Almost Dead Read online

  Shrill laughter was her only response as the fire escape started to give way, breaking under her.

  And then other hands were shaking her.

  “Please, wake up! Wake up!”

  She opened her eyes.

  The dormitory light was on, and she was staring up at the dark-haired twins. They were looking back at her with expressions of combined worry and annoyance.

  “You have been having many nightmares, screaming. Are you all right?”

  “Yes, I’m fine. I’m sorry. I have bad dreams occasionally.”

  “It is disturbing,” the other twin said. “Is there anything you can do to stop this? It is not fair on us; we are on day shift and have to work twelve hours today.”

  Cassie felt racked with guilt. She should have realized that her nightmares would cause major disruption in a shared room.

  “What’s the time?”

  “It is now four-thirty a.m.”

  “I’ll get up,” Cassie decided.

  “Are you sure?” The twins glanced at each other.

  “Yes, I’m sure. I’m so sorry for waking you.”

  She clambered out of bed, feeling dizzy and disoriented from lack of sleep, and quickly pulled on her top in the dark. Then, grabbing her purse, she left the room and closed the door quietly.

  The lounge was empty, and Cassie sat down on one of the couches, curling her legs up on the cushion. She had no idea what she should do now, or where she should go.

  It would be inconsiderate to risk disrupting her roommates’ sleep another night, and she couldn’t afford a private room even if one became available.

  Perhaps she could if she got a job. She didn’t have a working visa, but from what the others had been saying last night, if the work was for less than three months, nobody in Italy minded too much if it was done on a tourist visa.

  Working would make her stay here affordable and buy her some time. Even if Tim didn’t remember where Jacqui was staying, her sister might try to contact her again.

  Cassie headed to the notice board to see if there were any jobs available.

  She hoped to find a waitressing job, as she was experienced in waiting tables and would feel confident applying. However, to her dismay, she found these jobs all stipulated that applicants must be fluent in Italian. Other languages were an advantage but not essential.

  With a frustrated sigh, she scrapped the idea of waitressing.

  What about dishwashing? Cleaning?

  Scanning the board, she couldn’t find any such jobs. There were a few store assistant jobs, but again, Italian was required. Then there was a bicycle courier job that sounded interesting and was well paying, but you needed to have your own bicycle and helmet, and she didn’t.

  Those were the only opportunities available, and she didn’t qualify for any of them.

  Discouraged, Cassie returned to the couch and plugged her phone into the charger. Perhaps she could look online and see if there was any other work available. It was still very early, and after her interrupted night she felt heavy-eyed with tiredness. On the couch, she slipped into a light sleep, and was woken a couple of hours later by the twins leaving.

  People were up and about, and she could smell coffee brewing. Cassie unplugged her phone and scrambled off the couch, not wanting anyone else to know that she’d slept there instead of in her designated bed.

  Following the aroma of coffee, she found Gretchen, wrapped in a dressing gown, pinning two more job notices to the board.

  “These have just come in,” she said with a smile. “And coffee is for sale in the kitchenette down the passage.”

  Cassie looked at the two new job cards. One was another advertisement for a waitress, which again was no use to her. As she looked at the other, she felt a chill of nervousness.

  “Au Pair Required. A divorced mother of two requires help for 3 months, starting asap, to care for two girls, aged 8 and 9. English speaker preferred. Luxury accommodation provided. Please call Ottavia Rossi.”

  Cassie closed her eyes and felt her spine prickle with gooseflesh.

  She didn’t think that she could handle another au pairing job. Not when the first two had gone so horribly wrong.

  Her first assignment, in France, had been working for a wealthy landowner. It was only after arriving at the chateau that she realized how dysfunctional he and his fiancée were in parenting the three traumatized children. Each of them had rebelled against his brutal authority in their own way, and Cassie had borne the brunt of their behavior.

