Persuading Annie (36 page)

‘So they’re not gonna tell anyone in your family?’

Annie shrugged. ‘I can tell Cass not to if you want.’

‘Is she good at keeping secrets, this friend of yours?’

Jake looked away.

Annie shrugged. ‘I haven’t told her any for a while.’

‘Well do me a favour,’ said the cop. ‘Tell her to keep this one. As soon as possible.’

‘OK.’

Annie looked defiantly at Jake. Typical that he was here to tell her the bad news about Edward. He gave her a short smile.

‘How are you?’

Annie shrugged with as much defiance as she could. It was nothing a fourteen-year-old truant wouldn’t have been proud of.

‘Fine.’

‘Whaddya know about this “Edward” guy?’ asked Candyfloss Cop.

Annie told them everything she’d just been told.

Candyfloss Cop turned to Jake.

‘All yours pal.’

Jake took a deep breath.

‘OK,’ he said deliberately and took a disk out of his jacket pocket. ‘I have the evidence that could put Edward away for quite a while. This is the disk he gave you to send to Susannah. He … he must have had other things on his mind when he handed it to you because there were other files on that disk that he certainly wouldn’t have wanted you to see.’ Jake came to a halt.

He sighed. Why did he have to be the one that broke the bad news to Annie? ‘Edward has been embezzling money out of your dad’s company slowly but surely since he first joined as chief exec. At first, he thought there was more than there was, so as soon as he realised there wasn’t much to play around with, he got to work quickly. Then when we came in, he upped the speed. And we’re fairly sure he must have overheard me trying to tell you not to trust him that day at the park, because ever since then he’s practically finished the company off.’

Annie barely had the energy to nod.

Candyfloss Cop nodded his head in Jake’s direction and gave a big cheesy grin.

‘And this guy knew all along. Whaddya think of that, eh? Clever guy!’

Jake kept his eyes down as he spoke into his chest.

‘I’m afraid at that stage it was nothing to do with being clever.’

‘Ah you English – you’re so modest!’

Jake continued. ‘But he couldn’t have done it alone. He had to get someone in there first to help shoehorn his way in.
Smooth the way if you like. And then keep it smooth while he did the important stuff. His PA, so to speak.’

Jake paused. ‘Annie, we know who his accomplice is.’

Annie looked at Jake. His eyes softened as he spoke.

‘It had to be someone who could tell him things about the family so he knew all the right buttons to press. Someone who had infiltrated the family. Someone who also had access to the company’s files.’

Annie gasped. ‘Ohmygod!’

Jake nodded.

‘Davina!’ they both said together.

‘That’s how I was able to find the evidence,’ said Jake, his words tumbling out. ‘I knew there was something fishy about them at the opera, but I just couldn’t put my finger on it. There was a lot of hostility between them and yet … they seemed to be communicating without talking. And although she was flirting with me, she was thinking of Edward. Basically,’ he paused. ‘Well, basically, she reminded me of me.’ He shrugged, and Annie was too stressed to notice the deep blush deepen across his cheekbones. ‘I realised they must have been involved with each other at some point. And then it dawned on me. They still
are
involved with each other. But they’re having to keep it a secret. The name “Davina” was Edward’s password to a file that showed me everything I needed to know.’

With effort, Annie closed her mouth and blinked. Both at the same time. While breathing. Multi-tasking.

‘So
that’s
why she hates me so much!’ she whispered. ‘She’s been jealous.’

‘You were datin’ Edward, weren’t you?’

Annie grimaced.

‘Sorry hon, but we need to know everything,’ insisted
Candyfloss Cop. ‘Were you sleepin’ with the guy? Givin’ him pillow talk?’

Jake stood up.

‘This is between you two, I think. I’ll leave you to it. I have some e-mails to be getting on with anyway. Can I use your office?’

Candyfloss Cop wasn’t letting him get away that quickly.

‘I’ll be outta here in a little while,’ he said. ‘I’ll call you on your mobile for a rendezvous.’

‘OK,’ said Jake, already half-way out of the room.

Annie directed him down the hall.

When he had gone, Candyfloss Cop leaned forward. ‘He’s a handsome guy ain’t he?’

