Grace said, “What do you think would have happened if you had told him?”
Laura gave a sad smile. “He would have stayed, he would have supported us. He would have even said that we were more important than his job. But I knew the truth, he would resent losing his big opportunity, maybe not straight away, but when the baby was crying in the middle of the night he would have thought of all the places he could have been at that moment.”
Clive straightened up and threw his hands up. “You don’t know that! You never gave me the chance!”
Grace ignored him, she could see Laura’s point of view, she probably would have done the same in her position. She said, “What about later? Why didn’t you let him know later on?”
“I couldn’t. It broke my heart to return his letters unopened but I had to do it. You mentioned that you had found more than one film, did you get the other photographs developed?”
Grace took the other photos out and passed them to Laura. She didn’t understand why Laura hadn’t told Clive later about the baby but she wasn’t going to push it.
Laura smiled when she saw the other set of pictures. “Typical Clive, he ignores the stunning landscapes and takes pictures of people.”
Clive made an ‘Humph!’ sound and said, “Anyone can take photos of mountains, people are far more interesting.”
Grace leaned over the desk and said, “He really seemed to catch the soul of a person, they all look so beautiful.”
Laura looked up from the photos and said, “That’s why I couldn’t tell him you see, he had this great talent that he needed to share with the world. You do know who he was, don’t you?”
Grace shook her head, out of the corner of her eye she saw Clive walk over to the window and look out.
Laura continued. “Clive T Arthur? He took some of the most amazing photos, world-famous photos?”
Grace was still none the wiser.
Laura clicked on her keyboard and turned the screen to show Grace. “This is his most famous picture.”
Grace gasped. Everyone knew that photograph!
Chapter 16
The photo was of a young girl wearing a tattered shawl. It had been taken during a local uprising in the middle-east. Her face looked terrified but it was her eyes that rocked the world. The photographer had managed to capture the shocking reflection of what was happening in front of the child, the child had dark eyes and the image showed clearly in them. The famous headline of the newspaper that printed it was, ‘War Through A Child’s Eyes’.
“It caused an uprising around the world, people knew that atrocities were going on but to have that image recorded in a child’s eyes was too much. The uprising had been ignored up until that point. Clive did that, he made something good come out of something terrible. This was the first of many heart-wrenching photos that showed what was going on in the world. Clive had this amazing gift of capturing the important moments. How could I put an end to that?”
Clive looked back from the window, a look of understanding on his face. “She still should have told me, to let me decide for myself. Will you ask her about the baby, please, Grace?”
Grace did so.
Laura passed the photos back to Grace and clicked on her keyboard again. She proudly declared, “I have a montage! From when he was young to how he is now. He gets so embarrassed when he sees this! I told him it’s a mum’s job to embarrass her child, no matter how old they are.”
Grace pushed the photos back to Laura and said, “You keep these.”
“That’s kind of you, I’ll keep the ones of me but not the others, they’ll be worth something. The early photos of Clive T Arthur are highly collectable, especially since he...”
She swiftly stood up and said, “Don’t get me started again! I’m like a human waterfall today. I haven’t even offered you a drink, please excuse me for a moment while I organise something. Do look at David’s photos, he lives in Australia now with his wife. He had the silly notion of asking me to move there with them. Can you imagine that? I’d just be in the way.”
Laura left the room but not before Grace saw fresh tears appearing in her eyes.
When she’d gone Clive came over to Grace’s side and they looked at the photos together.
Clive chuckled. “What a bonny baby, he’s got my nose. Look at him in the school play. He looks happy, Laura’s done a good job.”
“I’m glad we came to see Laura but why did we need to? You said it was urgent, I can’t see that she needs any help.”
“Isn’t it obvious?” Clive said.
“No.”
“You don’t know Laura like I do, and,” Clive wiggled his eyebrows theatrically, “with my new psychic powers, I can tell what’s wrong with her. She’s putting everyone else’s needs first. She put my career before her happiness and now she’s doing the same with our son.”
The last two words were said with pride.
“Do you think she wants to go and live with David?” Grace asked.
“Of course, she’s falling to pieces without him. You’ve got to convince her to go, she’s always wanted to go to Australia.”
“But how can I convince her? I don’t know her well but I can see she’s the type to stick to a decision once she’s made her mind up.”
Clive nodded. “We’ll have to play to her greatest strength, it’s also her weakness - her kindness, she’ll go out of her way to help anyone.”
Clive outlined his plan to Grace.
Grace said, “That sounds sneaky, I don’t like it.”
Clive pointed to the last image on David’s photo montage. “Look at the date, it was taken this morning. And look.”
He pointed something out to Grace. She nodded in understanding and said, “Okay, I’m going to convince Laura that she has to go to Australia.”
Grace sounded much more confident than she felt.
Chapter 17
Laura returned a few minutes later carrying a tray of tea things. Grace noticed that there was also a plate of chocolate biscuits. Clive was right about Laura, she really did think about others.
Laura set the tea down and said, “I’m assuming you drink tea?”
Grace nodded.
“And I’m assuming you eat choccy biscuits?”
Grace nodded again.
