“I know, Sleeping Beauty, I know. Trust me; you’re going to be a stronger person for having known me.”
“You’ll have to remind me to thank you.” Focusing with great difficulty on the wall clock, “Why the blazes are we up so early? I thought this was supposed to be a paid holiday.”
“All in good time, my faithful comrade. We need to finish our mission first. Get some clothes on, breakfast is waiting.”
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Over omelets and coffee, they discussed possible strategies for Operation Employment Agency. Stirring sugar into his coffee Jason laid out the possibilities. “The way I see it, we have a couple of options. Firstly, I could distract and you could dig.”
Tim looked worried. “Two problems with that approach. One – I’m not too great on finding my way around filing systems. Two – we have one shot at succeeding. If we blow it, our bridges are beyond burned – they’re completely nuked. What are the other options?”
“We could claim to be long-lost family of sorts, trying to find our sister?”
Tim’s rolling eyeballs said it all, “Do I even need to comment? That would never work, next please.”
Jason shrugged helplessly, “The only thing left is complete honesty.”
Tim’s jaw dropped, “That’s it? That’s your whole plan? Are you telling me that we came all the way here on the strength of those three ludicrous ideas?”
“Well I don’t hear you coming up with any brain waves.”
“Do I need to remind you that I was the one crying “FLAKY” from the first moment we started planning this little excursion?”
Jason caught Tim’s hand in mid-air, “You’re going to hit something if you keep swinging those paws around. Have some coffee or something.” He took a moment to collect his thoughts then spoke quietly with conviction. “Tim, it will work out, somehow. Nearly every lead that I’ve followed so far has seemed like a dead end. It’s always worked out, and now we’re here. Let’s just trust whatever power is pulling the strings to get us through this one.”
“There’s not much else we can do, now is there?”
Jason frowned.
Tim apologized, “I’m sorry, I’m being a wet noodle again. I’ll be happy when this part is over, and we can move on to the holiday bit.”
Jason pinched his cheeks like an Aunt would a chubby baby. “That’s my boy, that’s the spirit!”
Swatting his hands away, Tim sighed “What did I do wrong to deserve a friend like you?”
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Faith Halloway was teaching a group of Standard Nine’s to waltz when the text message came through. “Remember your rise and fall, Ché. Don’t fight gravity, people, work with it. Just like we practiced, remember?” Satisfied that all the couples on the floor were managing to keep moving without her help for the moment, she picked up her cell phone and opened the message.
Surprised to see the message had come from her son, she was even more surprised by the content.
“Hi Mom. Just wanted to let you know that I’m thinking about you. Love, Jay.” Pointless. Jason never did anything that was pointless, not even just for the sake of being nice. Something was up.
Setting her phone aside, she scratched her head and spoke under her breath, “Jason Halloway, what are you up to my son?”
Just then the couple passing in front of her came crashing down, legs horribly entwined. The girl had stepped too close to her partner, causing her heel to slip inside his shoe instead of just past it. He tried to step forward, causing her weight to shift in the wrong direction. The screaming crash brought the room to a halt.
“Shannon, are you alright?” Faith rushed over to help untangle arms and legs. Getting the young couple apart was easy, getting them back on their feet was impossible. Doubled up in fits of laughter, they rolled around helplessly, tears streaming. Calming down enough to talk, Shannon smacked Jack’s shoulder affectionately, “That was all your fault, you big lump.”
“Oh really? So, it was my heel planted in your shoe and not the other way around? Forgive me, I missed that bit.”
Shannon grinned at him before planting a kiss on his cheek, “That’s what I like, Jack – you’re a true gentleman.”
Helping her to her feet, Jack said, “Heck, for another kiss I’d even wear your high heels to prove it.”
Flicking her long blonde ponytail over her shoulder, Shannon waggled a finger at him in mock seriousness, “Now you’re pushing it Mister.” Their happy banter continued as they resumed their circuit around the floor.
