Letter from a Stranger (16 page)

“Congratulations, on the Emmy, I mean. And I’m sorry I missed it.… That subject has always interested me.”

“I’ll get you a copy if you want, and why does the subject matter interest you, Michael?” she asked, her eyes focused on him intently.

Before he could answer, the waiter brought the wine. The two of them clinked glasses, and Michael replied, “I suppose because I’m often preoccupied with war. All kinds of different wars.”

“Oh, why is that? Are you in the military?”

Michael shook his head, took a swallow of wine.

“So what do you do for a living?” Justine probed, surprising herself at all the questions she was asking.

“I run a security company. The main office is in Manhattan, and I’ve two others, one in London, the other in Paris. Actually, I studied law … and graduated, but never became a lawyer, much to my parents’ surprise.”

“I can imagine. So your mother is Anita’s daughter?”

“That’s right. Her name is Cornelia, and she’s a lawyer, too.” He grinned. “Well, she studied law at Harvard, where she met Larry Dalton, my father. And she did graduate, but never practiced either. Because she fell in love and got married and very quickly had me, then my sister, Alicia.”

“And did you go to Harvard too?” Justine asked, riddled with curiosity about him, suddenly aware that she had a need to know him inside out.

“I did, yes, and I enjoyed it. Fortunately, I realized I wasn’t cut out to be a lawyer. One day I had an epiphany of sorts. I suddenly realized how patriotic I was and that I must join the Secret Service. I had this desire to serve my country. So that’s what I did.”

“You became a Secret Service agent?” she asked, a brow lifting.

“Eventually, yes. I had to go through a lot of training at the Secret Service academy in Washington.”

“Did you protect the president?”

“Not until my last year with the Secret Service. Then I got hit by the barrel of a rifle. I was unlucky, I had an accident with my eye. It affected my vision to a certain extent, and obviously I was no good at protecting a president, or anybody else for that matter. So I did the next best thing. I left the Secret Service and I started my own security company, but I’m mostly behind a desk, running the business. Sometimes I travel to my different offices—” Michael broke off as his cell phone on the table buzzed. “Hello?”

“Michael, it’s your grandmother. Where are you? Did the two of you get lost?”

“No, Grandma,” he answered, laughing. “We’ll be there very shortly, just leaving the hotel.”

“Oh, that’s good. Gabri and I, well, we miss you both.”

“See you soon.” Putting the phone in his pocket Michael looked across at Justine, a smile still flickering. “I think you got the gist of that?”

“I did. And they’re quite amazing, those two, aren’t they?”

Michael stared at her, nodding. “I bet you thought you were going to find two old ladies with walkers, but what you got were two babes in Valentino dresses and heels. Full of piss and vinegar, as Gabriele would say.”

“I did, yes,” Justine agreed, laughing with him. “And was
I
surprised.”

*   *   *

There was less traffic on the Bosphorus going over to the Asiatic side, and the water was calmer, so it was a much easier trip. Michael had been asking Justine lots of questions … about Iffet, how she had found her, and what the two of them had done to try and locate Gabriele.

She had answered him swiftly, with her usual directness, and he had marveled at the clever ideas she had come up with, and her ingenuity and tenacity. “My hat’s off to you, Justine,” he said, when she had finished. “And the idea of the advertisement was quite brilliant. Aside from drawing attention to you, to Gabriele, and alerting Anita you were here, I think asking Istanbulites to tell you their stories of the city was, and is, inspired. I’m sure my grandmother has lots of tales to tell you.”

“Then she’ll be my first interview,” Justine said, smiling at him. “In a way, the documentary is another fluke. I really did come here to find Anita and, through her, my grandmother. But I didn’t want to go into a lot of private stuff with Iffet, so I told her I was investigating the idea of a documentary. However, I wasn’t really serious about that until I started to tour the city, and began to understand its fascinating history. It seemed like a natural to me.”

Michael nodded, and glancing at her, his eyes slightly narrowed, he asked, “Did you happen to be sitting on the terrace of Çiragan Palace last Friday afternoon? Late afternoon?”

“Yes, I was there. Why?”

