‘I just like talking to him and I danced with him because he asked me – I danced with Des, too. It doesn’t mean anything.’
‘Well if you talk to Khaled again then at least try and find out something more about him.’
‘I have,’ she said. ‘He’s told me all about his foster family. I like him, I don’t think there’s anything strange about him.’
‘Did he say anything about Miriam and all that stuff?’
She shook her head. ‘He’s worried about something though, I can tell. He looks like he has a big heavy weight on his shoulders.’
‘Probably Fiona!’ I smirked, ‘and you want to lift it off for him, don’t you?’
She nudged me in the ribs. ‘Stop teasing me.’ She stretched her arms out. ‘I need some fresh air. I think I’ll go for a walk. Do you want to come?’ I shook my head. At last I’d be able to have a look at Sadie’s diary.
My heart was fluttering a little as I opened the black leather cover of the journal. It wasn’t right to be looking at someone else’s stuff, but what if it contained a clue?
Sadie’s writing was bold and curly, squashed up as if she’d attempted to fit as many words on the page as possible. I was almost relieved to see that not many pages had been written on.
April 25
Dad’s brother turned up last night – an uncle we had no idea existed, and neither did Dad! Trevor, that’s his brother, had spent years trying to track him down and was about to contact one of those TV programmes where they help displaced families find each other again when he got lucky.
He’s kind of attractive, in an old sort of way. Designer stubble, leathers, a bit rocky. AJ is really getting on my nerves lately – he desperately wants to get in to Exeter to study photography and is working all the time. He never wants to go out and I get sick of it. Camilla and Alicia’s boyfriends take them out all the time. Trevor was teasing me this evening and Josh was looking at me as if I was some sort of despicable slug, but I couldn’t care less what Josh thinks. He’s so immature and I know it is just a laugh, a bit of fun and it has absolutely nothing to do with him. He’s just as bad, always playing that stupid guitar and going on about joining a band. He’ll be entering the X Factor next, and then I won’t be able to show my face in public.
1000 hits on ‘Sadiestyle!!! That’s more than Margaret Beeston and her stupid photography site. She has so little talent I can’t believe anybody ever reads it.
April 31st
Trevor turned up yesterday. I was the only one in so I made him a coffee and we had an intense conversation. He really seems to get what I’m talking about. He asked if I’d like to go for a ride on his motorcycle! He’s coming over next week.
May 5th
Trevor took me out on his bike yesterday. Wind blowing through my hair, speeding so fast and close to the ground it was amazing, like I was in a film. The best feeling ever. I think he’s really nice and Mum and Dad do too. I didn’t tell AJ about the ride – he doesn’t like Trevor much. And I definitely won’t show him the present he gave me – a lovely silver bracelet. I’d listed it on my site this week as a must have – what a coincidence!
May 7th
AJ has an essay to write and is even more unavailable than ever. Trevor asked me out for a drink – not like a date or anything, but he’s so understanding. His family story is fascinating as he was brought up in care but has really done well for himself. He works in graphic design and has some really good contacts. He loves my blog, even though it’s all girly stuff!
May 14th
AJ and I had a furious row this evening when I got back. He didn’t like me going for a drink with Trevor. He’s my uncle for God’s sake!
Actually, I think Trevor likes me a bit, it’s hilarious. He gave me another present tonight – a scarf. Another recommendation from Sadiestyle. I’m not going to let on I know where’s he’s getting his ideas from! Mum asked me if I want to invite AJ to Ibiza this summer but I’m not sure. He’s getting on my nerves lately.
May 22nd
OMG, I kissed T. Why did I do that? I was kind of daring
myself but now I wish I hadn’t. Surely he’s not stupid enough to think I meant it? Afterwards I felt so guilty but I’ve made up for it – I told Mum I want AJ to come on holiday with us.
May 25th
Trevor is too creepy and I don’t want anything more to do with him. I wish I hadn’t agree to go for dinner with him this evening but I am going to make clear to him once and for all that he must stay out of my life. I’ve changed my hairstyle – that will really piss him off. I wish I didn’t have to go, but I’m too scared.
