Chapter 51
AMBER
Willow is curled up in a ball on her bed, a pile of snotty tissues beside her. I let myself into the room and slide the tray onto her bedside table.
‘I brought you tea and biscuits. My gran used to swear by a cup of sweet tea for shock. My mum used to swear by a bottle of vodka, of course, but I’m with Gran on this one.’
As I hoped, I’m rewarded with the ghost of a smile, and Willow slowly uncurls, wrapping her arms around her knees. I pour her a cup of tea and add a couple of sugars.
‘How are you doing?’
‘Not great. I keep expecting to hear him announcing it’s wine o’clock or happy hour, you know?
He loves a party, does Dad.’ Her voice catches and she swallows a sob.
‘And that’s the other thing. I keep thinking about him in the present tense, but he isn’t anymore, is he? In the present tense, I mean.’
‘I’m sorry,’ I murmur, because what else is there to say?
‘Have you spoken to that detective guy yet?’
I shake my head. ‘Victoria and Barney have both given their statements. Dominic’s in there now so I guess I’m next.’
‘What do you think happened to Dad?’ she asks.
I’m about to tell her I have no idea when her phone beeps. She snatches it up, her eyes widening as she reads. Pale-faced, she powers it down and drops it back on the bed.
‘Your mum?’
‘What? No.’ She considers me for a moment, her forehead wrinkled. ‘Can I trust you, Amber?’
I feel a stirring of unease, wondering what on earth she’s about to share. Does she know what happened to Felix? Did she have a part in it? But just as the thought enters my head I dismiss it as ridiculous. Of course she didn’t.
‘One hundred per cent.’
‘Good.’ She nods again, as if she is reaching a decision. ‘I’ve done something, you see. Something I’m not proud of. I thought I was doing it for the right reasons, but now, with everything that’s happened, I’m not so sure. The problem is, it’s too late to stop it. I—’
There’s a sharp knock at the door and we both jump like shop girls caught with their hands in the till. It’s Dominic, looking faintly exasperated.
‘There you are. Demetriou wants to speak to you in Felix’s office.’ When I don’t make to move, he frowns. ‘Now.’
‘OK, I’m coming.’ I wait until he’s left the room, then turn back to Willow. ‘I’d better go, but come and find me if you want to talk.’
She nods, but her expression has closed down. The moment for sharing secrets has passed.
* * *
It’s soon apparent that Detective Lieutenant Demetriou believes in the ‘ease them in gently before dealing the killer punch’ school of thought.
I saw it at play so many times when I was growing up.
Social workers, teachers, even the police officers who used to turn up on the doorstep looking for Mum.
Start softly, build rapport with gentle questions before dropping the bombshell.
So we spend the first few minutes chatting about Pelagia and how beautiful it is.
He asks if I’ve had a chance to visit the lighthouse or snorkel off Kalypso Bay.
‘The Greek marine life is unrivalled,’ he says proudly.
I compliment him on his English and he tells me he went to university in the UK. ‘Not Durham, your friends’ alma mater. Birmingham.’
‘Not much marine life there,’ I quip.
He smiles. ‘Indeed.’ And just like that, some of the warmth drains from his voice. ‘Now, if I may move on to more pertinent matters, I would like you to go through the events of Friday the twenty-sixth of June, the day Mr Pearson was killed.’
I describe how Felix had been on fine form as we walked across the island to the taverna.
‘So you arrived at the restaurant. What then?’
I shrug. ‘We ordered, gave Simone her presents and ate.’
‘Is that all?’
I run my finger round the neck of my T-shirt. ‘Well, there was a bit of leg-pulling between Felix and Barney.’
Demetriou licks a thumb and turns over a page of his notebook. ‘According to witnesses, there was a bit more to it than that. One person described it as a screaming match.’
So the police have already spoken to the other diners at the taverna. In which case, they’ll know Dominic punched Felix. ‘I wouldn’t go that far. Barney was worried about some money he’d invested in Felix’s company, I think.’
‘Perhaps you’d like to tell me what happened when Mr Pearson followed you into the ladies’ lavatory.’
And there it is. The bombshell the detective had no doubt been waiting to drop from the moment I walked into the room.
How the hell am I supposed to answer that?