Laura gave her a satisfied smile. “Good, you’re my kind of person. Help yourself, you’d better hurry up with the biscuits though, I’m liable to eat them all!”
Grace glanced over at Clive’s face. Pure love radiated out from his eyes as he looked at Laura.
Grace helped herself to tea and biscuits, Laura did the same. Remembering what they had agreed during Laura’s absence Grace said, “The photos of your son are lovely. It must have been difficult bringing him up on your own. Can you tell me about David, and what he was like?”
Laura dunked a biscuit in her tea and then put it in her mouth. After a moment she said, “Are you sure you want to hear about him? I love talking about him and I might not stop!”
“I’m sure,” Grace said. Following Laura’s lead she dunked her biscuit in her tea. She must have left it there a second too long because when she lifted it up the soggy half plopped back in to her tea. Laura didn’t notice, she was gazing fondly at the images on her screen.
“He was a lovely boy but a little terror! Never still, always exploring, always asking questions. Just like his father I suppose.”
“Did you have any help with him?” Grace asked. She put the rest of the biscuit in her mouth, she didn’t have the courage to try dunking again.
Laura’s smile faltered. “No. My parents were in shock at finding out I was pregnant. There was still a stigma attached to unmarried mothers at that time. My aunt took me in, she didn’t give a fig what anyone thought. She encouraged me to go back to work after David was born. I don’t know how I would have coped without her. She gave up her own career to look after me and David. Whenever I said thank you she waved her hand as if it was nothing. She was the kindest person
I knew. She died a few years ago. Once Mum and Dad disowned me she was the only family I had left, her and David.”
“You said that David had moved to Australia with his wife,” Grace prompted.
A look of pride appeared on Laura’s face. “He’s going to start his own branch of this business. He worked here for a while after university and loved it. He’s much better at business than me.”
“But you must be good, you’ve built this whole company,” Grace pointed out.
“I enjoyed it. I liked helping people. You should see their faces when we solve problems together, my job is so satisfying.”
Laura’s eyes flickered as if she’d just thought of something else.
Clive moved closer and studied her. He turned to Grace and said, “She’s tired of this business, I can tell, she’s done all that she can with this job.”
Grace didn’t doubt the wisdom of Clive’s words but she knew there was something else. She suspected that Laura needed to feel useful and not in a business way. Losing her aunt and son had left an emotional hole that work couldn’t fill.
Grace said, “Are you going to see David and his wife? I’d love to go to Australia, it looks beautiful.”
Laura gave a laugh but there wasn’t much emotion in it. “He calls me every day to tell me to go there, not to visit but to live! Can you imagine that? I’d been in his way, he doesn’t want me there, he’s just saying that.”
Clive cried out, “For goodness sake! Of course he wants you there! Why wouldn’t he?”
Grace flinched at Clive’s loud voice. It was draining trying to ignore a ghost. She said to Laura, “I think he does want you there, I know I’d want my mum and dad, if I could.”
Grace stopped to gather her wits, she’d felt the familiar prick of tears as she spoke about her parents. She couldn’t cry now, she was here to help Laura.
Laura shook her head. “I can’t think of a reason why they’d want me.”
“I can,” Grace said. “Can you look at the latest photo that David sent you? The one of him, and I presume, his wife?”
“Sarah? Lovely girl, almost like a daughter to me. Yes, it’s here in front of me.”
Grace came around to Laura’s side and pointed at the screen. “Sarah’s not looking straight at the camera, she’s looking slightly off to the distance. A bit like you were in Clive’s photo.”
“Oh, so she is.”
Grace moved her finger down. “Look at where her hand is resting.”
Laura focused on the image a bit more. She suddenly gasped and her hand flew to her mouth. “She’s pregnant!”
“Could be,” Grace said.
Laura started to laugh. “That’s amazing! But why haven’t they told me?”
“Perhaps they want to tell you face to face,” Grace suggested.
A glow settled on Laura’s face. “A grandma, fancy that.”
Grace wasn’t good at being firm but she knew she had to do it for Laura’s sake. “You can’t be a distant grandma. You’ll have to move there. Sarah will need your help if the child is anything like David.”
“No! No! I can’t do that,” Laura protested.
Grace folded her arms and said, “You have to. Your aunt did the same for you. You can’t be selfish, Laura, think about your family all the way over in Australia. Surely you can leave work behind. What’s more important?”
There was a pause. Laura turned to look up at Grace. Grace couldn’t read the emotion there.
Had she gone too far?
Was Laura going to throw her out of the office?
Chapter 18
Laura gave a slow nod. “You’re right. You’re absolutely right. I have to go, they need me.”
Laura jumped up and gave Grace a fierce hug. “I don’t know how you’ve managed to come in to my life today but I’m so glad you did! I could have turned into a bitter old woman with only my own memories for company. But instead I’m going to be a grandma! In Australia! Oh! There’s so much to sort out.”
Laura released her. Grace noted that she looked ten years younger. Clive had noticed too, he stood at her side with a soppy smile on his face.
“Don’t you think you’d better find out if Sarah is pregnant first?” Grace asked.
