“I don’t understand. I was there when he booked the flight for Friday afternoon,” she protested.
“Well, he rang that afternoon to inform us he was going to take a few more weeks off,” the woman on the other end of the line said. “Would you like me to put you through to the supervisor? Perhaps he can tell you more.”
“No, that’s all right. I’ll try him at home.” But it soon became apparent that Philip either hadn’t returned to Sydney, or didn’t want to be found, because every time she phoned it rang and rang without an answer. Since he didn’t have a mobile phone, there was no other way of getting in contact with him. He’d told her during their holiday that he’d never seen the need for one, even though he said he had a computer and every other mod-con known to man.
In the days that followed, her emotions sea-sawed between worry that some disaster had befallen him, and anger that he didn’t want her to know where he was. She knew he probably wouldn’t ring her parents’ number and kept her mobile close by at all times, but she was reluctant to move until she found out what had become of him.
To fill in her time, she spent many hours writing job applications and lining up interviews.
Several days before Philip was due back at work, as she was leaving from an interview with an inner city Community Health Centre, Nicole was mugged.
It was so quick, before she knew what had happened a lanky youth had run off with her shoulder bag in his hand. For a moment she just stood there, staring in shocked dismay after him, not believing that someone would be so daring in the middle of the day.
Then anger consumed her. How dare he take what doesn’t belong to him, she thought furiously, setting off after him.
“Stop! Thief!” she yelled.
Nicole doubted she’d catch up with him, but decided to create enough commotion, hoping that he would either drop her bag, or get stopped by someone. Unfortunately the footpath was deserted.
The youth headed for a nearby crossing. The traffic was still flowing, and for a moment he stopped, looking for an opportunity to dash across the street.
“Give that back, you rotten little creep!” Nicole yelled. She was gaining on him. He darted a glance over his shoulder at her, pure venom contorting his youthful features, Then he turned back to the swiftly moving traffic. He wasn’t much bigger than her, Nicole realised, as she reached for the bag in his hand. She grabbed hold of it, so that they were both pulling the strap.
“Let go, you bitch,” he cursed, bringing up his other hand to push her away.
“No, it’s mine!” she yelled back, ducking his flailing fist.
Suddenly he was pulling her towards the edge of the footpath. Then he pushed her backwards. She stumbled off the pavement and onto the road, loosing her balance in the process.
There was an abrupt screech of tires, and a loud thump as her head hit something hard and metallic. Pain exploded in her head, and all went black.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
“You’ll be able to go home today.”
Nicole tried to smile enthusiastically back at the amicable young doctor. She’d been in hospital for two weeks, one of which had been spent slipping in and out of consciousness. The worried faces of her parents had been a constant fixture, but it was someone else she’d been longing to see, someone who never came.
Nicole had sustained concussion, several broken ribs, a sprained ankle, all of which were still giving her considerable pain. But her fight with the thief hadn’t been in vain. Someone had seen her struggle with him, and had managed to snatch her bag back. It was returned to her intact several days later. Nicole realized now how foolish she’d been to go chasing after him, but it was worry over Philip that consumed her now.
She couldn’t understand why he’d extended his holiday to disappear for three weeks. As soon as she got the opportunity she would try and phone him again. She didn’t want to accept the possibility that he no longer wanted to see her. Until she knew where she stood with him she would say nothing more to her parents on the matter, even if they asked. The fact that she had no idea exactly how much she’d given away in her semi-conscious state worried her considerably. What her father would do with that knowledge she dreaded to think. He’d threatened Philip once before, and Nicole didn’t doubt he’d do it again. But knowing Philip, he wouldn’t let Peter stand in his way, unless of course, he didn’t care about her anymore. That thought weighed heavily on her mind in the days that followed.
She spent them enduring her mother’s fussing. Gail rarely left her side, as she lounged beside the pool trying to lose herself in a hefty paperback. When Trisha called on her, telling her she had been offered a job, Nicole decided it was time to move. Despite Gail’s staunch opposition, she packed the rest of her things and left with Trisha.
