Shifting Sands (31 page)

‘I recognize you from the photos!' Vicky said, taking her hand.

‘Lovely to meet you. The rest of my family are around somewhere, but you'll see them when we go through.'

‘Your daughters are with you?' Anna asked.

‘One is, with her husband. The other lives in Brussels.'

‘Of course – you told me.'

Their attention was claimed by a burst of static from a microphone, followed by Lewis's voice.

‘Ladies and gentlemen . . .' The room fell silent. ‘I'd just like to welcome you to Mandelyns Court this evening and say how delighted I am that you're helping us to celebrate our thirty-year anniversary. Everyone here has contributed in some way to the continuing success of the Group, and this is by way of a general and very heartfelt thank you. I hope to have a word with you all individually during the evening, and to this end there'll be a complimentary bar in this room after the meal, which I hope will give everyone the chance to mingle. In the meantime, dinner is now about to be served. Enjoy your meal.'

There was a burst of applause, followed by a slow drift towards the door. As she and Wendy entered the restaurant, Anna saw that each of the round tables seated ten, though when she reached theirs, only nine places were laid. To her relief, Sophie and Angus were already there, and they were soon joined by George, his daughter Joanna and son-in-law Bruce. Searching for her name card, Anna found she was seated between George and Angus.

‘I've seen several famous faces,' Sophie informed them as they all sat down. ‘Four TV stars and two MPs, as a starter!'

‘We looked out for you at tea,' Jonathan told her.

‘Actually, we skipped it. Tamsin phoned just as we were leaving, which delayed us a bit, and then we were stuck behind a tractor for about ten miles. The joys of the countryside! This place is fabulous, though, isn't it? You should see our room!'

‘Have you been here before?' Vicky asked Wendy.

‘Not for a long time, though we did have a weekend at Woodcot a couple of years ago.'

‘I know what I'll ask for my next birthday!'

The meal was superb – individual seafood soufflés, followed by roast duckling, a magnificent cheeseboard, and a dessert of
îles flottantes
, soft meringues floating on creamy custard and topped with caramel sauce. Wines were served with each course, and coffee and liqueurs followed. There was only one toast, proposed by a thin, dark man whom George identified as Lewis's son Cameron, and they all stood to drink to: ‘Mandelyns – the next thirty years!'

Yvonne, who, with Tina, had been keeping a discreet eye on the proceedings, breathed a sigh of partial relief as the meal came to an end. Everything seemed to have gone smoothly, and her only concern was that Cameron was drinking more than usual; she hoped no one else had noticed the slight slur in his voice when he'd proposed the toast. Still, she told herself, it was understandable; they'd been under a strain for weeks now, and this was a brief chance to relax.

Tina came up to her. ‘Reckon we can escape now and have our own meal?'

‘I think so.'

‘You're staying in staff quarters tonight, aren't you?'

‘Yes, though I'll probably stick around till most of the guests have gone up.'

‘Good luck, then!' Tina nodded to the crowded drawing room. ‘The words “free bar” acted like a magnet – looks as though they're settling in for the night!'

As the meal ended, the ladies had taken what was euphemistically referred to as a ‘comfort break', and on her return, Anna, who'd been ahead in the queue, hesitated at the entrance to the restaurant, wondering whether to return to their table. As far as she could see, George, Bruce and Angus were deep in conversation, but Jonathan glanced up, saw her, and came to join her.

‘Enjoy the meal?' he asked.

‘Very much. I shan't need to eat for a week!'

‘I'm sure you can manage a drink, though, while we “mingle” as instructed! Sophie's keen to do more celebrity-spotting!'

Anna was about to reply, when a voice behind them drawled, ‘So this is Mrs Anna Farrell.'

She turned, taken aback at the tone, and looked into the flushed face of the man who'd proposed the toast – Lewis's son.

Jonathan said levelly, ‘Let me perform the honours: Ma, meet Cameron Masters; Cameron – as you guessed, my mother, Anna Farrell.'

Cameron nodded, his dark eyes intent on her face.