  The job had become a nightmare, and when his fiancée had died under suspicious circumstances, Cassie had narrowly escaped being arrested as a murder suspect.

  The landowner—Pierre Dubois—had ended up being charged for the crime, and his trial was ongoing. Whenever she saw reports in the news, Cassie scanned them anxiously. With the legal teams putting up a fierce fight, the most recent article had stated that the verdict would only be given in February.

  She’d fled to England, desperate to lie low in case his legal team decided to subpoena her to testify—or, worse, managed to manufacture enough evidence to prove she was the guilty one.

  In England, she had run straight into the arms of a charming and attractive man who’d presented himself as a divorced father, urgently needing help with his kids. Cassie had fallen hard for Ryan Ellis and believed every word he’d told her. Then her idyllic world had crumbled around her as lie after lie was exposed, and the situation had unraveled into horror.

  Cassie still couldn’t think of that experience without feeling panic boil up inside her. Turning away, she almost bumped into Gretchen, who was busy updating the notice board and removing some of the older jobs.

  “Sorry,” Cassie said.

  “Have you seen anything to suit you?” Gretchen asked.

  “I’m not sure. The au pairing job sounds interesting,” Cassie said, just to be polite.

  “That’s on the outskirts of Milan. It’s a wealthy area. And live-in, I see, so your accommodations would be included.”

  “Thank you,” Cassie said. She photographed the ad, even though she knew that she was going through the motions, without any intention of taking the job.

  She glanced at the books for sale. They were an eclectic mix of fiction and nonfiction, and there were two on the shelf which she saw would be helpful to her. One was an Italian phrase book, and the other was a beginner’s guide to the language. The books were tattered and well-used, but they were also cheap. Glad that she could make a start at mastering Italian, Cassie headed to the office to pay for them.

  After she’d bought the books and a mug of coffee, she set off to find her car. Although the city looked very different in daylight, she managed to find the way back to her car with only a couple of wrong turns along the route.

  Along the way she couldn’t stop thinking about the au pairing job.

  Beggars couldn’t be choosers, and she desperately needed to stay in the city for a while. After all, Tim the barman might remember the name of the town where Jacqui worked, at any time.

  A live-in job meant she wouldn’t disturb her fellow travelers, and she wouldn’t risk having another frightening experience in the city, similar to what she’d had the previous night with Vadim.

  Plus, she’d be working for a woman. A divorced woman. Cassie could make sure to confirm this was true before she made the final decision. She didn’t want to work for a man again. It didn’t sound like there was a man in the house at all, only a woman and her two girls.

  She could ask. There was no harm in finding out more, was there?

  Even so, remembering her previous experiences, Cassie felt sick as she dialed.

  The call connected, and then it rang and rang, with Cassie’s nervousness growing as the seconds ticked by.

  Finally, it was answered.

  “Buongiorno,” a woman said, sounding breathless.

  Wishing she’d had the chance to study her phrase book, Cassie replied nervously.

  “
Good morning.”

  “This is Signora Rossi’s phone, and it’s Abigail speaking. How can I help?” the woman continued in English. In fact, Cassie thought she sounded English.

  She tried to swallow down her nerves and speak confidently.

  “I’m phoning about the job. Is Ottavia Rossi there?”

  “The job? Please hold on. Ms. Rossi is in a meeting.”

  Cassie heard the woman conferring with somebody else. A moment later, she was back.

  “I am so sorry but that job has been taken.”

  “Oh.” Cassie felt surprised and deflated. She was unsure what to say next but the woman made the decision for her.

  “Goodbye,” she said, and cut off the call.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Cassie couldn’t understand why the au pair job was no longer available if it had been advertised so recently. She felt disappointed that this opportunity had come and gone before she’d even been able to attend an interview.

  Now she had no idea what she should do. She was tempted to get in her car and drive in a random direction for an hour or two, in the hope that she would end up closer to her sister, or even, miraculously, in the same town.

