He stared at Joy. Her eyes seemed more bright than usual, but it was an edgy brightness.
‘Marlon.’
‘Joy.’
They looked at each other a bit more.
‘Are you going to invite me in or do I have to use force?’
‘Do come in.’
Now he was really terrified.
They stood in the hall, aware that the small but significant movement from terraced street to narrow hall had done nothing to ease the tension.
Maybe it was just a lighthearted social call …
‘I take it you got the e-mail.’
Oh Jiminy.
‘I just found it.’
‘I take it that’s why you cancelled me this morning.’
Was that pain and embarrassment behind her abruptness? His heart went out to her. It almost killed him to know he’d hurt Joy.
‘No—’
‘First you flirt shamelessly with me for five years. Then you use me as a well-padded shoulder to cry on when your wife leaves you. Then you cancel me – no excuse – just because some silly girl in New York seems to have got it into her head that I can’t take—’
‘I love you.’
His voice was brittle with fear.
‘What?’
‘I love you.’
It was surprisingly less terrifying to say the second time.
They stared in shared disbelief at each other.
Marlon felt ashamed.
‘Sorry.’
Joy’s smile was slow and full. Her voice was suddenly full of tenderness.
‘About bloody time,’ she whispered.
Later that evening, toes entwined under the warm blankets, they toasted the New Year in together and thought of Annie with more gratitude than she’d ever know.
* * * * *
The 31st December started sluggishly in New York as if, aware that it was the last day of the year, it just didn’t have the energy to do it all over again. Annie knew the feeling. She lay in bed, too tired to get up, too wired to sleep. Scraps of information whizzed and whirred round her brain so fast that they met, fused and sparked, creating entire new worlds of emotion. The Big Bang was going on inside her head. Unsurprisingly, she was getting a headache.
The sound of a phone ringing interrupted her thoughts. Safe in the knowledge that no one else in the apartment would bother to answer it, she forced her body out of bed and over to her phone, beside the chaise longue.
‘Annie it’s me,’ whispered Cass urgently.
Annie’s heart stopped for a beat.
‘My God,’ she croaked, wide awake, ‘are you all right?’
‘Yes—’
‘Sure?’
‘Yes—’
‘The baby’s all right?’
‘Yes—’
‘Have you had your test results yet?’
‘Yes, everything’s fine—’
‘What’s up?’
‘Annie! You have to come in and see me.’
‘I was going to. I’ve only just got up—’
‘Yes, but you’ve got to come in soon, before my mum gets here or Edward. It’s very important.’
‘Why? What’s happened?’
‘We can’t tell you over the phone. We have to tell you face to face.’
‘We?’
‘Just get here. Quick.’
And the phone went dead.
For some reason Annie was terrified. What the hell was so important that Cass had called her specially? And who was ‘we’?
Annie convinced herself during her shower that ‘we’ was Jake and Cass. They were going to elope and they needed Annie to put Brutus and Susannah off their trail.
Fumbling frantically for her clothes, she changed her mind. Jake had told Cass that Annie had been obsessed with him for seven years and he’d had enough. He would be waiting for her with cameras from the Ricki Lake Show to humiliate her into closure.
In the taxi on the way to the hospital, she changed her mind again. Jake had confessed his true feelings for Sophie – he had been in love with her all along– to Cass, and Cass wanted Annie to spike David’s drink and give Sophie concussion again—
The taxi arrived at the hospital.
She ran into Cass’s room and saw straight away who ‘we’ was. It was a big disappointment.
Dr Sarah Hastings was sitting in the chair next to Cass’s bed and Annie’s entrance interrupted their deep conversation.
‘Thank God! I thought you’d never get here,’ started Cass.
‘Is this going to be a big shock?’ asked Annie, sitting on the other chair by Cass’s bed. ‘Because I’m not very good with shocks.’
Cass sighed deeply.
‘I don’t know.’
‘Oh dear.’
Dr Hastings spoke.
‘I think you should know something that might – might upset you,’ she said.
