Chapter Twenty-Four
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Ottilie hurried from the party, Heath following.
When they got there, Ottilie could see the lamplit figure of Mila sitting on the garden wall, glaring at Lavender, who stood with her arms folded glaring back.
‘Well, here comes the cavalry,’ Mila said as she looked up to see Ottilie and Heath arrive.
‘What’s going on?’ Ottilie glanced between Lavender and Mila, inviting whoever wanted to go first to fill her in.
‘She won’t tell me,’ Lavender said. ‘I’ve asked her about five times now.’
‘She’ll answer me!’ Heath said, making a move towards her.
Ottilie held him back. She looked down at Mila’s foot. Even in the gloom of the evening light she could see it was swollen. ‘Does that hurt?’ she asked.
Mila shifted her weight on the wall, but it was obvious from the careful way she moved that it did. ‘Why would you care?’
‘Because she’s a normal human being,’ Heath said. ‘Why are you here?’
Mila’s reply was so cool, Ottilie knew that her answer was genuine. ‘You know why I’m here. I’m doing what you wouldn’t.’
‘How did you even know where I lived?’ Ottilie asked. ‘Is it you who’s been?—’
‘Yes,’ Mila cut in. ‘If you’re asking if I’ve been here before then yes, but you’re never bloody here.’
Ottilie paused as she eyed Mila with suspicion. Heath’s ex hadn’t given an answer to the question of how she’d found Ottilie’s house, but Ottilie could guess that it hadn’t taken much to figure it out. People around here would give that away without even realising, especially if they didn’t know who Mila was. And it wasn’t a huge place – Mila would only have to skulk around a bit to work it out for herself.
‘OK,’ she said. ‘I’m here now. So what do you want?’
‘I need you to?—’
Heath stepped forward. ‘No, Mila, don’t?—’
‘I have to. You’d do it if you were me.’
‘I wouldn’t because there’s no point. Ottilie can’t…It’s out of her hands – surely you can see that. She couldn’t do anything to help if she wanted to, and if I were her I wouldn’t anyway. Please, Mila, don’t?—’
‘What?’ Ottilie cut in, a deep sense of alarm now searing at her guts. She stared at Heath, trying to read him, fearing now what she’d find. They’d clearly discussed something. Something about her. Mila had wanted something from her and she’d gone to him to get it. What?
And then it all made sense. Mila had been here before, snooping around. It had to be her – the time Chloe had seen a woman, the time her plant pot had been upturned. Ottilie’s thoughts raced. Were there other occasions? Flo had called one morning early to check on her. And she’d issued a warning before about trusting Mila.
‘If she goes’ – Mila tossed her head at Lavender – ‘I’ll tell you.’
‘Charming!’ Lavender huffed. ‘Should have let you rot here with your bad ankle.’
‘Well, nobody asked you to stick your nose in!’ Mila fired back.
‘Lavender…’ Ottilie gave her an apologetic grimace. ‘Would you mind…?’
‘I’m late for the party anyway, so whatever.’ She glared at Mila again before turning back to Ottilie. ‘Phone me if you need me.’
‘I will, thanks.’
Ottilie waited for a moment until Lavender was a way down the lane before returning her gaze to Mila. ‘OK,’ she said. ‘I’m listening.’
Mila shot a look at Heath, and in it was triumph. Ottilie had already been unsettled, but now she was really worried. What the hell was about to come out of this woman’s mouth?
‘Mila, I’m asking you to think about this,’ Heath began, but that only unnerved Ottilie more. He knew what was coming, and it was so bad he sounded scared. What could be that bad? And if he knew what was coming, how long had he been keeping it from Ottilie?
‘I have,’ Mila said. She looked at Ottilie. ‘So I suppose he hasn’t told you who my cousin is?’
Ottilie stared at her, forehead creased in a deep frown. That wasn’t how she’d expected this conversation to begin. ‘Your cousin?’
Mila nodded and Heath groaned.
‘Ashton Steele.’ Mila allowed a beat for it to sink in. ‘You know who that is, right?’
Ottilie stared, unable to form a response. She knew the name all right. That name would be burned into her memory for as long as she lived. The man responsible for destroying all her happiness; the man who’d taken her Josh from her.
‘Oh, I know,’ Ottilie said, unable to decide whether she felt sicker with fear or rage. ‘He’s a murderer, that’s who he is.’
‘Innocent until proven guilty,’ Mila corrected, and for the first time her features softened. ‘He didn’t do it. He was set up.’
‘Is that what he told you?’
‘The police set him up. They needed a result, and he was a prime candidate.’
Ottilie shook her head. ‘You would say that – he’s your cousin. Birds of a feather and all that.’
‘Are you saying I’m a criminal?’
‘I’m saying blood is thicker than water.’
‘Is it wrong to look out for your family?’
‘When they’re bad people, yes.’ Ottilie turned to Heath. ‘And you knew about this?’
‘Not at first. Ottilie, please, let me explain?—’
‘No need. I get why you wouldn’t tell me, though I have to admit to being hurt by it. What was that you said about keeping secrets? You know what’s worse than keeping this from me? It’s being such a hypocrite about it.’
He began a reply but she flung up a hand to stop him. ‘I’m talking to Mila now. So what do you want from me? You want me to know this…why? Do you think it will split me and Heath up? Is that what you’re doing?’
‘No. I want your help. I want you to talk to your friends in the police, put in a word for him, because he really didn’t do it.’
