TENDER BETRAYAL (Mystery Romance): The TENDER Series ~ Book 3 Read online

  Leah wasn’t sure how much of a break it was turning out to be, what with the worry over her stolen handbag and the constant longing to hear from Toran, but she kept her thoughts to herself. It was nice to see Julia enjoying herself anyway. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. Come on—let’s go back to the flat. Hopefully they’ll deliver my bag soon and then we can go out and do some proper sightseeing. Maybe we can—”

  “Excuse me, miss?”

  Leah turned around in surprise. She found herself looking at the bank teller. The older woman threw a look over her shoulder, then grabbed Leah’s arm and pulled her away, farther down the street.

  She put her head close to Leah’s and said urgently, “I can help you find the person you’re looking for.”

  CHAPTER 17

  “I’ve only got a few moments. I told that Lil’ Hitler I’m having a ciggie break,” the bank teller said. “Anyway, I heard what you were telling him about wanting to find your old auntie.”

  “Yes,” said Leah, her hopes rising. Quickly, she fumbled in her pocket and pulled out a copy of her father’s bank statement. Thank goodness she had stashed this in her case, rather than carrying it in her handbag. She showed it to the woman. “These are the payments my father was making. The same amount every month, on the first of the month. Do you have any idea who it might be? Is there any way you could find out?”

  The woman perused the paper with a frown. “Hmm… well, without access to the computer, dearie, I can’t be sure. But I think... hmm, yeah, I recognise these payments… I remember because it was always on the same date and such a large amount—not many of our customers get regular deposits like this, I can tell you,” she said with a grin. “And it was a foreign transaction. We get quite a lot of transfers from Bangladesh and India, but not usually from Singapore.”

  “So you know who was receiving them?” asked Leah eagerly.

  The older woman nodded. “Her name’s Rose Pritchard, but I can’t remember her address off the top of my head now. She moved recently, you see. I’d have to look on the computer. Somewhere in Wapping, I think.” She smiled. “I know Rose really well—been serving her for years. We’d always have a natter when she came in each month to withdraw her money. I used to tease her about these payments, actually—asked her if she had a rich boyfriend overseas—but she was always very coy about it.” She looked at Leah with pleasure. “Oh, I’m so pleased to have finally met some of her family at last! She lives alone and I’m sure she’ll be delighted to see you.”

  “Do you think you could get her address or number for me?” asked Leah.

  The woman glanced over her shoulder at the entrance to the bank branch, then said doubtfully, “I could try. But it might take me a while to find a chance to dig up her records on the computer and then I’d have to find another excuse to come out here and give it to you. Probably won’t be until lunchtime now…” Her eyes brightened. “I know—Rose used to work at the Peony Gardens Nursing Home. I think she only retired last month. I remember because we were talking about how we were both coming up for retirement and what we were going to do with ourselves. I’m sure if you ask there, they’ll be able to help you contact her. If you have no luck, then come back here and I’ll see what I can do.”

  “Thank you,” said Leah gratefully. “Thank you so much! I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this.”

  The woman waved her hand. “We have to help each other in this world, don’t we, dearie? That’s what the plonker in there doesn’t get. It’s not just about numbers and percentages and all such nonsense. It’s the sense of community that makes the world go round. Well, I hope you find Rose and let her know about your father. Now I’d better get back before Lil’ Hitler comes looking for me.” With a nod, she turned and hurried back into the branch.

  “Wow, I can’t believe I just took a wild guess and made up that random story about your lost aunt—and it happened to fit,” said Julia.

  “Yes, thank God the payments were going to a woman,” said Leah. “If it had been a man, we would have been stuffed. We were so lucky that our story fit with her assumptions.”

  “I think we were lucky that the bank manager was such a jerk,” said Julia with a chuckle. “So, what now?”

  “We’ll go to the nursing home,” said Leah.

