Chapter 32
Chapter Thirty-Two
Johnny’s bedroom door was open a crack. Enough for Lily to hear his phone conversation while staying out of sight.
The lightness of his voice caught her off guard. It was nice to hear him laughing.
“I know, I know,” he said, chuckling into the phone. “I should get back to dinner before they miss me.” Silence fell for a moment. “Will do,” he said. “Love you.”
Lily tried to tiptoe away, but the floorboard exposed her with an obnoxious creak.
Through the crack in the door, she locked eyes with Johnny, sitting in his office chair, which he’d apparently rolled across the room.
“Hey,” he said casually.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to eavesdrop.”
“Really?” He opened the door wider and grinned at her.
“Maybe I did,” she admitted.
“It’s all right. I’ve taken to leaving doors open when I’m on the phone in the hope that my mum might listen in.”
Lily wandered to the doorway as he wheeled back to the desk and picked up his phone.
“Was that your girlfriend?” she asked.
“Yes. Which I’m sure will come as a surprise.”
She scrunched her nose up in confusion.
“I guess it’s hard to imagine a guy in his thirties who lives with his mother having a girlfriend.”
Lily chuckled at the teasing in his eyes. “Does your mum know you have a girlfriend?”
“I’ve told her, but she doesn’t seem to want to hear about it?”
“Why not?”
“She doesn’t want me to leave.”
Lily walked into the room and sank onto the edge of the bed. “Why did you move back in with her?”
“Long story,” he said curtly.
“I spoke to your dad today,” Lily said. “He admitted to not being here that night. And told us why.”
“He was with another woman?”
Lily nodded. “Did you know about it back then?”
“I’m not really sure when exactly I realised. That night when we came back into the house, Charles told me to wake my dad. I was about to go up, but Mum stopped me, told me not to wake him, and sent me to check that you and Nancy were still asleep.”
He rubbed the back of his neck. “Halfway up the stairs I stopped and heard Mum quietly explaining to Charles that Dad wasn’t there and made him swear not to say anything.
She said she didn’t want people to know about his cheating.
I’m not sure I fully grasped what was going on, but I knew it wasn’t good. ”
“Is that why you and Charles get on so well?”
“Maybe. He always looked out for me after that. He and Serena always had time for me.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Martin doesn’t even believe he’s my dad.”
“He mentioned that,” Lily said apologetically. “What do you think?”
“I think that unfortunately he is my dad. I wish he wasn’t.”
“You had quite a shitty childhood, didn’t you?”
“I don’t think you get to feel sorry for me about my childhood,” he said wistfully. “I’ll never forget coming to check on you that night.”
“Was I asleep?”
“Fast asleep.” He smiled gently. “You and Nancy were all tucked up in bed with about a hundred cuddly toys around you. You were hugging this weird pink teddy, and you looked so peaceful. I’d kept it together until then, but I started crying and I couldn’t stop.
I couldn’t imagine what it would be like for you to wake up and find your parents were gone.
Mum came and pulled me out of the room, telling me off for almost waking you. ”
“I’m sorry,” Lily murmured.
“Please don’t say you’re sorry. I’m sorry for trauma dumping on you.”
“You never did tell me why you moved back here.”
“It’s not something you want to hear.”
“Try me.”
He shook his head.
“Please.”
“Mum never wanted me to go away to university. She used to call me late at night crying about Dad and how he didn’t love her. She was drinking a lot, so I used to come back at weekends to keep an eye on her.”
He stretched his neck. “Things weren’t too bad until Nancy moved out.
Dad moved out at pretty much the same time, and Mum completely lost it.
I wasn’t sure she was safe on her own. Eventually, I packed up my stuff, left my job and my girlfriend, and came back.
With hindsight, I shouldn’t have broken up with Chrissie, but I knew I wasn’t just coming back for a short visit and I thought it was fairer to end things. ”
“Is it her you were talking to on the phone?”
“Yes. We didn’t see each other for a couple of years, but we got back in touch recently and have been working things out.”
“That’s good.”
He nodded. “I’ve tried to help Mum. She’s not drinking as much now, and she’s seeing a therapist. I’m hoping I can get on with my life again soon.”
“Why doesn’t Nancy know any of this?” Lily asked.
His eyes sparkled with affection. “Because Nancy is pure sunshine, and that’s the way it should stay.”