“Thanks for turning up when you did. Mum was driving me nuts with her fussing,” Nicole said, once the two women were in the car, heading away from Vaucluse.
“I could see that, but it had to be better than sitting around in a poky little apartment all day,” Trisha acknowledged.
“I would rather that. I wasn’t given more than two minutes to myself.” She had a pretty good idea why that had occurred too. Neither of her parents had wanted her to try and ring Philip, but now that they were almost at Randwick this was the first thing she’d do.
“You still haven’t heard from him, have you?” Trisha asked, echoing her thoughts.
“Not a word. I’m really worried, Trish. I can’t believe he doesn’t want to see me anymore. I’m certain Dad’s been interfering. He might have deleted Philip’s messages from my phone while I was in hospital. I didn’t see it the whole time I was in there.”
“You’re clutching at straws Nic. Philip hadn’t even surfaced for over a week before you had your accident, If he really did care about you he would have rung.”
Anger, which had always been just under the surface, blazed in her heart, and she turned abruptly to face her friend. “You were the one who encouraged me to get involved with him in the first place. You thought he’d settle down with the right person.”
“I’m sorry, Nicole,” Trisha murmured uncomfortably. “Knowing you as I do, I didn’t think you’d become so attached to him.”
“I love him. I’ve loved him since… probably since the moment I laid eyes him,” she admitted, tears stinging her eyes.
“Good God! I never thought, never suspected you would fall so heavily for a guy. I’m really sorry for sounding off like that.”
Feeling a little guilty for loosing her temper, Nicole said. “I’m sure he’s back now, and if he has decided to ditch me, I won’t be letting him get away with it that easily.”
They had only been inside their apartment for five minutes, when Nicole picked up the receiver and dialed Philip’s home number. To her horror and dismay, she discovered it had been disconnected. She tried it three times to make sure she hadn’t accidentally gotten it wrong.
“I don’t believe this!” she cried, slamming the instrument down with a violent crash. The tears finally did flow, until she was sobbing loudly in her friend’s arms.
“Try his work number in the morning,” Trisha suggested eventually.
But when Nicole rang his office, asking to speak to him, the secretary only confirmed what she already suspected, that Philip no longer worked there.
“No, I’m afraid we can’t disclose ex-employees whereabouts. It’s against regulations,” she was told when she asked where he had gone.
“Just tell me one thing, has he moved to another branch, or has he left Legal Aid altogether?” Nicole asked.
“I’m sorry. I can’t tell you that either.”
“No, I didn’t think so.” She hung up. Accept it, Nicole, he’s gone. He never intended to keep the relationship going. He simply didn’t care enough. He was nothing more than a selfish, arrogant pirate.
But no matter what her mind reasoned, her heart was breaking. She’d loved him, had been prepared to accept him for what he was, but all he’d wanted was a cheap holiday and a quick fling.
Nicole spent the rest of the day curled up on the lounge in the darkened room crying for the loss of a love that never really existed. She cursed herself for her foolishness. She, a qualified social worker, hadn’t been able to see the obvious; that he simply hadn’t given a damn about her. Blinded by his good looks, his seductive sensuality, his troubled past, she’d fallen head over heels in love like a silly teenager.
Strangely enough it was Trisha who suggested she try to find out what had become of him.
“What’s the point? It’s obvious he doesn’t want me,” she protested, almost bursting out crying again. Nicole hadn’t known she could shed so many tears. It was close to midnight, and they had been talking for almost an hour. Nicole had wanted to hear all about Trisha’s new job, but her friend had eventually brought the conversation around to the cause of Nicole’s swollen tear-stained face.
“That may be so, but didn’t you say you wanted to have it out with him. Knowing you as I do, you won’t be satisfied until you’ve sorted him out once and for all. You always did want to see justice done, and I don’t think you should let Philip get away with leaving you this way.”
“But I have absolutely no idea where he’s gone. Short of ringing every Legal Aid office in the country, I have nothing else to go on.”
“What makes you think he’s even with Legal Aid?”