  “Okay, can I just have a quick look in there?” said Julia, indicating a nearby pharmacy which had a window display advertising special discount deals.

  Before Leah could answer, Julia had already disappeared into the store. Leah shook her head and laughed as she followed her friend in. Like most Asians, Julia found the word “sale” irresistible. Leah watched in amusement as her friend filled a basket with various items.

  “Check this out!” said Julia, showing her a miniature can of deodorant.

  “But you don’t even use deodorant,” said Leah, following her friend to the cashier. It was something that she had always been envious of during her teens in Singapore. Most Asian girls just didn’t have body odour. No matter how much they sweated, they lacked the gene that produced the chemical which bacteria needed to feed on and so they never smelled.

  “I’m buying it for you,” said Julia complacently as she paid for the items.

  “But I don’t need a new deodorant,” Leah protested.

  “It’s a great travel size! And it’s part of this ‘buy-one-get-one-free’ promotion, so I’m getting this travel toothbrush and you can get the deodorant free. I’ll keep it for you, for now.” Julia put the miniature can in her own handbag.

  Leah sighed. When Julia was in this mood, it was easier not to argue. “Okay, great. Shall we go now? Unless you want to buy deodorants for all the residents at this nursing home as well?”

  “No,” said Julia with a grin. “But maybe they’ve got a special deal on hearing aids here?”

  The Peony Gardens Nursing Home turned out to be in Stratford, a town on the outskirts of London, a few stations beyond Whitechapel. Leah and Julia entered the main foyer and wandered into the large adjoining drawing room. It was not quite what Leah had expected. She hadn’t been in a nursing home before and, somehow, popular myth had led her to expect some kind of a cross between a Victorian asylum and a hospital ward. Yes, there were chintz floral curtains everywhere and heavy dark wood furniture that dated the place fifty years back, but overall it had a cheerful, lively vibe. The residents seemed to be enjoying their various activities—whether it was challenging each other at the card tables, quietly reading in the overstuffed armchairs, enjoying their light lunches, or even just dozing in front of the TV screen. A smiling nurse made her way through the room, helping to adjust footrests, rearrange cushions, collect finished trays of food… Through the windows, Leah could see a glimpse of the landscaped gardens with flower beds full of bright peonies, which must have given the place its name.

  “God, what a depressing place…” whispered Julia, next to her.

  Leah turned in surprise. “What do you mean? I was actually thinking this is very nice. It’s not what I was expecting at all.”

  “Yes but…” Julia looked around the drawing room with its geriatric occupants. “It’s just so sad the way they’ve got all these old people in here.”

  Leah looked at her curiously. “Well, where would you want them to be?”

  “With their families, of course!” said Julia. “It would be the height of embarrassment back in Asia to have to go into a nursing home. It means you have no family who care about you.”

  “That’s not very fair,” Leah protested. “Sometimes they’re not able to take care of you. They might not have the space or lifestyle that could accommodate an older person living with them—or they might not be able to take care of the medical and physical needs—”

  “It doesn’t matter,” said Julia. “It’s up to the younger members of the family to figure out a way. You owe it to your elders to look after them when they get old.”

  “That’s a very Asian way of thinking,” said Leah. “I don’t think mos
t people in the West expect to live with their children when they get old. Besides, in some cases, I think it’s probably healthier if they don’t,” she added with a chuckle.

  Julia shrugged. “Well, I still think it’s very sad…”

  “They do have family come to visit them, you know,” said Leah. “And some of them might actually be happier here. They can have their own social lives and do things at their own pace, with trained professionals to look after them—rather than having to cope in a household with busy young professionals or young children—”

  “Yes, but they can help out with childcare and for those young children, it’s nice to have their grandparents around, isn’t it?” said Julia.

  “So are you going to have your mother come and live with you when she gets old?” asked Leah with a smile. “I thought she drives you mad. You’re always telling me that you can’t spend two hours in her company without having a huge fight with her.”

