Letter from a Stranger. Barbara Taylor Bradford
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success.’
Once again Iffet dialled her office, passed on the name and waiting patiently. After a few seconds she shook her head. ‘No luck.’
‘I wonder how I’m going to find these two?’ Justine muttered, almost to herself, then forced a smile onto her face. ‘Thanks for trying, Iffet. Shall we go to lunch?’
‘I am ready.’
Going down in the lift, Iffet suddenly turned to Justine and asked, ‘Do you have an address for either of the two ladies? If so, you could write a note. I can have it delivered in an hour. There is a special service I use.’
‘I don’t have an address for either,’ Justine replied as they stepped out into the lobby. She thought: If I had an address I’d be hightailing it over there already. Swiftly she continued, ‘I really do need to find Anita. I’m fairly certain she lives in Istanbul, and—’ Justine cut herself off abruptly, and stood stock-still in the middle of the lobby, staring at Iffet.
Staring back, Iffet asked, ‘What is it? What is wrong?’
‘I’ve just thought of something. If a person owns a house in Istanbul, or an apartment, would the property have to be registered with a government agency? You know, for local taxes?’
‘It would, yes!’ Iffet exclaimed. ‘Ownership of property has to be registered at the deed and land office at the local municipality. Tapu ve Kadastro Dairesi, that’s the name of the land office. I must put one of my staff on this immediately. If you’ll excuse me, Justine, I must speak in Turkish to that person. It will be quicker.’
‘No problem.’
Taking a few steps away from Justine, Iffet again used her phone, and within a split second was talking rapidly to someone in her office.
‘It is being taken care of,’ she announced a moment later, a huge smile on her face, her brown eyes sparkling. She glanced at her watch. ‘It’s twelve thirty now. Lunchtime. So I might not receive the information until tomorrow.’
‘That’s all right, and thank you. Come on, let’s go and have lunch.’ Together Justine and Iffet walked across the lobby, through the lounge, the indoor café and out onto the terrace.
They were shown to a table in a corner, one that had a spectacular view of the hotel, its gardens and the swimming pool. Beyond was the Bosphorus flowing down into the Black Sea. As usual it was busy with varied traffic. Today there were sailing boats, private yachts, tourist boats and the ferries, plus a couple of cargo ships. In the distance, a huge cruise ship sat stationary on the far horizon, silhouetted against the bright blue sky like a behemoth.
‘What a fantastic sight this is!’ Justine said.
‘It is lovely. If you didn’t want to move you could stay here and keep very busy. There’s the spa, a hair salon, many shops, bars, restaurants, swimming and tennis.’
Justine smiled. ‘But I do want to move, I want to see this city, get to know it.’
‘I have made a list for you.’ Iffet immediately pulled a sheet of paper out of her bag. ‘A list of churches, such as the Haghia Sophia, the little Haghia Sophia, both built by your male namesake, Justinian. The Blue Mosque, the Topkapi Museum, and various palaces. I’ll take you wherever you want to go tomorrow.’
‘I’m in your hands, you’re the expert, but I wouldn’t want to miss the Grand Bazaar and the Spice Bazaar.’
‘I have them on the list for Saturday,’ Iffet answered, then glanced up at the waiter who had appeared at the table. She ordered sparkling water and so did Justine, and both women took the menus he handed to them.
‘I’m not a foodie, not very adventurous when it comes to food,’ Justine explained, ‘and I see several things here that I like. A club sandwich, for one, and a number of good salads. Do you know what you want, Iffet?’
‘Like you, I am a simple eater. I will select one of the salads.’
‘And I’m going to go for the club sandwich.’ Justine beckoned to the waiter who came over and took their order, and then Justine said to Iffet, ‘Have you ever been to New York?’
Iffet shook her head. ‘But I do know London quite well. I go there often. Do you want to travel here in Turkey? Is there anywhere special you’d like to visit?’
‘I’ve always wanted to go to Ephesus, but I’m afraid I won’t be able to do it this trip. Perhaps next time.’
‘If you make your documentary.’
‘That’s right.’
The two women liked each other, had clicked immediately during the drive from Atatürk Airport, and their conversation was nonstop both before and during lunch. On the plane, Justine had re-read Joanne’s computer printouts and the travel guide she had given her, and because she was a quick study and had a retentive memory, she was able to have an intelligent discussion with Iffet. But always at the back of Justine’s mind was an image of her grandmother, and thoughts of Anita Lowe. But she knew that once she had located one or both of them she would be able to relax. For the moment she remained tense inside, anxiety ridden.
At exactly two o’clock, Justine interrupted their conversation about the Basilica Cistern, a vast underground water system, saying to Iffet, ‘I’m sorry to cut this short for a moment, but I must call my brother. He’s expecting to hear from me about now.’
‘That is perfectly all right, Justine, I shall give you your privacy.’ Iffet made to stand up and leave the table.
Justine put out a hand, touched her arm, exclaimed, ‘No, no, that’s not necessary. I’m just calling him to let him know I’ve arrived safely and am in your care.’ She shook her head, sighed lightly. ‘He worries about me a lot.’ Taking out her mobile phone, she dialled Richard’s apartment, and within a few seconds she heard his voice.
‘It’s me, Rich,’ she said. ‘Safe and sound in Istanbul, sitting by the Bosphorus having lunch with Iffet. It’s exactly two o’clock here, and I guess you’re having breakfast in New York.’
‘I am. A piece of toast and a mug of coffee standing up in the kitchen. How was the flight? How’s Istanbul? What’s the hotel like?’ he asked in a rush of questions.
‘The flight was great, just under ten hours, and landed on time. Istanbul is fascinating, what little I’ve seen of it. The weather is fabulous, and so is the hotel. Oh, and Iffet is lovely …a friend already.’
‘So you’re in safe hands all round, and I can relax.’
‘Of course you can. Anyway, you know very well I can take care of myself. Any news, anything special happening?’
‘Nothing at all. Daisy is great, work’s going good, and the first part of the installation is under way. So far without any hitches.’
‘Great. I obviously don’t have any news about anything. Too soon. I’ll call you tomorrow at this time, but my phone’s always on if you need me. Big hug, love you.’
‘Love you too, Juju. My arms around you.’
After clicking off, Justine smiled at Iffet and confided, ‘He fusses about me, but he just can’t help himself. I guess I’m the same with him. We’re twins, and we’re almost literally joined at the hip.’
‘Oh, twins! I understand about twins. I have a friend who is a twin, and she and her sister are the same way.’
‘I can imagine. But it’s fantastic in so many different ways. Now, getting back to our interrupted conversation, you were telling me that the Basilica Cistern goes back to Byzantine times and was laid out under Justinian.’
‘It’s a cavernous vault underneath Istanbul. We can visit it if you are interested, it is open to the public.’
‘I’d love to see it.’ Justine opened her black leather handbag, pulled out