‘What’s she like?’
‘Lovely, really lovely. She’s not bringing her other kids over with her this time, but I’m going to fly over to New England and meet my three half-siblings soon. Right, you need to sign there.’ Star indicated the box. ‘You’ll also have to include a copy of your official adoption papers. Just give Uncle Georg Hoffman a call,’ she added. ‘He certainly had mine.’
‘So, how are the rest of the sisters? I haven’t heard a peep from anyone since the newspaper thing.’
‘Well, Maia’s started teaching English to kids in a favela in Rio, and Ally told me last week her tummy is getting more enormous by the day, but she sounds good. I called Tiggy just after New Year, she’s changed jobs and is working on an estate not far from the animal sanctuary. She also wants to organise us all getting together at Atlantis for the anniversary of Pa’s death in June. And I haven’t heard a word from Electra in weeks, or seen her in the newspapers, which is unusual. That badge of notoriety goes to you, little sis,’ she chuckled. ‘By the way, when are you flying to Australia?’
‘Early next Wednesday morning.’
‘So soon?’ Star looked crestfallen. ‘The party’s on Tuesday night. Can you make it?’
‘Probably not. I have to pack. And stuff,’ I added pointlessly.
‘I understand. Then maybe we can have a little leaving celebration for you before we go to the party? Then you could meet my mum and see Ma too.’
‘If you could spare Ma for a night, I could collect her from Heathrow and she could stay with me on Monday night and then go to the party with you from here on Tuesday?’
‘That sounds perfect! Thank you, Cee. Now, I need to go and grab my things. Why don’t you call Wormwood Scrubs in the meantime and see what the process is for getting in to visit? I’ve put the number on the table.’
Star went upstairs to pack her bag and I wandered over to the phone, knowing I’d get no peace from Star if I didn’t make the call. The receptionist at the other end was friendly enough, although she gave me the third degree on what my relationship was to ‘the prisoner’.
‘A friend,’ I said. Then she took my date of birth, my address, and told me I’d need to present some form of ID before I’d be allowed in.
‘Did you get through?’ Star said when she came down the stairs with her overnight bag.
‘Yeah, but I’m afraid I can’t wear that pair of tight hot pants you know I like so much. It’s against prison rules.’
‘Right.’ Star smiled. ‘When are you going to see him?’
‘I’m booked in for two o’clock tomorrow afternoon. Maybe they can do the mugshots for my new passport while I’m there.’ I shuddered. ‘It feels weird thinking of Ace as a “prisoner”.’
‘I’ll bet. Are you sure you’re going to be okay in the apartment alone, Cee?’ Star put a hand on my shoulder.
‘Course I will. I’m a big girl now, remember?’
‘Well, let me know what happens with Ace. Love you, Cee. See you next week.’
*
I really did feel as though I was in a film as I traipsed through the towered gateway of ‘the Scrubs’, as the other visitors waiting in line had called it. Inside, each one of us had our bags and ourselves thoroughly searched. Eventually, we were led into a large room full of tables and plastic chairs, and actually, it wasn’t as depressing as I’d imagined it would be. Someone had obviously made an effort to stop the prisoners and their visitors from slitting their wrists by putting up bright posters on the walls. As we all sat down at separate tables, we were read a list of dos and don’ts and finally, the prisoners filed in.
My heart was beating like a tom-tom as I searched the line for Ace. By the time a familiar voice said, ‘Hi,’ in my ear, I realised I hadn’t even recognised him. His hair was cut into a number one crop, he was clean-shaven and painfully thin.
‘What are you doing here?’ he asked me as he sat down.
‘I . . . well, I just thought that as I was back in England, I should come and see you.’
‘Right. You’re the first visitor I’ve had. Other than my lawyer, of course.’
‘Well, sorry that it’s me.’
There was silence between us, as Ace looked down at his hands, to his left, to his right, above him . . . In fact, at anything but me.
‘Why did you do it, CeCe?’ he said eventually.
‘I didn’t, honestly! That’s what I’ve come to tell you. It was Po, the security guard, who was bribed by a guy called Jay. Someone at the Railay Beach Hotel had told me that he knew who you were. I didn’t want to worry you or anything, so I didn’t mention it at the time. I mean, I had no idea who you were anyway, so I didn’t believe him.’
‘Oh, come off it, CeCe,’ he sneered, ‘that picture came straight from your camera. I allowed it to be taken because I trusted you, I thought we were mates.’
‘We were! You were great to me!’ I insisted, then tried to keep my voice down as I saw others looking over at us. ‘I’d never have done anything to betray you. Po must have got a duplicate set of photos and given them to Jay. Anyway, it’s the truth. It’s what happened.’
‘Yeah, well.’ Ace stared off into the distance again. ‘It had to happen sometime, I suppose. I knew I couldn’t stay hidden forever. You just hastened the inevitable.’
‘It matters to me that you believe me. I nearly had a fit when I got to Australia and all my sisters texted me to say I was on the front page of every newspaper! Do you think I wanted that?’
‘What? To be involved with the most notorious criminal of the moment?’
‘Exactly!’
‘Lots of girls would.’
‘Well “lots of girls” aren’t me,’ I said firmly, trying to keep my cool.
‘No,’ he agreed eventually. ‘You’re right. I really thought you were different, that I could trust you.’
‘And you could – you can! Look, let’s just forget it. If you don’t want to believe me, that’s up to you, but I’m not a liar. I’m here because I wanted to ask you if you needed any help. I could be a character witness, or something.’
‘Thanks, Cee, but courtesy of the media, my reputation is beyond redemption, and I deserve it. I’m sure you’ve read about my past antics. Not that they had anything to do with what happened at the bank, but I seem to be the most hated man in Britain just now.’
‘The good news is, I’m dyslexic, remember? I can’t read properly.’
Finally, he gave the ghost of a smile. ‘Yeah, okay.’
‘Who’s Linda Potter?’
His eyes met mine for the first time. ‘What?’
I knew then that Star had found the right woman. ‘Linda Potter. You told me one night that she “knew”. So, what does she know?’
‘Nothing, she’s no one.’
‘Well, I know she’s someone, because she used to be PA to the CEO of Berners Bank.’
‘Just . . . don’t go there, CeCe, all right?’ he said through gritted teeth.
‘Does she know something? Ace, why won’t you let me help you?’
‘Listen,’ he said, leaning towards me, ‘what’s done is done, okay? Whatever happens, I’m going down. I did it, no one else.’
‘There must have been others that knew about it?’