In Focus (2009) Page 10

  ‘You still can’t tell me what it’s about?’

  She was tempted. Very. But no, this was for Pete’s ears alone. ‘I’m sorry. It’s not my secret, you see.’

  ‘All right. What have you been doing today? Something nice?’

  ‘Working.’

  ‘On a Sunday?’

  ‘And cleaning my flat.’

  ‘Busman’s holiday.’

  He still thought she was a cleaner, she realized, but as she opened her mouth to say she’d been working at the office, he spoke.

  ‘When can I see you again, Beth?’

  She hesitated. ‘I don’t know.’

  ‘I really enjoyed our time together. Didn’t you? Until I spoiled it, that is.’

  Generous of him to take all the blame. And heaven help her, she couldn’t tell him that she hadn’t enjoyed herself, because she did want to see him again. ‘So did I.’

  ‘Let’s go out on Thursday.’

  ‘Look, I do want to see you again, but I’ve got a couple of crises with my family at the moment and I really need to sort those out before I do anything else. Can we wait a couple of weeks and then . . . we can do something together?’

  Silence.

  She hardly dared to breathe, worrying he’d give up on her after such a lukewarm response. ‘Is that all right with you, Edward?’

  ‘You’re not trying to let me down easily? If you don’t want to go out with me, tell me straight out.’

  ‘I’m telling you the absolute truth. Look, I can tell you about one of the things that’s come up. It’s my daughter. I’ve not seen her for five years, ever since she ran away as a teenager, except for a few emails to let me know she’s alive. And now she’s back in my life again. We met for the first time in years. And she has a son.’

  His voice softened. ‘That is a major change. Are you happy about it?’

  ‘Yes, over the moon.’ She laughed softly. ‘You may not want to date a grandmother, though.’

  He echoed her laughter, real amusement in his voice. ‘I never have before, but there’s always a first time. Two weeks?’

  ‘Give or take. I’ll ring you.’

  ‘Promise.’

  ‘I promise.’

  As she put the phone down she smiled. She really liked Edward, had enjoyed his company very much. Well, they were both rather quiet, private people, she’d guess. He sounded tired of the hectic life of being Pete Newbury’s manager.

  Why she’d confided in him about Jo today, she couldn’t work out, though. That wasn’t at all like her. But he’d seemed to understand how important getting to know her daughter again was to her. And her grandson. She smiled. She had a grandson!

  The following day, Beth went into the office early to make sure the week got off to a good start. At half past nine she went out to reception.

  ‘No calls till I tell you, Sandy. I’ve got something important to sort out.’

  She found the piece of paper with Pete Newbury’s office number on it and took a minute to steady herself before ringing the number.

  A bright young voice answered her. ‘Pete Newbury’s office. How may I help you?’

  ‘Could I speak to Pete, please?’

  ‘Who’s speaking?’

  ‘My name’s Beth Harding. Pete doesn’t know me, but I have some rather important information about his – um, his childhood.’

  ‘Could you give me more details?’

  ‘I’m afraid not. It’s personal.’

  ‘Mr Newbury is a very busy man and he can’t answer every query. That’s why I’m here. I’d be very happy to help you if you’ll tell me what it’s about.’

  ‘I can’t. It’s extremely personal and private. Believe me, he won’t want anyone else to know this.’

  There was silence at the other end then the bright young voice became sharper.

  ‘How did you get this number, Ms Harding? It isn’t publicly available.’

  Beth didn’t want to involve Edward. ‘A mutual friend gave it to me.’

  ‘I must ask you not to pass it on to anyone else. I’ll give you the number for the PR firm that’s handling our calls. Perhaps you’ll be able to tell them what this is about. Do you have something to write with?’

  ‘No. I mean, don’t bother to do that. I can only tell Pete himself.’

  ‘I’m sorry, but—’

  ‘Look, it’s Edward Newbury who gave me the number. He’s a friend of mine and he knew I really needed to speak to Pete.’

  There was another of those silences, then the young woman said, ‘Here’s Edward now. Perhaps you’d like to speak to him?’