Oh no, thought Annie. Jake is a Mafia boss, using the screen of consultancy as a front … No, wait! He’s a woman, like in that film—
‘It’s about Edward.’
Who? The stunned, baffled expression on Annie’s face seemed to worry the other two.
‘Oh dear, this might be even more difficult than we thought,’ whispered Cass. ‘Be gentle with her,’ she told Dr Hastings. ‘Pretend you’re telling a much-loved patient that they’re dying.’
Dr Hastings nodded. ‘Eddie Goddard is an ex-convict who’s embezzling money out of your father’s business.’
‘Jesus Christ!’ exclaimed Cass. ‘Remind me not to come to you if I’m dying.’
Annie was mute.
This meant she shouldn’t marry him, right?
She turned slowly to Cass.
‘It turns out that—’ started Cass.
‘Back in England, before I specialised, I did a stint as a doctor for Pentonville Prison,’ interrupted Dr Hastings, ‘Eddie was one of the inmates there.’
‘Plain old Eddie Goddard,’ interrupted Cass again. ‘His parents were rich, but certainly not related to aristocracy. He went to Eton so he had all the right contacts but went totally off the rails and once his parents lost all their money in some hideous investment cock-up, he used all his old contacts for his own illegal aims.’
‘But why – why me?’ asked Annie.
‘It’s just part of his trick,’ explained Dr Hastings in the same tone as she would explain that someone prefers two sugars in their tea rather than one. ‘He gets inside a company and steals from within. And if possible, he screws the prettiest girl in the company. But he had a bit of a thing about you. I’m afraid that was my fault.’
Cass and Annie stared at her.
‘I used to bring him in Hello and Tatler. There were pictures of you all over his cell walls. In fact, I was very jealous.’
‘Jealous?’ repeated Cass and Annie, shocked.
‘Yes, jealous,’ sighed Dr Hastings. ‘We had a very short-lived fling. I couldn’t help myself. A moment of madness.’ She looked down at her hands as she mumbled this.
Annie and Cass both suddenly felt sorry for her.
‘He can be very persuasive,’ murmured Annie reflectively.
‘And totally convincing,’ added Cass.
Dr Hastings shook her head. ‘That’s nothing. You should have seen him in his prison outfit. Buns of steel.’
Cass and Annie blinked.
‘Anyway, as soon as he came out of prison, he actively sought you out,’ continued Dr Hastings to Annie.
Annie put her head in her hands.
‘So, let me get this straight,’ she said weakly. ‘He hasn’t got management experience?’
Cass gave a deep sigh.
‘Annie, the man’s a convicted crook,’ she said slowly. ‘Nothing he has ever told anyone holds any water.’ She paused.
Annie waited for her answer. Clues weren’t enough any more.
‘No. He has no management experience.’
Annie shook her head and finally spoke slowly. ‘So while we’ve been
hoping that he can save us from ruin, he’s the one who’s been ruining us.’
Dr Hastings and Cass looked at her sadly.
‘The more keen he is on you, the more money he’s been swindling out of your father’s company. It heightens the chase for him.’
They all sat in silence for a moment, letting their minds catch up with this latest piece of information.
‘Are you all right, honey?’ asked Cass quietly.
‘No!’ whispered Annie, exasperated, hot tears stinging her eyes. ‘I’m not all right. I’m furious with Edward. I’m furious with myself for enjoying his company and friendship and flattery so much and … and for falling for his lies. I’m terrified of what he’s done to the company and all of our futures. I’m angry with you, Cass – yes I am – and your mother, for always trying to influence my thoughts. Why couldn’t you both just leave me alone?’
She slumped in her chair.
‘And I just don’t know who to believe any more,’ she mumbled finally.
She took a deep, deep sigh, that seemed to reach her toes.
‘Happy New Year.’
For the first time in Annie’s experience, Cass was speechless.
* * * * *
That was it, she thought furiously, as she stormed back to the apartment. She was sick of other people trying to tell her what to do, who to be, who to be with. She didn’t trust anyone any more, least of all Cass and Susannah. She could only trust herself. That was the last time she would ever let anyone influence her decisions.
