Almost as soon as he had left, Eve and David heard someone knocking at the door. As Eve went to answer it, she had a feeling that when she opened the door, Vera would be standing there. She wasn’t wrong, but she was a little surprised to see that Marion was with her. On her last visit, she had got the impression that Vera wasn’t too keen on Marion, but here they were together, seemingly as friends. Eve had no great wish to speak to either woman, but she hid her feelings well.
“How lovely to see you again, Vera, and to meet you, Marion.”
“We wondered if you would like to come over for a cup of tea. Marion and I have been baking and thought you might to try my lamingtons. They’re traditionally Australian.”
“Why, thank you,” Eve replied, thinking that with friends like Vera, who needed enemies.
Eve remembered Vera calling Marion a mouse and saying that all she did was spy on people from behind her curtains, yet now they were baking together. What would Marion think if she knew that Vera was speaking unkindly behind her back?
Despite Eve’s misgivings about going to Vera’s for a cup of tea, both she and David were hungry and were dying for a hot drink, but they had forgotten to bring any food or drink over to the house. They had found only herbal teas in a cupboard in the kitchen and neither of them liked them much.
“We haven’t got anything in,” Eve continued. “So you’re a lifesaver. Oh, this is David, by the way, my fiancé.”
“My, you’re a good looking one, aren’t you?” Vera commented, not being one to hold back her feelings.
David blushed and smiled, but said nothing.
“So, how are you getting on with sorting the house out?” Vera asked as Eve and David followed her and Marion next door.
“Well, we’re having a new kitchen put in,” Eve replied. “We’ve just had a man come and measure up.”
“Ah, I thought I saw someone just leave.”
I bet you did, you nosey old bag, thought Eve.
She was gradually getting to dislike Vera, and Marion definitely seemed to be under her thumb, a bit like Phyllis used to be with Betty.
Phyllis, however, turned out to be a vicious murderer and Eve wondered if Marion had a dark side as well.
“I suppose you’ve ignored my advice and gone for a modern kitchen,” Vera continued.
"Afraid so,” Eve said, ready to defend her decision.
“Lovely house you’ve got,” David interrupted, changing the subject in the nick of time.
‘Thank you,” Vera replied, beaming.
The dreaded argument didn’t happen as Vera started to tell David a little about her home.
Soon they were in the house and Vera directed them into the lounge.
“Try a lamington,” she said a few moments later, giving them a plate each with a sponge cake covered in chocolate and grated coconut. “I’ll put the kettle on.”
Both Eve and David bit into the lamingtons and gave each other a satisfied smile.
“This is wonderful,” Eve said when Vera came back into the lounge. “You are a good cook.”
“I belong to the Women’s Institute and do a lot of baking with them,” Vera said, looking very proud of herself.
“She makes a mean Pavlova as well,” Marion piped in.
Her voice was very quiet and Eve and David had difficulty hearing her.
“A Pavlova, did you say, Marion?” Eve asked. “I do love anything with meringue.
“Well, here’s my phone number,” Vera said, scribbling her number down on a bit of paper. “Ring me the next time you intend to come over and I’ll make you one.”
“That’s very kind, but I wouldn’t want you to go to too much trouble.”
“Nonsense, it’ll be no trouble at all. I’m retired now and a widow, so I don’t have a lot to occupy my time.”
“Well, thank you,” Eve replied.
Perhaps Vera wasn’t quite as bad as she had first thought. Marion seemed a bit odd though. She had uttered one sentence and the rest of the time had sat nervously on the end of her chair. Was she that shy? She certainly didn’t look as if she wanted to be in the room at all. Eve decided to try and bring her into the conversation.
“And you, Marion, do you work?”
However, before Marion could say anything, Vera butted in.
“Marion’s never had to work. Her parents left her well-off. You’re not keen on mixing with people, are you dear?”
“I don’t mind.”
“Nonsense, Marion’s only feels confident with me around.”
Marion said nothing to this and Eve suspected she felt the complete opposite.
Why don’t you stand up to Vera, Marion? I can see you don’t like being walked all over. You are making me really cross.
“It’s about time we made a move back to the hotel, Eve.” David said after they’d had a cup of tea, not much enjoying the company of these two strange Australian women.
“Oh, of course,” Eve said. “It’s getting quite late; almost dinner time in fact.”
“I’ll keep an eye on the house for you, that is if you want me to,” Vera put in.
“I don’t think there’s much to steal, but it would be appreciated."
David called a cab and after a few more pleasantries, the taxi arrived and they were both relieved to be able to leave.
“I’ve suddenly got a splitting headache,” Eve said to David. “Heaven knows where that has come from. I’ve not even been drinking. It actually feels like a migraine. Even the light’s making me squint. I just want to get into a nice dark room and go to sleep. I haven’t had a migraine in years.”
“Perhaps we should get you to a doctor or to the hospital.”
“No, darling. That would be silly. It is only a headache and I'm sure I’ll be fine after having a rest.”
Eve was quiet for the rest of the journey back to the hotel and David thought it best not to disturb her. However when they got out of the cab, Eve staggered a little and David was worried again.
