Jason agreed, “Scary stuff. Trent should have given us danger pay.”
Rounding the final bend, Jason stopped in shock. The hallway was littered with boxes. Tim whistled, “Boy, somebody’s having a clean out.”
“This looks more like a closing down sale to me. We’d better go find the owner before these records go anywhere.”
The door to the agency stood propped open by a half-empty cardboard box. Picking their way through the chaos, they made their way into the office. A frazzled old lady glared at them. She was trying to shift a desk, and was getting nowhere. Hands flew to her hips, “If you’re looking for a job, we can’t help you any longer. You can try the ‘Employ-me Company’ on the fifth floor of the building next door.”
Jason looked at Tim with his eyebrow lifted. Tim nodded. “Here Ma’am, let’s help you move that desk.” Not waiting for her to agree, they lifted and shifted the desk in no time at all. “Anything else you need moved while we’re here?” For a moment the lady stood in shocked silence. It didn’t take her long to recover though, and she soon had them carrying and moving things, while she directed from a safe distance.
Two hours later, they stopped for a break. Mrs. Carter had disappeared into the kitchenette to make tea. Tim whispered, wiping a drop of sweat off the tip of his nose, “How much more of this are we going to do? You haven’t even asked her about Rebecca yet.”
“All in good time, my friend. Quite honestly, how could she refuse us after all we’ve done this morning?”
“Maybe and maybe not. I’ll believe it when I see it.”
Jason punched his shoulder, “Skeptic. When did you become so bleak?”
Tim was saved from answering by Mrs. Carter’s return. Carefully balancing the tea tray on a cardboard box, she proceeded to pour three steaming mugs full.
She sipped her own delicately with her pinky sticking out like a flag pole. “I’m sorry you had to catch us at such a bad time. With all these fancy new employment agencies opening, people stopped using our services. It’s grown quieter and quieter. Quite frankly it’s costing more than it’s bringing in. It has for a while now. Hard to give up and admit defeat though.” She paused for a sip, “Enough of that. What can I do for you boys?”
Tim very nearly yelled, “I thought you'd never ask!” He somehow managed to swallow the urge and let Jason do the talking.
Chapter 15 – Moms and Visitors
Maxine Rochester sat in the bleak morning sun, trying to absorb the warmth of the rays. A chilly breeze slipped between her pale jersey and her skin, causing an eruption of goose flesh and stealing any hope of warmth. It was really too cold to be sitting outside, but the house was small and crammed full of all sorts of things. Maxine was used to more space. Drawing her arms around herself to stop shivering, her thoughts drifted to her husband and sons, and the farm that she loved so much.
The clatter of a tea trolley interrupted her thoughts. With a big grin, Sally poured two cups before settling herself opposite Maxine. There was very little family resemblance between them outwardly, but if their thought patterns and emotional make-up could be displayed, there’d be little doubt that they were sisters.
Maxine’s hair hung in a neat brunette bob that framed a slim face. Sally, on the other hand, had a tousled mop of blonde curls. Her driving passion in life was fine food, which explained the roundness of her face and the extra roll around her middle. But she was kind and gracious and had taken Maxine in, when nobody else would have dared.
“You’re missing them, aren’t you?”
Maxine smiled sadly, “Always.” They were both quiet for a few minutes, sipping tea and content just to be together. Reaching over to briefly squeeze her sister’s hand, Maxine spoke again, “I’m very grateful that you are willing to have me here at such great risk to yourself.”
Sally waived the comment away with a grin. “Don’t mention it. You would have done the same for me.” The grin faded and she asked softly, “Are you sure this was the best thing for your family?”
“Edward and I discussed it from every angle. I wish it could be different, sometimes I even wonder if we did the right thing. Edward seemed so convinced. I suppose I agree with him.” Tears welled in her eyes, “What else could we do?”
The question was rhetorical and Sally remained silent. Maxine could sense that Sally didn’t agree, but loved her for not pushing the issue. Sally put down her empty teacup and rubbed her hands together briskly, blowing on them for warmth. “It’s far too cold out here, I’m going in. Are you coming?”
