Page 36 of In Love and Revenge

‘Who?’ The woman frowns.

‘Aurora Thorne, the young woman who lives here.’

Maybe this lady is her friend, or the housekeeper or something. Figures: Aurora probably has a whole host of staff she’s paying with my money.

‘Thorne?’ The woman’s brow scrunches, before smoothing out. ‘Oh! You mean the previous owners. Do you know them?’

Previous owners? What the hell?

I clear my throat, stalling for a few seconds so I can think.

‘Yes ... And this is a private matter, which I would appreciate your discretion with.’

‘Absolutely.’ The woman’s eyes widen, eager for gossip.

I pull out my Guardian Fairfax ID and flash it at her quickly, pocketing it again before she can get a good look.

‘I’m actually Miss Thorne’s parole officer. She hasn’t attended her last two check-in meetings, and I’m concerned. She’s been making progress that I’d hate to see go to waste.’

‘Parole officer?’ The woman’s face drains of colour. ‘Is this to do with her father? I heard that’s why the house was repossessed before we bought it. He’s in prison, right?’

‘George Thorne was convicted of stealing millions of pounds from his employer,’ I confirm, making her gasp.

‘And his daughter has followed in his footsteps, then? Sounds about right. These people ... Oh my goodness, they’re despicable.’ She shudders and I can almost see the cogs of disgust turning in her head. ‘I met her once when she came to collect some post. She looked so sad to see the house again that I invited her inside for a cup of tea. I should have known the innocent act was a ruse. I left her alone with my handbag when I went to the bathroom.’ She looks at me with panicked eyes. ‘Do you think she could have cloned my cards or something? You hear about these scammers, don’t you?’

‘I very much doubt that.’

‘She seemed a bit common, come to think of it. Had a tube of crisps stuffed inside her handbag. No class,’ she mutters. ‘Are you sure you want to waste your time on her? These sorts of people can’t be rehabilitated into anything remotely useful to society.’

‘“A bit common”?’ I arch a brow, an illogical anger heating my blood at the judgement in her tone. Aurora has more class in her little toe than this woman has in her entire body. She looks stunning in the outfits she styles for herself on her vlog. And the times I have spoken to her she’s been able to convey her – uncalled for – abhorrence of me with unwavering poise.

‘Miss Thorne is my concern, and mine alone,’ I clip, my patience rapidly thinning. ‘It’s very important that I find her. As soon as possible,’ I emphasise, letting the insinuation that she would be wise to let me deal with Aurora myself hang in the air.

‘Of course, of course.’ The woman chews her lower lip. ‘I might have an address!’ she says suddenly. ‘One minute.’

I wait on the doorstep until she returns, flustered, brandishing a piece of paper.

‘Here. I knew I’d written it down to forward any letters that might arrive.’

I take the note and flash her a tight smile. ‘Thank you. And don’t worry. Once I find her, I’ll make sure she doesn’t leave my sight.’

‘Oh, yes, of course. Thank you.’ The woman visibly relaxes, giving me a grateful smile.

‘Aurora Thorne is my problem, no one else’s,’ I say, turning and climbing into my car.

Chapter 10

Aurora

‘So good,’ I hum around a mouthful of crisp shards.

I’ve combined prawn cocktail with ready salted in a six-layer stack and am merrily crunching away as I watchGladiatorson TV.

I swallow and suck my fingers as Legend prepares to take on a contender on the climbing wall.

There’s a knock at the door and I peel my eyes away from the screen, crossing the room to answer it. It’s probably my neighbour asking me to turn the volume down again. The walls are paper thin, a fact the middle-aged guy loves to remind me about whenever he can. I don’t like to point out that if he can hear my TV, I can also hear his phone calls.

I wiggle the door because it always jams.