Hiding in Plain Sight by Susan Lewis

Author:Susan Lewis
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Random House
Published: 2017-08-10T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twelve

Andee might have guessed that Penny would keep her waiting, but two and a half hours with no text, no call, nothing at all to excuse or explain the delay, or even to confirm that she was on her way?

Maybe she wasn’t coming.

It was clearly a power trip to show who was in charge, which might have irritated Andee had she not been filling the time so usefully – and in such luxury.

Her sister certainly knew how to pick her hotels. This, at Forty One Buckingham Palace Road, was about as exclusive as they came. With Her Majesty as a very close neighbour, it was for residents only. No passing members of the public were encouraged to enter, indeed there was no way of getting past the concierge unless you were expected. Penny, it seemed, had given instructions for her sister to be allowed in. She’d then been escorted to the Executive Lounge on the fifth floor, welcomed with the offer of a glass of expensive champagne, which she’d politely declined, served tea, given the Wi-Fi code and was now seated in a cosy niche in front of a grand fireplace in what could almost be a private sitting room.

Did all the residents’ guests find themselves treated so well? Or did the name Michelle Cross conjure that extra magic?

By now Andee had used her phone to photograph the page Ally Jackson had given her and sent it to Gould, asking him to let her know when he’d read it and she’d explain. Not that she fully understood its relevance, but she certainly knew where the words had come from.

She’d also explored the Exclusive Chauffeur Drive website where she’d found Martyna’s full name – Martyna Jez – before switching to Facebook to try and track her down there. It didn’t take long. The girl was Polish, aged twenty-nine and from a place called Sanok close to the Ukraine and Slovakian borders. She was in a relationship with Todd Rushton, and had one hundred and fourteen ‘friends’. There were no details on education or how long she’d been in the UK, nor was anyone listed under family.

A quick read through the latest postings told Andee that her initial assessment had been correct – Martyna was a party girl, very fond of cocktails and taking selfies with Todd at various bars and nightclubs.

A more detailed scan of older exchanges proved far more interesting. Several were with Polish friends, to be expected, while the rest were with girls from various other parts of Europe and beyond. The most intriguing aspect was the number of exchanges thanking Martyna for being the best thing that had ever happened to them.

So happy now. Loving this life. Could have been so different. Love you Martyna Jez.

Never dreamt I’d live anywhere like this. Love everything about it. So glad I signed up. Friend for life, Martyna.

I was so scared when I left, but I know now I didn’t need to be. I hope anyone else who reads this and is feeling scared will take heart.

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