“She is,” Clive said.
Laura said, “She is, I can tell from her expression. But if she’s not I’m going anyway, they need me! And...” she paused, “it’s time I told David the truth about his father, about why he wasn’t around. I hope he understands.”
Grace collected her things and said goodbye and good luck to Laura. She looked over at Clive. He said, “I’m going to stay here for a while, I want to make sure everything goes to plan.”
A pang of disappointment shot through Grace, it wasn’t for Clive or Laura, it was totally for herself. Then she felt ashamed, she should be happy for Laura. She was happy for Laura.
As Grace walked out of Laura’s office Laura called out, “Don’t forgot about those early photos of Clive’s, they’ll be worth something. If would have been better if you had any of his early cameras, they would be almost priceless.”
Grace hesitated as she looked at Clive. He beamed and said, “You do have them! In your shop, under the counter.”
Grace closed the door. Could the cameras really be worth something? And the photos?
Hope jumped up like a playful puppy in her heart. Would it be enough to pay Eddie off?
Grace was still smiling as she walked past Bert, the security guard. He raised both thumbs and winked at her.
She was still hopeful as she caught the train. The daydream of paying Eddie off had now expanded to getting Frankie somewhere decent to live.
Grace nearly jumped as a voice suddenly spoke into her ear.
It was Clive, he appeared at her side. “I know you can’t speak so just listen. First of all, thank you for helping me. You’ve changed the course of Laura’s life. She is going to be a grandma and I’m going to hang around her for a while.”
Grace muttered under her breath, “I thought you were supposed to move on at some point.”
“I haven’t felt the urge to. I know why you’re asking me that though, you told me that when you helped that other ghost, Jacob, he sent you a message from your father.”
Grace gave a slight nod.
Clive sighed. “I’m really sorry but I’m not getting any messages. I don’t think I can force that to happen.”
Grace studied Clive. It didn’t matter, she was glad she had met him, and she was happy they’d helped Laura. She reached out her hand and touched Clive’s ghostly one in the hope of conveying her thoughts without speaking. Her hand sank through to the seat underneath.
Clive jumped as if he’d received a shock. “Grace! Your brother, Frankie, he’s in danger. You have to help him! Quick!”
Clive shimmered and then he disappeared leaving Grace alone with a heart that began to pound.
Frankie! What had happened? And did it have anything to do with Eddie Tominski?
Grace leant forward in her seat, her hands tightly clenched, willing the train to speed up.
Chapter 19
Grace didn’t know she could run so fast. She raced out of the train station and towards the shop. She’d tried calling Frankie but his phone had gone straight to voice mail.
She burst through the shop doors and came to a halt. She wasn’t prepared for the sight that met her.
Two huge man were standing behind the counter with Frankie. One of them held Frankie’s arms back whilst the other laid into him with vicious punches.
Grace screamed. “Get off him! Leave him alone!”
The punching man looked over at her, flicked his eyes up and down her body and, with a leer, he said, “We’re teaching him a lesson. If you don’t leave I’ll be happy to teach you one.”
Frankie mumbled through swollen lips, “Grace, go, please.”
The two men laughed, the one holding Frankie said, “This is what you get if you mess with Eddie Tominski. You shou
ld have just let us measure up, that’s all we wanted to do. And now your poor sister has to witness this.”
Heat flushed through Grace.
Grace couldn’t say what happened to her later. Some people say a red mist descends when they’re beyond angry, and that they’re not aware of what they are doing. It wasn’t like that for Grace. It was like all the fury and humiliation over her parents’ death and the terrible publicity after, fuelled a fire within her. The pure evilness of Eddie Tominski made the fire stronger.
Grace dropped her bag and instinctively reached for the big tea pot that had been in the shop forever. She knew it was heavy but it felt light in her hands. She walked purposely around the counter, raised the tea pot and whacked the punching man on the back of his shoulders with it. He dropped to the floor with an anguished cry. Grace started on the second man. He put his arms up to stop her but Grace had a burning hatred that gave her strength. She managed to land several tea pot blows on the surprised man.
Frankie told her later that she looked like some sort of devil, her hair was wild and there was a crazed look on her face.
The man on the floor got to his feet. He rubbed his shoulder and glared down at Grace. He reached towards her. Grace swung the pot again, it connected with his cheek with a stomach-churning crunch.
“She’s mad! Call your loony sister off!” he yelled.
Grace’s nostrils flared and she calmly said, “Leave our shop. Now.”
There was a coldness in her voice that registered with the men. One of them said, “She’s a nutter, she’ll kill us with that pot if we stay here. Come on, I’m not putting up with this aggro. Wait till Eddie hears about this.”
The man with the damaged cheek stared at Frankie and said, “You’ll pay for this, you can’t hide behind your sister’s skirts.”
The man made to leave. The anger began to seep out of Grace and she noticed that the tea pot was beginning to feel heavy. She held her stance until the men left the shop. She placed the tea pot on the counter and looked closer at Frankie.
Lost And Found: A Cozy Ghost Mystery (Storage Ghost Mysteries Book 2) Page 5