Nicole buried her face in her hands in bitter frustration. “Great! So I ring every law firm in the country,” she retorted sarcastically.
“Someone must know something. Perhaps one of his neighbors knows where he’s gone,” Trisha suggested.
“I suppose I could try that.”
“I think you should.”
It wasn’t until Saturday afternoon that Nicole felt well enough to drive to Philip’s address in Mosman on the other side of the harbour.
The street he lived in was easy to find, as it followed the waterfront. It was lined with large houses and apartment buildings. The number she’d stored in her mobile belonged to a two story mansion that looked decidedly Spanish with its white-washed walls and curved archways.
She was still sitting in her car, staring at the seemingly deserted building when two children rode past on their push bikes. It became obvious they lived there when the young boy unlocked one of the garage doors. They were both blonde, and the girl, who seemed to be about thirteen or fourteen had a long plait reaching well past her waist. Spurred into action, Nicole got out of her car, and started towards them. The boy was closing the door when Nicole spoke.
“Hello there. You two live here?”
“Yep,” the boy replied.
“I’m looking for someone who used to live here. I was wondering if you could help me find him. Philip Pelayo?”
“Why do you want to know where he is?” the girl asked, eying her suspiciously.
“We used to be friends, but lost touch with one another when he moved away forgetting to give me his new address,” she explained.
“I’ll see if Mum can give it to you. She’s inside. Come on, we’ll ask her.”
They left her younger brother playing with his soccer ball, and entered the apartment through a side door Nicole hadn’t noticed until then.
“Hey Mum! Where are you?” the teenager called out, as Nicole followed her through a large living area. She heard a woman’s voice reply from somewhere inside the building, and was shown into a spacious, modern kitchen, which had a wide window overlooking an in-ground swimming pool. The family’s apartment was so large, it made Nicole wonder just how many units the building had been sectioned into. The girl’s mother was a short chubby woman in her mid-forties. She too was blonde, with a round attractive face.
“This lady is looking for Mr Pelayo. You’ve got his new address, haven’t you?” her daughter stated, heading for the refrigerator. “His new place doesn’t sound anywhere near as nice as the penthouse.”
“Penthouse?” Nicole echoed.
“That’s what we call his place upstairs; Philip Pelayo’s penthouse,” she said with a little giggle, pouring herself a drink of lemonade.
“My name’s Nicole Cameron. Philip sailed on my father’s yacht, and we kind of lost touch over the past few weeks,” she explained. The suspicion on their faces eased when they heard that. They obviously knew Philip had sailed in the Sydney to Hobart yacht race.
“Well, he did take off rather suddenly. I’m Jenny, by the way, and this is Nadia. She had a bit of a crush on our penthouse man, I’m afraid, and wasn’t at all impressed when he moved away.”
“Aw Mum,” Nadia groaned, her face flushing with embarrassment. “I wasn’t the only one.”
Jenny smiled indulgently at her daughter. “I know. The only reason your friends kept hanging around was to ask him for rides in his Porsche. I feel sorry for the poor man. He never could say no to them. That’s probably why he moved so far away.” She turned back to Nicole. “Looks like his trip around Tasmania really had an effect on him. He was so wrapped with that town he hasn’t even bothered to advertise for someone to rent his apartment.”
“He owns it?” Nicole queried, surprised he could afford such an enormous apartment in an affluent suburb like Mosman on a Legal Aid lawyer’s salary.
“He owns the whole house, actually. We rent it off him, as does the couple next door.”
“All of it?” she cried incredulously.
“Yes, he bought it after selling his hi-fi business.”
Hit with another unexpected revelation, Nicole gulped, wondering why Philip never told her he’d actually owned the business. All he’d said was that he’d sold stereo equipment before going to University. Nicole realized he had well and truly beaten his impoverished background, and gone on to be someone to be revered and held in high esteem. Then she remembered Jenny had been about to tell her where he was now living.
“Where did you say Philip went?”
“Tasmania. He was offered a job in Hobart. I can give you the address if you like.”