The Angel Tree (57 page)

‘Bobby, what have I done? Please tell me.’

Simon steered her to the chair and sat her down. ‘Cheska, for the last time, my name is not Bobby. It’s Simon Hardy. I only met you a few weeks ago. We have had no past, and we have
no future either.’

‘I . . . oh, you always were cruel, Bobby. Don’t you like me any more? Tell me what it is I’ve done.’

‘You haven’t done anything, Cheska. It just wouldn’t work out, that’s all.’

‘Please give me a chance to show you how happy I can make you.’

‘No. You have to understand that any relationship is impossible.’

‘Why?’

‘Because I’m in love with someone else, that’s why.’

Cheska stared into the distance, then turned back to him, her face full of hate.

‘You’re doing it again, aren’t you?’

‘No, Cheska. I’ve never done this before. To you, or anyone else.’

‘Don’t lie to me! All those nights we spent together. You used to say you loved me, would always love me, and then, and then . . .’ Cheska’s voice trailed off.

‘Look, I have no idea what you’re talking about, but I’m going to leave now.’ Simon moved towards the door.

‘Who is she?! Is it that wife you hid away for years, or that little whore of a make-up girl you were screwing at the same time as me?’

‘I have no idea what or who you’re talking about. I’m sorry things have turned out like this.’

‘If you walk out now, I swear I’ll come after you and punish you like I did before.’

Simon turned round and saw the darkness in her glassy eyes.

‘I think you need help, Cheska. Goodbye.’

As Ava sat on the bus to the Savoy, her thoughts seemed to crowd in on her. There had been plenty of moments in the past few weeks when she had watched Cheska’s mood
change in an instant, but she’d always put her mother’s odd behaviour down to her having lived in such a rarefied world and being so famous. Everyone that met her felt honoured and in
awe of her; they all adored her. Ava knew that she, too, had initially fallen under Cheska’s spell.

But she now knew that her mother had lied to both her and Mary about removing LJ from the nursing home. And, as for the fire – Ava sighed as she stepped off the bus and waited for the
traffic lights to change so she could cross the road to the Savoy – did the inspector really believe that Cheska could have had nothing to do with it? Had he been taken in like the rest of
them?

The problem was, whether he had or he hadn’t, there was little she could do about it. Cheska was her mother, and she could hardly call him and tell him she suspected her.

Walking down the short road that led to the Savoy and shivering in the misty evening air, Ava tried to work out what she would say to her. Accusing Cheska of anything always led to tears on her
mother’s part, and guilt and apologies on her own. Just as she was thinking these things, she saw a familiar figure appear out of the revolving doors of the hotel entrance.

She slid back into the shadows of the building, but Simon had already spotted her and walked towards her.

‘Ava, hello.’

She could see he looked anxious and was breathing heavily. ‘Are you okay?’ she asked.

‘Yes. Sort of, anyway.’

‘Don’t tell me, you’ve just been to see my mother,’ she said, turning her eyes from him and trying to act as if she didn’t care.

‘I have. She said there was somebody I had to meet. A record producer.’

‘Great. I hope it went well.’

‘He wasn’t there.’

‘I’m sorry.’

‘Ava, look, can you stop treating me like a stranger? I promise you, it’s not as it seems.’

‘You’re the second person to say something like that to me today.’

‘Well, I’m sorry to be repetitive, but I think, given what happened upstairs just now, your mother got completely the wrong idea about me.’

‘So, what did happen?’

‘Look, I’ve got to get to the theatre now, there’s a charity performance tonight and it’s starting early. And what I’ve got to tell you is quite difficult to
explain.’

‘Why don’t you have a go?’ Ava was looking at her feet. Anywhere but at him.

‘I think your mother . . . fancies me.’

‘Really? Is that the first time you’ve realised it?’

‘Yes, I mean, no. I knew she was being very friendly. But I presumed it was because of you.’

‘Why because of me?’

‘Well, it’s not unusual for mothers to try to be welcoming to their daughter’s boyfriend, is it?’

‘But you’re not my boyfriend, Simon. We’ve never even kissed.’

‘I . . .’ Simon grabbed her softly by her upper arms and pulled her to him. ‘Look at me, Ava, please.’

‘Simon, if you want to go out with my mother, that’s your business, but don’t expect me to like it.’

