Dead Line

FIFTEEN

Sophie Margolis sat in the kitchen of her large Highgate house, thinking of her mother-in-law. For once, Sophie had time on her hands, a cup of coffee in front of her, and Hannah for the moment out of the way – the attentive granny, walking little Zack on the Heath.

Sophie had always liked Hannah, but she reflected how little she really knew about her. For one thing Saul had always got in the way – Hannah’s former husband, a bullying missile of a man who mistook pugnacity for energy, monopolised attention and had done his best to undermine everyone around him. Not least David, his son, Sophie’s husband, whose gentleness had so attracted her, and still did. In the end Hannah had called ‘time’ on Saul. It had been a contested divorce, a fiery business, full of animosity. Had it wounded Hannah? Not to all appearances, thought Sophie. She was full of enthusiasm about her new life in Israel; acting in fact as though she was only just beginning to live life to the full.

A pair of blue tits was picking greenfly off the roses. Sophie got off her stool to watch them and to cast an eye at the pram containing her latest offspring.

There was something, though, about Hannah – something not so much worrying as puzzling. When she’d first arrived in London it had been hard to get her out of the house on her own. She’d gone with Sophie and David to the theatre, to dinner with a few friends, that was all. But now there seemed to be a man in the picture. Where had he come from? Sophie had first spotted the two together when she had been pushing the buggy down Highgate High Street and to her great surprise her mother-in-law had emerged from a coffee shop in the company of a male at least twenty years her junior – attractive, too. There had been no attempt at concealment. Hannah came straight up and introduced her companion – Danny Kollek from the Israeli Embassy. And from there it had taken off. It soon transpired that Hannah was seeing a lot of Mr Kollek. They went to concerts, to restaurants, sometimes for walks and once, amazingly, to the zoo.

Well, thought Sophie, resuming her stool and running her eye over the Times 2 crossword puzzle, was it really so surprising? At least Mr Kollek was as unlike Saul as it was possible to be. He seemed intelligent and cultured and he was, frankly, handsome. Surely he couldn’t be after sex with Hannah, could he? She hadn’t spent a night away from the house. Money? Well, Hannah had fought Saul tooth and nail for a good settlement. She was worth the best part of twenty million dollars, Sophie knew for a fact. So Kollek could be after her money, but he seemed to be going an odd way about it. Hannah had told her that he always insisted on paying for their entertainment. Still, twenty million dollars justified a careful, tactical courtship. It was with this in mind that Sophie decided that she’d better do something.

They were on the Heath by the dog pond, taking turns to push the baby in the buggy, when she broached the subject. The sun had moved from behind the clouds, warming the air, and Sophie took off her pullover, feeling frumpy in an old T-shirt and jeans. Hannah was dressed casually too, but smartly – in linen trousers and a silk shirt.

Sophie remarked, as if by the way, ‘What exactly does your friend Danny do at the Israeli Embassy?’

Hannah gave a small smile. ‘He’s a trade attaché. Not very senior, but he’s still quite young.’

‘So he’s just a friend?’

‘Yes. What else would he be? I have my vanity, my dear, but it doesn’t extend to toy boys. I’m sure he’s not interested in me in that way. And if you’re thinking it’s my money he’s after, you can relax. He seems perfectly well off, and besides, he doesn’t know I have money of my own. No, I think it’s just that he’s lonely over here; English people aren’t always that welcoming, present company excepted. And Israelis aren’t very popular anywhere these days. He and I just get on well – we both love music, for one thing.’

Sophie knew she should have been relieved by this, but in fact it only made her more suspicious. It simply didn’t make sense to her that Kollek would want to spend so much time with a woman twenty years older, especially if he had none of a gigolo’s objectives in mind. Yet how could she put this to Hannah, without causing offence? It would be too insulting to insist that he must be pursuing a hidden agenda, rather than mere friendship.

It niggled at her for several days, until now, staring idly out as the blue tits were joined by a couple of blackbirds, she felt she had to act. In the old days, when she was still working, she would have been able to do some digging herself, but as a Highgate housewife, she felt powerless. Hang on, she thought, there must be somebody from the past who could give me some advice. Even if it was just to tell me to mind my own business and stop worrying. And she realised that of course there was someone, a sort-of friend, whom she hadn’t seen for a while but knew well enough to ring up out of the blue. Someone whose judgement she respected, too, which was more important now than simple moral support. She got up and went to the wall phone by the kitchen door.

‘Liz Carlyle,’ Liz said mechanically, for she had been immersed in an agent runner’s report when her phone rang. ‘Liz, it’s Sophie Margolis.’

‘Hi there,’ said Liz, surprised. It had been a couple of years since she’d seen Sophie, and probably six or seven since Sophie had left the service. They’d kept in touch, at least at first, meeting for the occasional lunch. When the baby had been born, Liz had sent a present. What was his name? Zack, that was it. Hadn’t there been another one since? Liz felt a pang of guilt, since she hadn’t sent a present the second time round.

They exchanged pleasantries for a few minutes. Sophie told Liz about her children, and how David was doing in the City (very well, apparently), and a recent holiday in Umbria. Liz did her best to sound cheery about her own single existence, and realised she had yet to plan a holiday for herself.

Then Sophie said, ‘Listen, it would be wonderful to see you. David and I were hoping to get you over for supper. Any chance?’

‘Of course. I’d love to.’

‘David’s mother is visiting from Israel. She’s American but moved to Tel Aviv when she got divorced last year.’

‘Oh, I’m sorry.’

‘Don’t be. He was the monster from hell. Even David would admit that, and he’s his son. Listen, I know it’s not much notice, but could you come this Saturday?’

‘Oh, Sophie, I’m sorry but I’m going down to my mother’s this weekend.’ Yes, thought Liz, to meet this Edward man at last. She wasn’t going to miss that.

‘What a pity. How about next week some time? Say Wednesday?’

Liz looked at her diary. It was accusingly empty. ‘That would be fine.’

‘Great. You know where we are. Shall we say eight o’clock?’

‘Fine.’

But Sophie wasn’t ready to ring off. ‘Liz, we do want to see you, but I’d better confess – I have a slight ulterior motive.’

‘What’s that?’ Maybe Sophie was going to set her up with some City friend of her husband. Liz stifled a yawn. She could arrange her own romantic life, thank you very much.

‘Well, it’s about David’s mother. You see, she’s been going around with a man from the Israeli Embassy. A much younger man. And apparently…’

Two minutes later Liz had a pencil and was writing carefully. ‘K-o-l-l-e-k. Got it. Let me look into it, and I’ll let you know on Wednesday.’

Sophie was just putting the phone down when Hannah came in, holding Zack’s hand.

‘Hi Hannah,’ she said cheerfully. ‘I was just talking to an old friend I haven’t seen in ages. I’ve asked her to dinner next week; I think you’ll like her. Her name’s Liz Carlyle.’

‘That’s nice,’ said Hannah, steering Zack to a chair by the table, while Sophie went to start on his supper. ‘How do you know her?’

‘We used to work together. In Personnel.’ She switched the kettle on. Hannah seemed to like the English habit of a cuppa in the late afternoon.

Hannah nodded. ‘Oh yes. That job you used to do.’

She said this with such irony that Sophie turned and stared at her.

‘Sophie, I’ve always had a pretty good idea of what you did for a living. The idea that you were in Personnel is just absurd.’ She held a hand up. ‘And no, David didn’t tell me anything.’

‘Oh,’ said Sophie, since it was all she could think of to say. She was annoyed her ruse had been found out. The sooner Liz checked out Danny Kollek the better.