“Did you notice a man ogling you?”

Justine gave him a long stare, and exclaimed, “Yes, I did! He looked like an Englishman, and he kept stealing glances at me. Then another man, tall, dark, came and joined him. Oh, my God! Was that you? I didn’t want to encourage that guy so I ignored him, didn’t look around, do anything like that. I just sat making my notes and I never saw your face.”

“And I didn’t look around either, because it would have been rude, and perhaps embarrassing to you. He’s quite harmless, he just loves beautiful women, but all he does is ogle them, actually, Justine.” Michael chuckled. “He’s well and truly married, happily married.”

“He’s a friend of yours then?”

“A client and a friend.” Michael sat back on the seat, a strange look suddenly crossing his face, and he began to shake his head.

Justine, who was totally conscious of him in every sense, asked, “What’s wrong? You’ve got the oddest look on your face.”

“Something just struck me, and quite forcibly. My friend was itching to come over to say hello, ask you to join us for a drink. And if he
had
done that, I would have had to come with him. We would’ve all introduced ourselves, obviously. You wouldn’t have known my name, but I would certainly have known yours. Justine Nolan has been part of my life for years.”

“And on hearing my name you would have told me you were Anita’s grandson, and that you knew my grandmother, and that would have been another
fluke.
”

“Exactly what I was just thinking,” Michael answered, and shook his head again. “A missed chance.”

“True, but through another fluke it all worked out—” She cut herself off, and sat gazing into space for a moment.

Michael said, “Now you’ve got an odd look on your face. What have
you
just thought of?”

“I was just wondering if life is …
a fluke.
I mean, is everything that happens in all of our lives a fluke? Is life made up of random things happening, flukes, accidents, all those kinds of things?”

“I don’t know, but I have had to deal with many coincidences in my life, both personal and professional … accidental encounters that have been meaningful in some way, and very
flukey
things as well.”

“My grandmother doesn’t believe in the randomness of life. She thinks there’s a master plan. When we were little she was constantly saying
qué será será,
what will be will be. She told Iffet that God had meant us to be on the Bosphorus this afternoon, and that God had meant her to be there too, and that’s why we encountered each other.”

“And I guess God meant it to happen this Friday and not last week.” And He meant it to happen when I was here in Istanbul, not Paris, Michael thought, but did not say. Originally he had been planning a trip to see his French client in Paris, and then had unexpectedly changed his mind, decided to come here instead, and not for any special reason whatsoever. Another fluke?

Justine said, “Has my grandmother told you a lot about me? I mean, you did say I’d been part of your life for years.”

“Yes, she did talk about you from time to time, and over many years, even before this ridiculous estrangement, the problems with your mother. What’s it all about, do you know?”

“I don’t, Michael, but it is one of the things I plan to find out about. And I genuinely believe it’s my mother who’s at fault, not Gran.”

“It wouldn’t surprise me,” Michael asserted. “We’re here. Kuri will help us with the bags.”

*   *   *

A split second later, the door opened and her grandmother was standing there on the step of her
yali,
smiling at the two of them. “You don’t have much luggage, darling,” Gabriele exclaimed.

“I travel light, Gran,” Justine explained, hurrying over to her, embracing her.

Michael, turning to Kuri, said, “Give me those bags please, and thanks very much, Kuri, for your help. We won’t need you again tonight, so you might as well get off for your supper. See you in the morning.”

The driver inclined his head, smiled, and disappeared through the curtain of trees.

Stepping back, Gabriele ushered Justine into her villa, telling her, “This has been my home for years, darling, and I think you’re going to like it.”

Michael said, “Sure she will,” and went inside after them, carrying Justine’s two suitcases, which he put down on the floor. “I’m going to leave you two alone for a while. I’ve got business calls to make to New York. I’ll be having supper with you later.”

“See you,” Justine murmured. “And thank you for helping me, Michael.”

“My pleasure,” he replied, and stepping outside he closed the door behind him.

Seventeen

The moment they were alone, Gabriele took hold of Justine’s arm, and said, “Come along, darling, let’s go into the little sitting room. I have a great need to talk to you, and there’s plenty of time to show you the villa, since you’ll be staying for a while.”