  Beth nearly put the phone down, feeling humiliated by the treatment she’d received, ultra-polite, but with a scornful edge. But this was too important to abandon. Her mother’s life had been blighted for the past thirty-eight years. She needed closure – and so did Beth. She hadn’t realized how much till now.

  The blur of voices ended and Edward came on the phone. ‘Edward Newbury here.’

  ‘It’s me, Beth. The person I spoke to wouldn’t let me through to Pete.’

  ‘She would need a good reason to do that. She’s hired to be the dragon at the gates. Could you not have given her even a hint?’

  ‘No. It’s intensely personal. I promise you, Edward, that Pete wouldn’t want it to be publicly known.’

  He sighed. ‘I’ll speak to him and ring you back.’

  ‘Thank you. I’m at the office today. I’ll give you my direct number.’

  She put the phone down and rested her head in her hands. She’d probably ruined her relationship with Edward completely now.

  And that thought upset her. But not enough to stop her doing what was needed to help her mother. And herself.

  Edward went through to Pete’s office and found him skimming through a pile of requests from people wanting to appear in the Who Am I? segment. These were the better ones, weeded out from hundreds of letters before they got to him.

  ‘Just look at this one, Ed!’ Pete waved a letter at him.

  ‘Can it wait a minute? I need to ask you something.’ He quickly outlined what Beth wanted.

  ‘You’re sure she’s not a wacko?’

  ‘I’m certain. Um – I’m dating her. She’s a sane and intelligent woman of about our age. You can spare her ten minutes, surely?’

  Pete rolled his eyes. ‘All right. But only for you. Are you sure she’s not just using you to get to me? She must be a stunner for you to go to this much trouble for her. What does she do for a living?’

  ‘I think she’s very attractive in a quiet sort of way, but it’s not just that. She’s–a pleasure to be with. She works for Sherbright Cleaning Services. As far as I can make out, she works in the office and does some cleaning during the evenings when other employees are sick. Must need the extra money, I suppose.’

  Pete made a scornful sound. ‘I still say she sounds like a wacko.’

  ‘She’s not. But do it for me anyway. Ten minutes.’

  ‘Oh, very well. Fix something up with Ilsa. Only ten minutes, mind. It’s a madhouse this week.’

  Edward went out into the reception area and arranged a time, then rang Beth again. ‘Eleven-fifty on Tuesday is the only time I can get you in.’

  ‘I’ll be there,’ she said curtly and rang off.

  He sat frowning at the phone. Was Pete right? Was Beth just using him to get to his famous cousin? He was pretty sure she wasn’t.

  But how could you ever be completely sure about someone else? Especially when you’d not known them for long.

  Jo went into work early that week so that she could take extra time off with her lunch break each day to go flat hunting. When she’d explained her problem to the personnel manager, he was happy to vary her working hours.

  ‘Been meaning to say, Jo, we’re very pleased with your work, and your reliability, especially given your circumstances. How would you like to train for a supervisor’s job? It’d mean more money.’

  She had a quick think,
wondering yet again how such an inarticulate man had ever got a job managing people, but it didn’t take her long to decide. ‘I’d love to.’ Apart from the extra money, there would be more interesting work.

  ‘The child won’t make it too difficult? You’d have to work all sorts of shifts.’

  ‘I do that now. My neighbour babysits and she’s brilliant.’

  He nodded. ‘Good luck with your flat hunting, then.’

  That day she tried the last three agencies on her list and received the same knock-back from each of them. They could find her any number of luxury flats, but there was nothing available in her price range within easy reach of this district.

  She got off the bus before her usual stop, calling in at shops near home, places she knew posted ‘To let’ and ‘For sale’ notices in the window. There was nothing new since her last visit the previous week.

  Time was running short. What was she going to do? She didn’t want to ask for her mother’s help, even though she was pretty certain it’d be willingly given. She’d been so proud of standing on her own feet.

  And there was Ghita to consider as well. Her friend would flounder if she didn’t have help. Some people were just too gentle for this world.