‘I met your father in South Africa,' Anna faltered, sensing animosity.

‘Oh, I know.'

Jonathan said, ‘If you'll excuse us, we're just—'

But to her consternation, Cameron Masters caught hold of his arm. ‘Just a minute, Farrell, I want a word with you.'

Jonathan flushed. ‘Then if you'll just let me reunite my mother with . . .'

But Cameron's grip had tightened, and suddenly his face changed, became somehow threatening. He said in a low voice, ‘You were having an affair with her, weren't you?'

Anna gave a shocked gasp, and Jonathan stared at him in stupefaction. ‘
What
did you say?'

‘Oh, don't play the innocent with me! I know! I followed her to your hotel!'

His voice was rising, and Anna, suddenly nervous, glanced anxiously round and, to her relief, saw Lewis moving quickly towards them.

‘Cameron? What's going on?'

Cameron's hand fell. ‘He was having an affair with Elise,' he said.

Lewis stiffened, his eyes moving rapidly about him. No one was looking their way. ‘We'd better go somewhere we can talk,' he said tersely. ‘Follow me.'

‘What does he mean?' Anna asked urgently as Jonathan took her arm. ‘What's he talking about?'

But Jonathan, his face white, only shook his head. Ahead of them, Lewis had opened a door, glanced inside, then waited till the three of them had entered, before closing it behind them. They were in some kind of office, furnished with a desk and chairs.

He turned to his son, his face tense. ‘You'd better explain that remark,' he said.

Cameron seemed only too ready to comply, and from his flushed face and increasingly agitated manner, Anna saw fearfully that he was more drunk than she'd realized.

‘I could tell, that last day,' he began, ‘that she was anxious to get back from Chester, though she denied it. So when we reached the hotel, I hung around to see what she'd do, and sure enough, once everyone was out of sight, she hurried straight out again and made for the taxi rank. I went after her and took the next in line.' He stared accusingly at Jonathan. ‘We followed her to the Commodore Hotel.'

Anna turned to Jonathan. ‘You were there, in Manchester? You never told me.'

‘Go on,' Lewis commanded. Jonathan, watching his face, wondered if he was reaching the same conclusion as himself. Poor bugger, he thought.

Cameron paused, his breathing laboured. ‘By the time I'd paid off the taxi,' he continued after a minute, ‘she'd disappeared. There was no sign of her in the public rooms, so the only possible explanation was that she'd gone to one of the bedrooms.'

‘But why should you think it was Jonathan's?' Anna queried, but again received no answer.

‘I was surprised – relieved, I suppose – to see her back for dinner,' Cameron went on, ‘and as soon as it was over, I took her aside and asked her where she'd been. She refused to say and cut me short by going upstairs with Tina. Later, I knocked on her door, but she wouldn't open it, and, not wanting to disturb other guests, I had to leave it.'

Lewis reached behind him for a chair. ‘I think we'd better sit down,' he said. He turned to his son, who, alone, remained standing. ‘What I don't understand is why it mattered if she'd met someone?'

Cameron didn't reply, and it was Jonathan who said flatly, ‘Because they were lovers. Had been, since before she went to Mandelyns.'

Lewis's attention switched to him. ‘What makes you say that?' he demanded harshly.

‘His mother told me.'

Cameron laughed – an ugly sound. ‘Good old Mother! Always one to rely on! I wondered why you were sniffing round her.'

‘But why make a secret of it?' Lewis demanded, and Anna ached at the hurt in his voice. ‘You could have told me, surely? After all, there was no reason why you
shouldn't
have had a relationship. And what about Alice? Ah!' He supplied the answer himself. ‘Alice – Elise. Of course.'

‘But I
still
don't understand why he suspected Jonathan,' Anna persisted.

‘He took her mobile,' Jonathan said.

There was instant, total silence as the implications of his words sank in.

Then Lewis came slowly to his feet, his face a mask. ‘My God,' he said softly.

Anna also rose and, hurrying to his side, took his hand, which closed on hers almost convulsively. Jonathan, watching the two of them, felt a constriction in his chest. This, he realized, was the greatest possible test of their feelings for each other.

