At a Time Like This (26 page)

Forward. That’s where my focus needs to be: moving forward. No time for sentimentality, for spurious regrets, for what ifs and maybes. I’ve had all of those, for far too long
now.

And once
he
arrives, the last vestiges of my old life will have finally disappeared. Except for Maggie, of course. She is the one exception I am prepared to make for now, until the dust
settles. Meanwhile, I rejoice in the newness of everything here, its obvious and shiny sense of difference.

Paola is calling. The gardener must have arrived. It’s time to begin the transformation of the dusty bowl that is my garden into an oasis of blooms and tranquillity. You have taught me
well, Claire. This is something I will dedicate to you, my way of remembering.

That leaves only Nora. Ah, Nora. Despite myself, I shall remember you, too.

Without even needing to try.

9.
Claire

I can’t believe it.

Pete’s voice on the phone was brittle, all his words stretched tight and thin. I thought that he might burst into tears at any moment.

‘What do you mean, gone?’ I asked. Do you know, I could feel feel even my hands begin to twitch, as though I was physically searching for connections, for some sort of logic. It was
like rummaging around in a drawer full of odd socks. I knew that there had to be a match in there somewhere. I just had to find it.

‘She’s gone, Claire. She’s left us. For good, it seems to me.’

Stupidly, I glanced at Georgie’s place at my table, searching for any clue that might appear there. I almost expected her to materialize, looking like her usual self. Imposing, striking,
making the occasional sardonic comment. Nora and Maggie had already begun to stare in my direction, their animated conversation stilled as abruptly as if someone had just pulled a plug. Even though
I had taken the phone out of the living room, I came back to stand in the doorway once I heard Pete’s words. I didn’t want to be on my own when he let loose whatever missile from the
wide blue yonder he was still trying to control. I could sense that it was already growing larger, speeding in my direction, leaving a thin white trail in its wake. My voice sounded shocked, even
to me, ringing hollow and shallow in my ears. For that first split second, I’d thought he meant that Georgie was dead. Some dreadful calamity, some freak of nature.

Once he said ‘left’, I began to calm down.

Nora was sitting right at the edge of her chair. Even while I was speaking to Pete – or rather, while he was speaking to me – I was aware that she was already enjoying the electric
spark of the storm that she’d sensed was crackling above all our heads.

‘She left some . . . things for me to find,’ Pete said, his voice beginning to settle a little. ‘The invitation to your house tonight, with your phone number underlined in red.
Some bank statements, one showing details of money withdrawn three weeks ago. The deeds of the house. And some other things, personal stuff between the two of us, that make me feel she’s not
coming back.’

My mind was hurtling off in several directions at once.

‘I have to confess,’ he went on, ‘I never realized that Georgie had so much money’ And he started to laugh. A mirthless sound, if ever I heard one.

‘Hang on a second – she and I spoke on the phone yesterday afternoon. When did you see her last?’ I still couldn’t take it in.

‘Last night,’ he said. ‘We had dinner together, the four of us. I went to bed around midnight and when I woke this morning, she’d gone. But there was nothing strange
about that. It wasn’t until I got an email from her this evening that I found all the stuff she’d left for me.’ There was a pause. ‘She’s obviously not with you,
then.’

‘She was supposed to be. She even rang me yesterday to confirm the time. We’ve had tonight arranged for ages. I can’t believe this, Pete. You’re saying you knew she was
going away?’

‘Yeah. Just her usual business trip. She’s always gone by five. I don’t even hear her leave any more.’

Something he’d said earlier was nagging at me. ‘Did you say she’d taken money with her?’

‘Yeah,’ he said. ‘Quite a lot of money’

‘May I ask how much, Pete?’ It was a dreadful, intrusive question but my thoughts were beginning to catch up with something. They were still tripping and falling over each other, but
making progress towards a conclusion that was out there somewhere, waiting to be reached. I was sure of it. And anyhow, he didn’t seem to mind. He sighed in a way that seemed to say: what
difference does it make now?

‘I haven’t added it up yet,’ he said. He seemed to consider for a moment. ‘Not all of it, anyway. There’s one account here for eighty-five thousand,’ he said.
‘Sterling. And that’s just the one she cleared out a few weeks ago. There are others – all in euro, all closed at different times over the last year. At a very rough guess,
it’s well in excess of half a million.’

