It all began on a Tuesday morning when Morgan was dressing. She was on her way to a function at her daughter's school. The mothers were getting together, supposedly to discuss an art 'n bake sale to raise funds for a school trip. What actually happened was that the mothers tried to out-snob each other. If you had new Jimmy Choo's or a new Gucci purse - now was the time to show it off. Morgan realised that her engagement ring wasn't on her dresser. She looked behind it, under it, around it - nothing. It was nowhere to be found.
She hollered to the upstairs maid in quite an un-ladylike manner.
"Ingrid! Ingrid! Have you seen my ring?"
Ingrid came trotting along dutifully.
"Excuse me ma'am, which ring?" She asked.
"My engagement ring." Morgan said indicating her ring finger with a lonely wedding band adorning it.
"No ma'am." Ingrid got on her hands and knees and looked around the floor by the dresser. Morgan searched her wardrobe. Their search produced nothing.
Morgan resigned herself to leaving without the ring, and as she drove to the school her mind was in overdrive as to where it could be. The thought that one of the maids had stolen it did cross her mind but she was loathe to believe it. Simply because she knew them and their work history went back to before she had married Philip. The thought of her husband caused new worry for her. The ring was an heirloom, it was first made for Philip's great grandmother by a Parisian jeweller in the late nineteenth century. It had been passed on to her eldest daughter - Philip's grandmother. The old wench was still alive, she didn't want to have to tell Philip his darling Grammy's ring was gone. She certainly didn't want an audience with Grammy herself.
She parked hurriedly in the school car-parking lot and walked to the junior art classroom. Morgan made her way inside faking her politeness - to be fair, she was being as fake as the other mothers were being. Nobody actually liked anyone else and they cliqued together just as they did when they were schoolgirls themselves. She had one fellow schoolmate here and she made her way to Charlotte as quickly as possible.
""What's the matter?" Charlie asked the moment Morgan sat down.
"Is it that obvious?" She asked her friend.
"No, but I know you, something's wrong. What is it?"
"My ring's gone." She said raising her left hand.
Charlotte's eyes turned to saucers. "Oh God." She said.
Morgan nodded with her head in her hands.
"I'm hoping I misplaced it and that Ingrid or someone has found it."
"I hope so too, for your sake." Charlotte understood because she had met Grammy once and once was enough for her.
"I'm sure it will turn up." She added quickly, seeing Morgan's distress.
They spoke about the last time Morgan had worn the ring and possible places in the house it could have fallen until the meeting was called to order. It couldn't go fast enough for her. When it was over Charlotte suggested they have a coffee first. Morgan was hesitant.
"Fortified with Bushmills." Charlotte added and Morgan agreed.
They drove into the gastronomical centre of the town and were lucky to find parking close to their favourite coffee mornings restaurant.
They found a quiet corner and ordered their coffee.
"About that other thing..." Charlie whispered conspiratorially looking around as she spoke.
"Yeah..." Morgan whispered back cutting her eyes to both sides herself.
They weren't looking suspicious at all.
"I enquired over the pond."
"It's there?" Morgan asked incredulously.
"It was fifteen years ago. That's where the trail ends. Apparently it was only in their possession for a few months. Here's the scary part, they almost sold it as a knock off with no reserve. Two weeks before the auction a curator of a private collection wanted to buy it immediately. In fact, he wanted to buy the entire lot. His excitement sparked their curiosity and they brought in their own expert who confirmed it to be the original manuscript. Long story short - they put it up for auction again three months later and it was bought by an anonymous buyer over the phone." Charlie looked pleased with herself. It had almost cost her a Tiffany lamp, people will tell you anything if they think you have enough money and they're working on a commission basis.
"No tip on who the buyer was?" Morgan asked.
"Unfortunately not, they're not that loose lipped."
"I wonder if we can get a list of known collectors from Sotheby's. Somebody has to know something that can fill the gap for us."
"I'll see what I can do when I get home." Charlie said. "Does he suspect anything?"
"I don't think so, he's been working late just about every evening since last week."
Their conversation continued and the topic changed to their children, then to the coming summer holidays and what they would be doing.
Morgan interrupted Charlie who was telling her about the guest list for a summer party.
"Don't look to your left." She said and Charlie almost blew it by turning her head slightly left before she could stop herself. Morgan glared at her.
"Sorry." Said Charlie. "Why not?"
"There's a man sitting four tables down from us also drinking coffee."
"Oh yes, that's very suspicious." Charlie retorted and swung her head to her left in an exaggerated action as if looking for the waitress.
"Funny." Morgan said sarcastically.
"The one in the beige overcoat trying hard to blend with the plant?"