‘I
don’t
want to – of course I don’t, you silly thing! I was just being nice for
our
sake. Paving the way, if you like.’

‘For what?’

‘For us! Look, Ava, you’re younger than me and I didn’t want to push anything. I thought we could get to know each other slowly without pressure, but it must have at least been
obvious to you that I was interested.’

‘I don’t know.’ Ava shook her head miserably. ‘I’m so confused just now, about lots of things.’

‘Of course you are,’ he said gently. ‘Please, let me give you a hug. Please?’

Ava still stood rigidly as he put his arms around her.

‘Why are you here, anyway?’ he asked.

‘Because, apparently, Cheska has moved my great-aunt from her nursing home and no one knows where she is. Why would she do something like that?’

‘I don’t know but, after what I saw upstairs, something isn’t right with her.’

‘No, it isn’t.’ Ava choked back a sob and Simon pulled her closer. ‘If she’s hurt LJ, I swear I’ll—’

‘Listen, Ava, I don’t want you to see your mother without me. Meet me at the theatre after the show, around nine thirty. Then we can come back to the Savoy together and confront her.
Promise?’

‘If you really think it’s important,’ she said.

‘It is.’

When Bobby had left, Cheska had dressed in an instant and was soon on her way downstairs to follow him to the theatre. It wasn’t his fault he held a grudge against her.
She needed to explain again, to make things right and show him how the future would be. She came out of the lift, walked across the foyer and went through the revolving doors that led into the
street. As she stood waiting for the doorman to hail her a cab, she saw Bobby out of the corner of her eye, standing a few yards further along. He was embracing a woman, but she couldn’t see
clearly who it was. He tipped the girl’s chin up towards him, and she saw it was Ava, her daughter.

‘Traitor!’ she gasped under her breath, feeling a dreadful rage consume her. She watched as the two of them turned away from her and began to walk towards the Strand. Bobby had his
arm protectively around Ava’s shoulders. Cheska waved away the doorman and the waiting cab and began to follow them. On the main road, she saw them pause. He kissed Ava’s forehead, gave
her a last hug and turned away to walk out of sight along the street. Ava stood on the pavement, waiting for the lights to change so she could cross the road.

A memory came to Cheska then. She’d been here before.

The voices told her what to do, as they had done last time, so many years before.

Cheska walked swiftly towards her daughter.

David arrived at Heathrow completely exhausted, his nerves in shreds. Once he had cleared Customs, he walked swiftly to the taxi rank.

‘The Savoy Hotel, please.’

The taxi made good progress until it reached the top of the Strand, where the traffic became heavy. David sat in the cab, trying to clear his brain, wondering what exactly he was going to say
when he came face to face with Cheska.

‘All right if I drop you here, guv? Something’s happened up ahead. You can walk the next few yards. It’ll be faster than waiting here.’

‘Yes, fine.’

David climbed out with his overnight bag and began to walk up towards the Savoy. He dodged in and out of the bumper-to-bumper cars and made his way to the other side of the street. There’d
been an accident of some kind, at the traffic lights near the entrance.

A crowd had gathered around someone lying in the road, just by the pavement. Taking a deep breath, as it brought back the most dreadful memories, David walked past the crowd, making sure to look
away, but once he was on the pavement something made him stop and turn round. The stretcher was being lifted up into the ambulance, and David caught a glimpse of blonde hair and an all too familiar
profile lying on it.

‘God, no!’ he cried, pushing his way through the crowd. He climbed onto the footplate of the ambulance, and explained who he was to the paramedic.

‘We’re leaving now, sir. Got to get the traffic moving. You coming with us?’

‘Yes. How badly is she hurt?’ David asked.

‘Go and talk to her yourself. She’s awake and coherent. We’re taking her to A and E to check for any broken bones. The car hit her shoulder and she took a bump on the head but,
apart from that, she seems to be in one piece. The traffic was moving so slowly the impact was minimal. Ava,’ the paramedic called to her above the wail of the siren, ‘look who’s
come to see you.’

David went to sit beside his niece and took her hand. ‘Ava, it’s me, Uncle David.’

Ava’s eyes fluttered open. She focused on him and, as she registered who he was, her expression turned to amazement. ‘Uncle David, is it really you, or am I hallucinating because of
the accident?’

