“Thank you.” It was all she could manage.
“Is there anything else?”
Allegra sucked in a deep breath. “Only one thing.”
“What’s that?”
“I was surprised to see you covering the social pages.”
Grantham gave a short laugh, clearly relieved the conversation was nearing an end. “The social page reporter took your photograph but couldn’t find any info to accompany it. I helped him out, and they credited me with the article.”
He hung up and Allegra sat gazing out the window, appalled to learn Luke had been injured too. He’d trusted the wrong people. Forgivable in the circumstances, especially if those you trusted were intent on deception. But she knew him well enough to know he wouldn’t see it that way. He would blame himself, believing the buck stopped with him.
A lump formed in her throat and her eyes misted over. He’d made a human error, and despite Martin dying on his watch, she knew he would have acted to the best of his ability.
But it was war. Bad things went down, and a betrayal of such magnitude would leave an indelible imprint. Little wonder he hadn’t trusted her after the fiasco with the contract.
Had he lost faith in people generally, or in his own ability to judge character?
The phone buzzed, a sharp reminder of where she was.
“Yes, Josie?”
“Mr. Poole wants to see you in his office.”
Allegra sat straighter in the chair, her headache worsening by the minute. “Did he say what it’s about?” A summons from the senior partner this early usually meant a new case, but with everything going on, it could mean just about anything.
“No. He only said for you to go right up.”
Fearing the worst, Allegra banged down the phone. She switched her mobile onto ‘auto reply’ advising anyone who called she was in a meeting. Leaving the phone on the desk, she grabbed a pad and pen and took the elevator to the seventh floor.
***
Luke took the light globe off the landlady so she could unlock the door of Arthur Clements’ room. “He’s been complaining of bad light in here for weeks now. You’re tall, you can change it for me. If he suspects I’ve been in his room, I’ll have an excuse.”
Luke brushed past her, and as she closed the door he reached up and twisted out the old globe, replacing it with the new one. He flicked on the switch.
The light was better.
Luke reached into his pocket and pulled out a pair of latex gloves. He had a list of Allegra’s clients with him, and Clements wasn’t on it. Tom was already searching up his record, current place of employment and the name of his parole officer. Hopefully, the information would be sitting in his email by the time he was done here.
The landlady raised her eyebrows. “What are you looking for?”
Luke pulled on the gloves with a snap and studied the dismal room. “Anything that links him to my client.”
With her standing over him like a foreman, Luke began a search of the wardrobe. The bland mix of chain store merchandise revealed nothing, though the size was consistent with what he knew of the guy.
After going through the wardrobe, he moved to the bed. He pulled back the bedclothes, ignoring the landlady’s clicking tongue as he patted around the sides of the mattress. Then he tipped it up on its side and looked underneath. Nothing.
As she grumbled and re-made the bed, Luke rifled through the small chest of drawers. Again, nothing but socks and underwear.
He raked his fingers through his hair. What had he expected to find? The guy’s wallet complete with photo ID inside? His adversary was smarter than that.
“Can I see the common room? Then I’ll take a look at the car.”
She gave him a doubtful look. “You can, but you won’t find anything. And don’t question the tenants. All we know about Arthur is that he has a casual job packing shelves in a supermarket. And he volunteers somewhere two days a week.”
She stood aside to let him pass and locked the door behind them. Then she led the way to the common room.
“They’ve gone,” she announced as they stepped into the room. “Probably in the kitchen making a cuppa.”
A retro looking coffee table holding a stack of magazines stood in the centre of the floor, while a lounge and a number of mismatched easy chairs were angled towards a large flat screen. Two faded landscapes clashed with the geometric 70’s wallpaper.
The landlady waved an arm around the room. “See, nothing here.”
With a frustrated sigh, Luke surveyed the room. The house was turning up empty. Maybe he’d have more luck with the car.
As he turned to leave, a stack of newspapers caught his attention. Striding across the room he picked them up, looking for yesterday’s paper.
“Did you get Sunday’s Herald?”
“Yeah, it should be there.”
Luke looked up, remembering something he’d seen in Clements’ room. “It’s not.”
The landlady sighed, just about out of patience.
“I need to see his room again, take a look at his shoes. I’ll only be a minute.”
“His shoes?” she muttered, shaking her head and stomping out into the hallway. “Lucky you’re cute.”
Back in the room, Luke manoeuvred his way around the landlady’s bulk and stared at the shoes standing just inside the door. Bending over, he grabbed the folded newspaper from underneath them.
Sunday’s Herald.
Heart slamming in his chest, he thumbed through the paper, searching for the article on Allegra.
Then suddenly he was staring at the social page. Half of it was missing. Arthur Clements had carefully cut out the article, refolded the newspaper and placed his shoes on top of it.
Not so smart after all.
His breath coming hard and fast, Luke reefed his phone from his pocket and dialled Tom. He held up the paper for the landlady to see.
“My client’s photo was in this paper yesterday.”
He watched her mouth fall open as Tom picked up.
“Hey Luke.”
“We’ve got him.”
