watched as he scribbled a couple of numbers on a Post-it, hardly even thinking about whose they might be, for she was already considering how best to approach this.
A few minutes later she was back at her desk, the Post-it in one hand, while with the other she whirled her old-fashioned Rolodex searching for a contact she hadn’t needed in a while. When she found it she pressed the number into her phone and after being diverted through to voicemail said, ‘Roger. It’s Justine. Call me back when you can. There could be a lot of beer money in it for you.’
Next she called one of the Critch’s stringers – a sub on a local Devon paper – made a few notes as he brought her up to speed with what he knew about the police involvement in Jacqueline Avery’s disappearance, and then, pulling another old number from her Rolodex she pressed it into her phone and waited brazenly for the connection.
Vivienne and Alice were laughing at one of Kayla’s outrageously silly jokes when Alice reached out to answer the phone. ‘Kane and Jackson. Alice Jackson speaking,’ she announced. Her smile began a rapid fade through to distaste as she listened to the voice at the other end. ‘Justine,’ she said, her eyes going straight to Vivienne.
Vivienne’s smile died too.
‘No, I’m afraid Vivienne’s not here at the moment,’ Alice lied. ‘Can I help at all? I see. Well, if you can tell me what it’s about I’ll get her to call you back.’
She listened again, then said, ‘I’ll pass the message on,’ and with an abrupt goodbye she rang off.
‘She’s got some nerve, calling here,’ Kayla said sourly.
Alice’s attention was on Vivienne. ‘Apparently she’s been hearing rumours,’ she stated. ‘Given the timing they have to be about Jacqueline.’
‘Yeah, like, Vivi’s going to discuss anything with her,’ Kayla said hotly. ‘She’s got to be big-time delusional if she thinks that.’
Vivienne and Alice were looking at one another, each knowing what the other was thinking.
‘The woman is best ignored,’ Vivienne stated.
Alice didn’t look so certain. ‘Maybe you ought to find out exactly what she’s been hearing.’
‘I’m not giving her the satisfaction.’
‘She’s not someone to be on the wrong side of.’
‘Nor am I.’
‘She won’t care about that.’
‘She cares about Miles, though – and frankly, if she thinks I’m going to confirm or deny any rumours she might have heard about Jacqueline, or anything else, then Kayla’s right, she’s big-time delusional.’
‘But what if—’
‘No, Alice, I’m sorry, I’m not dancing to her tune,’ and unwilling to sully her thoughts any further with the woman she despised above all others, she picked up the phone to call the much more fragrant, and delightfully quirky chairwoman of the Kenleigh WI.
*
‘You’re kidding me,’ Pete Alexander cried, later that night, his electric-blue eyes boggling with astonishment. ‘Justine James calls, and you haven’t rung her back yet? Aren’t you dying to know what the rumours are about? I mean, it’s got to be
la pauvre
Jacq-u-line, obviously, but wouldn’t it be good to find out what she knows?’
Aware of how keen Alice and Angus were to hear her answer, Vivienne only said, ‘No,’ and continued to sprinkle Parmesan onto her pasta.
‘Vivi,’ Alice said gravely, ‘what if it’s not about Jacqueline? You don’t want—’
‘Whatever she knows, there’s nothing I can do about it,’ Vivienne interrupted.
‘But what if she makes it public about Rufus?’
‘Then just like when she managed to bring Jacqueline back from the States, she’ll have her own conscience to deal with,’ Vivienne answered tartly.
‘You don’t know for certain she was behind that article,’ Pete reminded her.
‘For God’s sake, of course she was,’ Vivienne snapped.
‘OK, I wouldn’t put it past her,’ he conceded, ‘but she and Miles go back a long way …’
‘Which is precisely why
A few minutes later she was back at her desk, the Post-it in one hand, while with the other she whirled her old-fashioned Rolodex searching for a contact she hadn’t needed in a while. When she found it she pressed the number into her phone and after being diverted through to voicemail said, ‘Roger. It’s Justine. Call me back when you can. There could be a lot of beer money in it for you.’
Next she called one of the Critch’s stringers – a sub on a local Devon paper – made a few notes as he brought her up to speed with what he knew about the police involvement in Jacqueline Avery’s disappearance, and then, pulling another old number from her Rolodex she pressed it into her phone and waited brazenly for the connection.
Vivienne and Alice were laughing at one of Kayla’s outrageously silly jokes when Alice reached out to answer the phone. ‘Kane and Jackson. Alice Jackson speaking,’ she announced. Her smile began a rapid fade through to distaste as she listened to the voice at the other end. ‘Justine,’ she said, her eyes going straight to Vivienne.
Vivienne’s smile died too.
‘No, I’m afraid Vivienne’s not here at the moment,’ Alice lied. ‘Can I help at all? I see. Well, if you can tell me what it’s about I’ll get her to call you back.’
She listened again, then said, ‘I’ll pass the message on,’ and with an abrupt goodbye she rang off.
‘She’s got some nerve, calling here,’ Kayla said sourly.
Alice’s attention was on Vivienne. ‘Apparently she’s been hearing rumours,’ she stated. ‘Given the timing they have to be about Jacqueline.’
‘Yeah, like, Vivi’s going to discuss anything with her,’ Kayla said hotly. ‘She’s got to be big-time delusional if she thinks that.’
Vivienne and Alice were looking at one another, each knowing what the other was thinking.
‘The woman is best ignored,’ Vivienne stated.
Alice didn’t look so certain. ‘Maybe you ought to find out exactly what she’s been hearing.’
‘I’m not giving her the satisfaction.’
‘She’s not someone to be on the wrong side of.’
‘Nor am I.’
‘She won’t care about that.’
‘She cares about Miles, though – and frankly, if she thinks I’m going to confirm or deny any rumours she might have heard about Jacqueline, or anything else, then Kayla’s right, she’s big-time delusional.’
‘But what if—’
‘No, Alice, I’m sorry, I’m not dancing to her tune,’ and unwilling to sully her thoughts any further with the woman she despised above all others, she picked up the phone to call the much more fragrant, and delightfully quirky chairwoman of the Kenleigh WI.
*
‘You’re kidding me,’ Pete Alexander cried, later that night, his electric-blue eyes boggling with astonishment. ‘Justine James calls, and you haven’t rung her back yet? Aren’t you dying to know what the rumours are about? I mean, it’s got to be
la pauvre
Jacq-u-line, obviously, but wouldn’t it be good to find out what she knows?’
Aware of how keen Alice and Angus were to hear her answer, Vivienne only said, ‘No,’ and continued to sprinkle Parmesan onto her pasta.
‘Vivi,’ Alice said gravely, ‘what if it’s not about Jacqueline? You don’t want—’
‘Whatever she knows, there’s nothing I can do about it,’ Vivienne interrupted.
‘But what if she makes it public about Rufus?’
‘Then just like when she managed to bring Jacqueline back from the States, she’ll have her own conscience to deal with,’ Vivienne answered tartly.
‘You don’t know for certain she was behind that article,’ Pete reminded her.
‘For God’s sake, of course she was,’ Vivienne snapped.
‘OK, I wouldn’t put it past her,’ he conceded, ‘but she and Miles go back a long way …’
‘Which is precisely why