Chapter 60 Fenna – Day 12
The first thing Fenna did when she got back from the police station was check on the children, thankfully Julietta had got them both to sleep.
She watched their peaceful bodies, the rise and fall of their tiny chests, unaware of the tragic events that have happened around them tonight.
She doesn’t know if she’ll ever be able to sleep soundly again.
Her brain won’t switch off. The police said they weren’t looking at anyone else in connection with Theo’s murder.
Rosie is their prime suspect. But things don’t make sense.
Rosie had plenty of opportunity to hurt Theo, so why attack him last night?
And why would she willingly go to the police station immediately after?
She keeps churning things over and over as she takes a much-needed hot shower, but none of it makes sense.
Once the smell of sweat, blood, and grime has disappeared, she changes into clean, comfortable pyjamas and wraps herself in Luke’s oversized hoodie.
Cold and numb with shock. She can’t be alone with her thoughts any longer so she heads to the terrace to find her husband.
He’s sitting on the outdoor sofas with Richard and Evelyn.
Their matching pale faces and wide eyes hint at how terrible they must feel.
Their lake house has been cordoned off as a crime scene so they’ve come to the villa to wait for news about Marianne from Gerry, who is still at the hospital.
No one is mentioning the possibility that she might not come home.
Dawn is breaking. A new day. A new world without Theo.
It’s unimaginable that they will return to England without him.
Her head pounds with exhaustion. Her chest is tight from crying.
She tries to follow their morbid conversation.
They’re talking about sorting out paperwork and speaking with the British consulate, trying to understand the practical procedures they need to undertake following a death abroad.
Clearly, needing to keep busy, as if able to outrun the reality of this tragedy.
They have time. The police asked them all to stay in the country for now.
They believe Theo was struck with the heavy silver arm of the lake house coffee machine.
He had been drinking so it would have been easier to surprise him from behind.
He wouldn’t have seen it coming. Rosie attacked him and fled. He didn’t stand a chance.
‘I can’t believe it,’ Luke says, over and over again, holding out his glass for Richard to top up with whisky. A half-empty crystal decanter sits on the coffee table, which is littered with scrunched-up tissues.
Fenna perches beside her husband, stroking his arm. Their argument in the car is insignificant now. Who cares about money when something like this can happen? He and Theo might not have been best friends, but they were brothers.
Evelyn drapes a soft woollen blanket over Fenna’s knees. She hadn’t realised she was shaking so much. ‘Fenna, you poor thing. I can’t imagine what you saw. How are you holding up?’
‘Not great.’ Her voice cracks.
‘If only we hadn’t had the party,’ Evelyn cries.
‘I don’t understand why they were down there.
’ Richard fumbles with a packet of cigarettes.
Fenna’s never seen him smoke before. All the rules are out the window.
It’s no surprise. The poor man sees the Fraser boys as his surrogate sons.
He must be distraught that something so horrific happened on his property.
‘We never use the lake house.’ Evelyn wrings her hands. ‘We used to let it out for holiday guests but there was a leak in the roof so it’s sat empty for weeks. We were waiting for someone to come look at it, but it fell to the bottom of the list.’
‘They must have found a spare key. I don’t remember one being there.’ Richard coughs.
‘You can’t blame yourselves,’ Fenna says.
‘She’s right. The only person to blame is that bitch, Rosie,’ Luke slurs.
‘I knew she looked familiar. I should have trusted my gut that she was lying about something.’ Evelyn dabs her eyes. ‘Richard spotted her in the background of one of his photos. She was at your mum’s event in Soho in March.’
‘I showed Theo at the party.’ Richard clicks his lighter and takes a shaky drag. As soon as he puts one out, he lights another. The smell turns Fenna’s stomach. ‘That was the last conversation we had.’
Guilt courses through her. What if she had raised the alarm earlier? What if she’d told someone who Rosie was and why she was here in Laprezia? The woman was intent on avenging her dad’s death. But why kill Theo? What did Rosie discover that Fenna doesn’t know?
‘I said she was acting strange tonight, didn’t I, Fen?’ Luke adds.
Fenna nods, not daring to say a word. Uncertainty claws at her gut. Whenever Rosie spoke about the Fraser family her feelings for Theo seemed genuine. What would cause her to kill him? Something happened in the lake house that changed everything.
‘She seemed so nice, so normal,’ Evelyn cries.
‘Appearances can be deceiving.’ Richard stubs out his cigarette. He gets to his feet and tells them he’s going to the bathroom.
‘At least they’ve caught her and she’s in custody now,’ Evelyn says, pouring herself a drink. ‘She won’t be able to hurt anyone else.’
***
Fenna goes inside to check on the children. She can’t take the conversation much longer. A sound coming from further down the corridor catches her attention. She frowns.
The door to the library is ajar. Richard is in there, rummaging through the papers on Marianne’s desk.