When she got home, she was relieved to find she was alone. Her family were all out at a champagne luncheon at the Houselmans. They would be there for hours yet, before coming home to change for the New Year’s Eve celebrations at The Plaza hotel down the road.
She lay on her bed, exhausted. She was just about to phone Joy in London for a heart-to-heart, when the phone rang. She stretched out to answer it.
It was Jake. She was almost as unnerved by this as by his almost desperate tone.
‘Can we talk?’
She couldn’t have been more shocked if he’d asked ‘Can we rumba?’
‘Of course.’
‘Where’s your family?’
‘Out.’
‘How long for?’
‘Hours.’ She frowned. ‘Why?’
‘I can’t say over the phone. We’ll be there in a minute.’ And he hung up.
She sat up on the bed. What was all this with the ‘we’ again? What the hell was going on? Why was her body acting as if she was about to make a parachute jump? As if she didn’t know. How long had she got before Jake arrived? Was there time to put more make-up on? Was there time to—
The door buzzed.
Standing with Jake was a bulky man in a pastel puffa jacket with thin legs in black jeans. He looked like a rather ugly stick of candyfloss. Jake introduced him as a policeman and she forgot his name immediately.
‘We’d have been quicker,’ explained Jake, ‘but I thought you were actually on Fifth Avenue—’
‘Come in.’
It didn’t matter how much she kept thinking she was in control of her emotions, the sight of Jake always left her body in mild shell-shock. Ice-cold hands, hot head, stomach of blancmange.
She was surprised that there was still some residue anger left over from the last time she’d seen him when he’d walked out on her again. And now she had no fall-back position. She could hardly draw herself up to her full height and say to him chillingly, ‘Don’t you know I’m about to be engaged to an ex-convict who’s swindled my whole family?’
Didn’t quite have the right ring to it.
They walked into the drawing room where Annie sat down to stop her legs from trembling.
‘I’d offer you a drink,’ she said, ‘but I don’t think I’d get much of it in the glass.’
‘That’s OK,’ said Candyfloss Cop happily. ‘I don’t drink on duty. But Jake could make you one.’
Jake found the drinks cabinet and poured Annie a stiff whisky.
Duty? Did he say duty? This was a duty call?
‘So you know about Edward? Or should I say Eddie?’ she asked.
Candyfloss Cop and Jake looked at each other.
Jake handed Annie her drink and sat down next to her. He stopped himself from putting his arm round her.
‘You knew?’
‘I found out about half an hour ago.’
‘Who from?’
‘My friend Cass is in hospital. Her doctor knew Edward – Eddie – when he was in prison.’
‘So they’re not gonna tell anyone in your family?’
Annie shrugged. ‘I can tell Cass not to if you want.’
‘Is she good at keeping secrets, this friend of yours?’
Jake looked away.
Annie shrugged. ‘I haven’t told her any for a while.’
‘Well do me a favour,’ said the cop. ‘Tell her to keep this one. As soon as possible.’
‘OK.’
Annie looked defiantly at Jake. Typical that he was here to tell her the bad news about Edward. He gave her a short smile.
‘How are you?’
Annie shrugged with as much defiance as she could. It was nothing a fourteen-year-old truant wouldn’t have been proud of.
‘Fine.’
‘Whaddya know about this “Edward” guy?’ asked Candyfloss Cop.
Annie told them everything she’d just been told.
Candyfloss Cop turned to Jake.
‘All yours pal.’
Jake took a deep breath.
‘OK,’ he said deliberately and took a disk out of his jacket pocket. ‘I have the evidence that could put Edward away for quite a while. This is the disk he gave you to send to Susannah. He … he must have had other things on his mind when he handed it to you because there were other files on that disk that he certainly wouldn’t have wanted you to see.’ Jake came to a halt.
