The Liberation of Alice Love - Abby McDonald [156]
“And then?” Alice asked, trying to stay unmoved even as Ella’s words gave her a small measure of relief.
Ella sighed. “Then I realized what a good prospect you were. The flat deposit sitting there, your savings, the credit record…I don’t target people who’ll find it hard to clear their names,” she added. “If I start with someone with a perfect record, then it’s easy for them to prove their innocence. The banks just refund everything.”
“That’s your justification?” Alice asked, her voice rising. “For everything you put me through?”
Ella shook her head quickly. “No, that’s not what I’m saying, I just…” She exhaled, rueful. “I don’t know what I’m saying really. I never thought I’d have to explain this to you.”
They fell silent for a moment, the more sedate conversations of the diners nearby drifting around them in a low murmur.
“So, you decided I would be a good prospect?” Alice prompted, reaching for her cocktail after all. The drink was too bitter, but Alice barely registered it; she just kept her gaze fixed on Ella.
She nodded. “After that, well, it was simple really. The same thing I usually do, only easier this time because I had all the personal information.”
“My important document folder.”
“Exactly.” Ella exhaled. “And then it didn’t matter that I meant it, because I had to go, before the first bills started arriving, and you realized something was wrong.”
Alice stared at her, waiting for more. None came. Was this it?
She couldn’t believe that the big explanation she’d been dreaming of had come down to such an underwhelming tale. Could it have really been so simple, not the scheming and secret plans she’d imagined?
Alice felt her hopes dissolve. Yes, Ella had been practiced in her various criminal arts; that didn’t make Alice’s theft any more significant. It wasn’t so special, after all.
She wasn’t so special.
“You’ve been doing this a long time.” It was a statement, not a question. Alice took a long gulp from her drink. She felt disorientated, Ella almost shrinking in front of her until she was just a stylish woman with a wary look in her eyes. Not a criminal mastermind or glamorous thief. Just Ella.
Ella nodded again. “A girl needs a skill in life,” she quipped, almost bitter. “Well, this is mine.” She paused. “You didn’t get in much trouble, did you? I figured somebody like you…They would get things straightened out pretty quickly.”
“Stefan got me a solicitor.” Alice finished her cocktail, plucking out the wedge of fruit that adorned its sugared rim. “And an investigator too, to try and track down the money you stole. It was Nathan,” she added. “The man from their anniversary party?”
Immediately, Alice regretted the remark. It was confidential, the sort of thing a friend would share, and sure enough, at the mention of him, Ella brightened. “Really? How did that turn out?”
Alice carefully collected herself again. “Well, he was useful when it came to bailing me out in Rome. Carina doesn’t send her regards,” she added.
Ella looked astonished. “You got arrested?!”
“Everyone seems to find it an amusing prospect.”
“No, it’s just…” Ella looked at her more closely. “You look different. You seem different, too.”
“I’ve had a lot of life-changing experiences this summer,” Alice replied coolly. “Carry on.”
Ella paused, looking uncomfortable. “Then, well, you know the rest. I went to Rome, and then down the coast for a while under a different name, to put some distance between the identities. Then I flew here. I’ve been in town almost two months.” She looked up. “How did you find