Maxine waved her half empty teacup and said, “I’ll be along just now, once my tea’s finished.” Sally left and the tea in Maxine’s cup went cold and untouched.
***
Shane was in a quandary.
The first thing he’d done on arriving at the flat was shoo Rachel into the bathroom for a nice, long soak in the tub. With her out the way, he was desperately trying to pull the place into a semblance of order, with little success. His biggest problem was where to let her sleep.
A female needs her privacy, so letting her crash on the sofa in the lounge just wouldn’t work. He most certainly was not giving up his bed. Tim’s room was a radioactive disaster. Shane shuddered to think what manner of living things had taken up residence in the un-cleaned regions of Tim’s boudoir. His organized mind just did not extend beyond the confines of his cranium.
That left Jason’s room. It was reasonably tidy, no girly pic’s on the walls. Add a fresh set of bedding and it would probably be the best solution. Shane scratched his stubbly chin. The only worry was Jason. Shane didn’t know how he’d feel about a strange girl using his bed. Jason was a private sort at the best of times.
The toilet flushed and he heard the familiar gurgle of bath water being let out. Rachel emerged from the bathroom drying her clean hair on a towel. She looked all pink from the hot water and smelled really good.
Keeping his tone light, Shane said, “You’ll be using Jason’s room. This way.” Picking up her suitcase, he led the way with fingers crossed.
***
Jason and Tim sat on the floor surrounded by heaps of paper. Tim threw down a wad in disgust. “This is a complete waste of time. And energy. Did I mention that this was a waste of energy?”
Trying to stay patient, Jason scratched his eyebrow, and said, “You actually have Tim. Every five minutes for the last hour. Stop wasting energy on whining, okay? The info we need is here, we just have to persevere.”
Muttering under his breath, Tim opened a fresh box and took out a pile of dog-eared files. “This would have been so much easier if it were all on computer. We could have been on our way home already. You owe me, Jason, big time.”
“What do you mean ‘I owe you’? I brought you along on this holiday didn’t I? You should be thanking me.”
Tim’s face was a picture. “I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that.”
Three hours later they had been through every box pertaining to the year Rebecca had been placed in employment. Their search had done nothing but send dust up their nostrils. Tim’s allergies had flared and his eyes and nose streamed rivers. Mrs. Carter had graciously supplied him with a roll of loo paper. He’d already worked his way through half of it.
Jason sat back looking completely fed-up but not willing to give up just yet.
“I can’t shake the feeling that we are missing something here.”
“Remarkable conclusion, genius.” Tim erupted in an explosive sneeze and reached for the remnants of the toilet paper. Mopping up noisily, he continued, “We definitely are missing something – like anything referring to Rebecca. I could have told you that.” Waving the plundered roll at Jason, he said, “I’m going to need another one of these, if we’re going to be here much longer.”
Jason ignored the sarcasm and stuck to his train of thought, “Think about it. We are searching for Rebecca Grey because that was her Mom’s surname right?”
“Obviously. What else would it be?”
/>
“At that point, these two old people wanted nothing to do with their granddaughter. In Lydia’s case, she didn’t even want to acknowledge the girl’s existence. Why would they send her away bearing their surname?”
Tim slumped back against the carved wood of the boardroom’s table leg, “Ouch.”
Jason nodded in agreement. Checking his watch he said, “It’s nearly five o’clock. Let’s go grab some grub and come back tomorrow. We’ll have to find all the ‘Rebecca’s’. I’ll check if that’s okay with Mrs. Carter.”
Tim groaned, “She’s going to make us move things Jason. You do realize this?”
Jason thwacked him on the head, “You’re whining. Stop it.”
***
Shane was tucking into Rebecca’s beef stroganoff with gusto. He ate in silence, only stopping every fifth mouthful to comment on how delicious it all was. It felt good to be appreciated. It also made her feel bad for lying about her name. She cringed inside when she thought about it now, but also felt too embarrassed to confess. Being Rachel for a few days wouldn’t really do any harm.