“That’s exactly what I want to do, Gran. Before
you
say anything,
I
must ask the first question. It’s one which troubles me terribly, and Rich. What is this estrangement
about
?”

Leading her into the sitting room, Gabriele said, “Let’s go and sit near the fireplace—I always have a fire in the evenings at this time of year, it gets cool—and I’ll tell you anything and everything you want to know.”

Justine took a seat in a comfortable armchair opposite her grandmother, and explained, “Richard and I knew nothing about it, until the letter from Anita came and I opened it.”

“Thank God you did,” Gabriele exclaimed. “If you’d simply sent it on to your mother you’d be none the wiser, and she would not have replied, and we wouldn’t be sitting here, the two of us.”

“So what did happen between you, Gran?”

When Gabriele remained silent, Justine said, “Was it about money?”

Gabriele looked at her granddaughter alertly, thinking how bright and intuitive she was. “You’ve hit the nail on the head, my dear. It
was
mostly about money … but then Deborah is somewhat avaricious, greedy when it comes to material things. She never had enough of anything, and I’m certain she’s still the same, isn’t she?”

“I don’t think a leopard changes its spots, Grandma, so I guess she is still as grabby. But to be honest, Richard and I haven’t seen much of her since she went to live in Beverly Hills. That was eight years ago. Two husbands and two divorces later I can’t help thinking she might be on the prowl again for a rich man. That’s why she won’t come back to New York. Beverly Hills is now her preferred fishpond.”

“I would have thought that Palm Beach was better. More widowers, no?” Gabriele said, her tone slightly acerbic.

Justine burst out laughing. “Oh, spot on, Gran! There’s nobody like you. Anyway, please tell me about the estrangement.”

“It was like this,” Gabriele said, leaning forward slightly, her hands clasped together, her blue eyes fixed on her granddaughter. “When your father died twelve years ago your mother immediately wanted to take over the showroom in the D and D Building. She told me she was going to run it as your father had. I said that she couldn’t, because I was going to do that. Naturally she was up in arms, screaming and shouting, and being her histrionic self. Once she had calmed down, I explained that
I
owned the import company. The showroom lease was in my name, and I had financed most of the operation. Naturally she didn’t believe me. She had assumed it belonged to your father, but in fact he only had a very small investment in it. In the end, I had to show her all of the legal papers to convince her.”

“So my father worked for you, and not vice versa, and yet somehow everyone thought it was his company,” Justine murmured.

“I know, and it didn’t matter to me. And with all due respect, your father wasn’t the one who put that story around. It was your mother. Anyway, he and I made a good team, he enjoyed working with me, and so did I with him. He took a big burden off my shoulders. I paid him a handsome salary and he was genuinely content with the arrangement. Your mother had her own decorating company, and she was working. However, her business wasn’t as successful as she would have everyone believe.”

Gabriele sat back in the chair, her expression sad. With a sigh, she said, “Your mother was stubborn from the day she was born, and I’m afraid she thinks she’s right about everything.”

“Oh, you don’t have to tell me that, Gran. Rich and I realized long ago that she’s a know-it-all. One thing surprises me though; we thought her design company was big time, the way she talked. She was constantly away, as you well know. Traveling for business, she said. I often wondered about
that,
especially as I got older.” Justine threw her grandmother a keen and knowing glance. “I don’t want to interrupt, so please continue the story.”

“I decided the best thing was to pay her your father’s salary every month, and keep her out of the showroom and out of my hair. I did it for peace and quiet really, and to keep my business on an even keel. You remember Edgar Clarke, who worked with us when your father was alive, I’m sure. I promoted him to your father’s position as manager, and he did a good job for me. Especially when I was in London or traveling. In the end, I decided to close the showroom in order to spend more time in London and here in Istanbul. After all, you were already in college.”

“I remember that, Gran, but we did miss you a lot when you were away. Dad was dead, and Mom was never around.” Justine fell silent for a moment, before saying quietly, “What set her off
ten years ago
?”