  Cassie knew in this densely populated country, which was studded with towns and villages of all sizes, that was not just unlikely, but impossible.

  She opened her trunk, rummaged in her suitcase, and took out the tablets she’d missed last night, plus her morning dose.

  Then, seated in the car, she drank them down and called her friend Jess.

  Cassie had spent a week’s holiday with Jess over Christmas and New Year. Jess’s employer had given her time off, with money to travel, and Jess had invited Cassie to come along to Edinburgh.

  Jess had paid for the accommodations, and Cassie had done all the driving. They had rented an apartment on the outskirts of the city, and spent the days sightseeing and the nights partying. During that time, they’d had the chance to chat, so Jess knew exactly what Cassie had gone through, and the soul-shattering truth about her last two assignments.

  “Hey, stranger!” Jess answered almost immediately. “Have you found your sister yet?”

  “Not yet. I found someone who spoke to her recently. He said she was staying in a town an hour or two away from Milan, but he couldn’t remember the town’s name.”

  “Oh, no.” Jess sounded horrified. “That’s like—so close but so far. What are you going to do now?”

  “I’m going to try and stay here for a few weeks because he said he’ll message me if he remembers. I phoned about an au pair job, but it had already been taken. Do you know of anyone in Milan, or in Italy, who might need a helper?”

  Cassie had serious respect for Jess’s networking capabilities. The tall, friendly blonde seemed to have a natural talent for picking up strategically placed connections. That was how Cassie had gotten her last job, even though it hadn’t turned out well; and it was also how they’d been able to secure their holiday apartment at an affordable rate.

  “In Milan?” Jess sounded thoughtful.

  “Or anywhere nearby,” Cassie reminded her, hoping to widen the net.

  Jess sighed.

  “Not offhand. Milan’s in the north of Italy, isn’t it?”

  “Yes, it is.”

  “So even something in Switzerland, or southern Germany, would actually be doable too, wouldn’t it? I guess you don’t want to go back to France right now.”

  Or ever, Cassie thought.

  “I’d rather steer clear of France.”

  “Let me ask. Everyone’s jetting off skiing at the moment and my employers know some people who own ski chalets. You could work as a chalet maid. The money’s not great, but you get to ski for free.”

  “Please ask them,” Cassie said.

  “Meanwhile, pester that guy who spoke to your sister,” Jess advised. “Don’t be shy. Tell him to sit with a map in front of him and look at all the towns until the right name jogs his memory.”

  She laughed, and Cassie found herself laughing along with her.

  “I’ve got to run,” Jess said. “Dental appointment. For the children, not me. Chat later, Cassie, good luck!”

  As Cassie disconnected, her phone rang again. She found herself speaking to Abigail, the woman who had answered when she called about the au pairing job.

  “Hello, I am speaking on behalf of Ms. Rossi. You called about a job earlier, is that correct?”

  “Yes, that’s right.”

  “Which job was it, please? Was it the junior fashion designer, or was it the au pair position?”

  “It was the au pair position.”

  “Please hold for a moment.”

  The woman sounded anxious and Cassie could hear a whispered conversation in the background.

  A few moments later, she spoke again.

  “I am so sorry. Please accept my apologies. I did not know about the au pair position. Ms. Rossi has confirmed that this job is available, and it is the designer one that was filled. She has asked me to find out if you are still interested.”

  “Yes. Yes, I am.”

  “Ms. Rossi will be available for interviews this afternoon at her home, from two-thirty p.m. onwards. The first successful candidate will be hired, and will be required to start immediately. Can I message you the address?”

  “Please,” Cassie said, feeling worried all over again. It sounded as if she’d have to make an instant decision about whether the job was right for her or not. She wondered what the children would be like, and that thought made her feel nauseous with nerves.

  She couldn’t take the job without meeting the children, she decided. They were the ones she would be spending every day with. Their mother sounded like a wealthy woman and from Cassie’s limited experience, this meant the children might be spoiled or neglected.

