Chapter 24
Chapter Twenty-Four
Lily didn’t even take her coat off, but followed Clara to a modern kitchen at the back of the house.
Clearly flustered, Clara moved to the kettle, then abandoned it and went to the sink before gesturing to the table.
“I can’t believe you’re here,” she said, running her fingers through her hair. “I thought about this moment so often, but I didn’t really think it would happen.”
“Why didn’t you look for me?” Lily asked again as she took a seat.
“I tried to find you,” she said, her voice quivering.
“I’d told Derek to take you away, and he did, but when I woke from the coma all I cared about was whether you were okay.
Derek must have changed his phone number, and the emails I sent bounced back.
” She pulled out a chair and sat at the end of the table.
“Derek had been talking about taking you to the Scilly Isles.”
“He did,” Lily whispered. “But we didn’t stay long.”
“Because of the fire?” Clara asked, leaning on the table and gazing at Lily.
Lily’s eyebrows twitched together. “You know about that?”
“As soon as I recovered, I went to Scilly, assuming the two of you would be with Derek’s friend who owned the ice cream shop.
But the shop was closed. I asked around and heard about the fire.
The woman who owned the shop had moved to the mainland, and no one knew anything about a man and a child being with her. ”
Lily’s chest tightened. “You went there looking for us?”
“Yes. When there was no trail of you there, I assumed he’d taken you to Italy.
He’d applied for a couple of jobs there when we’d been discussing what to do.
He’d always thought that a fresh start might be good for you.
We argued about it. I thought you needed stability.
Derek had always been a free spirit. He liked to travel.
I didn’t think it would be good for you, but with everything that happened, I decided your safety had to come first.”
“So you just gave up on us?”
“I didn’t give up on you.” Her tone hardened. “There was nothing I wanted more than to have you in my life, but I thought that would put you at risk.”
“But you didn’t even know if I was okay. You stopped looking and got on with your life.”
“I knew you were okay,” she said. “I tried to assume that Derek would have found a way to keep you safe, but my mind wouldn’t settle. Not knowing if you were okay was harrowing, so eventually I hired someone to track you down.”
Lily frowned. “Who?”
“A private investigator.”
A jolt of realisation hit Lily. “That was you!” She pressed a hand to her forehead.
It was nothing to do with Charles and Serena then.
“Maria told me that an investigator had been watching me. Derek caught him and assumed it was to do with the person who’d set the fires.
He thought they’d come after us in Italy, so he moved us again. ”
“It was me,” Clara said sadly. “Or the person I hired. I needed to know you were okay. The information I got was that you appeared to be healthy and happy. And that your uncle beat the guy up, so I had to pay more. Do you know if that’s true? I suppose Derek might not have told you.”
“He didn’t tell me anything, but Maria told me about it. According to her, Derek hit the guy.”
“Who’s Maria?”
“Uncle Derek’s friend on Scilly. With the ice cream shop.”
“So you were with her,” she mused. “That name doesn’t ring a bell.”
“She started going by her middle name after the fire at the shop.”
“Were you and Derek there at the time?”
“Yes.” Lily slumped in the chair. “I think we’d have stayed there if it wasn’t for the fire.”
“Lily…” Clara wrung her hands in her lap. “I know we both have a lot of questions, but can you tell me…” She paused and looked pained as she rubbed at her collarbone. “Where’s Derek?”
Lily’s eyes filled with tears, blurring her vision. “He died.”
“When?” Clara asked, her voice strangled.
“Just over a year ago.” She sniffed and swiped the tears away.
“I’m sorry,” Clara said and took a shuddering breath. “How did he die?”
“Heart attack.”
She reached for Lily’s hand. “You poor thing.”
“We were living in Exeter,” she said. “He finally gave in to my requests to move back to the UK when I was old enough to decide for myself. We weren’t getting on very well before he died.”
“He was good to you, though?”
Lily nodded vigorously. “Yes. We were close when I was younger. He was everything to me. I didn’t always enjoy moving from place to place every couple of years, but he made it an adventure. I was mostly happy.”
“I’m glad.” She frowned. “His friend with the ice cream shop… she was with you too? You had a family?”
“No. It was just Derek and me. Maria only came into my life recently. I found her after Uncle Derek died.” She explained about her memory of the ice cream shop and how she’d found the photograph after Derek died and went looking for it.
Clara listened patiently, but it was clear from the creases on her forehead that the more Lily told her, the more questions she had.
“Maria filled in some blanks about my childhood,” Lily said eventually. “A week ago I met with Richard Harper.”
“Nice man,” Clara said softly before her eyes lit up. “Did he mention my Christmas cards?”
“Yes. Which was a shock since I thought you’d died twenty years ago.”
“I’m sorry. I realised Derek probably thought I was dead, but it seemed safer to let him believe that.”
“Did you send the cards to Richard Harper for my benefit?”
She nodded slowly. “Marcie always said it was a ridiculous scheme, but I knew that if you ever looked into the fire, you’d go to the property developer. I liked Richard. I knew he’d mention the cards if you ever got in contact with him.”
“You liked him?” Lily asked, incredulous. “From what I’ve heard, you accused him of setting the fire that killed my parents.”
“I did. But that was a knee-jerk reaction in the aftermath of the fire. Someone put the idea in my head that the developers might have started the fire to force the sale. I was grief-stricken and wanted someone to blame.”