In that moment Shannon looked so much like her Nicole. Faith’s chest tightened and she blinked quickly to stop the moisture forming tears. Forcibly pushing aside the grief that threatened to rise, Faith picked out a struggling couple and went across to help. Now was not the time or place for delving in the past or worrying about Jason, she told herself.
Try as she might though, she taught for the rest of the morning with Jason in her thoughts.
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The employment agency was on the top floor of a tiny double-story face brick building that was squeezed between two towering glass structures. It was a little bit of yesterday stuck between the grinding molars of today, just waiting for some giant dental floss to remove it. Everything about the building groaned with age.
Jason and Tim paused for a moment to ready themselves. “Well, let’s go see what we’re up against.” said Jason.
Psyched for whatever odds awaited them, they marched into the building. Deciding to avoid the rickety elevator, they made their way up the narrow staircase. The wooden stairs creaked alarmingly under their combined weight. Tim sniffed loudly, “I’m surprised this building hasn’t caved in on itself.”
Jason agreed, “Scary stuff. Trent should have given us danger pay.”
Rounding the final bend, Jason stopped in shock. The hallway was littered with boxes. Tim whistled, “Boy, somebody’s having a clean out.”
“This looks more like a closing down sale to me. We’d better go find the owner before these records go anywhere.”
The door to the agency stood propped open by a half-empty cardboard box. Picking their way through the chaos, they made their way into the office. A frazzled old lady glared at them. She was trying to shift a desk, and was getting nowhere. Hands flew to her hips, “If you’re looking for a job, we can’t help you any longer. You can try the ‘Employ-me Company’ on the fifth floor of the building next door.”
Jason looked at Tim with his eyebrow lifted. Tim nodded. “Here Ma’am, let’s help you move that desk.” Not waiting for her to agree, they lifted and shifted the desk in no time at all. “Anything else you need moved while we’re here?” For a moment, the lady stood in shocked silence. It didn’t take her long to recover though, and she soon had them carrying and moving things, while she directed from a safe distance.
Two hours later, they stopped for a break. Mrs. Carter had disappeared into the kitchenette to make tea. Tim whispered, wiping a drop of sweat off the tip of his nose, “How much more of this are we going to do? You haven’t even asked her about Rebecca yet.”
“All in good time, my friend. Quite honestly, how could she refuse us after all we’ve done this morning?”
“Maybe and maybe not. I’ll believe it when I see it.”
Jason punched his shoulder, “Skeptic. When did you become so bleak?”
Tim was saved from answering by Mrs. Carter’s return. Carefully balancing the tea tray on a cardboard box, she proceeded to pour three steaming mugs full.
She sipped her own delicately with her pinky sticking out like a flag pole. “I’m sorry you had to catch us at such a bad time. With all these fancy new employment agencies opening, people stopped using our services. It’s grown quieter and quieter. Quite frankly it’s costing more than it’s bringing in. It has for a while now. Hard to give up and admit defeat though.” She paused for a sip, “Enough o
f that. What can I do for you boys?”
Tim very nearly yelled, “I THOUGHT YOU’D NEVER ASK!!!” He somehow managed to swallow the urge and let Jason do the talking.
Chapter 15 – Moms and Visitors
Maxine Rochester sat in the bleak morning sun, trying to absorb the warmth of the rays. A chilly breeze slipped between her pale jersey and her skin, causing an eruption of goose flesh and stealing any hope of warmth. It was too cold to be sitting outside, but the house was small and crammed full of all sorts of things. Maxine was used to more space. Drawing her arms around herself to stop shivering, her thoughts drifted to her husband and sons, and the farm that she loved so much.
The clatter of a tea trolley interrupted her thoughts. With a big grin, Sally poured two cups before settling herself opposite Maxine. There was very little family resemblance between them outwardly, but if their thought patterns and emotional make-up could be displayed, there’d be little doubt that they were sisters.