“But that’s not fair. You deal with all your family’s crap so she doesn’t have to.”
“She’s my sister,” he said with a shrug.
“So give her some credit and tell her. Let her support you.”
“It would devastate her to find out about Dad. And she’d be consumed with worry if she knew the state Mum has been in.”
“It won’t kill her to worry about her mum, or to be angry with her dad. I think she’d want to know.”
“Maybe. I spent so long hiding everything from her that it’s hard to change. Plus, she’d know that I’ve spent a lifetime lying to her.”
“For her own good,” Lily pointed out, then looked towards the door as Nancy called out to her.
“Just a minute!” she shouted back.
“Come on,” Johnny said, standing. “We should go back down.”
“Wait!” Lily said, but she wasn’t sure what else there was to say, other than wanting to tell him how sorry she was again.
She’d never been much of a hugger, but after a second’s hesitation, she stepped closer and put her arms around him. He hugged her tightly.
“I know I keep saying it,” he muttered into her hair. “But it really is good to see you. I always imagined you as this broken-hearted little girl. It makes me feel better to know you turned out okay.”
“It’s good to get to know you,” Lily said, drawing away.
They returned to the table for dessert. Johnny even chatted a little, telling Clara about his career in software development. Apparently he’d been doing some part-time work for a company in Truro, but was considering moving back to Exeter and looking for something full time.
The evening was surprisingly relaxed, and the time passed too quickly for Lily’s liking.
“Do you think you’ll be well enough to work tomorrow?” she teased Nancy as they geared up to leave.
Nancy gave an exaggerated grimace. “Yes. I have to get back to work. But it was actually very nice to have a few days off and just relax.” Her nose wrinkled as she moved around the table to Lily. “How long will you be in Malporth for?”
“I need to check out of the cottage on Friday.” She bit down on her lip as she realised it was already Monday and she only had three full days left in Malporth. “Maybe I’ll stay in the area a little longer. I’m not sure.”
“I’d be surprised if Vanessa has more bookings at this time of year,” Nancy said. “You could ask to stay longer.”
“Maybe,” Lily said.
“Let’s go for a drink one night this week anyway,” Nancy said.
Lily agreed and was engulfed in a hug from Nancy, then thanked Samantha for the meal.
“I can drive you round to the cottage,” Johnny offered as they moved to the front door.
“It’s fine,” Lily said automatically. It didn’t seem worth the effort of getting in the car. “Thanks, though.”
“It’s like a two-minute walk.” Nancy rolled her eyes in Johnny’s direction. “I think they can manage that.”
“I know it’s not far,” Johnny said calmly. “It’s dark, though, and the streetlights are too far apart.”
Clara patted his arm. “I’d appreciate the lift,” she said before thanking Samantha again.
Johnny didn’t linger when he dropped them off in front of the cottage, just called goodbye and was gone again.
“That was nice of him,” Lily mused as they followed the line of lights up the steps beside the garage.
“Yes.”
“He didn’t want you to have to walk past those steps at night,” Lily added. “I guess that’s why he offered to drive us.”
“I think so, too. He’s very thoughtful. Not like his sister.”
“She means well,” Lily said defensively while rooting in her pocket for the key.
“I know. Nancy’s sweet. They’re just very different, that’s all.”
“I really like them both,” Lily said, moving inside. “Samantha too. Though I think she has some problems.”
“What kind of problems?”
Lily kicked her shoes off and walked into the living room. “From the conversation I had with Johnny, I’d say depression and alcohol.”
“That’s sad.” Clara sank onto the couch. “Do you think there’s a possibility she started the fire?”
“No,” Lily murmured, suddenly exhausted. “I don’t think it was her.”
“What makes you so sure?”
“I’m not sure at all.” Lily dragged her hand across her forehead. “I just don’t want it to be her.”
Silence hung, and Lily contemplated going up to call Flynn, then remembered he’d messaged earlier to say he was going out for farewell drinks with his colleagues. She’d leave him to his fun and talk to him tomorrow.
“I appreciated Johnny's offer to drive us,” Clara said after a moment.
Lily frowned, hoping her grandmother wasn’t losing her mental capacity. “You already said that.”
“I mean I was grateful because I didn’t like the thought of walking around here in the dark. I wouldn’t feel safe.”
“I know,” Lily said, quirking an eyebrow.
“Maybe that’s the key to figuring all of this out.”
