‘What are you saying? Is he dangerous?’
He held her gaze. ‘I’d just feel happier if you do what I recommend.’
Chapter 46
After Tucker had left, Megan rang Ellerman’s home number. On her second attempt she got an answer. Megan was intrigued to hear Dee’s voice. It was hesitant, cautious. She had a slight Portsmouth accent.
‘Hello?’
‘Hello, is that Dee?’
‘Yes. Who is this?’
‘My name is Paula Seymour,’ she lied. ‘I’m one of the women on the list, on the letter?’
‘What do you want? My husband has gone out.’
‘I want to talk to you. I’m really sorry to involve you in all this but you are already and I thought I’d better keep you updated. I have met with some of the women on the list… we decided to meet and discuss what we should do. I know it must seem really weird to you but a lot of the women had thought they were in a committed relationship with your husband. For many of them this is a massive blow. I wanted to phone you to involve you in what we have decided. I know that Lisa talked to you. She said, in her opinion, you were not going to get involved. I hate to state the obvious, but you are involved… Your husband has defrauded several women out of money and they want it back. For them, the way they see it, they have lost everything.’
‘They shouldn’t have got involved with a married man.’
‘No, of course, and they didn’t. They got involved with a man who said his wife knew all about his life as a single man, that she even had the same arrangement going.’
‘I don’t.’
‘No, well, I can hear what you’re saying but JJ is a very convincing liar and we all fell for it. I wanted to talk to you to clarify things. Can I ask you – did you know that we all existed?’
‘No.’
‘So JJ has never admitted to having affairs? You’ve never discovered anything?’
‘Yes. Years ago. I found out he’d had an affair.’
‘And what? You thought that was the end of it?’
‘No. I thought that I would let him get enough rope to hang himself.’
‘I’m sorry – this isn’t a criticism, but why didn’t you leave him, if you feel that way?’
‘Because I don’t want to.’
‘How can you want to stay with someone like that? I’m sorry, I don’t mean to upset you. I know that JJ told me that as well as other women you have had problems with depression. Well, I can help you get some help with that. We can support you now. I’d like to. I think you must have gone through some awful times.’
‘Yes.’
‘Would you like me to visit you, Dee? I come to London often. It’s no problem.’
‘I don’t think so, but thank you for the offer.’
‘Do you know what you want to happen from all of this? I don’t think you can go back to the way it was. I have had a visit from the police. I think they are investigating JJ because of the Spanish company.’
‘Did you give him money?’
‘No, not me, but I seem to be in the minority. Everyone else has been taken for a lot of money.’
‘They can’t have it back.’
‘Dee, I understand how you must feel and I know this must be scary, but they will take you both to court.’
‘As you said, I talked to a woman named Lisa and she said she would. What about the others?’ asked Dee.
‘I don’t know. Some of them are too heartbroken to think it through at the moment.’
‘What do you want from me?’
‘I want to ask you to join us, be united with us. Stand together and we will help you to get out of this marriage. Will you join us?’
‘No. I can’t, I’m sorry.’
Megan came off the phone to Dee and phoned Lisa but she got no reply. She phoned Emily and left a message:
The police are coming your way.
Chapter 47
In Brighton, morning dog walkers were out before work on the undercliff path, making the most of the lull in the bad weather. The sun had just risen. It was crisp and cold but there was a milky-blue sky.
Andrew the accountant was out walking his two miniature poodles Pompom and Lulu. He called to them to be quiet as they stopped on the path ahead of him and yapped excitedly. He reached them and looked upwards. Hanging above his head a woman was impaled on the metal cage used to collect falling stones. Her twisted body was bathed in frost. She was frozen solid. Her eyes were shining as they reflected the rising sun. Her blood was a dark stain on the white cliff face where it had run out.
It was 7 a.m. Willis hadn’t slept more than a few hours when she switched off her alarm clock before it rang. The business of finding her father had turned out to be relatively easy once she had his name and photo. But once she started it was hard to stop looking for things written about him. Eddie Francis hadn’t been able to make it as a sprinter, in the end. But he’d coached many good ones over the years and was still involved with the Jamaican athletics team. He’d never married but he had two sons. Willis wondered why her mother had never bothered to find him before. She hadn’t needed him before now, Willis supposed. Or maybe she had contacted him but not got the response she wanted. Willis needed to talk to Dr Reese again. Bella’s normal accommodation was a twelve-patient ward for people with personality disorders who were deemed to be both a risk to themselves and the public, but a ward was a collection of rooms. Bella was diagnosed as having paranoid schizophrenia. The hospital allowed her mother Internet access, along with a swimming pool, her own TV and a garden to tend. But it was still a maximum-security hospital and every movement she made was meant to be on camera or watched over – maybe they had decided it wasn’t going to help her to contact Eddie Francis.
Willis printed off a couple of clear photos she had of Eddie and then she took one downstairs when she heard Tina getting up for work. They met in the kitchen.
‘What do you think, Teen? He’s an athletics coach.’
Tina took the photo from Willis and gave it straight back.
‘He’s all right but he’s a bit old for you.’
‘No, I don’t mean as a potential boyfriend. I mean as a dad.’
Tina stopped buttering her toast and looked wide-eyed at Willis.
‘Excuse me?’
‘This is him. Or he could be. We don’t really have any proof except what my mother said and she’s—’
‘STOP… stop right there. Let me see this photo again.’ She took it from Willis and looked at it closely.
‘OMG. Yes… for feck’s sake – he’s not going to be able to deny it. Look at you both – two peas in a pod!’
‘Well, it’s early days yet, Teen. I mean, we only have my mum’s word and that’s not worth a lot.’
‘Oh, for goodness’ sake. Christ, Eb… is this where I think it is? Is this in Jamaica?’ she said, scanning the background to the photo. Willis nodded. ‘Book us flights. We are going out there to confront him. I mean, who wouldn’t want a dad in Jamaica?’
‘No confrontation…’ Willis smiled as she shook her head. Tina’s enthusiasm was infectious. ‘We don’t want to scare him off.’
‘What’s to scare? Who wouldn’t be proud of a daughter like you? Look at all you’ve achieved. Look at who you are.’
‘Thanks, Teen.’
‘I mean it.’ Tina picked up her toast and munched double-speed. ‘Eb – you know what this means?’ Willis shook her head – hardly daring to ask. ‘We have holiday opportunities off the scale.’
Willis got a call from Scott Tucker as she was getting off the bus at Archway.