by M A Comley
“What the fuck is going on? Who could be doing this?” She had her suspicions, and maybe it was time she acted upon them, even if it did cause trouble between her and Matthew. She couldn’t deal with this any longer. It was beginning to weigh heavily on her shoulders, on top of everything else she was having to cope with.
Matthew was expecting her at six that evening. She worked until one at the agency and then spent a few hours sitting next to Trisha at the hospital. As she was leaving, a miracle happened and Trisha opened her eyes. The staff asked her to leave the room for a few minutes while they tended to Trisha. She watched her dear friend through the window. Trisha seemed dazed and confused. The nurse had a quick chat with Lucy, told her not to expect too much at this early stage and encouraged her to go back in and speak to her friend.
“Hello, stranger. How’s it diddling?”
Trisha frowned and shifted in her bed. “Sorry, do I know you?”
She experienced a sucker punch to her stomach and tears moistened Lucy’s eyes. Her best friend had woken up and hadn’t even recognised her. She approached the bed and grasped Trisha’s hand. Trisha tugged her hand free again.
“It’s me, Lucy.” She leaned in close and whispered, “It’s me, Jill. Don’t you recognise me, love?”
“No. I don’t know you. Lucy or Jill, I don’t know you. Leave me alone.”
“But we’re like sisters.”
The door opened, and the nurse entered carrying a fresh jug of water which she placed by the bed. Trisha seemed agitated, and the nurse checked to see if she was okay.
Trisha shook her head. “No, get this woman out of here. I don’t know her. I want to be alone.”
“But, I’m…her best friend. She’s all I’ve got.”
The nurse nodded and ushered Lucy out of the room. “I’m sorry. These things happen. It’s all going to take time for her to re-establish her identity.”
“Oh, Christ! I thought she’d come round and everything would be like normal again. How long will it take?”
The nurse shrugged. “That’s the sixty-four-million-dollar question. None of us know. Go home. Ring later, see how she’s getting on then, eh?”
Disappointed, she went back in the room to fetch her bag. “Goodbye, Trisha, I’ll see you soon.”
Her friend cowered which deeply hurt her.
Lucy rushed off the ward and broke down once she was in the lift. “Why? She’s all I’ve got, and now I have nothing.”
Lucy drove home on autopilot and flopped onto the sofa in the lounge. Her thoughts remained with Trisha but also, selfishly, she recognised what this could mean to their friendship. What if the truth came to Trisha and she revealed her as being a murderer, what then? What was left of the afternoon, which wasn’t much, slipped by in a daze, and by the time Matthew came to pick her up, she’d worked herself up into a frenzy.
“Are you all right? You look dreadful.”
“It’s Trisha, she’s awake.”
He hugged her and then pushed her away from him. His hands gripping the top of her arms, he tilted his head and asked, “What’s the problem? You should be happy. Instead, you look as though she’s just died.”
“Maybe she has, to me,” she mumbled.
“What? I don’t understand, love.”
“She woke up and didn’t recognise me.”
“Oh, no! But it’s to be expected. Her face had a bad impact; it probably affected her brain. I’m sure it’ll come back, eventually.”
“How do you know that?” she snapped and wriggled out of his arms to pace the floor.
He shook his head. “She nearly lost her life. I don’t understand your reaction to this.”
“I’m sorry if you think I’m blowing everything out of proportion here, but she’s all I’ve got left in this world.”
He raised an eyebrow.
“Except you, of course.”
“And my family,” he added, causing her to wince.
“I want her. I want things to be the way they used to be. Her life as she knew it ended the day of the accident. I don’t think she’ll ever get her memory back again.”
“You can’t say that. It’s an unknown quantity right now. Let’s go, you need to get out of here.”
“And spend the evening discussing a wedding with your overbearing mother?”
He took a step back and stared at her. “Is that what you truly think?”
She waved a hand, dismissing her previous comment. “No, yes, oh, I don’t know. Everything is so confusing to me.”
