Letter from a Stranger (9 page)

They always made up eventually, and things normalized again. But looking back she acknowledged that they were either in each other’s arms or at each other’s throats.… It had been the most tumultuous of marriages. After one of these rows had occurred, her grandmother had not come to the country for a while. She had gone instead to Huntington to stay with her close friend and lawyer, Trent, at his house on the water overlooking Long Island Sound. Sometimes Gran took them with her, and she and Rich enjoyed those trips, and enjoyed being with Uncle Trent, who made them laugh and spoiled them and thought up fantastic treats. Her mother never wanted them to go out there to Long Island, mostly because she did not like Trent Saunders. Not at all.

She was jealous, Justine suddenly thought, jealous of Trent’s presence in Gran’s life. What was it that she had once muttered? “Nobody can take the place of my father.” But Deborah’s father had died when she was seven. She had idealized him. She had always been going on about Peter Hardwicke.

How odd that she had forgotten hearing her mother say that to Gran, and for so many years. Unexpectedly, it stood out in her mind now, perhaps because it informed her, told her something important: Trent Saunders had been more than her grandmother’s American lawyer, he had been a special friend, very special indeed. I hope he was, Justine thought, seeing her grandmother in her mind’s eye, the lovely-looking blonde with blue eyes and a mischievous laugh, always so elegant and charming, and ever the lady, the genuine thing. A class act.

Anger flared in her. Anger with her mother. For a split second, she was again tempted to call her in China, but resisted. Why alert her to anything? Far better to confront her when she had accomplished what she had come here to do. And yet again she was positive her grandmother’s whereabouts would not be forthcoming. Her mother’s modus operandi was to always deny everything.

*   *   *

Glancing at her watch, Justine saw that it was nine thirty, and she went into the bedroom. Picking up the phone, she called room service, ordered a green salad, a plate of assorted cheeses, and a pot of English breakfast tea with lemon. This done, she found the zapper, turned on the television, found CNN, and sat down to watch the latest news, wanting to connect to the rest of the world again.

Even as a child she had loved news, was always thrilled to know what was happening around the world, which was why she had become a journalist. She had been, and still was, a news buff.

She watched CNN, found herself glancing at the crawl at the bottom of the screen, and switched to Sky News out of London. Nothing but bad news tonight, she thought, as she gazed at the screen and the unfolding events. The voice of her first news editor at the local Connecticut paper now reverberated in her brain. “
Bad news
sells newspapers,” he had constantly told his reporters. “Don’t bother to bring me good news.” Well, the world these days was one big bad news story on a global scale.

Wanting variety, she zapped again, found her own network, Cable News International, and sat glued to the screen until room service came.

The waiter eventually arrived at her door, wheeled the table into the middle of the room, and placed it so that it faced the television set. She thanked him as she signed the room service check, and then sat down, continuing to watch as she picked at the salad.

Suddenly Justine stiffened.
There was her own face.
On the screen. And an announcer’s voice saying, “Famed documentary filmmaker Justine Nolan takes you into the private realm of the world’s greatest living artist, Jean-Marc Breton. Her filmed biography of the master,
Proof of Life,
will air on this network in September as a CNI documentary special.”

Images of Jean-Marc Breton, his homes in Provence and Spain, and some of his paintings, flashed across the screen and then were gone. And so was her face. The news continued to roll. Business as usual.

Justine was taken aback. She now realized what Miranda Evans had meant when she had said, immediately after the screening, “We’ve got to maximize this, Justine. It’s a brilliant film, and it’s going to be a worldwide hit. I’m going to make sure of that. I’ll prepare a campaign immediately, do some promos.”

Miranda had said this on Tuesday. Today was Thursday. So Miranda had done the work yesterday, splicing a few key frames together, writing a couple of lines to go with them, and having Eric Froman, of the golden voice, do a voice-over. Just a few good words had been enough to accompany those vivid visuals. And
voilà
! Here was a promo on air tonight. Miranda Evans was moving swiftly, working well ahead of time. She was obviously convinced she really did have a potential hit on her hands. But then Miranda had always promoted her, backed her with a network right from the beginning.

Wow, oh wow! Justine was pleased, and went to find her cell, punched in Richard’s number, needing to share this with her brother.

