Brenda remained tight-lipped. However, moving to straighten up the already aligned tea and sugar caddies, her sudden shiftiness made it clear that she knew more than she was letting on.
“Mum?” Flick said.
Her silence continued.
“Fine. If you won’t give up the reason for all of this, I’m sure Google will.” Flick picked up her mobile ready to do an internet search of the week’s news. “French chateau, Brittany, France, Argon Fire,” she read, as she keyed each word into the search bar. “This should give me what I’m looking for.” She paused before hitting the search symbol, turning her attention back to her mother. “I mean, what newspaper editor doesn’t want a quote from one of their headlining stars?”
Brenda finally relented. “Okay, okay.”
Flick’s thumb continued to hover over the screen. “So, you do have something to do with this?”
Brenda turned mute again.
“Mum, whatever it is you’ve done you need to tell me.”
Like a wronged teenager, Brenda sighed. Dragging her feet as she approached the table, she took Flick’s phone and she seated herself opposite. She pressed a few keys and then scrolled before handing it back.
“Great,” Flick said. “More pictures.”
Flick looked at the screen and took in the photo before her, her eyes immediately drawn to the young boy featured. It seemed to be a holiday snap, and going off the clothing alone, it was obviously taken a few years earlier. There was no denying the boy’s identity; aside of ageing he’d hardly changed a bit. “That’s Nate,” she said.
Her gaze moved to the woman at his side. She knew she was staring at Nate’s mother, they were the image of each other. “She’s beautiful and I can’t believe how alike they are.” Flick continuing to scrutinize the picture. There was a sadness in the woman’s eyes, something her beaming smile couldn’t disguise no matter how hard it tried. “I still don’t understand. Why are you showing me this?”
Brenda reached over and retrieved the phone, her expression serious as she once again began searching. She handed it back.
Flick smiled as she looked at Nate’s mother once more. She was younger in this one and appeared to ooze glamour, her hair and make-up were perfect. And the dress she wore, it was stunning. “She looks familiar, although I can’t think why.”
“Growing up, you preferred to be stood in front of an easel rather than sat in front of the telly. I’m surprised you recognise her at all.”
“What do you mean?” Flick looked down at the photo again, focusing on the statue the woman held in her hands. “Is that what I think it is?”
“An Oscar? Yes.”
“She was an actress?”
“Yep. And a very good one, at that. There was a time when all the big producers and directors wanted her in their films, all of which I’ve seen, by the way. She had such a talent and talk about screen presence.”
Flick struggled to take this information in. Nate had never once mentioned his mother, no one had. But why all the secrecy? “Where is she now?” Flick asked.
Brenda gestured for the phone again and conducted another quick search. She gave it back to Flick, before rising from her seat to go and pour them a coffee from the machine.
Flick stared down at the next image – this one a newspaper article. However, it was the grainy, black and white photo accompanying it that caught her attention. Her eyes widened in horror as she looked down at the ambulance men wheeling a body bag to the back of their van.
Her mum placed a coffee cup in front of her.
“Nate’s mum?” Looking up, Flick wasn’t sure she really wanted an answer.
Brenda nodded. “I’m afraid so.”
Flick’s heart automatically went out to him. She knew first-hand the pain of losing a parent and that was hard enough. But to have to cope with this kind of attention as well. She glanced at the news article again, unable to imagine how Nate got through it. “What happened to her?”
“An overdose.”
Flick put a hand up to her chest. “How awful,” she said, looking down at the image again. “Poor Nate.”
“He’s the one who found her.”
“No!”
