The Uninvited

No. I am not OK.I clear my throat. ‘Where does yournecklace come from?’‘Hesketh, you’re changing the subject.’Can’t she see this is urgent? ‘I said,where does it come from?’She sighs, then reaches up and fingersit. ‘Do you like it?’‘That’s irrelevant. I need to knowexactly where you got hold of it.’ She’ssmiling. Doesn’t she realise I amincapable of making small talk? She leansforward, as if to divulge a secret. But Iknow the answer before she says it. Ofcourse I do. Even so, I feel my chesttighten when I hear it confirmed.‘Hesketh, what’s the matter?’ I pull outthe piece of paper again from my laptopcase. It’s crumpled at the sides. I flatten it