by Karen Moore
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Rhys was about to greet the small group of people assembled for the walk when Hanna grabbed his arm.
“D’you see who’s here?” she almost hissed in his ear.
An anxious look flitted across Rhys’ face. “No, who d’you mean?”
“Over there, the guy with the loud voice. It’s Ottavio’s father, the guy you recognised, the van driver from the cottage. Remember? He was in Holyhead the night you were attacked. He might even be the one behind the attack. Any chance he’ll recognise you?”
Rhys frowned. “Christ, let’s hope not, or we could really be in trouble. But it was pretty dark that night, so the chances are slim. Anyway, I don’t think he was my attacker.”
Hanna glared at him. “How can you be sure he wasn’t?
Rhys shrugged. “I can’t, cariad, and I was pretty wound-up at the time. But we have to get on with our lives. We can’t be looking over our shoulders the whole time. I have to lead this walk, whatever else.”
Hanna was dumbfounded. “You’ve certainly changed your tune.”
He made to pull away, but she still had a tight grip on his arm. “By the way, have you been checking the surveillance camera? Has Luciano showed up again?”
“Now you ask me.” Rhys sighed. “Yes, and no. No sign of him. Now can I go?”
Hanna reluctantly relinquished her grip.
“Look, I’ve got to get this thing started. Try and enjoy your walk and I’ll see you later.” He kissed her lightly on the cheek. “And don’t worry. Even if he does recognise me, he won’t be able to do much about it in front of a group of people. I’ll be fine.”
With that, he stepped towards the people waiting for the walk to begin. Hanna grabbed Eva’s hand and quickly steered her away as Rhys began to introduce himself and explain the walk itinerary.
She wondered if she’d overreacted. It was bad enough worrying about Luciano from afar, but this latest development was, quite literally, too close to home. Despite the warm sunshine, she felt as if a dark cloud hung permanently over her, whatever she did, wherever she went.
Would she ever be free?
***
Outside the information centre, Eva tugged Hanna’s arm, eager to get going. Bryn stayed behind with Rhys. The dog was in his element, wagging his tail and lapping up attention from the walkers.
Hanna forced a smile as Eva broke free and scampered up the path that led towards the waterfall. “D’you know where you’re going?” she shouted after her.
“There’s only the one path,” said the little girl logically, before running off again.
“Well, be careful, then. Mind you don’t fall.”
Hanna quickened her pace to keep up. The path undulated gently up through the steep-sided valley, with a fine view of the Carneddau mountains ahead. She made an effort to push her concerns aside and, despite herself, started to relax and enjoy the walk.
She remembered the first time Rhys had brought them here, not long after she and Eva had arrived from Sicily, and how much they’d enjoyed it then. It was a while since they’d visited, although it remained one of their favourite places. Not just for them: it was popular with both locals and tourists and could get quite crowded in the summer, especially at weekends. But today few people were about as it was still early in the day; only the odd hiker and dog-walker.
The sun was warm on her face and a gentle breeze ruffled her hair. Eva was some way ahead but still in view. Suddenly the little girl stopped and cried out excitedly, her words indistinct, caught in the air. Hanna followed her pointing hand and saw a small group of stocky ponies grazing nonchalantly nearby.
She hurried to catch her daughter up and whispered in her ear, “Remember they’re wild, Eva, so don’t approach them or do anything to spook them.”
Eva’s eyes filled with disappointment; she was dying to stroke them, Hanna could tell. They sat down on the remains of a low stone wall to watch them for a few minutes, the ponies oblivious to their presence. Gradually the ponies moved further away until one, a handsome chestnut mare, broke into a canter and headed for the hills, closely followed by the others. Hanna captured it on her phone to share with Rhys later. Sightings of the ponies were still rare, and these would be long gone by the time Rhys and his group passed through.
They continued on, their walk punctuated by numerous stops and endless questions, not all of which Hanna was able to answer.
“You’ll have to save the rest of your questions for Daddy. He’s the expert, not me,” said Hanna eventually, tired of fending off the constant volley of queries.
“It’ll be too late by then. I’ll have forgotten them all,” grumbled Eva.
“Come on, grumpy-head! We’re nearly at the waterfall now. If you listen carefully, you can hear it from here.”
Eva tilted her head and listened. “Ooh, yes! It’s a bit like those shells on the beach that let you hear the sea.”
“Come on, race you up the hill!” said Hanna, trying to distract her from asking anything else.
Eva grinned and spurted ahead, eager as always to win. Hanna let her and reached the top of the incline panting. The waterfall was in full view now, impressive as ever, the water creating its own spray as it plunged more than 100 feet over a rocky escarpment. As they got nearer, Eva ran through the spray, whooping loudly, her arms wide apart as if determined to soak up every last drop. Hanna grinned. It was a warm day and she’d soon dry off.
“Can I go for a paddle?” Eva pleaded, moving closer to the pool at the bottom of the fall.
“No!” said Hanna sharply, wondering why water held such a fascination for youngsters. “Sorry, sweetheart, it’s too deep there for paddling. We don’t want any accidents, do we? Maybe you can have a paddle in the river later.”
The little girl accepted this without question, but pulled a face when Hanna grabbed her hand.
“I’m not a baby, you know,” she said indignantly.
