Chapter 22
Miranda went back to making the coffee, and Charles said, ‘Zack, call that policewoman. Find out what the fuck she’s actually doing to find Jasmine. She’s already been missing for, what, two hours?’
Like an obedient puppy, Zack pulled out his phone and called Susan. He began to ask her questions, being polite but firm, trying to get an update. He nodded while Charles, his good mood vanishing again, bounced in his seat with frustration.
‘For God’s sake, give it here.’
He snatched the phone from Zack and left the room with it.
From the hallway, I heard him raise his voice, his Brummie accent coming out thicker and more prominently than I’d heard it before.
He yelled something about the chief constable, his voice becoming fainter as he moved further into the house.
Holly sat down next to me. She put her head on my shoulder, just for a moment. My promise to keep the family’s secrets appeared to have mollified her.
Then she and Miranda talked about Lewis for a while.
Remembering funny things he’d said and done when he was a kid.
The time Miranda had called him a dickhead and he’d picked up a piece of broccoli from his dinner plate and thrown it, intending to hit Miranda but striking their dad in the face with the vegetable instead.
The five attempts it had taken him to pass his driving test. Sweet stories that hardly seemed to match up with the man I’d known.
All the stories were from before Elizabeth had died.
Maybe it had changed him. In fact, no one in the Grant family ever told a happy anecdote from any point after that.
Charles hadn’t come back. Holly glanced towards the door then said to Zack, ‘Why do you keep talking about how important things are going to happen with the company? What’s going on?’
He shifted in his chair. ‘It’s confidential. And not for me to tell you about.’
‘Did Lewis know about it?’
‘No, of course not. Why would he?’
‘It’s some app they’ve been working on,’ Miranda said, shutting the door of the dishwasher. ‘Don’t look so surprised. I’ve heard you on the phone late at night, presumably to Dad. What is it?’
He didn’t reply.
Miranda pointed a finger at him. ‘I’m sick of you keeping secrets from me. Having to find out that Jasmine was the spit of our mum and that they were already married.’
I vowed that, whatever happened, I would never allow my relationship with Holly to turn out like this. I would never keep secrets from her. I knew there were still things she hadn’t told me, but I was confident she would open up to me before too long.
‘I didn’t know about that,’ Zack replied.
‘Bullshit. You didn’t tell me Dad had fired Lewis either. You made it sound like he’d quit.’ She leaned across the table, her face inches from her husband’s. ‘What’s so secret about this app, eh? Give me that laptop.’
She snatched his computer and whirled away across the kitchen with it.
Zack jumped up and tried to get to her. ‘Fucking give that back.’
‘What are you going to do? Hit me?’
Before he could react, she ran from the kitchen, straight towards the downstairs toilet, darting inside and locking the door.
Charles reappeared. ‘One drop of snow and the entire— What’s going on? Zack?’
‘It’s Miranda. She took my laptop. I think she’s looking through my emails.’
‘What emails?’
‘There are emails in my inbox about … you know.’
‘You idiot!’
Charles marched towards the kitchen door, yelling Miranda’s name. He reached the downstairs toilet and banged on the door. ‘Miranda? Come out here, now.’
No response.
He changed tactics. ‘Sweetheart, come on. I know you’re upset about Lewis, but there’s no need to act out. Come out here and we can talk about it.’
‘Leave me alone,’ came the voice from the other side of the door.
We all watched this unfold from the kitchen. A dark cloud of thunder passed across Charles’s face and he switched back to thumping the door with his closed fist, making it shake on its hinges. ‘Get out here now or you’re going to be in big trouble.’
The door opened and Miranda came out like a bull released from its pen, barging past her dad and back into the kitchen.
She brandished the laptop, which she had closed, and – to my amazement – threw it at Zack.
It hit him in the chest, making him grunt with pain, then clattered to the floor before he could catch it.
She rounded on him – and on Charles, too, who had followed her, looking murderous.
‘How could you?’ she screamed.
Zack exchanged a desperate look with Charles then slumped into his seat.
‘You weren’t supposed to find out like this,’ he said.
‘What is it?’ Holly asked.
‘Well?’ Miranda demanded of her husband. ‘Are you going to tell them, or shall I?’