Liv heard the journalist moving around outside for a while. She considered phoning the building concierge to complain about an intruder, but then saw the grey shadow beneath the door disappear. After a few minutes, Liv slowly opened it. She circled the landing area before blowing all the air from her lungs.
The thought of Chloe digging around for information about Essie made Liv grind her teeth. What if Chloe discovered the author was not only missing, but dead? She shuddered when she remembered allowing Chloe to dart into the building. How had the journalist known Essie’s address? Had she been loitering outside the building to try to get a story? And if she was tracking down people from Essie’s past,how much longer would it be before she uncovered the truth of Essie’s death? What might Chloe discover if she took the meeting with Ted?
Liv adjusted her necktie. Georgia Rory wouldn’t stand for such a thing, and neither would she.
Chloe mentioned having a meeting scheduled with Ted Mason, a name Liv had read in many author acknowledgements. He’d accompanied Essie at the start of her journey, and also down the aisle. This could be Liv’s chance to speak with him and learn more about Essie’s past and what made her withdraw from society, clues that might help Liv with reshaping her novel and writing the missing chapters.
Liv had to get to him before Chloe did. But how?
First, she phoned Bloom and Dale to see who’d ordered the bouquet of white roses. The young woman who answered was new in her role. She spoke to the shop owner before returning the call. ‘Sorry, it’s confidential information. We value our customers’ privacy.’
Liv ran her tongue over her front teeth at reaching a dead end. After hanging up, she googled the phone number for Lioncorp and dialled it. She managed to reach a chatty young intern called Rex.
Liv explained that Chloe Anderton had a meeting lined up with Ted Mason, and that she’d been given the task of rearranging it. ‘Sorry, I don’t know the date and time. I’m an intern, too.’
‘No worries, I get it,’ Rex said. ‘Bottom of the pile and no one tells us a thing.’
Liv laughed nervously.
‘Right, well the meeting is for next Tuesday, something about discussing key players in the publishing industry. Is that the one?’
‘Oh, yes.’ Liv toyed with a pen, thinking that next week seemed too far away.
‘Okay, that one’s now cancelled. Hmm, Mr Mason doesn’t have much availability in his diary. He’s got a cancellation, tomorrow at 4 p.m. Is that too short notice?’
‘I’ll take it,’ Liv said, smacking the desk. ‘I mean, I’m sure that will work for Chloe.’
‘Okay. I’ve made that change. Does she still require picking up?’
Liv’s rib cage tightened. She had no idea what logistical arrangements Chloe had made, or what discussion she might have already had with Ted. All she could do was channel Georgia again and brazen things out.
‘Yes, please,’ she said, and gave him Essie’s address.
Chapter 13
The Duck Pond
The next day, Liv tried on several things from Essie’s wardrobe for her meeting with Ted, finally settling on a powder blue silk blouse and grey pencil skirt. If she was supposedly a journalist from a glossy magazine, she had to look the part.
Essie took shoes a size larger than hers, and Liv’s feet slid around in a pair of black stilettos. On the top shelf she found a new navy Coach handbag that was smaller than her supermarket branded one, so she couldn’t fit all her things inside it.
The cracked eyeshadow palettes and dried-out pencils she’d brought along didn’t compare to the treasure trove of new cosmetics Essie had set in lines in the drawer of her dressing table. The packaging felt shiny and luxurious.
Liv applied a touch of shimmery beige to her eyelids and a slick of coral lipstick. When she saw her reflection, she took a sharp intake of breath. Somewhere, buried deep inside, had lived this prettier, more polished version of herself. It was strange to finally meet her in person. But she didn’t feel as comfortable as when she dressed as Georgia. Before she left the flat, she pushed the striped tie into her bag.
As she paced up and down the pavement outside waiting for Ted, Liv tried not to bite her nails. Was she doing the right thing, meeting the man who married Essie and helped her to become a megastar? Would Ted see through Liv’s make-up and expensive clothes to the cleaner hiding beneath them?
She had to hold her nerve. If she wanted to find out more about Essie, while stopping Chloe from digging around, shehadto do this.
The vintage Rolls-Royce Phantom that glided up outside the building was the colour of chianti and shiny as a mirror. The silver lady mascot on the bonnet flung back her arms as wind rippled her dress. Every centimetre of the car exclaimed,Look at me, I’ve made it!It was the opposite to the battered family Fiesta that Jake and Liv affectionately called ‘the rust bucket’.
A peak-capped, besuited driver got out, nodded courteously towards Liv and opened the back door for her.
She always cringed when people did things for her that she could do herself, like pulling out a chair at a restaurant, or draping a napkin across her lap. She always over-tipped waiting staff to overcompensate for her awkwardness at being served by others.
Ted Mason sat on the back seat with the perfect posture that came from being supremely confident, overly wealthy, or both. Looking much older than in Essie’s photographs, his white hair was combed back, displaying a speckle of age spots on his forehead. His burgundy cashmere scarf matched the car and featured an embroidered gold lion. ‘Ted Andrew Mason,’ he said, holding out a knobbly hand.
She gave it a small shake. ‘Liv Louise Green,’ she said, cursing herself for matching his full name. Her nerves were making her feel nauseous.‘I’m afraid Chloe Anderton can’t make the meeting today.’
