Page 21 of The Unseen (Echoes from the Past #5)

SEVENTEEN

Quinn arrived at the station early, eager to get going.

It being Saturday, she didn’t have to rush back.

She’d left Gabe with several bottles of expressed milk and a supply of nappies.

He planned to spend the morning at home, then take the children for a walk, and stop in at Emma’s favorite pizza restaurant on the way back.

“Don’t worry about us. We’ll be fine,” he’d assured Quinn.

“You’ve never been alone with both children for such a long stretch before.”

“I can handle it.”

“I know you can. I’m just being neurotic,” Quinn had explained.

“You’re a new mum. You’re allowed to be neurotic.”

“Ring me if you have any problems.”

“I won’t have any problems.”

Quinn knew that, but she still worried. Gabe was accustomed to being alone with Emma, but spending hours with an infant was new to him. She hoped he wouldn’t forget to burp Alex after feeding or wait too long to change his nappy. Alex hated being wet.

Stop fussing , she told herself as she waited for Drew.

Gabe is perfectly capable of handling one little boy for a few hours.

Give him some credit . But she was still worried.

She took out her mobile and sent him an exploratory text, to which he promptly replied that all was well.

Quinn breathed out a sigh of relief and walked toward Drew when she saw him coming down the platform.

“Are you always early?” Drew asked with a friendly smile.

“No, you’re just always late. ”

“That’s what my wife says. We have a few minutes to spare before the train leaves, so I’m exactly on time. Are you going to fret the whole time?” Drew asked as he settled into his aisle seat.

“How do you know I’m fretting? Did something fall out of my pocket?” Quinn joked.

“No, it’s written all over your face and you keep checking your mobile.”

“You know, I’m glad Gabe is not a detective. Living with him would be pretty hard if I couldn’t hide a single emotion.”

“My wife says that too, although I’m not nearly as observant as she thinks.”

“I see we’re in agreement on a number of things, your wife and I. Wise woman.”

“That’s why I married her,” Drew replied, smiling lazily. “Now, sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride. Nothing you can do from here anyway.”

“You don’t have children, do you?” Quinn asked, thinking Drew was too laid back to be a father.

“I do, as it happens. From my previous marriage. Two teenage girls. I think I have more reason to worry, wouldn’t you say?”

“Can’t argue with you there. Teenagers are terrifying,” Quinn said.

“You have no idea.”

The ride passed quickly and then they took a taxi to the studio.

Drew was more than willing to walk from the station, but Quinn could barely contain her excitement and didn’t want to waste time.

The taxi dropped them off in front of the studio, called Picture Perfect.

Portraits of varying sizes were displayed in the window, most of them of smiling families and adorable children.

There was even a portrait of a poodle, groomed and adorned with a pink bow.

“Quinn, let me do the talking, all right?” Drew said as they approached the door.

“Absolutely. I’m just here to observe.”

“Of course you are,” Drew joked.

Jesse Holt was in his mid-forties. He wasn’t very tall but looked fit, and his lanky frame showed no ill effects of middle age.

His sandy hair fell almost to his shoulders, and his light blue eyes exuded friendliness and charm.

Quinn could easily imagine how appealing he would have been to a seventeen-year-old girl fourteen years ago.

He must have been very attractive; he still was.

“Good morning. You must be Mr. Camden,” Jesse Holt said as he came forward to greet them. He probably assumed they were a couple, Quinn mused, as she smiled in response to his greeting.

“Yes. And this is Quinn Russell. We’d like to ask you a few questions, if you don’t mind.”

“Oh? What about?” A wary look passed across Jesse’s eyes.

“Quentin Crawford.”

“God, that’s a name I haven’t heard in a long time,” Jesse remarked as he invited them to sit down on twin sofas in the waiting area. “What’s the reason for your interest?”

“Quentin is my twin sister,” Quinn explained.

“Really? I didn’t know she had one.”

“We were separated at birth and adopted separately. I’ve only just found out about her.”

“Right. I see. How can I help? ”

“Quinn is trying to get in contact with Quentin, but it’s proving rather difficult, as no one seems to know where she is or how to reach her, except her attorney, who is not being overly cooperative.”

“I’m sorry, but I have no idea where she is. I haven’t seen Quentin in over a decade.”

“But she used to live with you. Correct?” Drew asked.

“Yes, Quentin and I were involved for nearly four years. We didn’t keep in contact after the relationship ended.”

“She left you?” Quinn asked, ignoring the sharp look from Drew. Any tidbit about her sister was fascinating to her.

“Yes, she left me. The parting of the ways wasn’t mutual.” Jesse ran a hand through his hair, his relaxed demeanor gone.

“Would you mind telling us something about the relationship?” Drew asked softly. He was prying into the man’s personal life, and Jesse had every right to ask them to leave. Thankfully, he didn’t.