Lewis's eyes were riveted on his son. ‘I think you'd better go on,' he said.

Cameron stared back at him, his eyes brilliant, his face contorted. ‘I'm sorry, Father,' he stammered in a choked voice. ‘It should never have happened. God damn it, I
loved
her!'

If he expected a response, he didn't get one, and, after a minute that seemed to last for ever, he dug a packet of cigarettes out of his pocket, extracted one, and lit it with shaking hands, inhaling deeply before continuing. ‘I didn't sleep that night. I was jealous, angry, frustrated – everything rolled into one. I knew I couldn't get through the day without knowing who she'd been with, so after breakfast I went back to her room and was about to knock, when I saw her coming down the corridor. She stopped when she saw me, but she could tell I wouldn't be put off this time, and we went into her room.'

There was a long silence. Cameron swayed on his feet, and Jonathan, pitying him in spite of everything, pushed one of the chairs towards him and he sank on to it. Tears were now coursing down his cheeks, and he made no attempt to wipe them away.

‘She swore she wasn't seeing anyone, though I could tell she was alarmed when I mentioned the Commodore. And when she
still
refused to say who she was visiting, I just . . . lost it. I caught hold of her and started to shake her, shouting at her to tell me the truth.'

There was a long pause, then, slowly, he continued. ‘She must have thought I was going to hit her, and God help me, I might have done. The table was just behind us, and the next thing I knew, she had the knife in her hand.'

Anna, only partially understanding, glanced up at Lewis. He seemed to have aged ten years in as many minutes, and her hand tightened on his, offering him what support she could.

‘We struggled for a moment or two.' Cameron's voice was ragged. ‘Then . . . I'm still not sure what happened, though God knows I've gone over it often enough. One moment we were struggling, the next, one or other of us lost our balance and we fell together. The knife—' He broke off again, this time covering his face with one hand.

Lewis cleared his throat. ‘I think we can skip the next bit,' he said, ‘but I assume it was you who sent the text?'

His son nodded. ‘God, if I could only turn the clock back! I never meant her to get hurt!'

Anna stared from one Masters to the other, unable to take it in.
Lewis's son
had killed that girl? Numbed by the enormity of it, above all fearful for Lewis, she pressed closer and, disengaging his hand, he put his arm round her and pulled her against him.

Jonathan, having expected to be the one to support his mother, realized, with mixed feelings, that he'd been superseded and, even in the macabre circumstances, found he was glad of it. As Cameron appeared to have come to the end of his account, he took up the story.

‘Elise texted me to say she'd prefer not to meet in public,' he began, ‘so I sent back my room number. Cameron would have seen that, and my name in her list of contacts; he phoned my number later, to check. But she was telling the truth, Cameron: our connection was strictly business.'

Cameron gazed at him with bloodshot eyes. ‘So why the hell
did
she meet you?'

‘To discuss the memory stick.'

Both Masters stared at him in disbelief.

‘
Elise
had the memory stick?' Lewis demanded incredulously.

‘Yes; she copied the files because she was convinced one of your products was responsible for some deaths. She'd tried to talk to Cameron about it, but he threatened her with court proceedings, so she contacted me, knowing I did investigative work. But I have to say it took three or four attempts before she could bring herself to tell me. She'd meant to bring the evidence, as she saw it, to my hotel that evening, but you were late back and she hadn't time to go to her room and collect it.'

Jonathan hesitated, realizing thankfully there was no need to mention his own visit the following day. ‘So she posted it to me the next morning. She must have been coming back from doing so, when she met Cameron.'

‘Which explains the open safe,' Cameron said dully. ‘The police kept harping on about that.'

‘You shopped me to the police, didn't you?' Jonathan accused. ‘But why wait over a week after you'd phoned to check on me?'

Cameron shrugged wearily. ‘It was an attempt to deflect them. Once they had the memory stick, they redoubled their efforts at Mandelyns, questioning everyone all over again. I was . . . afraid the truth might come out.'