Robert Goddard - Name To a Face

Harding barely slept that night. In the small hours, just as he was finally slipping into unconsciousness, he was jolted fully awake by a realization that had long lain dormant in his mind. It was Whybrow’s account of Hayley Foxton’s life story as opposed to Hayley Winter’s, that had set his memory searching once more. Suddenly, sickeningly he knew where he had seen her before. He knew for a virtual certainty, though he could not render the certainty absolute without returning to England-and reopening a door he would have preferred to leave closed.

It was one more parcel of unwelcome knowledge for his overburdened mind. Mentally and physically weary, he set out on the drive to Monaco next morning hardly knowing what to expect from his encounter with Barney and Carol. So much had happened since their last meetings. So much that he had been unaware of had intruded into his life.

He assumed both of them would be waiting for him. Whybrow had said they would be expecting him at 10:30. As it was, Barney was alone when he arrived, prowling the terrace like a wounded bear, downcast and unshaven, his trousers and shirt so crumpled he might have slept in them.

“Carol’s still out for the count,” he explained, leading Harding into the lounge. “She took some pills to help her sleep. They packed a punch.”

“How’s she coping with… what happened?”

“Pretty well. She has a lot of inner strength. More than me, I sometimes think.” He gave an all-purpose shrug. “What can I tell you, Tim? Wednesday night isn’t an experience I’d want to repeat in a hurry.”

“It must have been awful.”

“Yeah. But more awful for Carol than me. When something like that happens, without warning, it… knocks you sideways.”

“I’m sorry I couldn’t give you any warning. I never had the slightest inkling Hayley was planning anything of the kind.”

“Why would you? You didn’t know whose sister she was, did you?”

“No. I didn’t.”

“Want a coffee? I just made some.” Tozer picked up his mug from the glass-topped table and took a slurp. “Help yourself. You know where it is.”

The expedition to the kitchen gave Harding a minute or so to ponder the question of whether Carol’s no-show was down to sleeping pills or some evasion tactic she had devised. The question was still open when he returned to the lounge, coffee in hand. Tozer had lit a cigarette now and was slumped in one of the soft leather armchairs that faced the wide-windowed view of the office towers and apartment blocks of Monte Carlo, with a broad blue chunk of the Mediterranean shimmering beyond. Harding sat down next to him.

“I blame Humph as much as anyone,” Tozer growled. “He should have told me Uncle Gabriel had a housekeeper who was the spitting image of Kerry Foxton. Of course, he never actually met Kerry. But he must have seen her picture in the paper. Then again, he didn’t know she had a twin sister. Not an identical twin, but one close enough in looks… Well, maybe no one’s to blame. Except Hayley Foxton, that is. She put the fear of God into Carol.”

“But, in the end, she didn’t harm her.”

“No, thank Christ. But she planned to. Oh yes. She very much planned to. Even when Tony told me a couple of days ago who the housekeeper was, I never saw anything like this coming.”

“It’s a pity you didn’t tell me.”

“I would have done if I’d had the chance. But you dropped out of touch, remember? Even though, as it happened, I actually only had to call you up on your not-so-lost phone if I’d wanted to talk to you.” A suspicious glint had appeared in Tozer’s eye. “What was with all that?”

“It was lost. Stolen, I assumed. But it got handed back in at the Turk’s Head. A customer took it by mistake, apparently.”

“OK. But then you left Penzance, without letting me know where you were going.”

“Sorry. I got… sidetracked.”

“Sidetracked?”

“Hayley sent me off on a wild-goose chase to London, looking for the ring. She must have been playing for time at that stage. And she had an accomplice to help her do it. Ever heard of Ann Gashry?”

“Don’t think so.”

“Or Nathan Gashry?”

“No. Who are they?”

“Neighbours of the Foxtons in Dulwich. Well, Ann was, certainly. Nathan… I’m not so sure about.”

“But this woman… led you up the garden path at Hayley’s say-so?”

“Yes. Elaborately-and convincingly.”

“Then she might know where Hayley is. Hell, Hayley might have gone to ground with her.”

“It’s the first thing I’ll check.”

“Starting when?”

“Tonight. Tony’s booking me on the seven o’clock flight back to London. I’m turning into quite a commuter.”

“And all on my behalf.” Tozer groaned and sat forward in his chair, massaging his forehead. “Thanks for doing this, Tim. You’d be justified in telling me to get stuffed after I let you find out about Kerry Foxton the hard way.”

“It certainly might have been better if you’d filled me in on the background before I went to Penzance.”

“Don’t think I don’t know it. Bloody stupid of me to think all that stuff wouldn’t crop up. Truth is, I was just trying to get Humph off my back the easiest way I could. As to whether the ring rightfully belonged to Dad or Uncle Gabriel… I couldn’t give a toss. Anyway…” Tozer took a deep pull on his cigarette. “I don’t want to see Hayley banged up. I didn’t murder Kerry. Christ, why should I have? But…” Another pull. “I should’ve checked our gear more thoroughly. There’s no dodging that. I didn’t know Kerry was planning to enter the wreck, but even so… I wasn’t meticulous enough. Which makes me partly responsible for everything that happened. Then and after. Including this latest…” He shook his head. “Bloody hell. I don’t know what I’d do without Carol. Meeting her was the best stroke of luck I’ve ever had. Just a pity it coincided with the worst, hey? Funny thing, life. And death.”

“Funnier than you know.” Harding winced at the unpredictability of Tozer’s reaction to what he was about to say. “I was in Penzance a few days after the accident, Barney. With Polly. We went down to see the eclipse.”

“You did?” Tozer frowned. “Why didn’t you mention that when I asked you to go over?”

“Not sure. I guess I didn’t want you to change your mind. I saw the trip as a chance to gauge how well I could cope with returning to places she and I had been together. Especially towards the end.”

“And how did you cope?”

“Fine. But, then, there was plenty to keep me occupied, wasn’t there?”

Tozer gave a rubbery grin. “Thanks to me, yeah.” He slapped his knee. “Looks like we’ve both been holding out on each other, Tim. We’ll have to put a stop to that. So, any gen on Hayley, you let me know pronto. Deal?”

“Sure. Though…”

“What?”

“Tony seems to think he’s in charge of the operation.”

“He’d like to be in charge of everything. But I’m top dog and that isn’t about to change. Anyhow, it doesn’t matter which one of us hears from you first. We’re eye to eye on this. If Hayley gives the ring back and signs up for some proper treatment, I’ll pay her shrink’s bills and pretend Wednesday night’s… escapade… never happened.”

“That’s big of you.” Harding and Tozer swivelled round simultaneously at the sound of Carol’s voice. She was standing in the doorway that led towards the bedrooms, dressed in a grey tracksuit and fluffy pink mules. There were shadows under her eyes, her hair was flat and matted and there was something abnormal in her breathing. “Really big of you. Considering it was my throat she nearly cut.”