“This is going to sound weird, but you look familiar,” Lee continued. “Are you from Perth?”
She shook her head, hoping to throw him off. “Singapore.”
He smiled. “Were you at the Lim-Yang wedding?”
She gasped. “Yes. It was my sister’s wedding.”
He snapped his fingers. “That’s where I know you from. I met so many people, and I’m hopeless with names. I’m Lee.” He moved closer and held out his hand.
Could she trust him? Tess cautiously shook it, and his grip was firm. “What was your connection to the wedding?”
“Cousin of the groom,” he said. “It was a great excuse for a holiday. Singapore is lovely. I took some fabulous photos while I was there.”
“It is lovely,” she agreed.
“We’ll have to chat later,” Lee said. “I haven’t heard from the happy couple recently.” He slipped past her and into the bathroom, closing the door behind him.
Tess slumped against the wall, her breath leaving her in a huff. Lee wasn’t working for Tan. She was safe here a little longer. The relief made her light-headed, and she stayed where she was until the toilet flushed. Then she raced down the corridor and out of the house, before Lee could see her and think she’d been waiting for him.
Back in the garden, she found Ed talking with Dot. “Are you all right?” he asked.
“Yes. I just ran into Lee.” At his concerned expression, she hurried to explain. “He was a guest at my sister’s wedding. A cousin of my brother-in-law.”
He grinned. “That’s great.”
“Might be worth calling your sister and confirming,” Dot said.
Her spirits fell. “You think he’s lying?”
“I think Stonefish has a way of knowing a lot about the people they deal with,” Dot answered. “We shouldn’t trust anything on face value.” She paused. “Have you called your family yet?”
Tess shook her head.
“When you do, don’t tell them where you are. Just tell them you’re safe.”
Unease swirled in her belly. “Why?”
“Just being cautious.”
Ed slipped an arm around her waist. “Why don’t you call them now?”
Dot nodded. “If you video call, don’t do it outside. Make sure there’s nothing in the background that will identify where you are.”
Tess wanted to be sick. Could her parents really be involved with Tan? But even if they were, surely they would never put her in danger. Though they would probably believe Tan’s word over hers, if he’d already contacted them. In their eyes she was still a child with an active imagination, and Tan was a respectable member of society. “I don’t have my phone.”
“You can use mine. Let’s go into the lounge room,” Ed said. “It’s private.”
She nodded. Lee was chatting with Darcy, a drink in his hand. She followed Ed inside and waited while he downloaded the app she used to call her family. Her mother would be horrified to hear what had happened, and Tess wasn’t certain if her father was working this morning, so she called her sister instead. Joy answered almost immediately. “Tess! Where are you?” Joy’s makeup was flawless, and she was at a restaurant somewhere by the harbour.
Tess smiled. “In Australia.”
Joy made a face. “You know what I mean. Mum called to say Tan said you’d run off with a man!”
So that was the story he was going with. She supposed it was kind of true. “That’s not the whole story,” she said. “Can I ask you something first?”
“No. Dad is upset. He said I must call the second I hear from you.”
“Joy, please. Focus. Is Dylan with you?”