‘Half a million,’ I repeated. I saw Maggie sit up straighter. Her lips looked a sudden, startled scarlet in her pale face. Yes, I thought,
you
know something that the rest of
us don’t.
That’s
what has been struggling to come to the surface of my mind for the past few minutes. That’s the matching sock, the second shoe that has just fallen with a
bang. Now I wanted to get off the phone, to know whatever it was that Maggie knew. And I had a very unaccustomed feeling, too, beginning to grow in the pit of my stomach. Relief, happiness, even,
that this time, I wasn’t the one causing all the grief. I brought myself back to Pete’s voice with difficulty.

‘I’ve never even seen that sterling account before,’ he was saying. ‘It’s addressed to her at the boutique. Maybe Maggie knows something?’

‘I’ll ask her. And we’ll get back to you. Or do you want to come over? We’re all here. What I mean is,’ I said, appalled at my slip, ‘Maggie and Nora have
just arrived.’

There was a pause. ‘No. No, thanks. I think I’ll stay here, just in case. The girls . . .’

‘Of course,’ I said.

‘And there may be other stuff lying around for me to find. I’d prefer to find it before they do.’

‘Of course,’ I said again. And then he hung up.

Nora’s eyes were wide with anticipation. She was enjoying this, I could see. ‘What’s happening?’

‘It looks as though Georgie has done a runner.’

Maggie was getting whiter by the moment. She couldn’t work her mouth properly, as though her lips had seized. ‘What exactly did Pete say?’

I told her. She put her head in her hands. ‘Jesus Christ,’ she said. Then ‘Oh, Jesus Christ,’ again. She looked up. ‘Is he coming over?’ She couldn’t
keep the alarm out of her voice.

‘No,’ I said. ‘But you’d better tell us what you know.’

Maggie shifted in her chair. She looked agitated. But it was more than that, too. I thought she looked forlorn.

‘I don’t
know
anything – not in the sense you mean. But I have suspected something – and I don’t even know what it is – for the past while
now.’

‘Like what?’ Nora was beginning to get impatient. She was twisting her rings again, the way she always did whenever something upset or excited her.

‘She was very . . . ordered over the past few months. ’Course, Georgie has always been very organized but this was like she was . . . tying up loose ends, or whatever. I mean, she
even changed our business accounts to “pay either”, things like that, when they used to be “pay both”. She said it would make things easier, that we wouldn’t both have
to sign for stuff if things were very busy, or if one of us was away.’

Maggie hadn’t even reached for her cigarettes yet. This must be much worse than I thought. She took a large gulp of her gin and tonic instead.

‘She brought me with her to Italy the last time, too, and introduced me to Roberto and all the other suppliers. I mean, she used to do that negotiating stuff herself. It used to bore me,
and anyway, she was much better at it than I was. But she said it was high time I came to grips with all aspects of the business. I never asked why. I just enjoyed seeing Rome and Milan
again.’

I waited for her to go on, but she seemed to have dried up. So I prompted her.

‘Half a million, Maggie. Was the business doing that well?’

She shook her head. ‘’Course not. We’d never have that sort of money liquid.’ She began to look uncomfortable. Now she reached for her packet of cigarettes and her
lighter.

‘Give, Maggie,’ I said. ‘Give.’

Nora

I always knew she was capable of something like this. I just knew it. Deserting her husband and her family like that and running off without a word. There’s probably
some man in the frame, too, and it wouldn’t surprise me in the least if she has more than one on the go. And what about all that money! Where did she get all that money?

If I’m honest, I’d have to confess that I feel really angry as well. She has managed to steal the limelight once again and this time, she’s not even in the same room as me. She
has taken over the whole evening without even sitting in her usual chair. I thought this was going to be my night, that I would get my chance at long last to talk about Megan and to show them all
the photographs I have in my handbag. But no. As usual, it will just have to wait and I’ll end up being last, again.

Maggie is looking scared, though. I’d bet my life that she knows more than she’s telling. I wonder if now would be the time to let these two know about the afternoon I saw Georgie in
Castleknock? When I’m sure she disappeared into that bike place with a young man?

Maggie has stood up and grabbed her cigarettes and lighter off the coffee table. She makes her way towards the door, but Claire calls after her.