He flung an arm around her shoulders. “Which is why you need to get away and be distracted by something else. What better than our nuptials?”
She sighed, unable to argue with his logic. Maybe it would be a good distraction after all.
Matthew fetched her coat and shoes from the hallway and handed them to her. She slipped them on and was ready for the off. Her heart rate fluctuated on the journey over, and a thousand butterflies took flight as she entered the main house. She was aware that her clothes weren’t suitable for her surroundings and found it difficult to suppress the shame that had draped itself around her shoulders.
Matthew’s mother eyed her warily as they entered the living room. “Hello, Lucy, it’s lovely to see you again.”
Lucy smiled. “You, too, Cynthia.”
“We have good news. Trisha, Lucy’s friend, has regained consciousness at the hospital.”
“That’s marvellous news. Will she be coming home soon?” Cynthia asked.
“I doubt it. She has no recollection of who I am, or who she is, for that matter.”
“Oh, my dear, what a terrible situation. If there’s anything I can do to help, you must let me know.”
“Thank you. I will. I know we’re here to discuss the wedding, but you’ll have to forgive me if my mind isn’t fully on the task in hand.”
“Of course. We’ll eat first and then get down to the nitty-gritty.”
They gathered around the table, the five of them, Jake included. Lucy drifted off during the meal. No one seemed to mind and continued their conversations as if she wasn’t there. If that had occurred at any other time, she probably would have been offended, but not tonight.
After the meal, they retired to the drawing room. The table was set up at the back of the room. Cynthia linked arms with Lucy and steered her towards it.
“Let me show you what I’ve managed to achieve so far. We’re only a few weeks away now. The media interest is growing.”
“It is?” Panic shot through her like a poisoned dart.
“Of course. It’s to be expected. I may have had a hand in that, I might add. I have a few friends who own a couple of high-society magazines who have insisted on running articles regarding the wedding. You don’t mind, do you?”
She shook her head. “No, ignore me. I never dreamed that type of thing would happen, that’s all.”
Cynthia laughed. “I think you’re forgetting what family you’re marrying into, Lucy.”
“Probably, although, in my defence, I’ve had a lot on my mind lately.”
“You have indeed. Here you go, what do you think? The only thing that has caused me minor problems is the lack of family on your side. It’s traditional to have the bride’s family on one side of the church and the groom’s on the other.”
“Sorry if that’s been bothersome for you. Can’t your family take up both sides?”
“I can’t believe you have no one. Not even a distant uncle or aunt perhaps?”
“No. I only have Trisha. I doubt she’ll make it now.”
“That is a shame. Just to warn you, over the coming week, I’m going to need your input.”
“For what? Haven’t you got everything in place already?”
Matthew and his father left the room, leaving Cynthia and Jake with Lucy. Jake approached the table. Lucy found herself sandwiched between the mother and son, and an overpowering feeling of suffocation seeped through her veins.
“Now that Matt is ou
t of the way, we wanted to have a wee chat with you,” Jake said.
“Oh, about anything in particular?” She struggled to keep the anxiety showing in her voice.
“Mother and I have been doing a little digging into your past.”
Here we go. Maybe I was right all along and they’re both behind what’s been going on. Would they go as far as killing Shirley, though?
She shuffled her feet a little and swivelled her head between them, undecided who to look at for the best. “And?”
“And, we discovered a Lucy Brent obituary from five years ago.”
“How strange. In this area? What are you implying?”
Jake’s chest inflated. “Yes, in this area. She was a different age, though, but it got us thinking, nevertheless. So, I dug deeper, and you know what, Lucy?”
She shook her head. “What?”
“You don’t exist. Can you tell us why?” Jake sneered.
The door opened, and Matthew and his father entered the room. Jake and Cynthia took a few paces back, at least giving her room to breathe.
