Now You See Her Page 0,42

we live in is one of his projects.”

Marcy nodded, trying to figure out a way to work Audrey into the conversation.

Shannon continued unprompted. “His father was some kind of diplomat. He was killed by the IRA about twenty years ago, when Mr. O’Connor was a teenager.”

“That’s terrible.”

“Those were terrible times,” Shannon said.

Marcy nodded her agreement. “So, what do you do on your days off?” she asked after a moment’s pause.

“Not very much. Read, look in the shops, go to the cinema.”

“What kind of movies do you and your friends like?”

“All kinds.”

Great, Marcy thought. Another dead end. Now what? She was running out of questions. Not to mention patience. And the baby was starting to weigh heavily in her arms. “So, do you have a boyfriend?” she asked, deciding to give it one last try.

Shannon shook her head. The motion sent her blush spreading from one ear to the other. “Audrey says I’m lucky. She says boys only bring you grief.”

Marcy’s breath caught in her throat at the mention of Audrey’s name. “Audrey?” she repeated, her voice a whisper. Had she heard Shannon correctly?

“My friend. Well, sort of. More an acquaintance, really.”

“How so?”

“Well, I haven’t really known her all that long. Just a few months really. And we don’t get to see each other much. My job keeps me pretty busy.”

“Is Audrey a nanny, too?”

Shannon laughed. “Oh, no. Can’t see Audrey as a nanny.”

“Why is that?”

“Don’t think she fancies children all that much, to be truthful. Although she makes a proper fuss about Caitlin whenever she sees her. Still …”

“Still …?”

“I don’t know. It’s just a feeling I get.” Shannon glanced at her watch.

“So what does Audrey do?”

“As little as she can get away with.” Shannon’s blush turned a bright tomato red, as if she’d just said the most terrible thing imaginable. “Works as a temp. That sort of thing. My goodness, would you look at the time? I really should get going.”

Marcy returned Caitlin to her carriage, laying the sleeping baby gently on her back. There were so many more questions she wanted to ask Shannon: Where does Audrey live? Where is she from? Has she said anything about her past, about her mother? Where can I find her?

“Thank you so much for your help with Caitlin,” Shannon was saying. “It’s been really nice talking to you. Maybe we’ll run into each other again sometime.”

Marcy watched Shannon’s skinny frame as she pushed the baby carriage out of the small park and eventually up the hill and out of sight. “Count on it,” she said.

TWELVE

FOR THE NEXT THREE days, Marcy kept watch on Shannon’s comings and goings. It was too risky to venture back up Adelaide Road in case the O’Connors’ nosy neighbor was lying in wait, so Marcy would sit in the small park until she saw Shannon appear, pushing the baby in her pram, usually at around eleven o’clock in the morning and then again at approximately two in the afternoon, Caitlin’s loud wails always preceding them, as reliable as the bells from St. Anne’s Shandon Church.

In the mornings, she’d follow Shannon up and down the winding roads of the new subdivision, careful always to keep a safe distance between them, only occasionally having to duck into a nearby doorway to avoid detection. The afternoon walk was always the longer of the two outings. Yesterday Shannon had actually ventured all the way into the flat of the city, dutifully pushing the baby’s carriage along the bumpy cobblestone roads while stealing wistful glances at the shop windows along the way. At three o’clock she’d stopped to have tea on the front patio of a small pub, and Marcy had watched from across the street as Shannon had tried, repeatedly and with only moderate success, to balance her hot tea while simultaneously rocking the crying baby in her arms. She’d thought of going to her rescue but ultimately decided against it. Even a girl as naive as Shannon might become suspicious of another close encounter. No, it was better to keep tabs on her from afar, to watch where she went, make note of those she spoke to.

Except she never spoke to anyone.

“I’m getting very discouraged,” Marcy had confided in Liam on the phone the previous night.

“Don’t be. It’s not that big a city. She’s bound to lead you to Audrey sooner or later.”

“I need it to be sooner.”

“What can I do to help?”

“You’ve already done more than enough.”

“Would you like me to go with you tomorrow? I can arrange to