  Tonight Ghita’s father was bringing her mother to see her. Jo went straight home, just as worried as her friend about the visit. Ghita had begged her to be present while her parents were there, which meant scrubbing up both herself and Mikey, and hoping he’d be on his best behaviour.

  What they should really be doing was getting an early evening paper and checking all the ‘To let’ notices. Why did everything always happen at once?

  Eight

  On Tuesday morning Beth took a taxi across town to Pete Newbury’s office, feeling sick with nerves. She had the childhood photos of her brother in her briefcase, but even now wasn’t sure what to say to him. How did you tell someone that he wasn’t who he thought? That his mother wasn’t really his mother?

  She arrived ten minutes early. She had to report to reception in the foyer and they rang Pete’s office before she was allowed to use the lift, then told her to wear the identity tag they gave her all the time she was in the building.

  The suite of offices was very luxurious, with carpets so thick they swallowed the sound of her footsteps completely. This added to her tension because it made everything feel unreal.

  The receptionist looked up with a cool smile. Her name badge said Ilsa and her voice revealed that she was the one who’d answered the phone. ‘Ms Harding? Please take a seat.’

  A shadow passed across the frosted glass panel behind Ilsa and Edward appeared in a doorway. ‘Come and wait in my office, Beth.’

  ‘No need to disturb your work. I’m fine where I am.’ She sat down.

  ‘I’ll see if Pete is free.’ He tapped on the other door and vanished inside.

  Pete was standing by the window, gazing down at the busy street. He didn’t turn round for a minute.

  ‘She’s here.’

  ‘Let her wait.’

  ‘I’ll have to wait too and I’ve a lot to get through today.’

  With an aggrieved sigh, Pete swung round. ‘I’m not speaking to her on my own. If she’s a wacko, she can claim anything’s happened today.’

  ‘She says it’s private, won’t even give me a hint about it.’

  ‘Since when have my business affairs been private from you?’

  ‘This isn’t business; it’s personal, apparently.’

  ‘You know about my personal life, too.’

  ‘Not all of it.’ Edward kept his temper with difficulty. Pete had been in a sour mood all morning, snapping at Gerry, at Ilsa, who simply snapped back, and at Edward, who walked away and refused to answer. A visit from a nondescript man whose reason for being there only Pete knew, had put him in an even worse mood.

  This wasn’t a good day for Beth’s visit.

  ‘I’ll see her with you or not at all.’ Pete folded his arms in one of his dramatic gestures.

  ‘Perhaps you should see her another time. You seem upset about something.’

  ‘I’m upset about a lot of things, including the way this woman’s pestering me. You are the one who insisted I see her. So bring her in and let’s get it over with. Now or never.’

  Edward decided there was nothing he could do to soften Pete’s attitude. Beth would just have to tell him whatever it was and hope for the best.

  He went to the door. ‘Would you like to come in now, Beth?’

  She did so, looking at him in surprise as he closed the door and stayed with them. ‘I need to speak to Pete privately. I told you that.’

  ‘Edward’s my manager and my cousin,’ Pete said. ‘Nothing is private from him.’

  ‘This is.’

  He leaned forward. ‘You have nine minutes left of your ten. You can spend them arguing about whether Edward should stay, or you can tell me what’s got your knickers in such a twist.’

  She stared at him in shock at this rudeness then stopped trying to cushion the blow. ‘Very well. When my little brother was nearly three, he vanished and we never saw him again. I’m quite sure you’re him.’

  Both men gaped at her.

  She reached for the briefcase and took out the folder she’d prepared. ‘This is a photo of Greg a month before he vanished. This is an image of you, regressed on your TV show.’ She laid them down on the desk, but Pete didn’t bother to pick them up.

  ‘And that’s your proof?’ He gave a scornful laugh. ‘I think not. My mother said that image didn’t look like me, and the people who wrote the computer program say the regression isn’t accurate before about six years of age.’