Shit! That was close. But they know the truth, or at least part of it, that I’m not who I say I am. They’re bound to corner me again. I need to try and think up a plausible excuse. It’s obvious they’re gunning for me. The question is, how far are they prepared to go? They clammed up as soon as Matthew came back in the room. What about Shirley and Trisha? Are they both responsible for what’s happened to them?
A sudden headache emerged. She stepped away from the wedding display and approached Matthew. Slipping an arm through his, she whispered, “I have a bad headache, would you mind if we go home now?”
He glanced down at her, his expression one of concern. “Have you covered everything Mother wanted to go through?”
“I think so, yes.”
“Then we’ll go. You’ve had a tiring week. I thought this might be too much for you. I’ll make our excuses.”
Outwardly, she smiled weakly, but inside she was jumping with joy. Their early departure was sure to piss Cynthia and Jake off, and she couldn’t help but wonder what the consequences were likely to be.
Matthew insisted they stay at his place for the night. Lucy agreed, as long as she was still able to go to the hospital in the morning. She needed to keep up her visits with Trisha, in the hope that her friend’s memory would soon return. She didn’t have the foggiest idea what to do about the situation if it didn’t. She was worried with a capital W.
18
The following week proved to be as anxiety-filled as the previous one. Trisha had started to remember tiny parts of her childhood memories, however, she was still very wary of Lucy every time she visited, which continued to be every day. She would never let her best friend down and cast her aside, not when she needed her the most.
So far, she’d avoided dealing with Cynthia and Jake personally, only answering Cynthia’s calls regarding the wedding when she was forced to. Her responses were always clipped and brief.
The day before had been one of her hardest to date. Matthew had accompanied her to Shirley’s funeral. There had been a large gathering, and everything had gone well until something had caused Lucy to shudder. Sensing someone was watching her, she scanned the crowd behind her and saw a man take flight, the man with a limp.
That encounter had petrified her enough for her to want to leave the wake early and to make her way home. Again, she blamed her early escape on a headache and insisted with Matthew that she wanted to spend time alone at the house.
She had come to regret that decision around midnight. She heard someone outside and peered out of the window. Standing close to the gate, staring up at her was the bearded man with the limp. Too scared to confront him, she climbed back into bed and wrapped her arms around her knees, pulling them tight into her chest.
Shit! Who is he? What the hell am I going to do? Trisha would know, but she’s not here. I’m all alone in this now. I can’t rely on Matthew to help me, not without revealing the truth to him. But why should I do that? Who is this man? Are Cynthia and Jake behind his sudden emergence? But why? Do they truly despise me that much?
The next day, she opened up the agency as normal, even though her lack of sleep was now hampering her way of thinking. At around eleven, after Kathy had made them both a coffee, the door opened, and Jake walked in.
“Whoa! Hunk alert…” Kathy joked.
Lucy rolled her eyes and whispered, “You’d steer clear if you had any sense.” She left her seat to greet him. “Hello, Jake. Looking to book a holiday, are you?”
“No. I wanted a private chat with you.”
“I’m busy.”
He glanced around and back at her, his eyebrows raised. “Hmm… Dozens of invisible punters, I see.”
“What do you want, Jake?” she asked, folding her arms defensively, her heart racing out of control the more his gaze seared through her.
“Is there somewhere private we can chat?”
“There is. Why should I want to be alone with you? Every time that happens, you make me feel uncomfortable with your threats.”
He laughed. “Another objection. Do you have something to hide, Lucy?”
His words came out louder than his previous ones, and Lucy peered over her shoulder to see if Kathy had heard. She hadn’t, at least, she wasn’t giving the impression that she had. Her head was down as she studied some paperwork.
Lucy tugged on Jake’s arm and steered him through the nearby door to their small staffroom. She gestured for him to take a seat and rested against the sink, her arms still folded. “What do you want? I don’t have long.”
“I wanted to pick up where Mother and I left off with you the other day. Tell me, what is it you’re trying to hide from us, Lucy, if that’s your real name?”