Shane had been so kind and sincere, that Rebecca found herself relaxing in his company. This was not a setup she’d ever thought she’d be comfortable in – staying alone in a flat with a strange man – but Shane was a perfect gentleman. He was also completely smitten with his girlfriend and referred to her in every second sentence. All in all, Rebecca felt quite safe.
Pushing back a clean plate from his second helping, Shane rested against the back of the dining room chair with his hands on his belly, looking completely satisfied. “You’re a good cook. Where did you learn?”
Skirting the issue of her past, she replied with a smile, “Here and there. I worked as a cook for a few years.”
“A chef you mean?”
“Oh no. Nothing that grand. I used to do all the cooking for a family on their farm.”
“Must have been a big family if they had to employ someone to cook for them. In my family we all had to learn and take turns.”
Rebecca shrugged, “They were rich. Well, that was part of it. The whole situation was quite sad really. Their mother just disappeared.”
Shane sat forward with a grunt. His interest was piqued.
“That’s when they employed me. As the lady of the house, she obviously handled a large portion of the work with the help of a housekeeper called Hazel. Now there’s a woman with a heart of gold.” Rebecca sipped her coffee.
“Did they ever find out what happened to Mom?”
“That’s the strange thing. My boss refused to get the Police involved; he did next to nothing to find her.” Rebecca paused, mulling things over in her head. “I think he was in on it. Whatever ‘it’ was.”
“Sounds suspicious. Didn’t you want to know more?”
Rebecca’s nose scrunched up, “I’d just arrived, was trying to find my feet. Just settling in was hard enough without adding a mystery disappearance to my To Do list. And then one of my bosses sons took a shine to me and started—” Rebecca froze, and promptly backtracked. “No, I didn’t try to found out more.” She slapped on a too-bright smile, and said, “How about some dessert? I’ve made a chocolate mousse.”
Shane groaned in delight, “Bring it on! If you hadn’t arrived in my life, I would have been eating cold tuna from the tin tonight. I must be doing something right!”
Chapter 16 – Digging and a Pizza
Tim had earned himself the nickname “Prophet”. True to his prediction, Mrs. Carter was only too happy to see them when they arrived bright and early the next morning. Her husband, who was also her business partner, was out of town for a few days and had left all the wrapping up to her. She was delighted to have her honest, hardworking young lads back at her beck and call.
The first three hours of the day were spent packing up the reception area, and moving countless boxes into a bare corner, ready for collection. Tim was as close to tears as what is acceptable for a strong young man to be. Grabbing Jason’s arm he whispered furiously, “I don’t know how much more of this I can take.”
Jason patted him on the back. “Hang in there, Buck. It will all be worth it.”
Tim slumped onto the nearest desk and glared at him.
Mrs. Carter swept into the room and announced, “I’m going to get us some lunch boys. You can take a break.” She winked broadly and would have nudged Jason in the ribs with her elbow, had she been closer to him.
Mrs. Carter had always been a very pertinacious person when it came to her client’s confidentiality. However, the closing of the agency and the boy’s sheer helpfulness had softened her resolve to the point of looking the other way while they found what they needed.
Jason grinned at the old lady, “That sounds great. Thank you!”
***
Four hours and hamburgers and chips later, they had three ‘Rebecca’ files in hand. Sitting in reverential silence, Jason spread them on the ground. The files were a hideous shade of green with the name of the person written in fat black letters on the front. Opening the first one, Jason was surprised to see a wallet size photograph of the potential employee glued onto the introduction page. Rebecca Harvett had stringy blonde hair that hung limply either side of a wrinkled face. Checking the date of birth, Jason tossed the file aside. “Too old, not our girl!”
The next photo was another blonde Rebecca, though this time sporting a frizzy perm. Rebecca Hurst. Eyes of the deepest brown stared coolly into the camera. The birth date was the same year they were looking for, the month and day all wrong. “Same year, wrong eye & hair color though. I don’t think so.”
“Haven’t you heard of highlights and contact lenses? She could be our Rebecca.”
“I will recognize this girl when I see her, trust me.”