My fingers were like sausages as I tried to turn the page, desperate to see what came next but when I finally managed to peel the page open I let out a sigh in dismay; only a jagged edge remained where the rest of the pages had been ripped out. Why had she done that?
The front door slammed downstairs and I closed the diary and put it back in my jacket pocket and shoved it in the wardrobe. My phone pinged and I looked at the screen. Tess.
Josh’s family is back tonight so I’m on my way home. Fancy a pizza later?
I wrote straight back.
Margarita with extra cheese.
I went downstairs to see if Malika wanted to come with us. She was in the kitchen with Mark, laughing at something he’d said.
‘Khaled and Des are coming over tonight for band practice. Mark’s invited me to watch.’ Her eyes were shining. ‘Will you come?’
I pulled a face. ‘Tess has asked me to go out for a pizza. I was going to invite you, but . . .’
‘It’s OK. I’d rather watch the band. You go out with Tess.’
So Malika would be seeing Khaled again. She certainly looked happy, maybe Fiona was right. I was glad of the opportunity to see Tess on her own – I could ask her if she’d noticed anything and hopefully get an update on Josh and his family.
CHAPTER 32
I was fifteen minutes late arriving at the pizza place. Tess waved at me from a small table towards the back of the restaurant. She stood up to give me a hug.
‘Great dress!’ I said. It was covered in large red poppies, with a red belt and red ballet pumps to match. Her pale face contrasted with the bright colours of the dress.
‘You look tired,’ I said.
She pushed a can of coke towards me.
‘I’ve ordered already,’ she said. I’d had the same favourite pizza since I was little. ‘I’m so glad you could make it. I really need to talk to you about Josh.’
‘Were you there when his family got home?’
She shook her head, making her curls dance on her shoulders.
‘I didn’t think it was a good idea. Josh had told them about the party on the phone, and his uncle and everything. But it’s not just that, it’s Sadie. AJ rang Josh. He said Sadie’s had some sort of breakdown and they can’t wait to get back home.’
‘Breakdown?’
‘AJ said something hasn’t been right for a while. She seemed really happy that he was going on holiday with them, then told her a few days after they arrived that she was finishing with him. She’s closed down her website – she runs this fashion blog thing – Josh said that is really worrying because she’s got loads of followers and is so into it. She wants to be a fashion journalist, and the site is really popular.’
Strange things were happening to my insides. A kind of cold dread that Tess had no idea how much I knew about Sadie. Should I come clean? I sucked at the straw in my coke, hoping for inspiration, wishing I had never had the stupid idea to follow her round in the first place.
Tess was checking her phone. ‘He’s going to text me in a bit, let me know how it’s going.’
A waitress appeared carrying our pizzas, and we spent the next few moments eating.
‘Fiona thinks there’s something going on between Malika and Khaled,’ I said. ‘Have you noticed anything?’
Tess opened her eyes wide. ‘Really?’ She thought for a moment, chewing
slowly until her mouth was empty. ‘They get on well, I noticed that at the party. But I was a bit tipsy, you know, not as bad as you obviously, but . . .’
‘I’m giving up alcohol,’ I said.
‘Yeah, right.’
‘No, I mean it. Malika doesn’t drink and I don’t want to end up like Mum.’ I put my head in my hands and groaned. ‘I keep thinking about that man’s shoes.’
‘Trevor.’ Tess put her fork down. ‘It was pretty spectacular. Why did he have to go and ruin the party? Josh had stopped worrying about Sadie for once and was really enjoying himself. He’s so down at the moment. I hope his parents aren’t too hard on him.’
We ordered ice cream for dessert and I filled Tess in on the Nora situation.
‘Why wouldn’t Michael tell Sara that he knew where Nora is?’ I could see what Tess was thinking.