‘No, it really
is
me, darling.’

‘Thank God you’re home! Thank God!’

‘I am, and I’m going to sort everything out from here. I don’t want you to worry about a thing. Do you know where your mother is?’

‘No, not really,’ said Ava. ‘I was going to see her at the Savoy to ask what she’d done with LJ, but Simon stopped me outside.’

‘What do you mean, “done with LJ”?’

‘She’s moved her out of her nursing home and not told us where. Sorry, Uncle David, I—’

Ava had said nothing else by the time they arrived at St Thomas’s Hospital. ‘I wouldn’t worry unduly, sir,’ said the paramedic as they took the stretcher from the
ambulance. ‘She seems very lucid. Good luck.’

As Ava was wheeled off, David filled in the necessary paperwork. Sitting anxiously in the waiting room, he went over in his head what Ava had said about LJ having been moved from the nursing
home, and half wondered whether she had been dreaming out loud. He bent down and took his address book out of his overnight bag. Then he went to the payphone to dial Mary’s number. Even
though he had only enough coins to speak to her briefly, she confirmed what Ava had said, and his heart missed a beat. He told Mary to start ringing round local hospitals and other nursing homes in
the area to see if she could find LJ. Surely, even Cheska couldn’t have done away with her, could she? His mother had to be somewhere and, whatever it took, he would find her. As soon as
he’d made sure Ava was okay, he’d go to the Savoy and see his niece tonight, even if he had to batter down her door to do it. Of course, the other burning question was whether
Ava’s accident was simply that? Or had Cheska – for whatever warped reason her confused mind had invented – been involved?

Why had he ever left?
He should have known that Cheska might think about coming home to England. She was broke, her career in Hollywood all but finished. Poor, innocent Ava, who knew
nothing about the dark side of her mother, had borne the brunt. Not to mention his mother . . .

Eventually, the doctor came to find him.

‘How is she?’ asked David.

‘The good news is, there’s no sign of a break or a fracture in her shoulder, but she does seem to have a mild concussion from the bang on her head. We’ll keep her in for
observation overnight. I’ve just rung up for a bed on the ward. If all goes well, she should be fine to come out tomorrow morning. Come and see her. She’s sitting up and drinking a cup
of tea.’

The doctor led him along the corridor and pulled open the curtain. ‘I’ll leave you to it. I have other patients to see,’ he said apologetically.

David went to sit next to Ava. She looked a lot better than she had earlier. ‘How are you feeling, darling?’

‘Apart from a seriously bad headache, not too awful, considering. The doctor said I had a lucky escape.’

‘You did indeed.’

‘Uncle David, you know when Granny had her accident, wasn’t that outside the Savoy, too?’

‘Yes, it was.’

Ava shuddered. ‘What an awful coincidence, isn’t it?’

‘Yes, it is, but please, that’s
all
it is.’ David wasn’t at all sure that he believed what he’d just said.

‘What time is it?’

‘Just after nine.’

‘Oh no! I told Simon I’d meet him after his performance. We have to find out where LJ is. I’m so worried about her. Could you go and meet Simon at the Queen’s Theatre and
explain what happened? Then perhaps you could go and see my mother.’

‘Simon?’ David scratched his head. ‘Who’s he?’

‘You met him at LJ’s eighty-fifth birthday party. You said at the time he looked like someone you knew.’

‘Yes, I finally remembered that he looks like someone called Bobby Cross.’ David sighed.

‘Bobby?’ Ava frowned. ‘That’s funny. Cheska keeps calling him that.’

‘Does she?’

‘Yes, and the reason Simon was there today was because Cheska had said that she wanted to introduce him to a record producer. I met him coming out of the Savoy, and he more or less said
that she had jumped on him.’

David had been wondering if things could get any worse, and realised they just had.

‘Would you go and see Simon for me, Uncle David? It’s not far from here.’

‘Ava, I really think I should stay here with you.’

‘No, I’m feeling much better. And I’d be far happier knowing that LJ was all right. But please be careful with Cheska. Simon was really shaken up by the way she was
behaving.’

‘Don’t worry about me, Ava. I’ve known your mother since she was a little girl. But yes, I would like to speak to Simon to find out just what’s been going on. Although I
have a pretty good idea.’