Maxine’s hair hung in a neat brunette bob that framed a slim face. Sally, on the other hand, had a tousled mop of blonde curls. Her driving passion in life was fine food, which explained the roundness of her face and the extra roll around her middle. But she was kind and gracious and had taken Maxine in, when nobody else would have dared.
“You’re missing them, aren’t you?”
Maxine smiled sadly, “Always.” They were both quiet for a few minutes, sipping tea and content just to be together. Reaching over to briefly squeeze her sister’s hand, Maxine spoke again, “I’m very grateful that you are willing to have me here at such great risk to yourself.”
Sally waived the comment away with a grin. “Don’t mention it. You would have done the same for me.” The grin faded and she asked softly, “Are you sure this was the best thing for your family?”
“Edward and I discussed it from every angle. I wish it could be different, sometimes I even wonder if we did the right thing. Edward seemed so convinced. I suppose I agree with him.” Tears welled in her eyes, “What else could we do?”
The question was rhetorical and Sally remained silent. Maxine could sense that Sally didn’t agree, and loved her for not pushing the issue. Sally put down her empty teacup and rubbed her hands together briskly, blowing on them for warmth. “It’s far too cold out here, I’m going in. Are you coming?”
Maxine waved her half empty teacup and said, “I’ll be along just now, once my tea’s finished.” Sally left and the tea in Maxine’s cup went cold and untouched.
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Shane was in a quandary.
The first thing he’d done on arriving at the flat was shoo Rachel into the bathroom for a nice, long soak in the tub. With her out the way, he was desperately trying to pull the place into a semblance of order, with little success. His biggest problem was where to let her sleep.
A female needs her privacy, so letting her crash on the sofa in the lounge just wouldn’t work. He most certainly was not giving up his bed. Tim’s room was a radioactive disaster. Shane shuddered to think what manner of living things had taken up residence in the un-cleaned regions of Tim’s boudoir. His organized mind just did not extend beyond the confines of his cranium.
That left Jason’s room. It was reasonably tidy, no girly pics on the walls. Add a fresh set of bedding and it would probably be the best solution. Shane scratched his stubbly chin. The only worry was Jason. Shane didn’t know how he’d feel about a strange girl using his bed. Jason was a private sort at the best of times.
The toilet flushed and he heard the familiar gurgle of bath water being let out. Rachel emerged from the bathroom drying her clean hair on a towel. She looked all pink from the hot water and smelled good.
Keeping his tone light, Shane said, “You’ll be using Jason’s room. This way.” Picking up her suitcase, he led the way with fingers crossed.
__________________________________________
Jason and Tim sat on the floor surrounded by heaps of paper. Tim threw down a wad in disgust. “This is a complete waste of time. And energy. Did I mention that this was a waste of energy?”
Trying to stay patient, Jason scratched his eyebrow, and said, “You actually have Tim. Every five minutes for the last hour. Stop wasting energy on whining, okay? The info we need is here, we just have to persevere.”
Muttering under his breath, Tim opened a fresh box and took out a pile of dog-eared files. “This would have been so much easier if it were all on computer. We could have been on our way home already. You owe me, Jason, big time.”
“What do you mean ‘I owe you’? I brought you along on this holiday, didn’t I? You should be thanking me.”
Tim’s face was a picture. “I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that.”
Three hours later they had been through every box pertaining to the year Rebecca had been placed in employment. Their search had done nothing but send dust up their nostrils. Tim’s allergies had flared and his eyes and nose streamed rivers. Mrs. Carter had graciously supplied him with a roll of loo paper. He’d already worked his way through half of it.
Jason sat back looking completely fed-up but not willing to give up just yet.
“I can’t shake the feeling that we are missing something here.”
“Remarkable conclusion, genius.” Tim erupted in an explosive sneeze and reached for the remnants of the toilet paper. Mopping up noisily, he continued, “We definitely are missing something – like anything referring to Rebecca. I could have told you that.” Waving the plundered roll at Jason, he said, “I’m going to need another one of these, if we’re going to be here much longer.”
