The woman’s shocked expression disappeared quickly, replaced with a smile and an attempt at appearing normal. But the colour had drained from her skin, leaving it waxy-looking, and her eyes gave her away. The fake Alice had been caught out – and she knew it.
Connie stood in silence for a few beats, allowing her surprise entrance to sink in before she spoke. She hadn’t really planned what to say in this moment, she had half-expected the woman she knew as Alice wouldn’t be at the meeting. Facing her now, Connie wasn’t sure how to confront the situation: subtlety or bluntly. She didn’t want to frighten her off – she might not get another chance to speak to her. Whatever her reasons for lying about who she was, it was obvious she needed help in one way or another. Connie hoped she could be the one to offer her support. Get to the root of her issues. At the same time, she wanted to find out if and how she was linked to the real Alice Mann.
‘Sorry to drop in on you unannounced, but you stopped coming to sessions and I was concerned about you,’ Connie said. She’d made the split-second decision to begin with the subtle approach; test the water.
‘Oh, well … um … I’m locking up now, got to rush off … sorry.’ Her movements were jerky, flustered – her eyes darting around. Connie sensed she was looking for a quick getaway and feared she would push past her, scurrying off before Connie could offer her help.
‘Look, I’m not here to upset you, or cause you a problem.’ Connie raised both arms, palms towards the woman, trying to appear unthreatening. ‘I want to help.’
‘I said before, Connie. You can’t help me.’
‘You came to me. You must’ve thought there was a possibility I could?’
‘I’ve no idea what I was thinking, really,’ she said, her shoulders dropping. ‘I guess I thought you’d be helpful in other ways. I knew you couldn’t do anything for me personally, but your knowledge would be useful.’
Connie frowned. What was she talking about?
She must’ve noticed Connie’s confusion and, taking advantage of her change of focus – and before Connie could say or do anything to prevent it – pushed her hard against the wall before taking off.
Winded, Connie gasped for air and attempted to follow her outside. The pathway running alongside the church was long enough that by the time she reached the road in her winded state, fake Alice was out of sight.
Connie leant back against the rail near the church, breathing deeply. Well, that didn’t go as planned. She scanned the shops opposite, then looked up and down the road. She couldn’t have got far, but Connie had no idea where to start looking – there were numerous shops she could’ve ducked into, and at least two roads off the main road close by she might’ve taken.
The hope she’d find out why her client had lied suddenly faded. The group meeting had been her only chance – she’d been incredibly lucky to find out where Alice held the meet-ups. Had her luck run out?
She hoped not – she’d need it tomorrow morning.
She’d need all the luck possible for her interview with Kyle Mann.