Stardust

Nine

*Stefan*

"So that's Paris for the charity fashion show all next week, the week after you have seminars on climate change issues and then the week following- Are you listening? I still have to see your brother and father Stefan." I looked up from my book, not honestly hearing a word Price had said. I didn't really care. I'd be where I need to be. I get a document before anyway with everything I need to know. I'll memorize a few unexpected questions to act like I give a damn, nod, smile, wave, pose for pictures and be home before I know it.

"Yes Price. My diary is packed. I get it."

"I'm not sure you do. You're asking me to schedule days off for you to attend some farm like some common stable hand. You are a prince Stefan. Second in line to the throne."

"I'm aware."

"You can't be sauntering around doing inconsequential-"

"Have you ever worked on a farm Price?"

"No."

"Well, I have. I can assure you the work is far from inconsequential. It is harder work than I suspect most of the people working here would ever understand and I challenge you yourself to do half of the things they are down there without a single complaint." He blinked at me and I stared, waiting a few seconds before moving back and returning to my book. "Rework things Price. It shouldn't be difficult. I'd prefer one day a week there, minimum, however if you are able to give me more, please feel free."

"I will speak to your father."

"Be my guest." I flipped the page, listening as two quick knocks at the door interrupted Prices' little freak out over nothing. He bowed in my peripheral vision before leaving, letting in whoever had knocked on my office door.

"Stefan." I lifted my eyes for a second, slowly closing my book.

"Ah. Redd. Just who I was hoping to see. How goes our deep dive?" I gestured for the seat opposite and he moved quickly. I stared at him, waiting for him to speak so I could hear what he had to say about what he'd found on Alice's life before here. "Well?"

"Are you sure she gave you the right name?"

"That's the name Mark and Jamie gave us, the name on their databases, the name she goes by around the farm so yes. I'm sure. Why?"

"It's just that, there's no record of Alice Jennings ever existing. Not that matches the information that's on Northwind Farm's records. The insurance number on there isn't correct. The passport details don't show up in any system." I sat up as he slid a paper file over to me and I grabbed for it, flicking through the pages of information. "Alice Jennings is a common name. There is a few other people who have the name but their dates of birth, places of birth, lineage, they don't match up. Alice Jennings is not the girl at Northwind Farm. It's a security ris-"

"She's not a security risk." I shook my head, sitting back and flicking through the papers some more, reading them a little deeper. "This isn't malicious. Northwind is exceptionally reputable and Alice is too-" I searched for the word that best described Alice but there wasn't one that captivated her perfectly. "Too soft." I scowled at the papers, rubbing a hand over the lower half of my face.

There has to be a reason Alice Jennings randomly appeared in Bluebourne.

"Where is she living?"

"That's another thing. She's untraceable. The only time we have eyes on her is whilst she's working. Her phone is never turned on for longer than absolutely necessary so I can't even track it. She must be leaving when it's dark or living with Jamie-"

"No. She doesn't live with Jamie. They came in separately when I was there and apparently that's normal. Also, they don't seem to have anything other than a close working relationship. What about cameras around the local towns?"

"Nothing."

"Speed cameras?" He shook his head. "How the fuck does a living person come and go from the farm without being seen by anything?"

"I don't know. It shouldn't be possible. We know she's leaving because our cameras catch her leaving the main gate but she just vanishes before reaching the main road."

"And there's no cars?"

"No. No insurance, no tax, no purchases in her name. Nothing." I settled back into the chair, tapping the file against my head. Alice Jennings. Who the hell are you and why are you leading such an intriguingly secret life in the middle of nowhere. How on earth are you getting everywhere without a single soul seeing you? Why can my security team, one of the best in the world, why can they not track down a single piece of information about you? Why do you not want to be found? "I don't like this. There's no good reason why someone would make themselves invisible like this. We only know she actually exists because of the footage we have."

"Where are her pay checks going?"

"The farm."

"Bank payments or cash?" His eyes went wide and I smiled. "Find out how she's being paid. It'll be in their bank records. You'll see each member of staff and then a payment every month that matches her wage slips and we can find it like that. Her bank account can't be-" Price pulled out his laptop, hitting a few buttons as I rambled on. "it would have to be in her legal name, whatever it is. Unless she's gotten one with a fake ID but even then, we should be able to get an address from it. Once we have an address we can look into that and work backwards."

"Okay. Got the bank records." Price listed off the recent months payments, lining them up with employees based on wage slips we'd gathered. "The only payment out of place for the right amount is one to Mark. Down as a personal account but it's not - hold on--- okay different address. No transfers between other accounts. This address. It's like a 10 minute drive from the farm."

"Not far away." I sat back watching him work quickly.

"Okay the apartments under Mark's name too. Rent payments go from that account. There's regular payments to supermarkets. Small amounts, looks like shopping. Bills. There's a decent amount saved up in a savings pot too. 12 grand."

"God. Okay. What else?"

"Um.. Oh! Bills!" A few more taps, keys being pressed. "Okay. Here we go. The electricity account is under Alice Jennings." I smiled, letting it slowly grow. We might not have uncovered who Alice was right now, but we do know she'd gone excessively out of the way to keep where she was hidden.

"Brilliant. Use that to try and chase her backwards. You'll be able to find her on cameras, when she first turned up in town everything. Can you do that?"

"Yeah. I can do tha- Stefan?" I raised my eyebrows. "This is fraud. It's way beyond her not being who she says she is."

"Let's just see if we can find a reason for it first. It sounds like desperation to me."

"Desperation?"

"Why would you go to this kind of extreme if you didn't feel safe? No. She's running from something."

"From what?"

"That Redd is the million dollar question. From what."