24
Secrets
Arsenio reread Scott’s report, trying desperately to find something, anything, that could make Jerome keep him on. The file of photos Scott had taken filtered through by email and Arsenio tapped his fingers impatiently.
Liz had done nothing every day other than take the children to school, stay a few hours at her agent’s then, after a few errands, she went home. She was living the life of a nun! His intercom buzzed.
“Yes, Carl?”
“Mr Ferretti’s here. He wants a few minutes,” his assistant informed him.
Arsenio’s heart dropped realising Jerome hadn’t wasted anytime in coming around.
“Send him in.” It was just ten thirty. Jerome had obviously read the last report, which had come through at ten, then made his way here. He was definitely going to call off Scott.
Jerome stalked into Arsenio’s office, his expression unmistakably hard.
“Can I get you some coffee Mr Ferretti?” Carl asked.
“No. Thank you. I won’t be staying long.”
Carl nodded and closed the door behind him.
Arsenio knew his brother well. He wasn’t going to win an argument with him if he challenged him so he decided to soften him up with a few pleasantries first.
“Morning. How are you? The kids?” he motioned to the chair for Jerome to sit down but he ignored it preferring to stand.
“Morning. The kids are fine.” Jerome faltered for a split second then got straight to the point of his unscheduled visit. “I read Scott’s report this morning. He hasn’t come up with anything unusual, so just call him off will you?”
“Of course. Did you see the photos too? The deal was he would send all the photos at the end of the week.”
Jerome furrowed his brow.
“Um, no I didn’t see any.” He paused for a moment, then stepped towards the seat and lowered himself into it.
“It doesn’t matter anyway. The reports don’t have her meeting with anyone other than her agent.
She had coffee with a friend of hers on one of the days, nothing unusual at all. What else could the photos show?”
Arsenio had meticulously gone over every report with a fine toothed comb and had also found nothing unusual.
He was glad Jerome was blissfully unaware of the fact.
It was awkward enough for Jerome that Arsenio knew as much as he did.
If he was aware that Arsenio had also been observing Liz’s movements, it would only make things more painful for Jerome.
“I’m not sure, but isn’t it better to get all the information?
” shrugged Arsenio. He watched Jerome battle with his conscience knowing his brother well.
There was no way he’d have agreed to a private investigator if he wasn’t fairly sure that Liz was still seeing the trainer.
The evidence showed otherwise but Jerome always relied on his gut feeling and instinct.
There was a slight chance that the photos may throw up something that the reports did not.
He watched Jerome as he processed that exact possibility.
Arsenio was also aware that Jerome was uncomfortable with the whole idea of spying on his wife. Which meant it could go either way.
“Just call him off, Seni. Really. I’m done.”
Arsenio sighed, “Okay, if you’re sure.”
Jerome hesitated for a beat. “I’m sure. Get the bill and I’ll settle up with you.
” He stood up abruptly. He needed to get out of there.
The whole experience and this past week had made him extremely unsettled.
It was time to move on. At least he knew.
Now all that he needed to focus on was whether he could get past it. Would he ever be able to forgive Liz?
“Sure. I’ll have it by Monday.” Arsenio stood up.
The worn look on Jerome’s face made his blood boil.
Liz was putting him through the wringer; it broke his heart to see his brother who had always been so confident and sure of himself suddenly begin to doubt his own actions. “I’ll see you later, then?”
Jerome looked puzzled for a second, still in deep thought.
“At La Casa? I can’t believe its Friday already. Just under a month until Christmas.” Arsenio was doing his best to distract him with small talk.
Jerome relaxed a little and forced a smile. “Yes. It’s going to be busy from now on.” He swallowed hard. “So I’ll see you around two?”
Arsenio nodded, then rounded his desk and walked with Jerome to the door. He put his arm around his shoulders affectionately and squeezed.
“Thanks for… well, just thanks.”
Arsenio hugged Jerome. “Don’t mention it.”
As Jerome pulled away his eyes caught Arsenio’s sock covered feet. “I’m sure you have at least twenty pairs of very expensive designer shoes.”
Arsenio laughed softly, “It relaxes me. I like to walk around while I work and I prefer to do it without shoes on.”
Jerome chuckled and shook his head. Arsenio was pleased this particular idiosyncrasy of his had managed to wipe the pensive, troubled look off Jerome’s face, even if it was for just a moment.
