Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
Condensation dripped down the windows in the cramped cabin, and a musty smell filled the air.
Lily sat on the tiny U-shaped couch with a fold away table in the middle.
Apparently the seating area converted to a bed.
Lily couldn’t imagine how, but didn’t dare ask for fear of getting a demonstration.
She was feeling claustrophobic enough as it was.
Bert spent twenty minutes giving Lily the tour of the boat, which was an impressive amount of time considering he never moved more than two metres away from her. Everything had its place, and everything was securely tied down to avoid incidents when the boat rocked.
While he chatted, Lily nodded along and muttered the odd word of admiration at the compact space. The little dog, Pip, snoozed through Bert’s chatter, his warm body wedged against Lily’s thigh, and his gentle snores causing constant vibrations.
“It’s fascinating,” Lily said when Bert finally fell silent and closed the door to the kitchen cupboard where he’d been showing her how he stored his one pot and pan.
There were only two burners in the galley so he didn’t have need for more than that.
The tiny excuse for a sink made washing up difficult, too.
She’d already had an extensive lecture on the waste removal system on the boat.
“It’s an interesting life, that’s for sure.” Bert’s knees knocked against Lily’s when he sat down, and they both shifted to accommodate. “Not for everyone,” he added. “But it suits me.”
“What made you decide to live on a boat?” she asked.
His cheek twitched, and he rubbed at it. “The house on Riverview Close was too big for me after Mary passed away. I wanted a simpler life.” He threw his hands up. “And here I am.”
“Nancy said you move in with your son when it gets too cold.”
“Yes. He and his wife are lovely, but I try not to put them out too much. People in Malporth are very generous in offering shelter too. Nancy’s mother, for one. Sometimes she even comes down here to check on me if there’s a storm forecast. Lovely lady, Samantha. Shame about her husband.”
“How do you mean?”
“He was never good enough for her. I hoped she might find someone else, but it hasn’t worked out for her yet.” He looked at Lily’s empty mug. “Would you like another cup?”
“No, thank you. I need to go.” She pressed her lips together. “What did you mean earlier when you said that Buster raised the alarm? Were you talking about the fire?”
“That was thoughtless of me. I don’t want to dredge up painful memories.”
“I don’t remember,” Lily said. “But I’d like to know what happened.”
He ran a hand through his stringy hair. “It was late, and I was thinking about going to bed when Buster started barking. He went to the front door and wouldn’t stop.
I ignored him for a while, thinking there was probably a squirrel out there or something.
Eventually I let him out, and he took off up the road, faster than I’d ever known him move.
He paced outside your place and barked like crazy. ”
Bert puffed his cheeks out and released a breath.
“There was already thick smoke downstairs. I called for the fire brigade. The police turned up first, and the neighbours all came out. Samantha was shrieking about Christopher and Julia being inside. There was thick smoke pouring out, so no one had a hope of getting inside without breathing equipment.” He shook his head. “I’m sorry, love.”
“Thank you for telling me,” she said and rose from her seat.
The damp air felt suddenly cloying, and the constant sway of the boat made her stomach queasy. Or maybe it was all the morbid talk. Either way, she needed to be in the fresh air.
“It was good talking to you,” she muttered as she hurried back outside. “And thank you for the tea,” she called over her shoulder.
He called after her that she was welcome any time, but she didn’t look back and didn’t slow down until she was on solid ground.
In the marina car park, she took a few calming breaths and waited for her heart rate to settle.
The night her parents died had always felt like such an abstract thing.
Hearing the details of it felt overwhelming.
After staring at the swaying trees on the opposite riverbank, the tension inside her eased.
She checked her phone, thinking Flynn would have messaged again, but found a message from Nancy.
You’re such a bad influence! I felt terrible all morning. Had to call in sick to work!
Smiling, Lily typed a reply. I felt terrible, too.
Great night, Nancy wrote and added a string of emojis.
I’ve just been to visit Bert, Lily told her. You’re right about him talking a lot.
I’m still at Mum’s. Dots scrolled across the screen to show she was still writing. Come over here. I want to show you something.
Okay. I’ll come now.
She was about to put her phone away when another message popped up.
I dare you to cut through the gardens!
Chuckling, Lily shook her head. She definitely wasn’t going to be caught sneaking through hedges. If Vanessa spotted her, she’d be mortified.
Taking the longer way and having a few more minutes to collect herself probably wasn’t a bad thing either, but she still felt slightly shaky when she approached her old house.
She avoided looking at it – concerned her mind would conjure images of smoke and flames and fire engines arriving too late – not the sort of memories she’d like to unearth.
If she’d been there for any of that, she’d rather those memories remained firmly locked away.
As a distraction, she took out her phone. She could let Flynn know where she was and let him know she wouldn’t be able to call him until later.
She stared at the screen. It still had her earlier message to Flynn waiting to be sent.
If he hadn’t got her message, he’d probably be worrying about her lack of contact. Apparently not worried enough to try calling her again, but she hit Dial all the same.
He answered quickly.
“Sorry,” she said. “I thought I’d messaged you earlier, but Maria called and the message didn’t get sent. I only just noticed.”
“No problem. Is everything okay?”
“Yes. I ended up drinking too much wine last night with my old childhood friend, so I had a slow morning. I’ve just been to speak to another of my old neighbours.
He lives on a boat and is slightly eccentric, but he seems nice.
He told me some stuff about the night of the fire…
” The sound of a dog barking made her pause.
It took a moment to figure out the dog was at the other end of the phone. “Where are you?” she asked Flynn.
“I’m walking to the pub with Mr Patel and Pixie.”
“Gigi’s dog?”
“Yes.”
She tilted her head. “How did that come about?”
“We’ve been packing up my kitchen and decided we’d earned some refreshments. Henry’s been helping Gigi out by walking the dog, and he invited me to come along.”
“That’s nice,” she said, then shook her head, amused by the idea of Flynn spending time with Mr Patel.
“Tell him I said hello.” She glanced over at the Westons’ house, where Nancy was standing in the doorway grinning at Lily.
“I have to go,” Lily told Flynn. “I’m meeting up with Nancy again.
Apparently she has something to show me. ”
“Your old friend?”
“Yes. I’ll call you later and fill you in. Have fun with Mr Patel.”
“Take care,” he said before they rang off.
Returning her phone to her pocket, Lily strode towards the front steps, wondering what it was Nancy wanted to show her. Probably some trinket from their childhood.
Maybe Lily could look at Nancy’s old bedroom too. Presumably, they spent a lot of time playing there. It might finally trigger some memories for her.