Times of Trouble by Victoria Rollison

the emails proves he has done any of the things
he says he has.’
    ‘ He wouldn’t lie that
Sophie is alive. He just couldn’t.’
    I avoided arguing
with mum over this one. I didn’t want to admit to myself, or her,
that Sophie was scared for a reason, and whatever it was, it could
have caught up with her since she sent the email.
    ‘ I was thinking I
might email Liam, and see what he’s up to. Then at least I might
get a better idea about what he has found.’
    ‘ Ok, but I don’t want
you accusing him of anything. He’s been looking for your sister for
months. He’s given up his whole life. If you can’t appreciate that,
please don’t make him feel that I can’t either.’
    Mum was right in a
way. There was no point in approaching Liam with anger. My best
strategy was to be charming and polite, grateful even. Once I
worked out exactly who I was dealing with, I could start to uncover
who the real Liam Kingsley was.
    I logged onto mum's
email, and I sent a short note to Liam explaining who I was, that I
was now aware of the situation, and I would like to know what was
going on. I sent him my mobile phone number, and asked him to ring
me. Much to my surprise, my phone rang within minutes of me sending
the email.
    ‘ Hello, Ellen
speaking.’ Charming and polite, easy peasy.
    ‘ Hi Ellen, this is
Liam Kingsley.’
    With even the few
words he had spoken, it was obvious he was trying to be charming
and polite too. Or maybe he wasn’t trying, maybe this was what he
really was.
    ‘ As I said in my
email, I have recently become involved in what is going on with you
and my mum, I mean, that you have been looking for Sophie.’ I
started pacing the room, trying to keep a confident air so I
sounded completely in control.
    ‘ Yes, the case is
ongoing. It has been much more difficult than I thought it would
be.’
    I felt like saying he
probably had no idea how difficult it was going to be, since by his
own admission he was ‘keen but green’. But I was still trying to
keep my hostility hidden, so I bit my tongue.
    ‘ So, can you tell me
any more about what has been going on? I’ve seen all the emails you
sent.’
    There was silence on
the other end of the line, long enough to raise my suspicion that
his mind was searching for something to make himself sound like he
had been genuinely looking for my sister, when he had actually been
sitting on the beach in Sydney.
    ‘ It would be fair to
say there have been a lot of things going on that I have, for
particular reasons, been leaving out of the email updates to your
mother.’
    That was obvious. I
thought for a moment he was going to confess. He wasn’t easy to
rattle was he? He kept going, speaking with such hesitation that I
wondered if he was nervous about talking to me.
    ‘ The situation has
become far more complicated and dangerous than I anticipated. I
don’t want to speak about it all on the phone, but it is probably
quite good timing you have got involved at this point.’
    Here we go, try to
flatter me to take the attention off his crimes. ‘Oh, why is
that?’
    ‘ As I said, I don’t
want to say much over the phone, but it so happens I have to come
home to Adelaide on Saturday – that’s tomorrow. Maybe we should
meet up in person. I would have come before, but your mum said no
contact except by email.’
    ‘ I would be more than
happy to meet up with you. I have lots of questions to
ask.’
    ‘ No doubt you do.
I’ve got your address. Should I drop round at about 12:30? I fly in
at 12:00, so I could come straight from the airport.’
    ‘ I’ll be here.
Waiting for my piano to be picked up.’ Oops, the hostility slipped
out after all. Of course I would be home. When wasn't I
home?
    ‘ Piano?’
    ‘ Don’t worry about
it. I’ll see you tomorrow.’
    ‘ Yes, I look forward
to it.’
    Was that relief I
heard in his voice? Did he want to tell me what was going on? I
hoped so. I was amazed he was suggesting we meet up. I assumed he
would never