  “Yeah, but she’s still my mother,” said Julia, making a rueful face. “Yes, we’re prepared for her to come and live with us eventually. The big question is going to be whether she gets along with Arnold’s mother!” she said with a laugh.

  Leah shook her head, laughing as well. “Sounds like you’re going to open your own nursing home.”

  “What about you?” said Julia. “Are you saying you wouldn’t have your parents come live with you when they get old?”

  “Well, my parents are both dead,” Leah pointed out wryly. “So I guess I’ll never know.” Still, she thought about what Julia said. If her father hadn’t died, would she have been happy for him to come live with her when he got old? She felt slightly guilty that she was relieved she would never have to face this dilemma now. Somehow, she just couldn’t imagine living with her father. Maybe it was because they had never been close and it would have been like taking a stranger into her home.

  “Can I help you?”

  They turned to see that the nurse was approaching them with an enquiring look on her face.

  Leah stepped forward. “Yes, we are actually looking for someone who used to work here. A Rose Pritchard? We’re trying to get in touch with her and—”

  “Oh yes, I know Rose,” said the nurse, smiling warmly. “The residents all miss her—she was a lovely lady. Are you one of Rose’s babies?”

  “Rose’s babies?” Leah looked at her blankly.

  “Yes, Rose used to be a midwife—before she came to work here—and for some reason, she always has babies she’s delivered—now all grown up—coming to look for her. It’s so sweet. She seems to have kept in touch with a lot of her patients over time, and their kids always want to look her up. She calls them her ‘babies’. She never had children of her own, you see.”

  “Oh… uh, right,” said Leah, jumping on the easy lie. “Yes, I am. Rose delivered me. Do you know how I could get in touch with her? Perhaps her address or number? I don’t have it and my parents have passed away.” At least that part was true, Leah thought dryly. “I’d really like to see her.”

  “The Matron should have Rose’s records in the office,” said the nurse. “We wouldn’t normally give it out, except that Rose herself told us to share her address if any of her ‘babies’ came looking for her.” She turned and pointed down the hallway. “If you follow this and take the first turn on your right, you’ll come to some offices. The Matron’s is the last door on the left. If you explain the situation to her and tell her you’re one of Rose’s babies, she should be able to help you.”

  Leah thanked her and they followed her directions. They found the Matron just as helpful and pleasant as the nurse, and a few minutes later they were leaving the nursing home with Rose Pritchard’s address safely tucked in Leah’s pocket.

  “Are you going to call her first?” asked Julia as they stood on the platform at Stratford Station, waiting for the train to take them back into London.

  Leah pulled the address out and looked thoughtfully down at the piece of paper in her hand. “No,” she decided. “I think I’m just going to turn up on her doorstep. Have the element of surprise on my side. Anyway, Wapping is fairly close to Whitechapel so it’s not like it’s miles out of London. If she’s not there, we can always go back.”

  “Don’t forget, the courier from the airport is coming,” said Julia.

  “Oh, yes—I totally forgot!” said Leah, clapping a hand to her forehead. “Okay, in that case, we’d better head back to the flat first. We can try to see her after lunch.”

  “What’s the matter, Leah?” Julia looked at her curiously. “I thought you’d be delighted now that we finally tracked down the address, but you don’t look very happy.”

  “It just doesn’t make sense,” said Leah, frowning. “Why was my father paying this woman money? I thought this was going to lead us to someone involved with what happened to Toran’s parents, but I just can’t see Rose Pritchard being involved, can you? What connection could there be between a retired midwife and a car accident on the other side of the world?”

  “Well, I guess she’ll tell us when we see her,” said Julia. “You’ll get all your answers then.”

  The train arrived, pulling into the platform with a rush of wind that whipped their hair back from their faces. Leah sighed and turned to board the carriage. Somehow, she couldn’t stifle the ominous feeling that while she might find out the answers at last, it wouldn’t be what she wanted to hear.