‘Who?’

‘Edward.’

Annie nodded absent-mindedly. Had Jake just admitted that while he was flirting with Sophie he was thinking of her?

The cop started putting her in the picture.

Davina Barker had been working with Eddie Goddard for over a year. He had sought her out when she had first started working for Markhams’. She had at first only been flirting with George for obvious reasons, and enjoying the attentions of a wealthy man and the prospects that all that had entailed.

But when Edward got to her, she hadn’t stood a chance. She fell for his charms and started to risk everything she had achieved so far by siphoning off small amounts of money from the company into Eddie’s off-shore bank account.

And then the perfect opportunity presented itself for Eddie to move in. The job of chief exec came up. By now, he knew through Davina exactly what would impress George. All he had to do was turn up at the polo club for a couple of months, mention his distant connections, and hey presto. He got the
job. Now he could oversee Davina. And, once he was in, and didn’t need Davina as much as before, he made a move on Annie Markham, whom he’d always fancied. Simple.

It all made perfect sense to Annie now. The more Davina had fallen for Edward, the more she was losing interest in her own far slower game with George. And the more interest Eddie had shown in Annie, the more jealous Davina had grown of her.

Annie also knew that Susannah had trusted Edward absolutely, enough to tell him things he didn’t strictly need to know – and Susannah knew exactly how Annie felt about Davina, thanks to Cass’s dutiful updates. That was how Edward knew to appear to mistrust Davina whenever he was with Annie. Meanwhile, Davina knew, via Edward, that Annie was on to her. No wonder Davina hated her.

Annie felt all the air had been punched out of her. She couldn’t trust anyone any more. And the nearest she’d got to being in a relationship with a man in seven years had actually been the biggest sham of all. She’d been utterly and totally duped.

‘He win you over?’ asked the cop eventually.

‘Who?’

‘Edward.’

She shook her head.

‘Nope. I didn’t tell him anything,’ she said in a flat voice. ‘The truth is I was using him just as much as he was using me.’

Candyfloss Cop nodded.

‘You didn’t tell him anything about the business?’

Annie shook her head. ‘I liked him as a friend, but I never really trusted him,’ she said. ‘I thought I did, but in hindsight, I didn’t tell him a thing. I told Jake more about the business than I ever told him.’

She would have been ready to say more – is that why she had
mentioned Jake? But the cop wasn’t interested. He was already lifting his bulky frame into a standing position.

‘OK lady,’ he was saying. ‘I gotta get this disk down to the station. All you gotta remember is not to tell anyone about the true Eddie Goddard and Davina Barker. That clear?’

Annie nodded. That seemed easy enough.

Then she remembered.

‘My family are expecting an announcement tonight.’

‘Between you and him?’

‘Who?’

‘Edward.’

‘Yes.’

‘Jeez. I thought you said you were using him?’

‘Well I was, but I didn’t really realise until … recently. And then once I’d realised, it was sort of too late. And I didn’t have the energy to say anything. Look all you need to know is that I’ve been told that Edward’s going to propose to me tonight, and as far as my family is concerned, I’m going to do the right thing. As usual.’

‘Which means?’

‘They thought I was going to say yes.’

‘And were you?’

‘No. I was going to refuse him.’

The cop smiled at her.

‘Sounds like you been goin’ through your own little drama here.’

‘Nothing I can’t handle.’

They smiled briefly at each other and Annie’s smile got briefly wider. Relief – and a new sense of freedom – flooded over her.

‘Good girl. So all you gotta do is keep the act up. Just keep pretendin’ like you’re about to pop his ring on your finger and
we’ll all be fine. Don’t tell a soul the truth. You hear? You confide in any of your bosom buddies and they might start treating them differently and then we lose these two slippery characters. D’you understand? This ain’t no schoolgirl secret to blab to the first person you see, OK?’

‘I’m not a schoolgirl.’

The cop smiled.

‘Good. I gotta go before your folks arrive. What you doin’ tonight, sugar?’

‘I was going to stay here for drinks with everyone and then go to the hospital to see Cass and Brutus. Then after midnight I was going to join all my family – and Davina and Edward – here. They were all going to the New Year’s Eve party at The Plaza.’