“Who put the idea in your head?”
She shrugged. “I think most people in the village jumped to that conclusion. Everyone seemed to be whispering about it. At least according to Marcie.”
“But you changed your mind?”
“Yes. Partly because Richard was such a nice man, and partly because it was only when I started asking questions about the neighbours that the threats started.”
“What threats?”
“I had a note through my door one day, saying that if I didn’t stop asking questions I’d soon be burying my granddaughter alongside my daughter.”
Lily winced.
“I thought someone was following us when I took you to the park one day. I don’t know if I was being paranoid, but I really had the feeling something wasn’t right.”
“Did you tell the police?”
“Yes. But I’d already been making such a fuss about them not investigating the fire properly that they didn’t take me seriously.”
“What about after you were attacked? Why didn’t you insist they take you seriously then?”
“It felt like too much of a risk. There was no evidence that the fire was anything other than an accident. Whoever started it was careful to cover their tracks. I decided the most important thing was keeping you safe.”
“That’s what Roy Morley told me.”
“You met Roy?”
“Yes.” She remembered not being able to get in touch with him the previous evening and frowned. He’d probably just not seen the call. “He thinks the fire probably wasn’t an accident. Apparently you told him your fall wasn’t an accident either, but then you changed your story…”
“Roy wanted to help, but without evidence there wasn’t much the police could do. I was scared. Mostly for you.”
“So someone killed my parents and got away with it?”
“Yes. Maybe I should have done more. It seems cowardly now, but I wanted to keep you safe. That was all I was interested in. If they thought I was dropping the subject and you were out of the picture, they’d leave us alone.”
Lily lowered her head. “Did Marcie tell you what happened last night?”
“No.” Her eyebrows drew together. “All she told me was that you’d turned up and she was sending you to me. What else is there to know?”
“I’ve been in Malporth for a few days – asking questions about my parents and the fire. Last night I received a note from someone telling me they had information about how my parents really died. They asked me to meet them on the jetty in the evening.”
“Who was it?”
“I don’t know. There was no one there. But the place they asked to meet was supposed to be cordoned off due to rotten wood. It’s a safety hazard. Except the cordon had been removed.”
“They tried to lure you into a trap?”
“Yes.”
Her eyes blazed with anger. “If you’ve been asking questions, Marcie would have known you were in Malporth. Why did she only tell me today?”
“I think she was being protective of you.”
“I don’t need her protecting me. All I needed from her was to tell me if my granddaughter ever turned up. She’s supposed to be my friend.”
“I wouldn’t be too hard on her,” Lily said. “Last night she dragged me out of the river. Probably saved my life.”
Her eyes widened. “My god. I’m so sorry, Lily.”
“Marcie bandaged me up and took care of me.” She lifted her injured hand. “She refused to leave my side.”
“That was good of her,” she said reluctantly. “But if she’d let me know you were there as soon as she found out, that would never have happened in the first place.” She pushed her hair off her face. “I’m sorry. It must have been terrifying.”
“It was stupid of me to go there. I knew I shouldn’t, but I couldn’t help myself.”
Clara nodded. “I can understand that.”
They fell into silence, Lily staring out of the window at the narrow garden with a tiny, ornate patio. After a moment, she caught Clara looking at her intently.
“I can’t believe you’re here,” she said, the words thick with emotion.
Lily tried to smile. “I’m sorry. It’s probably not the reunion you’d hoped for.
” She’d thought it would feel different, too.
“Maybe I’m in shock from last night, and there’s just so much to process.
I spent my whole life thinking you were dead.
I never really thought about you. So this all feels… I don’t even know how it feels, but…”
She paused, swallowed the lump in her throat. “You’re probably the only blood relative I have, but I don’t know you,” she said eventually. “Sorry if that sounds harsh.”
“It sounds completely rational,” Clara said.
“You probably barely remember me, but you were a huge part of my life. I have so many memories.” She pressed her lips together.
“I’ve spent twenty years wondering about you, but of course it’s different for you.
” She sighed heavily. “I’m so happy to see you, but we need time to get to know each other. That’s if you want to?”
“I do,” Lily said, managing a smile. “I really want to get to know you.”
“I never even offered you a drink,” Clara said, standing. “I’ll make us a drink, and you can tell me more about your life. I don’t even know where you live.”
Lily hesitated, tempted to stay and get to know her grandmother. “I’ll need to come back another time,” she said, rising out of the chair.
“You’re going?” Clara asked gravely.
“My phone broke when I fell in the river. I need to buy a new one. Then I need to get back to Malporth.”
Clara opened her mouth, then closed it again and fingered the top button of her blouse. “I see.”
“Marcie wanted me to pack up and never go back, but I can’t just leave. Someone killed my parents and tried to kill you. Now me. I spent my entire childhood on the run because of them.”
Lily felt suddenly emotional as she thought of how her uncle’s life had been thrown on its head.
“I need to find them,” she said determinedly. “I have to know what happened and make sure they pay for what they’ve done to my family.”
“It’s too dangerous to tackle them alone,” Clara said. “I can’t lose you – I only just got you back.”
“You said we needed to get to know each other,” Lily said with a smile. “The first thing you should know is that I’m quite determined. And stubborn too. I’m afraid you won’t convince me to stop looking into this.”
“I didn’t say you should stop.” She stood taller. “I only said you shouldn’t do it alone.”