He sighed. Why did he have to be the one that broke the bad news to Annie? ‘Edward has been embezzling money out of your dad’s company slowly but surely since he first joined as chief exec. At first, he thought there was more than there was, so as soon as he realised there wasn’t much to play around with, he got to work quickly. Then when we came in, he upped the speed. And we’re fairly sure he must have overheard me trying to tell you not to trust him that day at the park, because ever since then he’s practically finished the company off.’
Annie barely had the energy to nod.
Candyfloss Cop nodded his head in Jake’s direction and gave a big cheesy grin.
‘And this guy knew all along. Whaddya think of that, eh? Clever guy!’
Jake kept his eyes down as he spoke into his chest.
‘I’m afraid at that stage it was nothing to do with being clever.’
‘Ah you English – you’re so modest!’
Jake continued. ‘But he couldn’t have done it alone. He had to get someone in there first to help shoehorn his way in. Smooth the way if you like. And then keep it smooth while he did the important stuff. His PA, so to speak.’
Jake paused. ‘Annie, we know who his accomplice is.’
Annie looked at Jake. His eyes softened as he spoke.
‘It had to be someone who could tell him things about the family so he knew all the right buttons to press. Someone who had infiltrated the family. Someone who also had access to the company’s files.’
Annie gasped. ‘Ohmygod!’
Jake nodded.
‘Davina!’ they both said together.
‘That’s how I was able to find the evidence,’ said Jake, his words tumbling out. ‘I knew there was something fishy about them at the opera, but I just couldn’t put my finger on it. There was a lot of hostility between them and yet … they seemed to be communicating without talking. And although she was flirting with me, she was thinking of Edward. Basically,’ he paused. ‘Well, basically, she reminded me of me.’ He shrugged, and Annie was too stressed to notice the deep blush deepen across his
cheekbones. ‘I realised they must have been involved with each other at some point. And then it dawned on me. They still are involved with each other. But they’re having to keep it a secret. The name “Davina” was Edward’s password to a file that showed me everything I needed to know.’
With effort, Annie closed her mouth and blinked. Both at the same time. While breathing. Multi-tasking.
‘So that’s why she hates me so much!’ she whispered. ‘She’s been jealous.’
‘You were datin’ Edward, weren’t you?’
Annie grimaced.
‘Sorry hon, but we need to know everything,’ insisted Candyfloss Cop. ‘Were you sleepin’ with the guy? Givin’ him pillow talk?’
Jake stood up.
‘This is between you two, I think. I’ll leave you to it. I have some e-mails to be getting on with anyway. Can I use your office?’
Candyfloss Cop wasn’t letting him get away that quickly.
‘I’ll be outta here in a little while,’ he said. ‘I’ll call you on your mobile for a rendezvous.’
‘OK,’ said Jake, already half-way out of the room.
Annie directed him down the hall.
When he had gone, Candyfloss Cop leaned forward. ‘He’s a handsome guy ain’t he?’
‘Who?’
‘Edward.’
Annie nodded absent-mindedly. Had Jake just admitted that while he was flirting with Sophie he was thinking of her?
The cop started putting her in the picture.
Davina Barker had been working with Eddie Goddard for over a year. He had sought her out when she had first started working for Markhams’. She had at first only been flirting with George for obvious reasons, and enjoying the attentions of a wealthy man and the prospects that all that had entailed.
But when Edward got to her, she hadn’t stood a chance. She fell for his charms and started to risk everything she had achieved so far by siphoning off small amounts of money from the company into Eddie’s off-shore bank account.
And then the perfect opportunity presented itself for Eddie to move in. The job of chief exec came up. By now, he knew through Davina exactly what would impress George. All he had to do was turn up at the polo club for a couple of months, mention his distant connections, and hey presto. He got the job. Now he could oversee Davina. And, once he was in, and didn’t need Davina as much as before, he made a move on Annie Markham, whom he’d always fancied. Simple.
It all made perfect sense to Annie now. The more Davina had fallen for Edward, the more she was losing interest in her own far slower game with George. And the more interest Eddie had shown in Annie, the more jealous Davina had grown of her.
Persuading Annie Page 28