The cop nodded gravely.

‘Now listen to me very carefully,’ he said. ‘Don’t do anythin’ that might arouse suspicion. Stay for the drinks and then go to the hospital as planned. Treat everyone as normal – especially Davina and Edward. We need those two to be at The Plaza waitin’ for us. Preferably after midnight, when everyone’s had the best part of the party. Just sit pretty.’ He grinned. ‘That shouldn’t be too difficult, should it?’

Annie tried to stand up, but he was already leaving the room.

‘I can see myself out,’ he shouted from the hall.

After she heard the door slam behind the cop, Annie sank into the sofa, drained.

When the doorbell went, she was poleaxed by indecision. Who could it be? Could it be Edward? Was he going to surprise her more than he could imagine by proposing now, before the party? What if he’d seen the cop just leaving?

She didn’t want to answer the door to anyone. Ever again.

Then she remembered what the cop had said – act normal. Pity she couldn’t remember what normal was. She thought hard and finally decided that normal people would probably answer the doorbell.

She got up and answered the doorbell.

And there stood Susannah.

‘My dear,’ said Susannah, walking straight past her into the drawing room. Annie had no choice but to follow her.

Susannah twirled round and faced her. She was grinning rather manically.

‘I just wanted to see you on this rather special day. How are you feeling, my dear?’

Annie chose not to speak.

It was a clever move, influenced largely by the fact that she was unable to.

Act normal, act normal …

Susannah changed her expression to one of fond devotion. She looked like she was constipated.

‘I can’t help but worry about you,’ she said softly. ‘You’re so much like your poor dear mother. She was never very good at making her own decisions either.’

That did it.

Annie shut her eyes. She just wanted Susannah to go away. Why did she always confuse her so much?

‘Don’t do that Annie, it will give you lines,’ said Susannah impatiently. ‘I shouldn’t think Edward likes lines.’

Annie opened her eyes. Too right. Especially vertical ones running down his suit.

‘You know I only want you to be happy—’ continued Susannah.

‘No you don’t,’ whispered Annie before she could stop herself.

There was silence.

‘What?’ Susannah’s voice was full of steely hurt.

‘Sorry Susannah,’ said Annie, with careful softness to her tone. ‘I think you
think
you want me to be happy, but you confuse your own happiness with my own.’

Act normal, act normal …

It dawned on Annie that a normal person – one who wasn’t still mourning the loss of her mother and her lover and had lost sight of her own mind in the grief – would have said all this years ago.

‘And the result has been that you have single-handedly made me unhappy for the past seven years.’

Susannah’s voice was like a hacksaw.

‘What are you talking about?’

Annie felt years of pain rise up to her chest. The anger at being abandoned by the two most important people in her life, let alone being duped by Edward – all of it was being redirected towards Susannah.

And Susannah deserved it. Annie realised that Susannah had done exactly to her what Davina and Edward had been doing to her father’s company for the past year. Using insider information to extract exactly what she wanted, not caring about the empty shell she left behind.

‘I may have been young,’ she whispered, ‘but you knew exactly what you were doing. You confused me, you turned your own daughter into a spy—’

She ignored Susannah’s gasp of shock.

‘—to get inside me so that you could press all the right buttons. You thoroughly undermined all my confidence so I ruined the most important decision of my life.’

Susannah looked at her as if she had finally lost the two remaining marbles the family had pinned their hopes on.

‘You’re not still harping on about that pathetic college incident, are you?’ she demanded.

Annie shook her head to get Susannah’s voice out of her ears. How did she always make her feel that her emotions were wrong? How could emotions be wrong?

Susannah was still talking.

‘That time you thought you were pregnant, only to discover you were one month late through student stress? Did you need any other proof that you were too young for marriage?’

Annie felt her back straighten. She was not going to be confused this time. She would win this row. She felt a lifetime of tangled thoughts slip undone inside her head. She could see every strand of thought clearly for the first time in years.

She took in a deep breath. ‘The right man doesn’t always come at the right time. So Jake came too early for me – does that mean I deserved to lose him?’

‘Jake?’ exclaimed Susannah. ‘What does Jake have to do with it?’