  CHAPTER 18

  Toran didn’t want to admit it to himself, but he was beginning to get worried. He had been trying Leah’s number intermittently and kept getting the message that the phone was switched off. He knew she couldn’t still be on the flight so he couldn’t understand why she wasn’t taking her calls. He wondered if he should try and call Julia, but he was reluctant to lay himself open to the Singaporean girl’s meddling tendencies. He didn’t know how much Leah had told her friend and he didn’t want to have to go into the sordid details of their argument.

  Finally, Toran decided to leave Leah a message asking her to contact him. He convinced himself that he was probably being paranoid—for all he knew, Leah could have simply forgotten to charge her phone and the battery had run down. In any case, a day had barely passed since they arrived in the U.K. and he was probably worrying unnecessarily. He glanced at the clock again and calculated the time difference. It would be around midday in the U.K. now. He would wait and try again in a few hours if she still hadn’t called back, he decided.

  He had barely put his phone down, however, when it rang shrilly. He grabbed it. Leah’s name showed on the screen.

  “Hello.”

  “Toran?” Leah’s voice sounded hesitant. “I… I got your message.”

  Toran felt a rush of warmth fill him as he heard Leah’s voice. He realised that he had missed her terribly these past few days. It was strange—he hadn’t realised how much he had got used to having her around, as a part of his life, even if they weren’t doing anything particularly romantic together. Just having Leah near him, hearing her voice, seeing the way her eyes lit up when she laughed or the adorable way she had of wrinkling her nose when she was sceptical about something… Suddenly he felt a fierce longing to see her, to hold her in his arms and kiss her until they both forgot everything.

  Toran tried not to let his feelings show in his voice. “I just wanted to make sure that you were okay. I thought you arrived in the U.K. yesterday, but your phone seems to have been switched off—”

  “Yes, actually, my bag was stolen at the airport,” said Leah. “And my phone was in it. I only just got it back now. They found the bag abandoned in one of the other terminals.”

  “What was taken?” asked Toran sharply.

  “Nothing, actually,” said Leah. “That was what was so strange. My wallet, credit cards, passport, cash, jewellery pouch, even my laptop—pretty much everything was left as it was. I just don’t understand it. Nothing was taken.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes, I’m sure,” said Leah.
“Why?”

  Toran gripped the phone tighter. “What about the Ru-Yi that Beng’s wife gave you?”

  “Ru-Yi?” Leah sounded puzzled. “What’s that?”

  Toran frowned. “Mrs Beng—the wife of the stall owner in Lau Pa Sat who was murdered—didn’t she give you a talisman on the day you left Singapore?”

  “No, she didn’t give me anything,” Leah said. “What’s this talisman you’re talking about?”

  Toran cursed. “She was lying to me.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Beng had some extra information on the man he picked up that night five years ago—”

  “Oh, yes! He mentioned that when I went to see him…” Leah trailed off, obviously remembering their argument over her visit to Lau Pa Sat. There was an awkward silence, then she cleared her throat and went on. “He was trying to get me to pay extra for it, but I wasn’t sure whether to trust him. Are you saying that he was telling the truth? He really had something else on the man he picked up that night?”

  “Yes, apparently the man left something behind in Beng’s car. Some kind of Ru-Yi—a popular Chinese talisman symbolising power and good fortune. Beng found it and kept it. Believes it brings him good luck. He offered it to me when I went back to see him, but then he decided to try and see if he could get a better offer elsewhere. I think he got greedy and ended up dead.”

  “But I don’t understand what any of this has to do with me,” said Leah.

  “Beng’s wife says she gave the Ru-Yi talisman to you,” said Toran. “That’s what she told me when I went to speak to her after her husband’s murder—and that’s what she told Black Buddha’s thug as well.” He cursed again. “So she lied to both of us—and probably set Black Buddha’s man on your trail for nothing.”