Chapter 12
Chapter Twelve
Hyde Park on a sunny day in autumn met all of Lily’s expectations.
The leaves on the trees were vibrant shades of amber and rust. Gentle gusts sent them flurrying across the path.
At a peaceful bench, she sat and watched small birds flutter in and out of the hedgerow to the tuneful sounds of a busker strumming on his guitar.
Lily tried to focus on that, but her mind soon drifted to the death of Mr Latham.
Just because her brain seemed wired to pick apart every detail didn’t mean there was anything more to his death than a tragic accident.
The fact that the police were seeing it as such should be a good indicator for her.
What was it Liam had said, though – that the dog was a good judge of character because it didn’t like Mr Latham? And did she have it right that Liam had known who’d died before anyone had informed him? He’d glanced at the body bag and immediately asked if it was Mr Latham.
She also wondered if Caroline had kept the spare key from the police on purpose.
The vibration of her phone ringing interrupted her thoughts.
Seeing an unknown number flash on the screen, she stared at it in confusion.
Maybe it was the police following up about Mr Latham.
Perhaps they were asking the same questions as Lily.
Swiping her finger across the screen, she answered with a questioning ‘hello’.
When no one spoke, she checked the screen to see if the call had connected.
“Hello?” she said again.
“Hi.” The male voice sounded uncertain. Maybe it was a wrong number. “Am I speaking to Lily?” he asked. “Lily Larkin?”
“Yes.” Not the wrong number then. “This is Lily.”
“Hi.” He cleared his throat and sounded more confident. “My name is Richard Harper. I believe you spoke to my daughter yesterday.”
Taken aback, Lily was momentarily speechless. With the drama of the morning, she’d put Mr Harper out of her mind. But she also really hadn’t expected him to call.
“Yes. I spoke with Marianne,” she said, finally engaging her brain and then trying desperately to remember what she’d wanted to ask him, while her stomach rioted with nerves. “Thanks for calling.”
When he didn’t immediately respond, she had a horrible feeling he might change his mind about speaking to her and hang up.
“I always wondered if you might get in touch one day,” he said slowly. “I’ve thought about you from time to time.”
Surprise lifted Lily’s eyebrows. “Really?”
“Yes. It was such a terrible tragedy. I suppose having a daughter myself meant your plight had an even greater impact on me.”
“I’m trying to figure out what happened,” Lily said. “My uncle recently passed away, and I found out that he suspected the fire at my parents’ house wasn’t an accident.”
When he didn’t respond, Lily worried she’d been too blunt. “I’m not accusing anyone of anything,” she added quickly. “I’m just trying to find out what really happened.”
“I’m not sure how much help I can be…”
“If you could just answer my questions,” she said in a panic.
“I’m happy to,” he said, raising his voice slightly. “I really am. I only meant to warn you that my answers might not be overly helpful. I’ll tell you everything I remember, though. But I also think this conversation would be better in person and not over the phone.”
“Your daughter said you were away. I’m only in London until Tuesday.”
“Marianne mentioned that. I’m only in Ireland visiting friends. I’ve already had a look at flights and I could fly back tomorrow evening and meet with you on Monday if that would suit you.”
Lily’s jaw slackened. “That would be great. But… I…” She scratched at her forehead. “I guess I’m a bit surprised. I didn’t think you’d want to speak to me, never mind change your plans.”
“What happened back then has bothered me for over twenty years. I understand you wanting to know what happened. If I can help, I’d be very happy to do that.”
“Thank you,” Lily said. “I appreciate it.”
“Don’t get your hopes up. Like I say, I’m not sure I can shed much light on it, but maybe there’s something that could help you.”
“Should I meet you at your office on Monday?”
“That works for me if it’s convenient for you.”
“Yes. Ten o’clock?”
“Perfect.” He paused. “I know it’s a strange situation, but I’m glad you got in touch.”