“You’re going to need to explain,” Lily said, though she had a feeling she knew where the conversation was going.
“We could lure them out,” she said. “When someone pushed me on the steps, it was dark and I was lost in thought. Not paying the least bit of attention to my surroundings, but what if I’d been expecting it? Maybe things would have been different.”
“Please don’t tell me you’re thinking of wandering around in the dark and waiting for someone to attack you?”
“I’d be ready for them this time.”
“No!” Lily stared at her grandmother in disbelief. “You can’t be serious.”
“Asking questions is getting us nowhere. I think it’s our best chance of catching them.”
“And I think it’s our best chance of you getting killed.” Tears sprang to Lily’s eyes so quickly that it took her by surprise. “I only just met you,” she whispered. “I can’t lose you.”
“Sorry,” Clara said, shuffling along the couch and setting a comforting hand on Lily’s shoulder blade. “You’re not going to lose me. Everything will be okay.”
“You can’t put yourself in danger,” Lily said. “Promise me you won’t go through with that stupid plan.”
“I wouldn’t call it stupid.”
“I would! You can’t do it.” She felt a sudden pang of sympathy for Flynn having to deal with Lily’s hair-brained schemes. He never told her not to go through with any of them, and she appreciated his willpower now because there was no way she was letting her grandmother carry out her plan.
“I won’t,” Clara agreed, giving Lily’s shoulders a squeeze. “We’ll figure it out another way.”
Lily felt suddenly defeated. Maybe Clara was right that they’d never figure it out by asking questions.
“What if I did it?” she said quietly.
“Did what?”
“Your idea of luring them out. But with me as the bait.”
Her grandmother laughed, a hollow, humourless sound. “Not a chance.”
“Why not? You seem to think you could manage it unscathed.”
“I’d be prepared.”
“No offence,” Lily said. “But you’re an old lady. I would actually be prepared. In fact, Uncle Derek spent my childhood making sure I was prepared for something like that.”
“What do you mean?”
“Wherever we went, the first thing he did was enrol me in self-defence classes and martial arts.”
Clara’s eyes bulged. “My god, Lily.”
“I enjoyed it,” Lily said blithely. “And it’s come in useful from time to time. But my point is, if anyone is going to confront this person in the dark, it should be me.”
“That’s settled it then. Neither of us is doing it. You’re right that it was a stupid plan.”
Lily wasn’t quite so convinced of that any more. She shook the thought away.
“Have you heard from Marcie at all?” she asked.
“Yes, she messaged this morning and apologised again for not letting me know you were here straightaway.”
“But she knows you’re here with me?” Lily thought back on Roy’s suspicions. “I’m surprised she hasn’t suggested coming over to see you.”
“She probably wants to give us space to catch up.” Clara patted Lily’s knee. “Roy shouldn’t have put ideas in your head. Marcie wouldn’t do anything to hurt us.”
“I hope you’re right,” Lily said.
“We should try to speak to Bert tomorrow. Does he really live on a boat at the marina?”
“Yes. It’s an interesting way of life, but he seems happy with it. I’m not sure speaking to him will be helpful, though. He’s just a gentle old man.” Lily massaged her temples. “All the old neighbours are nice,” she said, annoyed.
Clara didn’t seem to be listening as she stared at the carpet. “If Bert lives on a boat, you’d have thought he’d have heard something the other night when you fell in the water. Were you near his boat?”
“Not far.” Lily thought back on it. “Maybe the wind and rain drowned out a lot of noise, but the wood must have made a good crack when it broke, and Marcie was calling out to me.”
“We definitely need to speak to him,” Clara said.
“I’ll bet he wasn’t there,” Lily said defeatedly. “He doesn’t stay on the boat when the weather’s bad.”
“Even if he’s not under suspicion, I still think he’s a good person to speak to. He always knew all the gossip from being out walking his dog. I’ll hazard a guess and say he hasn’t changed. He might know something, but not realise it’s important.”
“Maybe,” Lily agreed reluctantly. “Let’s talk to Marcie again, too.
” She caught the flash of resistance in Clara’s eyes.
“I know you don’t think it can be anything to do with her, but you need to keep an open mind.
I’ve yet to meet anyone here who seems capable of all of this, but it must be one of them. ”
It was a scary thought – that they must be so close to the person.
Tomorrow they’d find more clues. She was determined.