His mother’s
email was sparely used, had various references to her charity work, and
communications with the likes of Florenz, and others. Florenz, it seemed, was happy to report on
the activities of her husband. It was
clear that to him she had married the wrong man. But there were no declarations of love
between his mother and Florenz, nor anything that could be construed he
disliked Xavier Walthenson.
Argeter didn't
figure in any conversation.
But there were
others, some of whom Harry knew of rather than knew personally, and one in
particular, his mother's younger sister, and most vocal against Xavier from her
side of the family. Harry knew his aunt,
had once been on a trip to Vegas with both women, and learned then his aunt was
a drunk, drug addict and a sleaze, and whose bad conclusions about his father
were borne from being rejected by him before he married her older sister.
He hadn't seen
Aunt Betty for a few years, the last he'd been told was she was going through
another stint of rehab and trying to dodge five to twenty years in jail for
killing a passenger in her car, her last husband. Perhaps she'd finally been jailed, not that
it would do much to help her. By all
accounts the man had been a brute and was mixed up is some very dodgy business.
That Xavier
was in charge of her defence was telling, because he didn’t have much time for
the scornful, if not evil sister whom he had made an obvious mistake getting
involved with.
And then Harry
saw it. An email from three days
ago. From the sister, Betty. She was in town, at the Ritz Carleton hotel
on Central Park, requesting a visit.
Just like her to issue commands, and expect to get her way, like the
queen bee.
Another note
in his book. Room number, and there was
no date she was leaving.
Harry was
tempted to look at his brothers' emails but that could wait for another day. He heard voices at the top of the stairs, one
of them being Giselle, so he shut down the computer and moved to the sofa
opposite her desk and sat down to wait for her arrival.
When she saw
Harry sitting in the chair, she looked, momentarily, surprised, then covering
it well with a slight stumble.
“Harry? Tell me you haven’t stopped to sneaking up on
people?”
“It’s my
business to be both invisible, and stealthy.
But, no, not here, and definitely not with you. Unless, of course, you have something to hide?”
“Me? No. An
open book, as you know.”
She sat down
behind the desk. “But me thinks you have
questions, perhaps about the Prendevilles'?”
Getting ahead
of the narrative, Harry thought, and a sure sign that she wanted to control
this interview.
“When you
dropped that name, I’m sure you weren’t implying my father was having a
relationship with Mandy. I did some digging,
and it seems she has a similar passion for charity events, perhaps trying to
change public opinion of her.”
“She would
like to think so. Your father’s
connection is only by way of charity unless of course, you have uncovered
something else. Have you spoken to her
yet?”
“It’s on the
list. How much do you know about my
mother and Florenz?”
She
smiled. “You have been a busy boy. They are part of a tightly knit group from
university days. I don’t think you
should be judging her given the antics of your father, I’m not surprised.”
Harry viewed
his grandmother, the woman who was his father’s mother, the woman who had been
scorned by his grandfather, in a new light, one, up to now, he would never have
thought possible. Quiet and unassuming,
blending into the fabric in the background, always watching, always learning,
Harry was sure she knew everything that was going on, and why.
And that
somewhere in her armoury was that long knife she was going to stick in Alicia’s
back at the appropriate time. Perhaps
she had one for all of them and was just biding her time, down in the
basement, the metaphorical spider's web.
“You may not
know where my father is, but you know why he’s not here. And, don’t tell me it’s because of another
woman. He’s got himself mixed up in
something that impinges on that group you were referring to, and I’m guessing
Argeter is involved. Mother really
doesn’t like him.”
“Your mother
had him worked over very early on when he tried to shake her down. He’s not very endearing, and I always
believed he had some hold over your father who was rather reckless in his
younger days. You might want to
investigate what he got up to back in university. But a word to the wise, be careful around
Argeter. He knows some very bad people.”
A name that
needs to be moved up the list, perhaps Felicity could make discreet enquiries.
“Any chance I
could see the file you have on Alicia.
I’m betting it’s the thickest in your filing cabinet, and nothing
complimentary in it.”
“That’s for me
to know and for you to find out. I’m not
going to make your job any easier for you.
Alicia is a special kind of animal in this jungle, and you really don’t
want to make an enemy out of her.”
So, things
learned, Harry thought. There is a file,
somewhere. Giselle knew everything and
everyone. And, there was going to be a
day of reckoning.
“If there’s
nothing else, Harry, I’d better start justifying my presence here.”
“Don’t leave
town.”
“Oh, I’m not
going anywhere, anytime soon. Believe
me.”
© Charles Heath 2020-2022
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