***
Simon ushered her into his office, pointing at the pad in her hand. “You won’t need that, Allegra.”
Butterflies took flight in her abdomen at his unusually subdued demeanour. She slid the pad and pen onto the desk and perched on the edge of the seat, watching as Simon sat down in the high backed green leather chair.
With an apologetic smile, he extracted two envelopes from a desk drawer and held them out to her. “I received these about fifteen minutes ago. One came to me and one was sent to Henry. Both marked ‘Confidential’”.
Allegra froze, the familiar sight of the ominous old envelopes filling her with such humiliation she couldn’t bring herself to touch them. She could only stare into the confused eyes of her boss as every pore of her skin oozed embarrassment.
When she didn’t reach for them, he laid the offending items on the desk. “You’re not curious about the contents?”
She looked to him for confirmation. “Photographs?”
“Yes.”
“Anything written on them?”
“No.” A worried frown creased his forehead. “You can imagine my shock. Who would do such a thing?”
Allegra shook her head with a weary sigh. “We don’t know.” We?
“So these aren’t the first?”
“No.”
Simon took a deep breath and sat back in his chair. “Allegra. You need to tell me what kind of trouble you’re in.”
She held Simon’s gaze and steadied herself, garnering every ounce of strength she possessed. How she handled this could very well decide her future.
And her mother’s future.
As succinctly as possible, she gave him her reasons for having the photographs taken, her state of mind at the time, and the events of the past week.
Simon listened carefully, interrupting her every so often when he needed clarification. He looked disappointed whe
n she admitted parting ways with Luke.
“There was an article in the paper …” she began.
“I saw it. Is it true, the connection between Luke and your brother?”
She nodded. “We, I, haven’t been able to get past it.”
Simon’s eyes narrowed. “If you can’t work things out with Neilson, hire someone else. Your safety is paramount.”
Allegra nodded, touched and grateful for his support. She’d been anticipating irritation and even anger from the senior partner. “I’ll see to it immediately.”
“And take leave until the situation’s resolved. You won’t be at your best, distracted like this.”
“Oh!” She hadn’t seen that coming. No doubt he was trying to help, but making her take leave would deprive her of the most important thing in her life.
Luke’s face flashed in her mind, but she pushed it aside.
“I’d rather be at work, Simon. I’m perfectly safe here.”
He ignored her protests. “We’ve invested time and money in you, Allegra. You have a stellar career, and we’re not going to risk it over one poor decision.”
Her heart swelled. Simon Poole had proved himself to be a loyal person. Maybe she could convince him to let her keep working. The thought of being couped up all day with nothing to occupy her mind filled her with horror.
“Thank you for your support, though I’d prefer to keep working.”
He shook his head. “You need time to straighten this out. You were right not involving the police. Keeping something like this under wraps would have proved impossible. And Neilson’s a professional.”
Allegra stayed silent. She longed to ring Luke and apologise for her behaviour, beg him to stay on her case. Stay with her. But she couldn’t. If she asked him not to walk away, he’d stay—for Martin.
No, she’d call the other security firm and fill them in. She’d been dealing with the other security guy for the past ten months as it was. And they weren’t that bad.
“I know it’s difficult when you’re personally involved with someone,” Simon was saying.
‘Personally involved’ didn’t go anywhere close to covering how she felt. She loved Luke madly, but she wasn’t about to admit it to Simon Poole. Not with her job on the line.
She stared at the crystal paperweight on the desk, feeling like a school girl on detention for someone else’s misdemeanour.
“You should take these.” Simon picked up the envelopes and handed them to her. “Give them to your investigator. Whomever you choose.”
She’d take that as her cue to leave.
Silently she stood and reached for the envelopes, mortified that the man she so admired, her mentor, had seen photographs of her like that. It had to be every bit as embarrassing for him as it was for her.
She turned away.
“Allegra.”
She halted, not trusting herself to speak.
“If those photographs weren’t evidence material, I would feed them into the shredding machine this very moment, and we’d never speak of them again.”
“Thank you.” Somehow she managed to push the words past the contracted muscles in her throat.
She watched as he came around the desk and held the door open for her. “Arrange for the junior members of your team to take over. They can keep in contact with you via email. Call me if you need anything.”
“I will.”
“And don’t be too hard on yourself. It’s all very well to look back with crystalline hindsight, but at the time we do the best we can.” With a sympathetic smile he retreated into his office, no doubt relieved their meeting was over.
She stepped into the outer office and stared at the two envelopes in her hand. She had to forget about her cases for the moment, and as hard as it would be, forget about Luke. She had to make a fresh start, hire a new security expert and move forward. At least she had an ally in Simon.
As Allegra forced her wooden legs to move, the elevator announced its arrival with a subtle chime. To her surprise the doors sighed opened to reveal Josie, a distraught look on her face. She had Allegra’s satchel in her hands.
For one idiotic moment Allegra wondered if Simon expected her to leave immediately.
She took her bag from Josie. “Why are you bringing me this? What’s going on?”
