Page 57

BEFORE

July 1983

Sally

The Carousel , Spanish Coast

Sally stretched her arms above her head. It had been a busy morning in the salon. Tonight was one of the formal captain’s dinners, so she’d had a packed day of appointments in the salon. Ladies who all wanted their hair teased into an up style, ready for their formal photograph with the captain. Up styles were one of Sally’s strengths, and she always enjoyed seeing the women’s reactions to her creations when she revealed the finished style. She glanced at the clock and saw she had five minutes until her next appointment.

Before her client arrived, Sally needed a caffeine boost, so she moved into the small office behind the salon and put the kettle on. A few minutes later, she sipped her Nescafé Gold Blend and sighed in pleasure. Some days, it felt as if she ran purely on caffeine.

She opened her small spiral notebook, and flicked through the pages until she came to the Barcelona section. Last time they were docked here, she’d focused on Ciutat Vella, the old town in Catalan. She planned to trawl the south area of Montju?c this time. Sally had no idea if Elsie had ever gone through with her plan to start afresh in Spain, but she had to keep looking, so she used all her spare time at ports searching for her son. Nicola told her it was like looking for a needle in a haystack, but the thing was that Sally knew the needle was somewhere . She’d been searching for Zach for more than two years and she wouldn’t stop looking till she found him.

She heard the salon door open, signalling the end of her brief reprieve. Sally snapped her notebook shut. She’d get back to her plans this evening.

‘Be right with you,’ Sally called out, then took another sip of coffee before placing it back on the countertop.

‘There’s no rush,’ a soft Scottish lilt responded.

But Sally knew better than to leave her ladies waiting. She immediately walked back into the salon and saw a tall woman with shoulder-length blonde hair sitting down, her head bent low into a magazine. The woman screamed sophistication, wearing a cream linen sundress, leather sandals and gold jewellery.

‘Hello. You must be my three o’clock, Mrs Murphy? I’m Sally, your stylist today.’ She smoothed down her uniform, feeling a little scruffy beside the elegant lady.

The woman looked up, and her eyes rounded in disbelief when they locked with Sally’s. Sally’s breath quickened, and her heart rate beat so fast that she thought she might black out. She blinked three times, not trusting what was right before her. She’d changed, almost unrecognisable from the last time she’d seen her, but there was no doubt.

‘It’s y-y-you . . .’ Sally stuttered.

Kimberly’s face blanched, and a sheen of sweat appeared on her upper lip. Then her eyes darted to the salon door. Sally instinctively moved to stand in front of it.

‘Sally, I can’t believe it’s you,’ Kimberly whispered. She stood, picked up her handbag and circled round Sally, moving closer to the door.

‘Where’s my son?’ Sally screamed, clenching her hands beside her thighs into tight fists. When she didn’t get a response, Sally continued, ‘You tell me where my son is right this minute, or I’ll kill you. I swear to God, I will kill you with my bare hands, Elsie.’

‘I’ve not been called that for a while. I’m Kimberly now.’ She licked her lips repeatedly and stepped an inch closer to the door.

But she’d have to physically get through Sally first before she’d let her leave this salon. Sally glanced at the phone on the reception desk. Should she run to it and call security for help? But would Elsie run if she did?

‘Wait,’ Kimberly replied, following Sally’s eyes towards the phone.

Sally realised that it wasn’t only Elsie’s name that had changed. Her London cockney accent was gone. She was groomed in a way that Sally had never seen before. While her sundress was simple, Sally knew money when she saw it, from the gold watch on her wrist to the delicate diamond earrings in her lobes. Every fibre of Sally was insulted by this. While she’d been living a life in constant sorrow without her son, Elsie was thriving.

‘You have till I count to three to tell me where Zach is. And don’t think about running. There’s nowhere to hide this time. We’re on a ship in the middle of the ocean.’

Kimberly nodded, again licking her lips. ‘Robert is with my husband and daughter.’

Sally was confused. Who the hell was Robert? It took her a beat to realise that not only had Elsie changed her name, but her son’s too. What else had changed in the last two years? Sally’s body began to shake as thoughts of her son’s safety flooded her. Elsie would never hurt her baby, would she?

‘Is Zach okay? Please tell me he’s okay,’ Sally begged, her voice cracking as she asked the question that had haunted her for over two years.

Kimberly’s face softened, and she quickly responded. ‘He’s thriving. Happy and safe. I promise you.’

Sally’s shoulders slumped, and she grabbed the door frame to steady herself. Taking a deep breath, she looked up and said firmly, ‘Take me to him right now.’

‘Wait,’ Kimberly said, holding her hand up. ‘Just wait a moment. Don’t you want to hear about him first? About where we’ve been?’

Sally desperately craved every single detail, but she didn’t trust Kimberly not to bolt.

‘You said yourself there’s nowhere for me to run. Sit down. Please. Let me explain. I owe you that much, at least.’

‘I’ll give you five minutes, but I’m fine standing,’ Sally spat back at her.

Kimberly returned to the sofa and sat down again, crossing her legs elegantly. Sally could hardly fathom that this woman was the same person who once had been her best friend – her sister in every way but blood.

‘You must hate me,’ Kimberly said. ‘And I don’t blame you. I hate myself.’

‘Save me the theatrics.’ Sally replied acidly.

Kimberly sighed. ‘You have to believe me. I didn’t plan it. When you refused to leave, I knew I had to save Robert.’

‘Would you stop calling him that? His name is Zach!’ Sally shouted. She’d never felt rage like this before, and it took all her strength and willpower not to rush at Kimberly, as she’d threatened only a few moments before.

‘Okay. Zach it is.’ Kimberly smiled pleasantly. ‘But you need to know that he answers to Robert now. He has a little sister, Lily. She’s six months old. And he has the most wonderful father. Jason. Who adores him as if he were his own child. He has the life that you always wanted for him. But that he could never have with Ian Baldwin.’

Sally could not believe her ears. ‘Are you telling me that my son is better off with you, in some fantasy make-believe world, than with me, his mother?’

Kimberly didn’t respond, and Sally said incredulously, ‘You genuinely believe that, don’t you?’

‘You left me no choice but to run. For Rober . . . I mean Zach’s sake, I had to leave. I was scared for him . . . for you too.’

Sally had heard enough. She needed to see her son, and hold him in her arms. ‘I’m done listening. I’m going to the captain and he can call the Spanish police. And I am taking back my little boy!’

Sally opened the door of the salon, but before she could leave she felt two arms pull her from behind, dragging her forcibly back into the room.

‘I can’t let you do that, Sally. You’re going nowhere. Not until you hear me out.’