  ‘This time it was accurate and I also—’

  He leaned back as if to distance himself from her. ‘If you’re going to ask me for money, you can forget about it. Now, get out or I’ll call the security staff to escort you out.’

  Edward stretched out one hand. ‘Pete, there’s no need to be like that.’

  Beth moved right up to the edge of the desk. ‘Stay out of it, please, Edward.’ If anything, Pete’s scorn had stiffened her backbone. ‘There’s one other thing that decided me. You have a scar on your arm. It’s a very distinctive shape. Greg had just such a scar.’ She pulled out her final photograph and slapped it down hard on the desk. ‘Spare a few more of your precious seconds to take a really good look at it. You’ll see I’m right.’

  Edward and Pete both leaned forward. The three photos on the desk all seemed to show the same little boy. The scar showed very clearly on the third one, which was battered and cracked round the edges from much handling.

  ‘The police used that one for identification purposes. It was in all the newspapers, if you want to check that it’s genuine. I think they expected to find a body, but they didn’t. My parents and I never saw Greg again, never knew whether he was alive or dead – until I saw you on television.

  ‘My mother had a nervous breakdown at the time. I spent that first few months after the kidnapping being sent from one relative to another. When I went back home I had to look after my mother more than she looked after me, because my parents’ marriage had broken up. I don’t want or need money from you, Pete Newbury, not one damned penny. What I need is closure for my mother, who is also your mother.’ She stepped back and folded her arms.

  Pete gave her a sour look and picked up the third photo. ‘You could have doctored this.’

  ‘I wouldn’t know how. But feel free to have it tested – as long as you give me your assurance that I’ll get it back without further damage. I don’t have many photos of my little brother.’

  ‘Is your mother still alive?’ Edward asked.

  ‘Yes. She doesn’t know about this yet. I wanted to speak to you first, see how you took it, and I’m glad I did.’

  Pete looked at Edward, ignoring Beth. ‘She can’t be right . . . can she?’

  ‘The evidence sounds convincing.’

  ‘Well, I’m not believing anything till we�
��ve had some DNA tests done. And we’ll check this photo too.’

  Edward turned to look at her, upset by her white, hurt face. ‘I’ll look after the photo, Beth, I promise you. I don’t think you’re a liar, but Pete needs to be absolutely certain.’

  She hesitated then gave him the briefest of nods before reaching into her briefcase again. ‘This is a photo of me at nine, the age you were regressed to on the first TV programme.’ She held it out to her brother.

  Pete took hold of it as if it was poison-coated, looking at it with a scowl. ‘This proves nothing.’

  Edward moved forward to stare at it.

  ‘There is a distinct likeness, though. We have the same hair colour. And this is my grandson, who is three. He’s the image of what you were like at that age.’ She pulled out the precious photo Jo had given her.

  Edward knew how much that meant to her, and she was right: there was a close resemblance.

  Pete, however, was still in a bad mood. He gave it only a cursory glance and slid it back to her. ‘So what if you can prove what you say? The last thing I need is another family hanging on to my coat tails. Even if I was once your brother, I’ve moved on. I don’t want to change my life. And I definitely don’t want to upset my mother.’

  He stood up and moved round the huge desk, stopping at the door to say, ‘Deal with her, Edward. Get rid of her. I don’t believe what she says is true.’

  He left the room without a word to Beth and they heard the outer office door slam.

  ‘I’m sorry for his rudeness,’ Edward said gently. ‘Are you all right?’

  She couldn’t answer yet, was holding back tears only with difficulty.

  ‘You’re not all right. Come into my office. I’ll find out about DNA tests and we’ll have them done. I do think we ought to prove things beyond doubt, whatever we do after that.’

  She let him guide her into his office but went to stand at the window with her back to the room. A few tears escaped her. She’d never expected Pete to be so rude and dismissive. He was nothing like the cheerful, friendly man he seemed to be on his TV show. If she’d known what he was really like, she might not have come here today.

  Only, she had come now, so she’d just have to go through with it. But she wasn’t letting him near her mother in this frame of mind.