When he answered, she said, “Rich, it’s me. Is this a bad time? Or can you talk?”

“Hi. And it’s okay, I’m in my office. What’s happening?”

“Well, listen to this! Miranda’s worked wonders already. I’ve just seen the first promo for
Proof of Life
on CNI. Imagine that. I saw it by accident, and obviously she had the promo made yesterday when I was flying here. I must admit, it took me by surprise.”

“Hey, that’s great. I’ll keep a lookout for it tonight. And she is a fast worker. How was your day?”

“A bit disappointing, in one sense. Anita and Gran are
not
in the Istanbul phone book. But I guess we knew that. Iffet is checking with the land registry office, to see if they’re listed there. They would be if they own homes here. Eddie hasn’t been able to find any trace of those companies Gran was involved with. You know, Exotic Lands and Faraway Places. As he put it, ‘There’s zilch in London.’ He even suggested they might not have existed.”

“He’s wrong. Gran talked about them to us, and she didn’t invent such things. She probably closed them down many years ago, and he hasn’t gone back far enough. Let’s hope Iffet finds something positive.”

“I came up with a couple of other ideas. I thought Iffet could take me to see some dealers in carpets and ceramics. If I’m lucky we’ll find somebody who knew Gran, and knows where she lives today.”

“Brilliant idea. I know you’re on the right track, so just keep going. Call me tomorrow. I will have to run now, Juju, I’ve got a meeting starting in a few minutes.”

“It’s ten o’clock at night here, so I’m going to bed soon. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

They both clicked off, and Justine sat back, cut into a piece of cheese and placed it on a cracker. She had a brainstorm.
Interviews,
she thought. I can do some interviews about
Proof of Life.
Explain I’m here to do research, may make a documentary about Istanbul. Television, newspapers.

She jumped up, went to get her notebook, looked at the list of names Joanne had given her, contacts in the media here. A brainwave indeed. If she couldn’t find Anita and Gran she would have them find her. The media was the key. I’ve got to put my face in front of Gran, she added to herself. It’s the only way.

Nine

They were in the middle of the teeming city in the heat. It was unusually warm for May, according to Iffet, and Justine was relieved she had chosen to wear white cotton trousers, a white cotton shirt with a turquoise tank top underneath, and very comfortable shoes.

For the moment the two women were cooling off in the leafy gardens in Sultanahmet Square. Having started out early on this Friday morning, they had already been to Topkapi Palace, once the residence of the Ottoman sultans, in the adjoining district. When they had first arrived in this square, they had visited the Blue Mosque and then the Hagia Sophia Church, which faced each other across the gardens.

Justine had been impressed by both of these ancient monuments. The Blue Mosque, famous for its Ottoman architecture, had six minarets, a number of golden domes with spires, and 250 windows. Once inside, she had been captivated by the blue-and-white ancient Iznik tiles lining the walls. Immediately they had reminded her of the blue-and-white reproductions which her father and grandmother had sold at their showroom in Manhattan.

Justine knew from Iffet that the Hagia Sophia Church was one of the world’s greatest architectural achievements. It had been built by the Emperor Justinian in the Byzantine period. The enormous edifice seemed more like a cathedral to her.

Now turning to Iffet, Justine said, “Thank you for showing me these extraordinary places. I’ve really enjoyed our morning of sightseeing, but I’d like to take a rest now, wouldn’t you?”

“I would. I think touring these two religious places, plus the Topkapi Palace, is enough to take in on one morning.”

“I wouldn’t mind going to the Spice Market later. But shall we go somewhere for lunch first?”

Iffet nodded, pulled out her cell, and dialed. A moment later she was asking Selim, the driver, to come and pick them up. After listening to him for a few seconds, she clicked off, and said, “We must walk down here, Justine, toward the Bazaar Quarter, it will be easier for him. It’s all to do with parking.”

*   *   *

“This restaurant is an old favorite of mine and everyone else’s,” Iffet explained. “But it is quite hard to find if you don’t know where to look.” Her brown eyes danced. “But here we are,” she added, walking past the main entrance to the Spice Market, and leading Justine toward a steep flight of stone stairs. “It’s called Pandeli’s, and it’s on the first floor.”