She swallowed, and the noise appeared to echo in the confined space, which put a smile on his face. “Who says I’m hiding anything?”
“We do. But most of all, every time we raise the subject, you look shifty.”
“Wouldn’t you, if the same two people kept hounding you about something you’ve denied over and over again? Why won’t you take my word for it? What are you hoping to achieve, Jake?”
“I’m trying to safeguard my brother.”
“Have you mentioned this to Matthew? Oh no, that’s right, you and your bullying mother backed off when he returned to the room the other day. What the…?” She refrained from swearing, in spite of the temptation to do so.
“We’re trying to protect him.”
“From what? Me?”
“If we have to, yes. Mother and I have been digging into your past…”
“Yes, you already mentioned that, and you found nothing, right?”
“Nothing is correct, as in you, young lady, don’t even exist. We want to know why.”
She released her arms and clenched and unclenched her fists. “I have nothing to hide.”
“You don’t sound convincing, and the evidence proves otherwise.”
She frowned. “What evidence?”
“Or lack of it, I should have said. I will get to the bottom of this, it’s only a matter of time, Lucy.” With that, he let out a frustrated growl and stormed out of the room.
When Lucy returned to the shop, he’d gone. She let the breath she’d been hanging on to seep through her lips.
Kathy frowned. “Everything all right, Lucy?”
“Yeah, I’ll survive.”
“Who was he?”
“My future brother-in-law.”
“Oh, heck. The expression on his face when he left, well, he looked as though a bee had stung his backside.”
In spite of her anger, Lucy roared with laughter. “You’re too funny. Right, let’s get on.”
They had another successful day despite Jake’s interruption. Lucy closed the front door and dropped in at the hospital for a brief visit. This time her heart skipped a beat when, instead of cowering away from her, Trisha smiled a little at her presence. Not wishing to overload h
er friend emotionally, Lucy kept her distance, even though she was eager to gather Trisha in her arms.
She stayed at the hospital for an hour and then drove home. Matthew was away again on another business trip. He assured her that once they were married he’d be delegating all the travel side of things to his right-hand man.
Lucy parked the car and gasped. Her bravery spurred her next actions. She left the car and flew across the road. The man with the limp started running, glancing over his shoulder as she got closer. Suddenly, it dawned on Lucy what she was doing, and she stopped chasing him.
What if he has a knife? What if he kidnaps me? What if, what if, what if?
Tears blurred her vision, and she made her way back to the house. She entered the front door and attached the chain. Now she felt like a prisoner in her own home.
Who the hell is he? He has to be keeping an eye on me and reporting back to Jake and Cynthia while Matthew is away.
During her meal preparations, she ran through the different scenarios in her head. Should she confront Jake and Cynthia? Try to tackle the man once again? Surely that would mean putting her life in danger, wouldn’t it? Truthfully, she didn’t know which way to turn for the best. All she sensed was things were about to come to a head. Would that be before the wedding or after?
19
The next few weeks took place in a whirlwind. Trisha’s memory had improved daily to the point of her calling her Jill when Lucy had visited her last. Luckily, they were alone in the room so no one else heard it.
Having Trisha back and on the road to recovery had lifted her spirits considerably. Matthew was the same caring man she’d fallen in love with. He made sure he rang her every day to tell her how much he was looking forward to the wedding. She had to admit, now that everything was in place and the ceremony was only a few days away, she couldn’t wait to be called Lucy Wallender.
There was a negative to all of this, though. The man with the limp had become a constant part of her life. She should have called the police weeks before, but her past had prevented her from doing that. If only she could have laid her cards on the table with Matthew and his family. The truth was, she couldn’t. Maybe it was Cynthia’s and Jake’s intention to try to drive her crazy, having the man with the limp follow her all the time. It hadn’t worked. She’d been through so much in her young life already with her evil, dearly departed husband that anything anyone was likely to throw at her now could be classed as inconsequential by comparison.