“You really should see a doctor, Eve. There could be something seriously wrong with you.”
“Don’t be melodramatic, David. I’ve got a headache, or at the worst, a migraine. I just need to rest and then I’ll be as right as rain.”
“Ok, but I’m keeping a close eye on you tonight, Eve.”
When they got into their hotel room, Eve changed into her nightclothes, but instead of going to bed, she suddenly rushed into the bathroom to be sick. When she came out, she said that everything seemed a little blurry and that she was going straight to bed. She asked David for some water as her mouth was dry. As David bent down to get a bottle of water from the mini fridge, she was certain that there were two Davids bending down to get her drink. She shook her head a couple of times, but still there were two of him.
David brought over the water and Eve drank thirstily before lying down and going to sleep. He wondered if he should call a doctor, but thought better of it. Eve would be angry if he went against her wishes. However, if she seemed to get worse during the evening, he would call emergency services, but he’d see how she went. In the meantime, he ordered room service for himself. There was no way they’d be eating out that evening.
* * *
A few doors away, Joanna Neonakis sat picking at her dinner. She hadn’t been scared to go down into the dining room to eat; in fact she felt fully confident that she wouldn’t be recognized with her new appearance. She had got her hair cut and with a bob and a fringe, she looked even less like the old Joanna Neonakis. No, the reason she hadn’t ventured into the restaurant was that she was depressed, quite a rare state of mind for her. Charles had tried to contact her again. He had rung a couple of times and left text messages, but she had ignored them. She had no choice but to do this Victoria Castle was dead.
Joanna wondered how long Charles would carry on trying to contact her. She had longed for a man like him for many years, but had put it out of her mind in order to concentrate on making a wealthy woman of herself. She didn’
t even think she had been in love with James Anderson, her now dead husband. She had only married him to get hold of his aunt’s money.
Joanna’s phone rang again. It was Charles. Why wouldn’t he leave her alone? She couldn’t bear it for much longer.
Tomorrow I’ll get a new pay as you go sim card for my phone and get rid of this one. I don’t want to see his name come up again and again. He’ll be back from Adelaide tomorrow and will go to the Hyatt Regency and find out I’ve gone. I wonder if they’ll tell him I’m wanted by the police. God, I hope not.
Joanna got up and paced the room. She hadn’t banked on this happening to her. Why on earth did things turn out like this? She switched the television on to try and absorb herself in some trivial programme. Tomorrow she’d have to make a new plan for the future. She knew she would have to leave Perth, but where would she go? Would she have to leave Australia altogether?
* * *
Detective Chief Inspective Dimitris Kastrinakis collapsed into bed that night. He was exhausted, not to mention completely fed up. He had been round as many hotels as he could with a photo of Joanna Neonakis asking if she had booked in that day. If the desk clerk who was on duty earlier wasn’t in, Dimitris left a photo at reception. He had no luck at any of the hotels he went to, which included the Duxton, and he was more or less ready to give up.
The Australian police offered the help of one of their men to Dimitris, but he refused, his pride getting in the way. By the end of the day he realized what a mistake he’d made considering the number of hotels there were in Perth, but by this time it was too late.
Stavros, his assistant, had had an easier day of it as he had waited outside Joanna’s room at the Hyatt Regency, but, as they expected, she didn’t turn up.
Dimitris felt at a loss as to where to go from here. Perth was a big city. How would he be able to find one woman here? He wished he had never come. He would be a laughing stock when he got back to Crete. He would have let Joanna Neonakis escape from his clutches, not once, but twice. Yes, the whole police force would think he was a joke.
Chapter 7
Eve woke up once during the night convinced that two strangers were coming towards her brandishing knives. She sat up in bed and felt herself shaking and perspiring. Eve knew she was being selfish, but she felt afraid and had to wake up David. Once he had reassured her that there was nothing to be scared of, she realized that she still felt very thirsty. While he got her another drink of water, she became aware that the awful pain in her head had disappeared. Eve was relieved; hoping that perhaps she was getting over whatever this was she was suffering from.
“How are you feeling now, darling?” David asked when she had drunk the water. He was very concerned and wished now that he had ignored her when she said she didn’t want to go to the hospital. .
“Better, thanks and a bit hungry!”
“There are some crisps in the mini bar if you want them.”
‘No, I’ll wait until breakfast. I still feel very tired and just want to go back to sleep.”
David kissed Eve and she immediately went to sleep afterwards. However, she woke up quite early, as did David, and they were down having their breakfast at around eight. Eve felt much better and her appetite had almost fully recovered.
As they were finishing breakfast, Eve’s mobile rang. She looked at the caller ID.
“Matt Connors. I wonder what he wants.”
“Hello, Mr. Connors. Is there a problem?” she asked.
“I’m afraid I have some bad news. Somebody burnt down that big shed in your garden last night.”
“What? You say someone did it? So it was deliberate?”
Eve could hardly believe what she was hearing.
“The police think it was arson. You’re very lucky that’s all they set fire to.”
“God, why would someone want to do this?”
