Page 194 of The Pearl Sister
‘I miss you both too.’
‘So, I’m just about to phone and jack in my job in Broome. D’ya think it’s the right thing to do?’
‘Chrissie, I’m about to jack in my life here in England. Of course it is! It’s what you want to do.’
There was a pause on the line.
‘So you’re definitely coming back?’
‘Course I am,’ I said firmly.
‘Then I will.’
‘What?’
‘Jack in my job, idiot! What about Ace? Have you seen him?’
‘Yeah, yesterday. He’s in a bad way.’
‘Oh, but you’re definitely coming back?’
‘I said so, didn’t I?’
‘Yeah, you did. Listen, this is costing your grandpa a fortune, so I’ll say goodnight. Miss you.’
‘I miss you too.’
I went round the apartment and watered Star’s plants. It was one small thing I could do for her, as she did so much for me. That made me consider my dependency on her, and the way that I had already slipped back into her helping me do the stuff that I wasn’t good at.
Later on in bed, I decided that, if I did go and visit the now infamous Linda, I would do it by myself.
* * *
After the short train journey to Ashford the next morning, I took a taxi to the address Orlando had given me.
‘We’re here, miss,’ said the cabbie, pointing at the house. I asked him to drive past it and turn into the next side road.
‘If I’m not back in ten minutes, you can leave,’ I said, bunging him an extra fiver. ‘I’ll call you later.’
I walked along the road and paused as nonchalantly as I could opposite the house, which stood in a row of similar houses.The Cottagewas written on a little wooden sign on the gate. Crossing the road, I saw that the patch of garden fronting the house was immaculate. I opened the gate and walked up the path to ring the bell, trying to work out what I would say. Before I got there, the door flew open.
‘If you’re here to preach to me about supporting you in the local council elections, I’m not interested.’
The woman was about to slam the door but I put my palm out to hold it open.
‘No, I’m CeCe D’Aplièse, Ace’s friend from Thailand.’
‘What?’ The woman peered at me. ‘Good grief! It’syou!’
‘Yes.’ The door was still partially held open by my palm, and as she stood there gaping at me, I took in her brown hair cut into a sensible and unflattering bob, a neat blouse and what Star and I would call an old woman’s skirt, because the material reached to cover just beyond her kneecaps. She was obviously still speechless, so I continued. ‘I just wanted to talk to you.’ I watched her brown eyes leave me, darting left and right outside.
‘How did you find me?’
‘On the electoral register. I saw Ace at the prison. He thinks it was me who gave the newspapers that photo, but it wasn’t. I really believe he’s a good person underneath it all. And’ – I swallowed – ‘he helped me when I needed it, and I just feel like he’s got no friends right now, and he really, really needs some,’ I finished, panting with the effort of trying to say the right thing.
Eventually she nodded.
‘You’d better come in.’