‘I know. It’s suspicious isn’t it?’ I sighed. ‘I’d started to like him as well. And Sara is lovely. But I’m scared to get too close in case . . .’ I couldn’t put it into words. ‘Malika and I are booked into the Metropole hotel tomorrow night. We reckon Michael will be staying there too, and Malika’s hoping he’ll lead us to Nora. I hope she isn’t going to be disappointed, but I’m not convinced she’ll be there.’
A beep from Tess’s phone made me jump. She read the message on the screen. ‘Josh wants me to ring him, I won’t be long.’
By the time Tess came back in I had paid the bill and been to the ladies.
‘Let’s go,’ she said.
The cold air hit me as we stepped outside and I wished I’d brought my jacket. We started walking in the direction of Mark’s flat.
‘What did he say?’ I asked.
‘His parents weren’t too hard on him about the party – there wasn’t any damage to the house after all. But his dad’s furious that Trevor hit him. He’s going to ring him up and tell him to stay away.’
‘So is Josh feeling better about everything?’
‘Well, he’s relieved about the party, and that he won’t have to face Trevor again. But he’s still worried about Sadie.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘He’s shocked by how awful she looks. She’s lost loads of weight and barely spoke to him. His mum reckons something’s happened to her, but she won’t talk about it.’
Guilt hit me as I thought about the diary. Should I
mention it? But how could I explain what I’d done? I came to a decision. I’d have to investigate further, try and find some answers, then Tess would be more forgiving. My stomach was heavy as we let ourselves into the house.
CHAPTER 33
‘Can I check in please?’ I asked the receptionist, whose purple badge declared that her name was Elaine. Malika was flicking through a rack of leaflets on the counter.
‘Is there an adult with you?’
‘My dad has already arrived. Can you tell me which room he’s in please?’
‘What name is it?’
‘Robertson, Michael Robertson.’ I held my breath.
Elaine tapped the keyboard of her computer with her red nails. ‘Here we are. He’s in room 544,’ Elaine said. ‘And your room is 444. Isn’t that a coincidence!’ she laughed and handed me a passkey. ‘Do you want me to call the room and see if he is here?’
‘Actually,’ I lowered my voice and leant towards her, conspiratorially. ‘He doesn’t know we’ve arrived yet and we wanted to surprise him. Would you mind keeping our arrival a secret?’
Elaine chuckled and tapped the side of her nose. ‘Your secret is safe with me,’ she said. ‘Take the lift on the left over there and your room is just opposite.’
I thanked her and we crossed over to the lift.
‘Jasmine!’ Malika hissed. ‘What would you have done if he wasn’t here?’
‘Well he is. Mum would have vouched for us anyway. What did Sara say?’
‘They’ve had the funeral so now she can finally relax. She’s going to stay with Chantal until I come home. She says she’s missing me.’
‘I suppose you want to go back early now?’
‘Of course not! Besides, we have work to do. Did you ask the receptionist about Nora?’
I shook my head. ‘You go and ask her. I’ve already asked her to keep quiet about our arrival. I’ll wait here.’
Malika pulled the photograph out of her bag and went over to reception. Elaine had gone behind the counter and a male receptionist had appeared in her place. I watched Malika show him the photograph. She looked across and beckoned me over. A fire lit up her eyes.
‘She works here. We’ve found her. I can’t believe it. When will she next be in?’ she asked the young man, who was looking slightly bemused at her obvious excitement.
‘I’ll just check the rotas for you,’ he said and disappeared into the office behind the counter. Malika gripped my arm, her nails pressing into my flesh.
‘Ouch,’ I said.
‘She’s using a different name but I know it’s her. I won’t really believe it until I see her though.’
The receptionist reappeared. ‘She is next due in tomorrow morning at five. She’s scheduled to start on the fifth floor.’
We thanked him and headed off for the lift. Once we were in our room Malika threw her arms around me.
‘Can you believe it?’ she kept saying, ‘wait until I tell Maman.’