“I have no idea. It was probably kids. It often is. Anyway, you have your next door neighbor, Vera Ryan, to thank. She saw the flames and called the fire brigade.”
“She did? Well I will thank her as soon as I see her. I think we’d better get over to the house this morning.”
After closing the call, Eve turned to David.
“Somebody burnt my shed down,” she said, almost in tears. “Do you think that person doesn’t want me to have the house?”
“Hey, don’t cry, darling,” David said, moving his chair closer to hers and putting his arm around her. “Who wouldn’t want you to have the house? Andrea’s parents are dead and you haven’t any other relatives here. It was probably teenagers having their ‘so-called’ fun.”
“Can we go over to the house and see what damage has been done?” Eve asked.
“Of course we can,” David replied, both surprised and impressed that Eve had actually asked him this time.
They immediately went up to their room to finish getting ready and then called a taxi. .
* * *
It wasn’t long before Eve and David arrived at the house. They rushed in and then out through the back door into the garden where they saw the charred ruins of the shed.
“Well it’s a total write-off and so will all the tools be that were in it, I expect” Eve said, sounding a little despondent.
“Was there much in there?” David asked.
“Well there were lots of gardening equipment and other bits and pieces like a drill and chainsaw. The fire must really have taken hold by the time Vera saw it. I should take back all the awful thoughts I’ve had about her; she’s been very helpful after all. Oh well, I suppose I’ll have to put in an insurance claim, presuming it is insured. I’ll need to speak to Matt about that.”
Vera suddenly popped her head over the wall.
“I’ m so sorry about your shed. I wish I’d seen it earlier, but I wasn’t aware of it until I was about to go to bed and thought I smelt smoke. I looked out of the window and saw the flames so I called the fire station straight away.”
“Vera, don’t apologies for anything. I really am grateful for what you did. Thank you.’
Another head popped over the wall.
“Oh, this is Trevor, my son. He arrived this morning with his wife, Pam, and their two kids. They’re staying for a week.”
“G’day,” Trevor said.
Eve and David greeted him.
“Want any help clearing the mess?” Trevor continued.
“No, we’ll be fine,” David said. “Thanks anyway.”
Vera and Trevor then disappeared as quickly as they had arrived.
“Sorry, Eve,” David whispered. “I don’t think I could have faced working with him. I don’t know why, but I imagine he’ll pry like his mother.”
“Don’t apologies. I’m right with you there, but it is a big mess and you might feel sorry you turned him down.”
David just shrugged his shoulders before going to the local shop to get some plastic bin bags to put the rubbish in. Eve turned to go into the house, but before she did, her eyes drifted upwards to the house on the other side. For a brief moment she saw Marion looking down at her and then she disappeared.
You are a weird one, Marion. Perhaps it was you who set the fire. I have no idea why; it’s just a gut feeling. Perhaps you’ve just taken an instant dislike to me and don’t want me to be your neighbor, even if I’ll only be here for short periods of time.
* * *
The first thing Eve and David did when they got back to the hotel was have long hot baths. They felt grimy and they knew they smelt of smoke. They then decided that they would go to the Botanical Gardens and find somewhere to have lunch. It was another lovely day and they hoped they could sit outside.
Eve had her bath first and went down a bit earlier than David as she wanted to buy postcards from the hotel shop.
The doors of the lift were about to shut when Eve came dashing towards it and just managed to get in before they closed. There was another woman in the lift, a blonde who stared at Eve for longer than was polite. Eve however, was too
absorbed in getting her breath back and smoothing her clothes to take much notice of her lift companion. The blonde managed to regain her composure before Eve did turn and glance at her, but as Eve rarely bothered to engage strangers in trivial conversation, nothing was said. Eve thought that the woman looked familiar, but she couldn’t think from where.
And her hair’s a terrible bleached shade of blonde. She must have done it herself.........Now where have I seen her before?
The lift reached the ground floor and Eve still couldn’t remember who the other woman was. Then the blonde glanced at Eve as she walked out of the lift. It was only for a second, but Eve could see that the woman recognized her. Why couldn’t she remember where she had seen her and why didn’t the other woman speak to her as she obviously knew her or at the very least, had seen her somewhere? Then as the blonde walked away from the lift, it hit Eve like a thunderbolt.
I’d know that walk anywhere. I reckon she thought she could lure any man with that seductive gait of hers.
Eve knew she had no time to lose. The woman had also recognized her and Eve guessed she probably wouldn’t ever be coming back to the hotel. There was no point ringing Dimitris Kastrinakis because Joanna would be long gone by the time he got there. Eve decided that her only option would be to take action right now. She dashed out of the lift and ran after Joanna as fast as she could, catching up with her before she reached the front door of the hotel. She grabbed Joanna’s arm and twisted her round.
“Joanna, I knew it was you.”
“Joanna? My name’s Adele, Adele Costello.”
“Don’t give me that. Just because you’ve changed your hair color doesn’t mean that I’m unable to recognize you.”
“Well, it took you long enough,” Joanna said venomously. I don’t think you knew it was me, not until I walked out of the lift, did you?”
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