. She acted as if she owned the place.

  ‘Send Miss Beech up to my office right away, please, Josh,’ Mr Kellington said curtly, heading back across the showroom without waiting for Emily’s approach.

  ‘Uh oh,’ Holly murmured.

  ‘There’s nothing for you to worry about,’ Josh reassured her. ‘You’ve done nothing wrong at all.’

  ‘Somehow I don’t think Emily will see it that way,’ Holly grimaced. ‘She’ll probably think I told Mr Kellington she called the customers time-wasters on purpose, but it just slipped out.’

  ‘Emily has got no one to blame but herself.’ Josh shrugged. ‘She’s worked here long enough to know how strongly the boss feels about providing a good customer experience.’

  ‘Someone needs to tell that brainless jobsworth in the car park that there’s a hierarchy around here and he’s at the bottom of the pile,’ Emily was complaining loudly as she approached. ‘I should be able to park where the hell I
like, not get shoehorned into some corner because there happens to be a vacant square on David’s bloody clipboard.’

  Everyone found somewhere else to look.

  Emily sniffed scornfully as she reached the sales desk. ‘What’s this… the mice having fun while the cat’s away?’ Holly saw her swiftly take in the significance of the cream cake and the beaming faces of the other staff. ‘Ah, I see. Who’s bagged a good one, then?’

  Nobody spoke.

  ‘I… I have,’ Holly said after a moment. ‘I still can’t believe it.’

  ‘Go on – how much?’ Emily sneered. ‘Bet it’s nowhere near my best one.’

  ‘It’s better, actually,’ Josh said before Holly could reply. ‘Nearly eight grand’s worth in a single transaction.’

  ‘I don’t believe it.’ Emily took a step back as if Holly had physically pushed her. ‘How on earth did you manage… Hang on, it wasn’t the Brooklyn corner suite, was it?’

  Holly gave a little smile.

  ‘I was first point of contact for that couple,’ Emily raged, slamming her palm onto the desk. ‘I spent at least half an hour with them in total over their two visits to the shop.’ She rounded on Josh. ‘You know full well the rule is that the first—’

  ‘That rule is superseded if the sales person tells the customers they’re time-wasters.’ Josh cut across her coldly.

  ‘I didn’t tell them that!’ she fumed. ‘I only said that to… You little snake in the grass!’

  Holly shrank back as Emily turned to her, pressing her bright red lips together until they resembled a knife slash across her immaculate face. She felt relieved when Josh stepped manfully between them, holding his palms up in the air.

  ‘Some might say the rule is also superseded if the sales person suggests the customer goes elsewhere for their furniture. And the customer told Mr Kellington that himself.’

  Emily sucked in air. ‘I didn’t mean it like that, Josh. I was just—’

  ‘Save it. Mr Kellington wants to see you right away.’ Josh dismissed her.