By the time he’d seen Jerome out the photographs had downloaded.
Arsenio sat back down at his desk and opened up each one studying them.
There were over three hundred. He sighed deeply, he really should be going through the mounds of files on his desk but he was determined to find something.
He loathed Liz and having to sit and look at her cold hard, albeit very attractive face, for the next half an hour only made him edgier.
He scrutinized every picture checking the backgrounds for something.
The only thing that riled him, more than looking at her face, was the amount of times she changed her outfits.
Jeez, it was as though she was on a permanent catwalk.
He ran through each of them again. She spoke to no one except assistants in shops.
There were a few shots of her on her phone; very few of the pictures showed her smiling.
Miserable bitch, thought Arsenio. He sat back in his chair and ground his teeth. Nothing.
With a heavy heart he picked up the phone and dialled Scott’s number. He idly clicked through each photo quickly in sequence so a few of the shots almost gave the effect of a video recording. Then something caught his eye. Scott’s voice on the end of the phone jolted him.
“Hello?”
“Oh hi, Scott.”
“Arsenio. You’ve received the pictures?”
“Yes, I’m looking at them now. They took a while to come through.”
“I reduced the resolution so that they would come through faster,” Scott explained.
“Are these all in sequence?”
“Yes.” Scott waited patiently as Arsenio flicked through the photos first forward then back again. “Is everything alright?”
“I’m just curious as to why when she leaves her house in the morning she’s in her work out clothes holding a gym bag and then, when she leaves her agent’s, she’s in her normal clothes. Why does she change?”
“Oh. Yes. That is peculiar. Unless she works out there. Maybe she has photographs taken or fittings and it’s easier in gym clothes.”
“Perhaps.” Arsenio flicked through them again, convinced he was missing something.
“Anyway, you’ve done good work. Jerome was here earlier.
He seems to be satisfied that Mrs Ferretti has finished with this trainer…
” He was talking mechanically still checking over each photo.
He stopped at one photo that showed Liz’s car at the entrance of the underground car park of her agent’s office.
The quick sequence showed her getting out of her car and talking to a truck driver, which was parked at the entrance.
At first Arsenio thought she was arguing with him to move the truck but on closer inspection he could see that Liz was smiling.
The next shot was of her car descending into the car park while the truck opened up the back to unload.
There was no follow on picture but it didn’t matter.
Arsenio had found that little something he’d been looking for.
The yellow truck had IKEA emblazoned on the side.
“Well that’s good to hear,” Scott answered but Arsenio didn’t really register. He banged his fist sharply on his desk. Yes! He thought to himself, then focused on his phone call.
“He asked me to stop the surveillance, so I need you to let me know what the fee is up until today.”
“Of course, I’ll send it out to you.”
“Good. I then want you to continue.”
“Excuse me?” Scott said, clearly confused. “I’m not sure I follow.”
“I think she’s using one of the office spaces as some sort of love nest.”
Scott took a moment to digest what Arsenio was saying. “That would explain why she changes clothes.”
“And why she’s spending an extraordinary amount of time at her agent’s,” Arsenio suggested, his tone tinged with sarcasm.
“It’s the perfect cover.”
“Yes. It would also explain why she spoke to an IKEA delivery man on Wednesday.”
“Furniture? A bed perhaps. I wish I’d taken more photos.” Scott sounded annoyed with himself.
“That’s my guess.”
“Shouldn’t we inform Jerome?”
“No, not yet. Let’s just see what else we can uncover. I think we need to put surveillance on the trainer too and you’re going to have to get into the office block and confirm that she’s going there, rather than her agent’s.”
“She must have a second phone too. How else is she communicating with him? Because the trace on the number you gave me doesn’t have her contacting him.” Arsenio could almost hear Scott’s brain working overtime and he smiled to himself.
“Yes, for sure. How can we find that out?”
“Leave it to me… I’m going to need a week or so though and it’ll be pricey.”
“I don’t care what you need to do Scott. We need to nail the bitch.”
“We will, trust me.”
“Good. We’ve waited this long, what’s a few more days.”
“I’ll keep you updated.”
“Thanks Scott.”
Arsenio hung up, then bent down to put on his shoes. He needed to talk to Cosimo. Keeping Scott on was crossing the line, it was out and out interfering but he knew that Liz was still seeing Jonathan and playing his brother.