  When her phone buzzed again and the directions came through, she decided to drive there immediately.

  After all, if she wasn’t first in the interview queue, there wouldn’t be a decision to be made at all.

  *

  Cassie reached the neighborhood just before noon. The streets were quiet and immaculately maintained, with large houses set far back from the road among well-treed gardens. Cassie guessed that in summer, when the trees were clothed in greenery, the houses would be invisible from the road.

  She was surprised at the amount of security that she saw present. Every house was fenced or walled, with tall automatic gates. Cassie wasn’t sure whether the wealthy valued their security and privacy, or whether there was a crime problem in this affluent area. She suspected it was probably the former.

  Driving through the streets in her small, elderly runabout, Cassie noticed a few of the locals in their brightly colored sports cars and dark SUVs peering at her suspiciously. She and her car looked out of place in this area, and people were noticing.

  A few blocks further down, she found a coffee shop. She was too nervous to be hungry, but forced herself to eat a cornetto and drink a bottle of water.

  Remembering that this woman obviously worked in the fashion world, and that the neighborhood was very affluent, Cassie was eager to give a good impression. She detoured to the restrooms, where she smoothed her hair down and checked that there were no crumbs on her top after eating the flaky, mascarpone-filled pastry.

  Then she headed for the house and pulled up outside the ornate wrought-iron gate at exactly two minutes to two.

  She was shaking with nerves, and wishing she was more confident about her own ability to decide if the job was right for her. She would have to make a snap judgment about it. There would be a lot of variables to consider and what if she missed the important ones?

  It felt like a huge leap of faith to even think about going back into au pairing after the experiences she’d had. If she hadn’t been so determined to stay in the area and find out what had happened to Jacqui, she would never have considered taking this job.

  Forcing herself to breathe deeply and stay calm, Cassie leaned out the
window and pressed the gate buzzer.

  After a pause, the gate swung open and she headed up the paved driveway which wound its way through the gardens.

  She parked under an Italian olive tree, next to a triple garage, encouraged to see that there were no other cars parked nearby. Hopefully that meant she was the first applicant to arrive.

  Cassie walked up the pathway to the enormous wooden front door. She rang the doorbell and heard it chime far away in the house.

  She’d expected that the door would be answered by a parlor maid or assistant, but a few moments later she heard the click of high heels, and the front door was opened by a woman who looked to be about forty years old, with an unmistakable air of authority.

  She was at least half a head taller than Cassie, but much of her height was thanks to an exquisite pair of peacock blue leather boots with tall, curved heels. Her dark hair was artfully styled in waves over her shoulders. A heavy gold chain gleamed around her neck, and gold bracelets jangled on her arms as she opened the door wide.

  “Buongiorno,” she said. Her voice, too, had an authoritative ring to it. “You must be here for the au pair interview?”

  “Good afternoon. Yes, I am. My name’s Cassie Vale. I’m early, I know. The lady I spoke to said two-thirty but I was worried about being late.”

  Aware she was babbling nervously, Cassie closed her mouth in a hurry.

  But the woman seemed pleased about her timekeeping. Her perfectly lipsticked mouth curved in a smile.

  “Punctuality is a politeness. I insist on it, for myself and everyone who works with me. So I thank you for the courtesy. I am Ottavia Rossi. Please come inside.”

  Overwhelmed that she’d already made a positive impression, especially since she found the woman’s presence intimidating, Cassie followed her in.

  Walking into the spacious atrium, Cassie noticed a number of colorful art and décor items on display. The bright paintings, vases, and vibrant rugs stood out and made the home look like a modern, yet welcoming, art gallery.

  Ahead of her was a high staircase of white marble, leading up to the top floors.

  Cassie’s attention was drawn to a waist-high model of a bright red stiletto-heeled shoe which was set on a plinth to the right of the staircase. The shoe’s design was daringly exquisite.