"Yep, him." Morgan said and sipped her coffee. "He was at the school."
Charlie's head almost swung around for a second time.
"Are you sure?"
"I almost ran him over leaving the school. Now he turns up here, ten miles and a hundred coffee shops between here and there."
"Co-incidence?"
"I think not."
Charlie mulled that over.
"You think he's following us?" She asked.
"One of us." Morgan corrected. "We'll only know when we leave and split up."
"Suddenly I don't want to leave." Charlie said. Morgan didn't look so confident either.
"I can't phone Philip now, can you perhaps..."
Charlie tried to reach Anthony but he was in a meeting.
"I have to go, my ring." Morgan said finally breaking the silence that had ensued after the failed call. "If he's following me I'll speak to Philip about it."
"Lock your doors, don't speed and don't stop. Stick to the main roads."
"Yes, mother. What if he's following you?"
"I'll do the same. We'll soon find out anyway."
***********************
The minute Morgan got home she was on her phone to Charlie.
"And?" She asked when Charlotte answered.
"He didn't follow me." Charlie said sounding relieved.
"I didn't see him either." Morgan admitted.
"He wasn't following us then, co-incidence, that's all."
Morgan unwillingly let it go, she had bigger fish to fry, she had to find that ring. Even so, the niggly feeling that the stranger had been following her, wouldn't go away.
Her day got worse when she spoke to Ingrid who told her that there was still no sign of the ring. Morgan asked Ingrid about the places Charlie had suggested and Ingrid assured her they would not stop searching until it was found.
It was late afternoon when the gardener came to the kitchen door and requested to see Morgan.
"Hello, Tom. Please come in." She said.
"No, Miss. I want to ask if you know the man in the silver Toyota, he was parked at the end of the wall, I happened to be in the greenhouse getting plants and saw him standing next to the water duct. He looked suspicious."
A cold finger ran down Morgan's spine.
"A man in a beige overcoat?"
"Yes, Miss."
"I don't know him Tom, he followed me today. Is he still there?"
"No, Miss. I shouted at him and he got in his car and left."
"Thank you so much Tom, if he comes back please let me or Philip know."
She walked away, her mind reeling with questions. One thing was certain, she had to tell Philip.
Philip arrived at eleven that evening and Morgan, who had waited up, immediately flew into him.
"Where the hell have you been?" She asked, her anger having had hours to burn.
"Working." Came the curt reply.
"Bullshit! The phone rings in your office when your assistant leaves."
"Are you calling me a liar?" He shouted back.
Morgan stopped and looked at Philip as if she was seeing him for the first time.
"Are you having an affair Philip?" She asked quietly.
"Don't be ridiculous!" He continued shouting. "I'm working on a deal, I told you." He finished loudly.
Morgan simply kept staring at him.
"I don't have time for this, I'm tired. I'm going to bed." He said.
She wanted to say 'In the guest room', but she couldn't get the words out. Philip dropped his coat over a chair and walked off, leaving her standing alone in the livingroom.
Morgan followed him a half an hour later and found Philip snoring already. As she undressed she tried to remember the last time they had made love. Correction, she told herself. Had sex was a better description. She got into bed and laid curled up behind Philip instead of turning her back to him.
She fell asleep fitfully, when she was asleep Philip's eyes snapped open. He'd been pretending to sleep. He hadn't been able to sleep at all for a week.
Morgan had begun behaving strangely more than a month ago, beginning with secret meetings with her best friend Charlie that she thought he didn't know about, and he wouldn't have if he hadn't overheard a telephone conversation between the two of them. He had tried to follow Morgan for a few days but she had almost caught him. He finally told his best friend Mark and Mark had suggested he hired a private investigator.
The investigator, a man with the very common name of Jones, had been following her for a week. The man had submitted a report the day before. One meeting with Charlie at a coffee shop and the two had disappeared into the library for three hours. Other than that she hadn't done anything suspicious. Jones was of the opinion that Philip was mistaken. Philip told him to continue following her, he was determined to catch her out. It was Jones' suggestion that Philip 'work late' to give her more opportunities to meet her lover but so far a week's drinking after work at the club had netted him nothing. What disturbed him most was that Morgan hadn't even noticed the fact that he smelled like alcohol for the entire week.
An hour later he finally fell asleep from pure exhaustion. The alarm went off at five the next morning and he was awake immediately. Morgan had turned on her other side eventually and was fast asleep. He arose and quickly showered. After he had dressed he looked in on his daughter and kissed her gently on her forehead. She was so little still, he promised himself that he would fix this. He didn't want her to grow up with divorced parents.