‘What are you doing?’ she asks.
He jumps. ‘Jesus, Fenna. You scared the life out of me. I was trying to find my reading glasses. I was sure I had them a moment ago. I thought I’d retrace my steps.’
Fenna frowns. ‘They’re in your shirt pocket.’
‘Of course.’ He slaps his forehead and fumbles for his glasses, hastily putting them on. ‘We’re all losing our minds.’
A flash of headlights swoop through the window.
‘Ah, that was quick. I ordered a taxi for Evelyn and I. It’s best we get out of your hair for a while,’ he says. ‘Right, I’d better go and get her. Would you mind telling the driver we’ll be two minutes?’ Richard rushes out of the room, leaving behind the scent of cigarettes.
Fenna scans the messy desk. A drawer is open.
Papers have spilled onto the floor. Her gut clenches.
It’s as if he was looking for something.
A firm knock on the front door pulls her from her confusion.
She’s tired and it’s been one hell of a long day.
She needs to stop searching for things that don’t exist.
Fenna plods down the corridor, stifling a yawn that comes all the way up from her toes. She opens the door to Giovanni and another police officer.
‘Oh.’ She steps back in surprise.
‘Ciao.’ Giovanni takes off his police cap. ‘I’m afraid we need to search the house—’
‘What’s happening? Have you charged her yet?’ Luke barrels towards the police officer, almost careering into the wall. He must have seen the police car come down the driveway.
Fenna tucks herself to the side, subconsciously fixing her hair and shifting in her hoodie, despising herself immediately for doing so.
‘Signore, all I can currently tell you about the investigation is that it’s moving at a fast pace,’ Giovanni says firmly, drawing himself up taller.
‘My brother is dead. We have a right to know, surely?’ Luke raises his arms in frustration. Fenna gets a waft of his unwashed skin.
She places a soothing hand on her husband’s back. ‘Darling, let the police do what they need to do. They’ll tell us what they can when they’re able to.’
The movement calms him and he grudgingly nods, muttering something to himself.
‘Julietta,’ Fenna calls.
There is the sound of pattering footsteps before the older woman steps into the entry hall. Julietta blinks when she sees Giovanni. He explains that they need to search Rosie’s things for evidence.
Luke tells Giovanni to follow him to the safe to find her passport.
It’s not long before another police car arrives and more officers stream out. Julietta swears and makes the sign of the cross over her chest, muttering to herself.
‘W-w-what’s happening? I heard a car and thought it was our taxi, ’ Evelyn asks, coming to Fenna’s side. She wraps a trembling arm around her waist. The unexpected touch makes her jump.
‘They’re looking for clues that she planned to kill Theo,’ Fenna explains, shivering at the sight of so many police officers.
Evelyn stands frozen to the spot, open-mouthed.
Fenna turns to Julietta. Her expression is one of disbelief. ‘We need to get the children out of here. I don’t want them to wake and see this. Can you help me pack a bag, please?’
The two women hurry upstairs. Fenna rushes to Theo and Rosie’s bedroom.
She needs to find the notebook to show Giovanni.
It’s unnerving to be back in this room. It smells of Rosie’s perfume, and there’s a faint trace of Theo’s aftershave in the ensuite.
She opens Rosie’s beach bag to see if the creepy notebook is still there.
She told Fenna that it belonged to her dad but was that a lie?
Was everything one big lie? Was she planning on murdering Theo all along? Or was it the heat of the moment?
‘I don’t believe she did this,’ Julietta says sadly, joining her. ‘She is a good girl.’
Fenna stops rummaging in Rosie’s belongings. There is no sign of the notebook.
‘She loved that boy. I could tell.’ She wipes her watery eyes, picking up a framed photo of Theo and some famous footballer.
Fenna is about to say something when a sudden memory rushes back. Why has she not spoken to Julietta about this before?
‘You told Rosie that you didn’t trust this family. Why did you say that?’
The police officers’ voices are growing louder in the corridor. She needs to get the children and leave but she might not get this chance to speak to Julietta again.
‘Please, if you know something you need to tell the police,’ Fenna pushes.
‘I’ve always had my suspicions.’ The older woman dips her eyes.
The colour has drained from her usually rosy cheeks.
‘The morning after Danielle Dixon went missing, I noticed the washing machine was on overnight. The family have never washed their own clothes here before, and though there was nothing in the drum, powder was spilt. It was as though someone had used it in a hurry. A few days later, Paulo complained about his garden tools. He was cross that his spade was damaged. Now, I don’t know if this is all connected, but it struck me as a strange coincidence.
There was something about Marianne at that time, she . . . she acted different.’
‘Did you tell anyone about this?’
‘No. Paulo never mentioned it again and I didn’t want to lose my job. I wiped it from my mind when that teacher was arrested. Convinced myself they caught the bad guy.’
Fenna wants to tell her that she’s not so sure they did.