“I just got a call from Groves Hill. Your mother’s taken a turn and they’re not sure she’ll pull through. You have to go immediately. I’ll drive.”
Chapter Seventeen
Allegra pointed at her red Golf, puffing from the sprint through the underground parking lot. “You don’t have to drive. My car’s right here.”
A flash of headlights illuminated Josie’s features as she unlocked a small blue sedan about four cars along from Allegra’s. From the determined set of her chin it was clear she wouldn’t hear any more protests.
“You’re in no state to drive,” she said, throwing her handbag onto the rear seat.
Allegra opened the passenger door and sank into the seat, her chest tight with barely controlled panic. “Thanks, Josie.”
She glanced at her P.A. as she slid in behind the wheel. “Who phoned?”
“I don’t know. I was in the loo. One of the other girls answered my phone and gave me the message straight away.”
Allegra bit down on her lip as Josie accelerated up the ramp and joined the queue of cars at the exit gate. A driver up ahead swiped his card and the grill rolled upwards with a screech, allowing the line of vehicles to pass through.
They got the run of the lights, driving against the flow of morning peak hour traffic, the electronic tag beeping as they passed through the Harbour Bridge toll gates.
Allegra’s stomach tightened and she fought down the rising nausea. She loved her mother desperately and she loved Luke. In the space of twenty-four hours, it seemed she would lose them both. Suddenly the publication of the photographs didn’t seem quite so important.
She glanced over at the speedometer. “Don’t speed, Jos. It’ll only make things worse if we have an accident.”
The car slowed, and Allegra kept her mouth shut then, and let her P.A. drive. From the height of the bridge she stared down at the Luna Park rollercoaster built out over the water. The laughing clown’s face that formed the entrance to the fun park seemed to mock her fear.
Once on the north shore they took the Manly exit and headed towards the Spit. As Josie slowed at the designated zones, Allegra watched as parents dropped their children off to school.
She caught Josie’s sympathetic glance as they crossed the famous drawbridge at Middle Harbour, and then a worried silence filled the car for the remainder of the journey until Josie finally turned into the driveway of Groves Hill.
“Do you want me to come in?” Josie asked as she brought the car to a halt.
Allegra hopped out, slung her satchel over her shoulder and spoke to Josie through the open door. “I’ll be fine, really.”
“What if the worst happens?” Josie’s voice quavered. “You’ll be all alone.”
“Don’t you worry. The staff are like family.”
Josie didn’t look convinced. “Oh, I put your phone in your bag.”
“I’ll be in touch.”
As Josie drove off, Allegra hurried up the ramp to the rear door, panic wiping her memory clean as she stared at the access keypad. She’d punched in the code a thousand times. How could she forget it now?
Along the veranda, the laundry door opened. “Allegra?”
Oh God! It was Brian Morag. They were on the lookout for her. It could only mean bad news.
“Your mother’s a lot better.”
For a moment his words failed to penetrate her panic-filled mind. Then gradually her alarm receded, and she sagged with relief, limbs weary from the adrenaline coursing through her system.
“Oh.” Unmitigated joy welled up inside her. “Oh, that’s welcome news.”
Gathering her strength, she hurried along the veranda, following him as he stepped ba
ck inside the laundry. “Honestly Brian. I’ve had the week from hell. What happened to Mum?”
To her surprise he ducked behind her and closed the door.
Allegra swung around, glancing to where he’d been folding clothes at the long bench. Strange, she couldn’t remember seeing him in this part of the building before. Wasn’t he a volunteer who helped the residents play bingo and carpet bowls? What was he doing down here in the laundry?
Her heart fluttered like a trapped bird, intuition warning her of something amiss. She heard Luke’s voice in her head. Intuition is your internal sat nav.
She hid her shaking hands in the pockets of her suit coat. No. She was being ridiculous, beginning to suspect everyone. Soon she’d be jumping at shadows on the wall.
And then he turned around.
The hair on the back of her neck stood up.
Brian Morag’s lips twisted into a snarl and his eyes turned cruel and hard. She’d seen those eyes before, peering out from behind a mask.
Instinctively she stepped back, wincing as the bench hit her in the small of her back. “You …?”
He didn’t utter a word, just stood between her and the door, staring at her with a violent intent that turned her blood to ice.
Allegra screamed.
Searched for a weapon.
He came towards her with a feral growl and she filled her lungs with oxygen, but he grabbed her hair, snapping her head back with a viciousness that sucked the scream from her throat. Blinded by tears of pain, she kicked at his shins and tried gouging his eyes as Luke had taught her.
A kick connected, and he howled in pain, momentarily loosening his grip. Allegra stumbled forward, scalp burning as she lunged for the doorknob. Desperately she twisted it back and forth.
It wouldn’t budge!
He was right behind her, his breath hot on her neck.
She shuddered, and her spine turned to liquid.
As she raised her hands to pound on the door, he brought something down over her face. She gasped, inhaled some kind of toxic fume.
Her vision blurred, and she stumbled.
“Your week from hell just got worse,” he rasped, almost wrenching her arm from its socket.
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