‘You can’t say anything until we actually see her,’ I said. ‘I think we should stay in our room tonight. If Michael finds out we’re here he might scare her away. You’ll just have to be patient. We can order up a feast on room service and watch TV. I suppose you’re going to make me get up at five am aren’t you?’
‘Stupid question,’ said Malika.
It was dark. Something was digging into my shoulder. I tried to shake it off.
‘Jasmine.’ I could hear my name being called but I was confused. The light coming through the window was in the wrong place.
‘Wake up!’ A hand landed on each shoulder and dragged me awake. I remembered.
‘What time is it?’ I asked.
‘Getting up time. We need to hurry.’
I prised my eyes open. Malika was fully dressed. ‘Have you even been to bed?’ I asked. ‘I swear we only just turned the lights off.’
‘Get up,’ she insisted. I dragged my heavy body out of bed and pulled on my jeans and sweatshirt which were lying on the floor in a heap. I cleaned my teeth and splashed my face with water. I still felt half asleep.
The harsh artificial light in the corridor assaulted my eyes as soon as Malika opened the door. The corridor was eerily silent apart from the faint buzzing of the lights. There wasn’t a soul in sight. Malika pointed to the ceiling. Floor five awaited. We took the lift and I turned my back on the mirrored wall inside, horrified by the quick glimpse I had of myself, hair sticking up all over the place. Malika looked normal, black scarf in place, clothes neat, as if she always got up at this time of the morning. She looked scared though, her mouth pinched and her eyes giving her anxiety away. The lift door slid open and we stepped out onto an identical floor from which we had come. There was a rattling sound and a cleaner with a trolley appeared at the other end of the corridor.
‘Is it her?’ I whispered. Malika shook her head and strode off towards the woman who was filling her arms with supplies from the trolley.
‘I no speak English,’ I heard the woman say. Malika held out the photograph. The woman looked at it for a long moment. She looked suspicious. ‘Why you want her? No trouble?’
‘She’s my aunt,’ Malika said. The woman relaxed and pointed to one of the rooms. Malika’s body went rigid and she put her hand to her mouth.
‘Come on,’ I said, taking hold of her arm. ‘Thanks,’ I said to the woman who was staring at Malika. I dragged her out into the corridor. Outside the room next door Malika hesitated.
‘I’m scared,’ she said.
‘I’m right behind you,’ I said and pushed her into the room.
CHAPTER 34
> Another woman dressed in a blue overall was folding towels up, her back to us. I prodded Malika but she remained frozen.
‘Hello,’ I said. The woman turned around, as if expecting company. Malika stepped forward.
‘Nora? It’s me, Malika, your niece.’
The woman stared at her for a moment, before a look of astonishment crossed her face, quickly replaced by delight. She let out a sort of squeal and threw her arms around Malika. They stayed like that for what seemed like ages, both sobbing. Eventually Nora drew backwards, holding Malika at arms length, looking into her eyes.
‘You are the image of your mother as a child. How did you find me?’
Malika’s mouth was moving but she couldn’t seem to speak. I stepped forward.
‘I’m Jasmine. I think she’s in shock.’
‘Aunty Nora. I’ve found you at last. I can’t believe it.’
Nora’s delight was transforming into something else. She rubbed her hands over and over.
‘How did you find me? I don’t use the name Nora here. Have you told the hotel I am not who they think? I need this job.’
Malika rattled something off in French. They spoke for a few minutes and then hugged each other again. Malika turned to me. ‘She’s going to come to our room after her shift has finished. It will be about nine o’clock.’ She turned and looked at her aunt again.
‘You promised me,’ she said. ‘I never want to lose you again.’ They embraced again and Nora pulled out a large tissue and wiped her eyes.
‘I will be there.’
Malika and I went down in the lift in silence.
‘Let’s have breakfast,’ I said, suddenly ravenous.
‘What about Papa?’
‘No way will he get up this early. Please, I’m starving.’
A grin transformed her face. ‘Me too,’ she said.
Someone Like me Page 15