Chapter 19 #3
I hadn’t gone to Lily’s house, figuring she wouldn’t be there anyway.
After the heavy rain of the morning, the rest of the day had turned out to be cool but bright, a perfect day for gardening and she’d said that there was a photoshoot at her client’s house this weekend, so I fully expected her to be there, hiding in the shadows and making sure no petals were lost.
A couple of cars were already parked outside the electric gates, which were handily open.
I couldn’t see Lily’s van, which meant I could’ve sent myself on a wild goose chase.
The driveway was perfectly set, the borders around the front lawn a mosaic of colours, artfully placed tall grasses blowing in the breeze, giving the effect of constant movement.
Lily’s client opened the double doors to the house, studying me as I came up the drive.
“I’m sorry, I’m rather busy right now - ”
I silenced him by showing my ID. “I’m looking for Lily Mayhew. I thought maybe I could find her here.” It was unkind, I supposed. Lily didn’t want any attention brought to her and this was just it.
“Oh, is this about the brick through her window?”
I nodded; it wasn’t quite a lie. “I just need to check a few things with her. Is she with you?”
“She’s around the back. I can show you through – she’s finished now as we’ve done with the photos.” He let me through, surprisingly obliging for someone with a lot of money.
I followed him through the house, a place the opposite of mine – it was furnished for a start.
The ceilings were lower, apart from in the grand entrance hall which was triple vaulted and like something from a grand hotel.
We went through a door to a huge living area, the kitchen at one end and with bifold doors the entire length of the back.
The view onto the garden was phenomenal, a garden which included a swimming pool and a carriage house style building, double storey, that I imagined provided guest accommodation.
Lily was on the patio, impeccably white, talking to another woman who was slightly older and seemed to be recording her.
“Ah, she’s doing a quick interview. Can I get you a drink while you wait?” He leaned towards the kitchen.
“Just water, please. Tap’s fine.” I looked for somewhere to sit.
“Sit where you like.” He saw me hesitating. “The furniture’s meant to be purposeful, not ornaments, no matter what my ex-wife said.”
“How ex?” I headed closer to the kitchen area so I didn’t have to raise my voice to be heard.
“Two years and very expensive. She was a divorce solicitor, so I didn’t have a hope in hell of coming out of that okay.” He filled a glass from the tap. “Here, it’s filtered.”
“Thank you. How’s your interview gone?” I could make small talk occasionally.
“Pretty good. It’s a focus on the house which is why it looks more like a show home than a place someone lives in. It’s not normally this tidy. Have you found who’s been intimidating Lily?”
“Not yet. Has she told you much about it?” I’d had suspicions when I’d picked Lily up here that they were more than just client and tradesperson. Nothing romantic, but there was a connection.
He shrugged. “A little. It’s scared her and I don’t like that. I’ve offered for her to stay here but she’s putting a brave face on.” He waved through the window as Lily looked round, her expression turning when she saw me.
Was it guilt or fear? How much of what I’d seen was an act? I knew some of it was.
She walked inside with the reporter; a smile carved into stone.
“Mia, I wasn’t expecting to see you today.” She was dressed in denim dungarees, a tight T-shirt on underneath and light make-up on that added a hint of glam.
I nodded. “Surprise visit. The garden looks beautiful.”
“It does, doesn’t it?” The reporter beamed at me.
“Such a gorgeous setting. Damien, can I get a couple of photos of you in your bedroom? The light would be great in there right now. Jayz, can you grab these shots?” She shouted through the open bi-folds and then stuck her head outside, hurrying her photographer.
I watched while the three of them left the kitchen, Lily looking ever more nervous.
“What are you doing here?” she said, her whisper furious. “I thought you understood that I needed to keep attention away from me. This could damage my reputation.”
“Damien seems lovely and he thinks this is about the brick through your window. I do have a few more questions for you; a few things have come up. Where would be best to speak?” I watched her carefully, her eyes darting away from mine, assessing the area, not really wanting to engage,
“Outside as they’ve finished in there. We can sit in the summerhouse and no one can hear us.”
We stepped outside in the garden, birdsong in full volume. “This is gorgeous. You must be very proud.”
“I am. They’re doing a separate small feature on me in the magazine too, so I think I’ll get some more jobs like this from it.
I prefer working on an area for a longer period than lots of smaller jobs.
” She was more settled out here, distracted by lavender that we passed, running her hand up it and sniffing. “That’s grown well.”
“Is that the summerhouse?” I pointed to a wooden building with large glass windows, the wood adorned with wisteria.
“It is. It’s one of the first things Damien had installed when I started, and was part of the pitch I gave him.
He had three of us come here and pitch our ideas in front of him and each other.
It was the most nerve wracking experience of my life.
” She opened the door to the summer house, which was more like another building than a posh shed.
It had a bar in the centre, and to one side was what looked like it could be a cloakroom.
There was even a small wooden staircase that looked intriguing.
“What’s upstairs?”
“A bedroom under the stars. There’s a glass pitched roof, so if you sleep in there, you feel like you’re under the sky.”
I’d noticed the glass roof on the walk here. “Early morning wake up in summer.”
“There are blinds if you’d rather have a lie-in. Damien thought of everything.” She sat down on a plush looking sofa.
I took the seat opposite, putting my bag down next to me. “This might be connected to the brick, Lily. I’m still trying to put the pieces together and I think you can help.”
“I’ve told you everything I can remember.”
“I’m not sure you have.” I was also not sure of the last time someone had challenged her. She might have been responsible for the deaths of her father and brothers, but she’d been treated as a victim ever since.
Her face sagged. “I don’t remember much apart from what I told you.”
“I’ll come back to that later. When was the last time you saw your mother, because I don’t believe that you haven’t seen her since the fire.” It was a stretch and half gut instinct, half trying to get in the mind of Amanda.
Lily paled, looking out of the window. “The lilac tree will need pruning; I need to add it to the list for September.”
“Did Amanda come to see you, Lily? Because I’ve seen some paperwork that makes me think she was trying to prove your innocence.” I didn’t look at the lilac.
Lily bit her lips together, her hands frozen in her lap. “I told you I haven’t seen my mother.”
“That’s the first time you’ve referred to her as your mother.”
She looked around the room.
“I think your mother found where you were working. It was a risk choosing to live back here and not changing your first name, almost like you wanted someone to find you. Lily’s Blooms isn’t the most subtle way to keep yourself hidden.”
“I deserved a chance to find who I was, detective.”
“But it was a beacon to anyone looking for you. And not moving away – why stay in the place where you’re most likely to be recognised?
It would’ve been fairly easy for your mother to start looking for you, especially if you made it into gardening journals, which you have.
A woman your age with the same name as her daughter, who loves gardening.
” I carried on watching her, her eyes shifting, looking down to the floor, avoiding me.
“She found me. Once. I told her I didn’t want to see her again and she got upset.” Lily picked at the skin around her nails.