Lily thanked him again for being so accommodating and ended the call. The urge to call Flynn was hard to override. After a few minutes of dithering, she sent him a message, telling him about the phone call. He could get back to her whenever he had time.
With a new burst of energy, she set off walking. Outside Buckingham Palace, she took a selfie and sent it to Seren, then strolled along busy streets until she reached the Thames. She took a photo of Big Ben before deciding she’d visited all the tourist sights she could handle.
The Tube was packed, and she felt a rush of relief to be off it when she arrived back at Walthamstow.
She spotted Mr Patel the moment she opened the door to Flynn’s building – standing in front of the wall mounted letter boxes. His head whipped up when Lily stepped inside.
“Oh, hello!” His excessively loud voice reverberated around the hall, as did the sound of him dropping his keys.
Lily’s gaze fell to the floor as he scrambled to pick them up. She frowned. It wasn’t keys…
Was that a fork? Before she had time to look properly, he whipped it behind his back.
“Are you okay?” Lily asked.
“Yes, fine. Just checking for post.” As well as being overly loud, his voice had a manic edge.
“That’s Mr Latham’s letter box,” Lily stated, her gaze going to the name label beside the one Mr Patel had been trying to get into.
“This one is, yes. Right next to ours!” He tapped the next letter box.
“It looked as though you were trying to get into Mr Latham’s.”
“Oh, goodness, no! Why would I do that?”
“Is that a fork in your hand?” she asked, craning her neck to look behind his back.
“No!” He laughed loudly. “It’s not. Why would I have a––” He stopped abruptly as the shiny silver fork clattered to the floor.
“Why are you trying to get into Mr Latham’s post with a fork?” Lily asked.
“Oh.” He held it aloft as though he’d only just noticed it. “Yes. I suppose I was. Silly really.”
Lily set her hands on her hips. “What are you doing?”
“Well… I…” He glanced around as though searching for the answer. “My wife was worrying about who should be contacted about Mr Latham. Family members or a next of kin. I thought maybe there might be something in his post…”
“Like what?” Lily asked dubiously.
“Maybe a personal letter with the sender’s name.”
Lily lifted her eyebrows. “I’m not sure people communicate through letters these days.”
“Yes!” His head jerked back as he laughed. “You’re right. Of course. Told you it was silly.”
Lily was certain it was lies rather than silliness. “Did you have any issues with Mr Latham?” she asked.
“No. Never any problem. He was a decent guy. Always had time for a chat, and as my wife said, he was very understanding about our recent financial difficulties.” He shook his head. “I feel terrible now, trying to get into his letter box. It’s just awful to think of his family, wherever they are.”
“The police will track them down,” Lily said, wondering if Mr Patel might have actually been telling the truth.
No, he was too jittery at being caught. Also, you’d have to be pretty desperate to try to get at someone’s post with a fork. What was he even thinking – that he could tease the letters out, or pick the lock? Neither seemed likely.
“I’ll leave the police to the detective work,” he said, holding the fork aloft. “I’m sure they’ll do a better job than me.”
Lily smiled at his sunny demeanour, then switched her attention to the guy from upstairs striding down to the hallway.
Aiden smiled a greeting, but was busy putting his headphones on as he passed them.
“He’ll be off to work,” Mr Patel said when the door closed quietly behind Aiden. He rolled his eyes. “It’s a bit sad how I know people’s schedules. Too much time on my hands now that I’m not working.”
“Where does Aiden work?” Lily asked.
“At a restaurant – The Smoke Yard. Do you know it?”
She shook her head. “Is it near here?”
“Yes. Just a ten-minute walk. The food is fantastic. We’ve cut back on eating out for the moment, but that’ll be my treat as soon as I find a new job. The BBQ pulled pork burgers are my favourite.”
“I hope you find a job soon,” Lily said, drifting to Flynn’s door with the key in her hand and the lingering feeling that there was probably more to Mr Patel than met the eye.