“Of course I don’t mind. He adores you, we can all see that. Do think about taking him this weekend if you can spare the time, Hamish. I’m sure it will do the poor boy the world of good. We have to do the best we can for Alex and hope his mother comes to her senses sooner rather than later and if not, well, we’ll deal with that at a future date.” She took the lid off the gin and poured a generous splash into a heavy crystal glass.
Hamish churned over the conversation as he walked home. Something didn’t feel right in the way Lucy had changed toward him and tried to push his concerns for Billie aside. What was she alluding to that Frederick had failed to tell him? Was it something that never made the news as the rest of the sordid affair had done and if not, why not?
Later that evening, Hamish sat at his desk and opened the cover of his address book. Sliding his finger under the F tab, he flicked it open and then picked up the telephone receiver. Steadily he dialled and waited for someone to answer on the other side of the world.
“Hello. George Fullerton speaking.”
“George, it’s Hamish. Have you got time for a chat?”
“For you, dear friend of course. How are you? Hearing good things about your work down under lately. Even had a write-up in the American Journal of Medicine.” His Boston accent twanged over the phone line.
Hamish leaned back in his chair and rested his head back, the phone cradled between his ear and shoulder. “Thanks, I appreciate it. Listen, I have a study case I’m working on and want to run something past you since the person in question came from your neck of the woods and you know how much I value your opinion.”
“Sure, fire away.”
“The woman I’m talking about lost her husband just over a year ago. Since then her job fell apart due to her being involved somehow in the murder of one of her snitches so she and her sixteen-year-old son have moved to Australia. I thought she was doing reasonably well. We’ve talked about her loss once or twice, but I haven’t dug much deeper than that.”
“So what’s the problem then?” The rustle of papers came over the line. “I’m gathering this woman knows she’s a case study?”
“Yes, she does. Not overly happy, but she hasn’t said no, at least not since I told her it was anonymous. Anyway, earlier in the week she went away to do a story for the paper she works on and was only going to be gone for one night, two at most. She hasn’t been home since.”
“Have you called the police because to me, that would seem the logical step to take, Hamish, at least in this country it would be.”
“No, she called to say she had to work something out before coming back. Her son is concerned because it’s out of character for her.”
“You know her that well, then?”
“Yes, I know what you’re getting at, but here’s the thing. Her son has talked to me and it seems she’s rather prone to panic attacks. He’s confided in me some of the things she’s done in the past and I’m a little concerned because she had an episode last week when we were together. I don’t know if I should say anything to the family.”
“I would. Maybe they can shed some light on her current state of mind. She may have contacted them for all you know.”
“I don’t think so or they would have said. She’s very good at covering things up too. I only just found out that she never made her husband’s funeral. Mad panic attack that had her son sending her to hospital. He’s worried she’s done something to herself is the feeling I get.” Hamish bit his lip, thinking.”
“Seems to me you don’t have any choice. Hang on a minute. Is she the rather famous newspaper reporter from San Francisco, the Australian girl?”
“Ah, I’d rather not say for confidentiality reasons, but can you please keep that possibility to yourself?”
“Of course you know I will. Okay, let’s assume for this conversation that she is. That was some scandal at the time if I remember correctly. Her poor kid had to stand up by himself at the funeral, she was nowhere in sight. Made all the headlines for the wrong reason too.”
“Weren’t the grandparents there for him at all?” He couldn’t imagine Lucy and Frederick leaving Alex on his own at that time.
“No. They were in Europe on a holiday and didn’t get here in time. The widow refused to wait or something or they couldn’t be contacted, don’t remember now. What I do remember was the major fail of her career shortly after.” He mumbled something unintelligible.
“What was that?”
“Nothing, talking to myself. Hang on a minute.” The phone clanged down on the desk as a drawer slammed. Hamish could hear paperwork being scattered. The line crackled as the phone was picked up again.
“Here we go. I kept the stories because they were classic signs of refusal to grieve and you know how that fascinates both of us. Let me see, she accused a source of cheating on her, giving information to a rival newspaper. That one ended up with her being arrested for assault. Then she went undercover as a prostitute to try to lure a politician into a compromising position, convinced he was using tax payer’s money to procure sex.”
“Nothing would surprise me.” Hamish grinned at the picture of Billie in sleazy clothing hanging out on a street corner to get her story.
“Well this one would have. The poor man was a homosexual,