‘What? You’re joking, right? Even if I wanted to – and why the hell would I want to? – I couldn’t do anything to help him. I have friends in the force, yes, of course, but I can’t change the course of a trial.’
‘You can give evidence – say you don’t think it was him.’
‘But it was him. The police have evidence! They told me?—’
‘You don’t know that! You only know what they tell you, and they can stitch anyone up they want. He was nowhere near your fella that day!’
‘The police think so and it’s good enough for me. Sorry, Mila—Actually, no, I’m not sorry. I can’t help you. And even if I could, I wouldn’t.’
Mila let out a sigh, and then her features were more cunning again. ‘It’s a shame. The family will be disappointed when I tell them that.’
Ottilie’s temper finally flared. ‘You think that’s a threat? I’ve spent the last year being terrified of your family. Yes, your family are so rough, have such a terrible reputation that I’ve been scared to death of them even coming near me, and you want me to believe that your cousin had nothing to do with Josh’s death? You want me to defend him? Even if he didn’t do this you can bet he did something worth going to prison for. Testify for him? I ought to testify against him just because it would be a public service! Bad to the bone, the lot of you! Now get out of my garden!’
‘I can’t?—’
‘I don’t care! Get out or I’ll throw you out if I have to drag you by your hair!’
Mila looked to Heath. ‘Aren’t you going to say anything?’
‘Apart from “I told you so”? Not really.’
Ottilie turned to him now. She could barely look at him but forced herself to. ‘She can’t walk, so please help her out. I’d see to her ankle, but I’m sure the emergency department in Windermere will be open, so you can take her there.’
‘Me?’ Heath gawped. ‘You want me to take her?’
‘You might as well.’
‘I’ve phoned Dwight,’ Mila cut in. ‘He’ll be here as soon as he picks up my message.’
‘Dwight knows you’re here?’ Heath asked incredulously. ‘He was totally on board with you coming here to stalk Ottilie? I mean, I knew he was wet, but?—’
‘Of course not!’ Mila spat. ‘I called him, and he said he’d come to pick me up. He’s not going to leave me here when I’m in trouble, is he?’
The way she emphasised the last bit suggested she suspected Heath would.
‘No way,’ Ottilie said. ‘He’s not coming here for you – you’ll have to call him back and tell him to fetch you from…wherever. I don’t care as long as it’s not here.’
‘You’ll be sorry,’ Mila said as she pushed herself up from the wall.
‘I already am,’ Ottilie said. ‘Sorry I haven’t taken the opportunity to give you a good slap. Don’t come here again.’
‘So you won’t help me?’
‘Wow,’ Ottilie said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. ‘You catch on quick, don’t you?’
‘Then I can’t—’ Mila began, but Heath cut her off.
‘Don’t. You’ve done enough damage. I told you Ottilie wouldn’t be able to do anything, I told you not to do this, but you did it anyway.’
Mila held out an arm for his assistance, but he simply let out a mirthless laugh. ‘You think I’m going to help you?’
‘I fell over!’ Mila flung an arm at Ottilie. ‘Her stupid path was uneven. I ought to sue!’
‘Try it,’ Ottilie said. ‘I’m sure you’ll enjoy explaining why you were here uninvited when the case goes to court. I can’t imagine what you thought you were going to get by coming here anyway. Were you really mad enough to think I’d help you?’
‘I must have been. Ashton told me not to bother, but…well, he’s family. I thought maybe you’d see that…’
For a moment her tone softened, and Ottilie was almost won over. But then she shook her head. ‘He was right; you shouldn’t have bothered.’
‘You’ll regret it,’ Mila said. ‘I can promise you that if you go to court and testify against him?—’
‘Don’t be a moron,’ Ottilie said in a withering tone. ‘I wasn’t going to testify against him anyway because I wasn’t involved in the incident. I was meant to give an impact statement, but, you know what, I’m going to give it to you now and you can let him know. He ruined my life. He killed the man I loved and I can’t wait to see him go down. There, that’s all I have to say. Now please leave.’
‘You’d better go,’ Heath said.
Ottilie looked at him. ‘You had too.’
‘You don’t mean that,’ he began, but she nodded.
‘Yes, I do. I need some time to think.’
‘What does that mean?’
‘It means I don’t want you here. I want to be alone. If you’re here you’ll try to talk me round and convince me none of this was your fault?—’
‘It isn’t!’
‘No, but you—’ Ottilie’s throat tightened with tears that she refused to let fall. ‘You know what Josh’s death did to me, and all this time you knew Mila was related to his killer. How could you keep that from me?’
‘I didn’t at first, and then we were…I was scared it would drive you away?—’
‘I don’t want to hear it! Now is not the time, Heath. Please – take her away and let me think.’
Heath was silent for a moment. ‘Don’t do anything rash, please. Promise me you’ll talk to me before you make any decisions.’
‘I’ll do what I want. I don’t need your approval.’
‘That’s not what I meant.’
‘Huh…’ Ottilie swallowed another wave of tears and pulled herself up straight. ‘Funny, isn’t it? When there’s something important to be said you want to bail on me. But when you’re at fault and you want to try and get round me…not so keen now.’
‘You’re right – I’m at fault and I’m sorry. Give me a chance to show you how sorry.’
‘Forget it,’ Mila cut in. ‘Are you going to help me or not? She told us both to leave.’
‘I’m not going anywhere with you,’ Heath said to her.
‘But you are going,’ Ottilie told him in reply. ‘Because I don’t want you here.’
‘Ottilie, please…’
‘I’m going inside and I don’t want you to knock or phone me or try to get in. I want you both gone.’