Chapter 20
TWENTY
LIANE
‘Give it back!’ I cry as Haven checks her phone to see what I was looking at.
‘It’s my phone!’ she snaps back and she’s right there, so there’s no way I can win this argument.
But it doesn’t matter that she has her phone in her hand now because I’ve already seen what was on it.
I’ve seen the message she just received from somebody warning her to stay away from my family.
I just don’t know who sent it, but Haven is not leaving this kitchen until I find out.
‘What are you up to?’ I demand to know. ‘What do you want here?’
‘I can’t believe you took my phone,’ Haven replies. ‘You’re a psycho! Why are you stalking me?’
‘I’m not stalking you, I’m just trying to make sure that my son is not making a big mistake by being with you.’
‘The only mistake I can see is that his mother turned out to be crazy,’ Haven snaps back, and if it wasn’t for somebody entering the room behind Haven, I am pretty sure I would have slapped her for that comment.
As it is, Frederik quickly enters, looking sleepy and confused, and he is quickly followed by Joel.
‘What is going on?’ my husband asks, presumably having been woken by the noise of the pair of us shouting down here. Joel too, and I see my son looks stunned at the sight of his mother and his girlfriend facing off in here like two aggressive animals in the wild, each looking for their next kill.
‘Ask your mother!’ Haven cries. ‘I woke up and went to check my phone, but it wasn’t where I left it next to the bed. I looked around for it but couldn’t find it anywhere so I wondered if I had left it downstairs. But when I got down here, I found her with it!’
The way she says her with such spite hurts me, but it is most likely justified from her point of view.
She does just see me as someone who crept into her room while she slept and stole one of her possessions.
Now she has explained that to the men in the room, they are going to see me that way too. Unless I can talk my way out of this.
‘Mum? Did you take her phone?’ Joel asks, looking stunned.
‘Yes, she did!’ Haven cries, answering for me.
‘Okay, I admit it. I took her phone,’ I say. ‘But I had a good reason to.’
‘What possible reason could there be to steal my girlfriend’s phone?’ Joel cries.
‘Because I think she is trouble,’ I say.
‘Not this again,’ Frederik sighs, and I really could use my husband’s support, but I’m going to have to work for it. But that’s okay because I have the ace up my sleeve.
‘Explain the message you just got,’ I say to Haven. ‘The one in which somebody just told you to stay away from this family. Who sent you that?’
‘What is she talking about?’ Joel asks.
‘I don’t know,’ Haven replies, suddenly seeming sheepish and, for the first time, I see a chink in her armour.
‘Show us the last message you just received,’ I demand. ‘I saw it flash up while I had your phone.’
‘No,’ Haven says, and even if she hasn’t had time to look at it yet, she clearly knows the kind of thing I am referring to.
Somebody is warning her away from us, and it’s not me or Joel.
I’m guessing it’s not Frederik either, given how clueless he looks as he stands there watching all of this unfold.
‘This is stupid. I can’t stay here anymore,’ Haven says, and she turns to leave.
‘You’re not getting away that easily,’ I call after her. ‘Or are you running now that you’ve been exposed for only being here for money?’
Haven stops then and while I have been successful in getting her to stay, the look on her face as she turns around tells me what is coming next is going to be explosive.
I’m not wrong.
‘You think I’m the bad guy here?’ Haven asks, looking at me as if I’m totally stupid. ‘If that’s the case then you really have no idea what is going on.’
Suddenly, the ominous lurch in my stomach makes me feel like I don’t want to know. I thought I did, but now, judging by how Haven is glaring at me, I have a very bad feeling about this. But it’s too late.
‘Nobody is the bad guy here. Everyone just needs to calm down,’ Frederik tries.
‘I think it’s too late for that,’ Joel says. ‘Mum, you need to apologise to Haven right now.’
‘No, she doesn’t,’ Haven says, surprising me as well as everyone else. ‘She just needs to listen to what I am about to say. You all do.’
Another ominous lurch.
What is on the tip of her tongue?
‘I should have told you this sooner. I’ve let it get way too far,’ Haven goes on.
‘Told us what?’ Frederik asks, and I’m glad he does because I seem to have momentarily lost my ability to speak. I guess that’s what happens when you feel like you’re on the verge of hearing something that is going to turn your world upside down.
‘About what really happened when Valerie died,’ Haven says.
There is a genuine pause then as me, Frederik and Joel all process that shocking statement.
‘What do you mean?’ Joel asks. ‘Grandma fell down the stairs.’
‘No, she didn’t,’ Haven says. ‘She was pushed and I know who did it.’
None of us know what to say to that, but it doesn’t matter because Haven carries on talking.
‘It’s the person who is warning me to stay away from you all. The person none of you should trust because he’s the one who was after Valerie’s money, not me.’
Haven pauses, but it doesn’t seem like it’s for dramatic effect. Rather, it’s because she’s afraid.
‘It’s Scott,’ she says, stunning us all.