The House of Now and Then by Jo Dixon

Author:Jo Dixon [Dixon, Jo]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin Enterprises (Australia) Pty Ltd
Published: 2022-11-30T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Olivia’s phone rang, Tom’s name on the screen for the third time in an hour. He was certainly persistent.

Two hours of searching, and she was no closer to Penelope ‘Pippa’ French. The internet was meant to be a bottomless pit of information where anyone could be found—which obviously wasn’t true. Penelope French did not exist online, or not the Penelope French who had once lived in this house. There was a florist in New York who was fifteen years too young, an academic specialising in Scottish myths who was ten years too old, and a five-year-old beauty pageant queen from Illinois.

The phone kept ringing, but she wasn’t ready to speak with him. If she was going to hear condemnation in his voice, she wanted the conversation to focus on what she’d achieved.

The ringing stopped. Thirty seconds later her phone pinged.

Hope you got home ok. Thanks for a great night!!! We should do it again soon. Btw I’ve found Leo’s family here in Hobart! Would really like you to come meet them with me tomorrow, think I need moral support. These people are family, aren’t they? Great-aunt and great-uncle I guess. Please come. Tom x

Flopping back in her chair, Olivia read the message twice. The jaunty, enthusiastic tone was not at all what she’d been expecting. And signing off with a kiss? Had he not looked her up? Was he not freaked out by what she’d told him?

Okay. You can do this, she thought. You’ve been through worse.

After grabbing the phone, she pushed the chair back, walked down to the lounge and stood at the windows. A sea eagle glided upwards on a current of air. The Bruny ferry crossed to the island. A dozen tiny birds bounced on the terrace.

She tapped the screen. He answered immediately. ‘Olivia. Hi. How are you?’

Breathe out, breathe in. ‘Sorry, I was out walking.’ The white lie made her grimace. ‘I just got your message. That’s great news.’

‘In the end, it wasn’t that hard. Leo’s father Mr Angus Clifford is on a yacht club committee, and they kindly post PDFs of their meeting minutes, including committee members’ mobile numbers.’ He sounded jubilant, without a hint of judgement.

‘That’s fabulous.’ It seemed that if they concentrated on the quest, they would be fine. ‘I’ve got something for you too.’ The thrill of discovery kicked back in. ‘I found out Pippa had a baby in 1986.’

There was a pause, then he exhaled loudly. ‘A baby?’

Olivia turned from the view and sank to the floor, her back against the glass. ‘Yes. I was speaking to a woman who met Pippa and Leo at a party, and she stayed friends with Pippa after Leo disappeared. According to her, Leo and Pippa were very much in love.’

‘Did she say Leo was the father?’

Did he have the same thoughts she’d had? ‘Not exactly, but from what she was saying about Pippa and how the two of them were as a couple, we could assume that he was.’

‘But it could have been Dad’s baby.

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