James shrugged in a non-committal way. ‘It’s OK. Good location and the gym’s decent.’
He went through to the kitchen and Annabel heard him running the tap to fill the kettle. She looked around at the open-plan living area, the lounge at one end and the dining table at the other. The furniture, all matching light pine, looked brand new and reminded her of a certain Swedish furniture store. It all felt rather generic and, apart from a solitary framed photograph on the bookcase, it lacked any personal touch.
She went over to the photo and couldn’t help but smile at the happy scene. James was at the beach on a perfect, sunny day, looking casual and relaxed in a polo shirt and shorts. On his back was a beautiful little girl of around six years old with long, wavy brown hair. The family similarity was striking; the same fair colouring and goofy, lopsided grin, clearly enjoying happier times together.
‘Is that your daughter?’ Annabel asked when he came back into the room, nodding towards the photograph. He went over and picked it up, gently caressing the image of his daughter’s face as he wiped away some tiny specks of dust. She noticed the sad smile on his face.
‘Yes, this is Jessica. That was a few years ago now, though. She’ll be nine in a couple of weeks.’
‘She’s a beautiful girl. You must miss her.’ Annabel instantly regretted her comment as she saw the light fade from his eyes. A long, awkward pause followed. James continued to stare at the picture, his eyes full of sorrow. Annabel’s heart began to race as she searched desperately for something to say. Something, anything. But the only words that came to mind would have sounded cliched and banal.
‘I’m sorry,’ she began after an excruciating silence, but James cut her off.
‘How do you like your tea?’ His face was downcast as he put the photo frame back on the bookcase and made his way towards the kitchen.
‘Just milk, please,’ she called after him, feeling like a prize idiot for reminding him of his loss. She sighed, then took her phone from her handbag and curled up on the end of the sofa.
She tapped out a quick message to Luke, asking – as politely as she could – what he wanted. Then she messaged her brother, in a much friendlier tone, checking if it was a good time to talk.
The ticks on Luke’s message turned blue within seconds and he was quick to reply. His words made her stomach sink.
I miss you. I messed up. I’m so sorry, Annie. Can we talk?
Annabel sighed and she felt a tug in her stomach. Part of her missed him, too. She would love nothing more than to return home from this trip and get back to their former, happy life together. But she shook herself out of that thinking. She knew that it was impossible; she would never be able to trust him again. Not only had he broken her heart, but he’d humiliated her by advertising himself on dating websites for all the world to see. If Jenny had seen his profile, who else had? Was there any going back from that?
Her phone started vibrating and her brother’s name lit up the screen. She was glad to hear his cheerful voice.
‘It’s great to hear you, Annie!’ he said. ‘But I haven’t got long, I’m afraid. I’m in a cab on my way to a meeting.’
Annabel filled him in on the visit to Julia and Mei and shared what she had learned about Douglas Llewellyn.
William gave a long whistle at the other end of the line as she told her brother of his demise. ‘Sounds like the cheating bastard got his comeuppance then!’
‘Yes,’ Annabel agreed. ‘But it was strange, Will. The old lady got quite agitated when Julia was telling us about it. They ended up having an argument in their own language. They speak Cantonese, so we didn’t have a clue what was going on.’
‘We?’ Her brother asked.
‘Oh, James came with me. You remember? Emma and Tom’s friend, the guy I was at uni with. He’s been helping me with my research. And he drove me up to Ang Mo Kio to meet Julia and her mum. To be honest, he’s been a real help; he’s made all of this so much easier.’
Annabel could hear the relief in her brother’s voice. ‘He sounds like a good guy.’
As if on cue, James appeared and set down a tea tray on the table in front of her. On it was a mug of steaming tea – just the right colour for her liking – and a plate of biscuits. She smiled up at him and mouthed a ‘thank you’. She was glad when he smiled back, the earlier tension gone.
‘Oh, James is definitely a good guy,’ she continued to her brother on the phone, hamming it up now for his amusement. ‘He’s just brought me a cuppa and some chocolate Hobnobs, my favourites!’ She grinned up at him.
James rolled his eyes self-deprecatingly but she could tell he was trying not to smile. Then he picked up his laptop and indicated that he was going into one of the bedrooms.
‘Ha, perfect!’ William chuckled at the other end of the line. ‘I’m glad someone’s looking after you, Annie. I hate to think ofyou all the way over there doing this on your own, especially after . . . Well, you know.’ Her brother paused. ‘Come home soon, we miss you.’
Annabel sighed. ‘Thanks, Will. I miss you all, too. But there’s still more digging to do here. I got the feeling that we didn’t get the whole story, that there was more to it. I mean, why did Mei – that’s Ah Ling’s daughter – get so upset talking about Douglas’s death? It was a bit odd, to be honest.’
‘Hmm. Can you go back another time, maybe?’ William asked. ‘Or get Julia on her own?’
‘Yes, I hope so. I can’t put my finger on it, but I felt that they were holding something back.’
‘Listen, Annie, I’m just arriving so I’d better go. But keep in touch and let’s chat at the weekend when I’ve got more time. Sarah sends her love. Come back soon, once you’re finished with your sleuthing!’
Annabel’s eyes filled with tears as she ended the call; she missed them all, too. To make herself feel better, she picked up a biscuit and dunked it in her cup of tea.