“There isn’t much to tell, really. I met Quentin at her school.

It was a lucrative arrangement for me. I took photos of the graduating class and various school clubs and teams toward the end of every school year.

She was one of the students I photographed.

To be honest, I didn’t want to have anything to do with her at first. A romantic involvement with a student could have cost me the job, and I was just starting out then. I didn’t want to risk my reputation.”

“So, how did it begin?” Quinn asked.

“I saw her watching me while I worked. She smiled and asked if I needed any help. I politely refused. After I took her photo, she hung around for a while instead of returning to class. I didn’t encourage any banter or flirtation.

I had a job to do. Once I finished for the day, there’d be no reason for us to meet again, so I wasn’t overly worried.

A few days later, Quentin showed up at my studio.

I was at a different location then, in a less desirable area. I used to live above the shop.”

“What did she want?” Drew asked.

“She asked for a job. She said she was interested in photography and wanted to learn from a professional. She wanted to be my assistant.”

“Did you give her a job?” Quinn asked, impressed with Quentin’s forwardness at such a young age. At seventeen, Quinn had been shy and self-conscious. Luke had been her first serious boyfriend, and she’d been twenty-two when they got involved.

“Not right away. She came back again a few weeks later and left her information with me, but I didn’t call her until she finished the school year.”

“Did you hire her then?” Quinn asked.

“I did. I needed an assistant and she was willing to work for free in exchange for lessons. She was actually very helpful. She was great with the children. She could always cajole a smile out of them, especially the toddlers. She just had a way about her.”

“What was she like?” Quinn asked. She had a hard time keeping the desperation out of her voice. She needed to know.

“Fun, beautiful, spirited. She was mad for art and history. She read every historical novel she could get her hands on at the local library.”

“She loved history?” Quinn gasped. “Really?”

“Loved it. Why?”

“I’m a historian—an archeologist. We have something in common, then.”

“You have the look of her too. I didn’t notice right away, not having seen her in donkey’s years, but now that I look at you, I see it. ”

“When did you become romantically involved?” Drew asked, giving Quinn a gimlet stare meant to remind her not to interrupt.

“We got involved that summer. It was a natural progression, I think. I always knew we’d end up in bed together.”

“Were you happy?” Quinn piped in.

“Yes, we were. I loved her and was excited about the future when she moved in after her mum passed, but I always got the feeling she had another agenda.”

“What kind of agenda?”

“Quentin wasn’t happy at home, but she’d led a sheltered, comfortable life and wasn’t ready to strike out on her own. I was a stepping stone, a safety net, if you will.”

“You don’t think she loved you?” Quinn asked.

“She liked me, but not enough to make a life with me.”

“Were you hoping for a future with her?” Drew asked.

“Yes. I was thirty-two when Quentin and I met, nearly twice her age. I’d had several long relationships and was ready for something more serious.

I was ready for a family. But, of course, Quentin was only eighteen by the time we got together.

I proposed to her when she turned twenty-one, but she refused me.

She said she wasn’t ready to settle down.

She wanted to travel and experience life, not spend her days working in a portrait studio and playing house with me. ”

“Were you angry?” Drew asked.

“I was hurt and disappointed, but I wasn’t angry. I’d have said the same thing at that age. We were simply at different stages in our lives.”

“So you let her go? ”

“Of course. We agreed not to stay in touch.”

“Are you married, Mr. Holt?” Drew inquired.

“How is that relevant?” Jesse bristled.

“It isn’t. Just curious.”

“Yes, I’m married. I have two children, aged ten and eight. Surely you don’t think I did something to hurt Quentin.”

“No, not at all. Do you know where she went after she left you?”

“I believe she went to London. That’s really all I know.”

“Would you have any photos of Quentin?” Drew asked.

“I’m afraid I don’t. I got rid of them after a time. My wife wouldn’t appreciate me keeping photographs of my old girlfriends. Now, if you will excuse me, I have another appointment in five minutes.”

“Thank you for your time, Mr. Holt. Oh, may I ask you one more question?” Drew asked as he turned to leave.

“Of course.”

“Was Quentin a virgin when you got together?”

“No, Mr. Camden, she wasn’t, not that it’s any of your business.”

“Thank you. Have a good day. And please, ring me if you think of anything that might be important.” Drew handed Jesse Holt his card and held the door open for Quinn. They stepped out into the street.

“Why did you ask him if Quentin was a virgin?” Quinn demanded as they strolled toward the train station.

“I just wanted to get a clearer picture of your sister at that age. ”

“Many girls are sexually active by seventeen, so what does that tell you about her?”

“Nothing, but the information might prove useful later on in the investigation.”

“In what way?”

“I’ll tell you when I figure it out.”