Iffet climbed quite swiftly; Justine followed on a little more slowly, telling herself she needed to get back to the gym. Immediately.

As they went inside the restaurant, Justine said in a low but excited voice, “Well, this was certainly worth the climb, Iffet.”

“I know,” she answered with a laugh.

The two women were greeted warmly by a waiter and led to a table near a window. They both ordered sparkling water, and took the menus offered. Justine, glancing around, exclaimed, “The aqua-colored tiles are gorgeous and the domes architecturally stunning. What a lovely place.”

“It’s popular with the discerning locals, and the food is delicious,” Iffet said. “I hope you will try the börek, they are renowned here, Justine. Little pastry triangles with cheese and herb filling, and once they are fried they swell up and turn brown.”

“I’m going to try them. Actually, I’m quite hungry; I didn’t eat much last night, and I never really have a proper breakfast.” She picked up the menu and scanned it, and realized she liked the sound of many of the items listed. Finally she decided to order sea bass cooked in paper. “I’m going to have the fish,” she said.

“So am I.” Iffet beckoned the waiter, and ordered for them, took a sip of water before continuing. “There are a lot of palaces to see, and other museums. We must go slowly. I do not want to tire you, Justine. It is a good idea to visit the Spice Market after lunch. Tomorrow perhaps you wish to go to the Grand Bazaar.”

“I’d love it. You see, what happens to me is that I get visually overburdened if I view too many buildings and objects. I lose my judgment. I’m better if I pace myself. And listen, thanks for this morning. You are very knowledgeable. I was genuinely fascinated by Topkapi Palace and especially the women’s quarters, the harem.”

Leaning forward, she then said, “I had something of a brainwave when we were going around Topkapi. It suddenly struck me that I would like to do a biography of Istanbul … on film, of course. This place has such an extraordinary story to tell.… I think I would call it
Biography of a City.
”

Iffet was staring at her. “What a clever idea.
Exciting.
”

Justine was speaking the truth. The idea
had
suddenly hit her in the face when they were viewing the harem. She understood at once how fascinating a story about Istanbul could be. It was something she decided she would research once she had found her grandmother.

Iffet was asking how she could help Justine with this idea for the documentary when her cell phone buzzed. She answered it, listened attentively, gave her thanks, and clicked off. “That was my office. I am so sorry, Anita Lowe is not listed at the land registry office.”

“Oh.” Justine felt a rush of dismay. She cleared her throat. “And Gabriele Hardwicke? Is she listed?”

“No, she is not. If you knew which district they lived in, that could be a help. I could send someone to do an additional check.”

“I have no idea,” Justine murmured, and blinked, then glanced away.

Iffet realized immediately that Justine was tremendously disappointed. Her expression was crestfallen and her blue eyes looked moist, as if she might suddenly cry.

“It is
important
to you, isn’t it, Justine? That you find these two ladies?”

“Extremely important.”

A silence fell between the two women. Iffet couldn’t help wondering what this was all about and why her new friend was so upset.

Justine was asking herself if she should confide in Iffet, and immediately canceled out that idea. She had met Iffet only yesterday, and could hardly tell her about the letter from Anita. She would hesitate to tell anyone. Her mother had done a horrifying thing and she didn’t want a soul to know. Other than Joanne, who was like a sister to her. On the other hand, perhaps she owed this very nice woman a bit of an explanation. An edited version of the truth.

She was about to speak out when the waiter arrived with the börek, and so she sat back in the chair, wanting to wait until they were alone.

*   *   *

Justine realized that she and her brother might have made a terrible mistake. They had decided Anita Lowe lived in Istanbul because the letter she had written bore an Istanbul postmark. But she might have simply been passing through the city, or on vacation. The truth was they didn’t have any idea where Anita lived, nor their grandmother either. And she was more anxiety-ridden than ever.

For a moment her frustration soared. How foolish they had been, and she in particular. She pressed down on these feelings, and made up her mind to confide in Iffet, although only to a certain extent. She was far too ashamed of her mother’s behavior to reveal that awful part of the story. She would have to fudge the estrangement, and put the focus on finding the two women.