‘Come back, Maggie. Special dispensation for tonight.’ She pulls a delicate ceramic bowl off the fireplace. ‘You can even have an ashtray. Don’t worry, it’s
sturdier than it looks.’ Maggie sits down again. I can see by her that her mind is racing. Claire takes the bottle of Prosecco out of the ice bucket. ‘I think we should start to drink
up, lads, before the wine gets warm again in all this commotion. Even the ice has melted.’

Maggie takes her glass and begins to sip at the Prosecco but her face looks distracted, almost as if she doesn’t know what she is doing. Her eyes are wide, her painted mouth is trembling
and her fingers with those awful scarlet nails have begun to shake. It reminds me of that other evening in Georgie’s so many years ago when Maggie wanted to kill Claire over Ray. And here we
are again and there’s still the drama, still the crisis, but as usual, it is all revolving around somebody else.

‘This has to stay between us,’ Maggie says.

The room goes very quiet. Claire halts in the middle of pouring her own glass of wine. I was about to sip at mine, but I stop. I see the glance that passes between the two of them. Immediately,
I know what it means. Nobody ever told me what happened after the Ray disaster, but then, after a gap of almost two and a half years, our group evenings started up again and Claire and Maggie were
back on speaking terms.

I am not stupid. I have caught many glances like this among the other three over the years and they think that I don’t see or don’t understand. That flash between Claire and Maggie a
second ago means that it is now Claire’s turn to forgive Maggie for something she knew or did or knows or has just suddenly guessed. Maggie already has the look of someone who has put two and
two together. Claire nods. I can see that the bargain has now been sealed between them.

Then Maggie turns to me. ‘Nora?’ she says. They are both waiting, both looking over at me for my answer. I hesitate. This is a rare moment for me. I’ve experienced it only once
before, the time I let Georgie know that I had seen her in Castleknock, dressed to the nines in her fancy linen suit and up to no good. I enjoy the moment for as long as I can. It makes me
understand a little bit more about how people feel about power. It must become addictive. In that instant, I understand Georgie more than I ever have before. I nod. ‘Yes,’ I say.
‘I’ll keep it between us. As long as it’s nothing illegal, of course.’

‘Right,’ says Maggie. She takes a deep breath. ‘Georgie and I started to expand the business about six years ago. We wanted to buy floor-space in two established boutiques, one
in Belfast and the other in Cork. You remember that, don’t you?’

Both Claire and I just nod.

‘We borrowed a hundred grand from the bank as working capital, and as usual, we nearly had to sign away our children’s lives to get it. Georgie was really pissed off at the time, but
there was nothing we could do about it.’

She stubs out her cigarette and I can see that she immediately wants to light another one. It really is a disgusting habit.

‘Around the same time, she got interested in buying stocks and shares on the internet. I don’t know who was advising her and I never asked. All she’d say was that it was some
broker she’d met. Anyway, she started making money. Not a lot at first, but she never lost out on any of her deals. She always knew the best times to buy and sell, it was like an instinct
with her.’

I think to myself instinct my eye. That was no instinct but some broker or financial whizz-kid who warmed her bed and gave her advice as payment. One of those men in fancy suits, I have no doubt
about it. I can see Claire look at Maggie in astonishment.

Maggie pulls her lighter towards her. ‘Now here’s where it might start to get a bit dodgy.’

Claire looks over at me. I decide to stay silent. If I’m honest, I’d have to say that curiosity is now getting the better of me. I just want her to get on with it. I’m dying to
find out what happens next.

‘Georgie asked me if I’d like her to invest some money for me. I said “yes”. I’d been looking to buy a cottage somewhere in the country, for weekends, just. I
needed some place I can call my own. Somewhere I can be by myself . . .’

Yes, yes, I think, starting to get impatient. Let’s not go down the road of tiresome Ray any more. Just keep going and tell us what happened.

‘I gave her ten thousand euro altogether, over the last four years. Not all at once, ’course – in dribs and drabs. Most of it was the money my dad left me. Lucky money.’
She shrugged. ‘Georgie called me one night to tell me that she’d had a tip. She couldn’t tell me any more than that, except that she was going to buy shares in some mining company
in Alaska, or somewhere like that. She was very sure they were about to go through the roof, that some announcement was pending.’