Jason ignored the sarcasm and stuck to his train of thought, “Think about it. We are searching for Rebecca Grey because that was her Mom’s surname, right?”
“Obviously. What else would it be?”
“At that point, these two old people wanted nothing to do with their granddaughter. In Lydia’s case, she didn’t even want to acknowledge the girl’s existence. Why would they send her away bearing their surname?”
Tim slumped back against the carved wood of the boardroom’s table leg, “Ouch.”
Jason nodded in agreement. Checking his watch he said, “It’s nearly five o’clock. Let’s go grab some grub and come back tomorrow. We’ll have to find all the ‘Rebecca’s’. I’ll check if that’s okay with Mrs. Carter.”
Tim groaned, “She’s going to make us move things Jason. You do realize this?”
Jason thwacked him on the head, “You’re whining. Stop it.”
__________________________________________
Shane was tucking into Rebecca’s beef stroganoff with gusto. He ate in silence, only stopping every fifth mouthful to comment on how delicious it all was. It felt good to be appreciated. It also made her feel bad for lying about her name. She cringed inside when she thought about it now, but also felt too embarrassed to confess. Being Rachel for a few days wouldn’t really do any harm.
Shane had been so kind and sincere, that Rebecca found herself relaxing in his company. This was not a setup she’d ever thought she’d be comfortable in – staying alone in a flat with a strange man – but Shane was a perfect gentleman. He was also completely smitten with his girlfriend and referred to her in every second sentence. All in all, Rebecca felt quite safe.
Pushing back a clean plate from his second helping, Shane rested against the back of the dining room chair with his hands on his belly, looking completely satisfied. “You’re a good cook. Where did you learn?”
Skirting the issue of her past, she replied with a smile, “Here and there. I worked as a cook for a few years.”
“A chef you mean?”
“Oh no. Nothing that grand. I used to do all the cooking for a family on their farm.”
“Must have been a big family if they had to employ someone to cook for them. In my family, we all had to learn and take turns.”
Rebecca shrugged, “They were rich. Well, that was part of it. The
whole situation was quite sad really. Their mother just disappeared.”
Shane sat forward with a grunt. His interest was piqued.
“That’s when they employed me. As the lady of the house, she obviously handled a large portion of the work with the help of a housekeeper called Hazel. Now there’s a woman with a heart of gold.” Rebecca sipped her coffee.
“Did they ever find out what happened to Mom?”
“That’s the strange thing. My boss refused to get the Police involved; he did next to nothing to find her.” Rebecca paused, mulling things over in her head. “I think he was in on it. Whatever ‘it’ was.”
“Sounds suspicious. Didn’t you want to know more?”
Rebecca’s nose scrunched up, “I’d just arrived, was trying to find my feet. Just settling in was hard enough without adding a mystery disappearance to my To Do list. And then one of my bosses sons took a shine to me and started—” Rebecca froze, and promptly backtracked. “No, I didn’t try to found out more.” She slapped on a too-bright smile, and said, “How about some dessert? I’ve made a chocolate mousse.”
Shane groaned in delight, “Bring it on! If you hadn’t arrived in my life, I would have been eating cold tuna from the tin tonight. I must be doing something right!”
Chapter 16 – Digging and a Pizza
Tim had earned himself the nickname “Prophet”. True to his prediction, Mrs. Carter was only too happy to see them when they arrived bright and early the next morning. Her husband, who was also her business partner, was out of town for a few days and had left all the wrapping up to her. She was delighted to have her honest, hardworking young lads back at her beck and call.
The first three hours of the day were spent packing up the reception area, and moving countless boxes into a bare corner, ready for collection. Tim was as close to tears as what is acceptable for a strong young man to be. Grabbing Jason’s arm, he whispered furiously, “I don’t know how much more of this I can take.”
Shackles: The truth will set you free Page 12