Page 64 of The Pearl Sister
‘No. I am sure you did nothing wrong.’
‘I didn’t. I really didn’t know about Ace and what he’d done. Has anyone contacted you? I mean, like the newspapers?’
‘No, but I will say nothing, even if they do.’
‘I know you won’t. Thanks, Ma. Goodnight.’
‘Goodnight,chérie.’
I ended the call, thinking how much I loved that woman. Even if my trip to Australia ended with me finding out who my biological mother had been, I couldn’t imagine anyone being more kind, understanding and supportive than Ma. She had loved us girls with all her heart – which was more than my birth mother had obviously done, because unless Pa had grabbed me out of her arms, she had given me away. There was probably an explanation; maybe she’d been sick, or poor, and thought I was going to a better life with Pa Salt.
But . . . shouldn’t the bond between mother and child be stronger than any of that?
I sat back down on the bed, wondering whether I even wanted to continue on this bizarre journey to actuallyfindthe people who had given me away. Like, maybe they didn’twantme back. Yet Maia, Ally and Star all seemed to have found new and happier lives because they’d followed their trails . . .
My mobile rang again and I saw it was Chrissie. As I answered, I wondered how she always seemed to be there just when I was feeling low.
‘Hi, CeCe? Did you go to the museum today?’
‘Yeah.’
‘Find out anything?’
‘Quite a bit, but I’m not sure what it’s got to do with me yet.’
‘Like to meet up later? I spoke to my grandma and she’d really like to meet you.’
‘Sure.’
‘So how about I swing past your hotel at three, and take you off to see her?’
‘That sounds good, Chrissie, as long as it’s no bother.’
‘No bother at all. Bye, CeCe.’
I was just tucking my mobile into my shorts pocket when it rang again and I saw it was Star.
‘Hi.’ Star sounded a bit breathless. ‘You okay?’
‘Yup. Fine. You?’
‘Yes, good. Listen, Cee, I thought I should warn you that I had a phone call today. From a newspaper.’
‘What?’
‘I’m not sure how they got my number, but they asked me if I knew where you were. I said I didn’t, of course.’
‘Jesus,’ I muttered, suddenly feeling as hunted as Ace had. ‘I really don’t know anything, Sia.’
‘I believe you, darling Cee, of course I do. I just wanted you to know that they have your full name. Do you know how?’
‘I bet it’s that Jay bloke on Railay – the one who fancied you, remember? He’s an ex-journalist and I reckon it was him who sold the photo to the papers. He’s mates with Jack at the Railay Beach Hotel and they have all our details – phone numbers, addresses and stuff – from when we checked in. And it was Jack’s girlfriend who told me Jay had recognised Ace. She’s the receptionist there. Jay probably bribed her to have a look through her paperwork.’
I heard a sudden chuckle from the other end of the line. ‘What’s so funny?’
‘Nothing. I mean, there has to be a funny side to all this, doesn’t there? Onlyyoucould end up on the front page of every newspaper with the most wanted man in the banking world and not even know who he was!’
I heard her giggle again, and suddenly she sounded like the old Star. ‘Yeah, I bet Electra’s really jealous,’ I chuckled.