Tim held his hands up as if conceding defeat. “I won’t argue with you. I just hope this last one is it.”
“You and me both.” Reaching for the file marked Rebecca Jones, Jason reminded himself to breath. Slowly opening the cover, his heart hoping against hope, Jason felt the wind leave his sail’s as the file fell open. There was no photograph.
“Check the birth date.”
“Let’s see… here it is. 15 May 1979. Spot on. This could be our girl.”
“Where was she placed? Is there an address?”
Jason paged through the file, “No address that I can see. Uh… Here’s a contact name and cell phone number, no landline. Take this down: Maxine Rochester, 0837596590. Our business here is done.” The relief on Tim’s face was enough to make Jason smile.
He did a final flip through the file and stopped dead. The hairs on his neck stood on end and he felt blood rush to his head causing blinding spots in his vision. He’d found the photo of Rebecca. There was no mistaking those pale eyes.
“Tim, look at this.” He spoke in the same hushed tone that people use at funerals. He held out the photo in a hand that trembled.
Tim took it from him, “She’s beautiful.” He seemed vaguely impressed, not half as shaken as Jason felt.
Jason walloped him on the shoulder, “That’s the understatement of the century.” Looking around to make sure no one saw, he tucked the photo in his pocket. “No way am I leaving this here. Come, let’s go.”
Mrs. Carter patted their cheeks fondly and seemed sad to see them go. Jason generously offered to come in the next day, bringing a wild-eyed stare from Tim. Much to his relief, Mr. Carter was due back the next day, saving them from another bout of backbreaking labor.
On the way back to the B&B, Tim was like a kid on school break. “Hey, maybe we can go to Gold Reef City tomorrow. Or what abo—”
Jason interrupted, “What I really want to do is phone Maxine and see if we’re onto the right Rebecca.”
Tim was crestfallen. “Lighten up Jason. What is with you?”
Jason fished his precious find out of his pocket and dangled it in front of Tim’s nose. “This, my friend. Need I say any more?”
“You, my frie
nd, are smitten. Completely and utterly smitten with a girl you’ve never met. And you call me a sad case.” Tim chuckled.
“I am not. I’m just – dedicated.”
“Yes Jason. Dedicated.”
“When did you get to be so sarcastic? You sound worse than me.”
“What can I say? I learnt from the master.” Tim did an elaborate flourish toward Jason with his right hand, but Jason didn’t notice. He was walking along blindly, staring at the photo in his palm.
***
Maxine was resting when the call came through. Sally took the call on Maxine’s cell phone, rather than wake her sister. Maxine needed all the rest she could get.
“No, Maxine is resting. You’re speaking to her sister. Can I help you?” The protective tone crept into her voice without her realizing it. Maxine came through from the room all sleep tousled. Sally hadn’t got to the phone quickly enough and the ringing had woken her. Sally caught Maxine’s eye, and motioned for her not to take the phone.
“Yes, we’re home now.” She listened with her eyebrows creeping toward her hairline. “Sure. 53 Swallow View, Benoni.” She showed Maxine a ‘thumbs-up’ and continued. “No, we will be in all afternoon… Yes. That’s great. Thank you!” She hung up and looked across at Maxine in amazement. “You’ve just won a free pizza! How about that?!”
***
Rebecca bid Shane goodnight, shut the door and slowly turned to take in her surroundings. The room had a very distinct masculine feel to it, with a rich shade of royal blue being the pre-dominant color. The books on the bookshelf were mostly non-fiction with a number of weighty historical reference works thrown in. A brilliantly photographed tome on Egypt dominated the top shelf.
There were no photos of Jason, leaving Rebecca’s natural curiosity completely unsatisfied. In fact, the only photo in the room was a tiny, framed picture of a blonde girl, who couldn’t have been a day older than twenty. “Pretty girlfriend, Jason. Looks a bit young.” Rebecca spoke out loud without realizing what she was doing. She picked up the photo to examine the woman more closely. The photographer had captured her essence in a moment. She simply sparkled with dazzling natural radiance that had everything to do with a passion for life.