“I don’t want you slipping, that’s all,” Hanna reasoned.
Together, they gazed up in awe at the spectacular waterfall, almost hypnotised by its rhythmic torrent, their faces sprinkled with spray.
“Awesome!” declared Eva, after a minute or two. Her word of the moment.
“Let’s go before we get totally drenched!” said Hanna, pulling the reluctant little girl back to the path. “Then we can have our picnic with Daddy and Bryn.”
That did the trick. Eva quickened her pace, running ahead again as they started out on the return leg of the walk. Choughs squawked in the surrounding cliffs as the sun intensified. More people were about now, walking their dogs and enjoying the fine weather. Suddenly, the little girl stopped and pointed to a wildflower meadow some way from the path.
“Mummy, look at those lovely flowers! Can we go over and see them?”
Hanna hesitated and looked at her watch.
“Pleee…se?”
“C’mon then, but we can’t be too long,” Hanna answered.
She followed Eva, clambering over boulders to get there, almost regretting her decision. By the time they reached the meadow, they were both breathless, but the effort was worth it. Close-up, the flowers were even more stunning: bright blue cornflowers, scarlet and tangerine poppies, pink and white foxgloves, and white ox-eye daisies, all dancing in the sunlight.
“Can we pick some to take home?” Eva pleaded.
Hanna shook her head. “You know you shouldn’t pick wildflowers, Eva. They’re much prettier left where they are so other people can enjoy them, too.”
Eva’s face fell. Hanna rummaged in her small rucksack and brought out a packet of Haribo Starmix. The little girl’s face lit up. They sat on a low stone wall and munched their way through a handful of the gummy sweets, Eva picking out all the fried eggs, her favourite.
Hanna suddenly remembered the time. “C’mon, we need to meet up with Daddy. Don’t have any more sweets, otherwise you won’t have any room for lunch.”
“OK, OK,” grumbled Eva
as she jumped off the wall.
Hand in hand, they meandered back to the information centre. As they approached, Hanna kept an eye out for the group to see if there was any sign of Ottavio’s father. But the group had already dispersed, and Rhys was sitting outside, talking to another warden. He smiled and waved when he spotted them, got up and left his colleague, Bryn bounding around his feet.
“So, how was the walk?” asked Hanna. “Any trouble? Any sign he recognised you?”
“No, nothing at all,” said Rhys, shaking his head. “Great group, lots of questions. Ottavio’s a cute little boy and his father behaved like everyone else, no different. There was a woman with them too. His partner, I presume. I caught the odd word of Italian.”
Hanna felt a momentary wave of relief. At least, Ottavio’s father hadn’t recognised Rhys from the other night. Or had he, but it just wasn’t the time or the place to follow it up?
Her chain of thought was broken by Rhys’ cheery call: “C’mon, gang, let’s go down to the river and have lunch. I’m famished!”
Eva shrieked in approval.
But for Hanna, the gnawing anxiety about whether she should leave Eva in the midst of all this had returned.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
The rest of the afternoon passed pleasantly enough. The walk had sharpened their appetites, and they devoured the picnic lunch that Hanna had crammed into Rhys’ rucksack.
“You know we could have left all this in the car if we’d thought,” said Hanna, as she gathered up the empty containers. “It would have saved you carrying it up to the falls and back.”
“But then I’d only have had to trek back to the car to pick it up,” said Rhys. “This way, we’ve been able to have lunch sooner and I got to avoid the extra exercise!”
Hanna grinned as she poured the last of the homemade lemonade out of the flask and handed him a cup. She glanced over at Eva who was paddling in the river, shrieking with delight as she splashed an excited and barking Bryn with water. By now, a few other groups had gathered further along the riverbank, making the most of the fine weather.
She continued to watch their antics, deep in thought. What was it to be: Eva’s safety or her best friend’s wedding? There was really no contest, she decided. It had to be Eva. Ceri would understand and forgive her absence in the circumstances. She felt Rhys’ gaze on her.
“Penny for them?” he asked.
“I don’t think we can go to the wedding and leave Eva with Nerys,” she said slowly, as if to convince herself. “I’d never forgive myself if we went and something happened to her. The other option would be for you to go on your own. Then at least you wouldn’t miss your sister’s wedding.”
Rhys nodded thoughtfully. “I suppose so. You wouldn’t be able to relax and enjoy the festivities if you were worrying about Eva the whole time.”
“So, what do you think you’ll do?” Hanna asked.
“Not sure. I don’t want to go without you, but equally I don’t want to let Ceri down. We’ve always been so close, even if we live in separate countries now. And she’s counting on me to give her away.”
A few minutes silence ensued until Eva decided she’d had enough of the river and dragged herself away. For someone who’d only been playing in the shallows, she was pretty wet, her rolled-up trousers soaked to well above the knees. Bryn emerged from the water dripping and looking bedraggled, waiting until they were all reunited before shaking himself briskly, showering drops of water in all directions.
“Thanks, Bryn, I really needed that!” Rhys said with a grin.
Hanna grabbed Eva and rubbed her damp legs down with a microfibre towel, then tossed it to Rhys.
“Did you bring Bryn’s Frisbee?” she asked.
Rhys rummaged in the rucksack and pulled it out. “Yep, here it is! Who’s up for a game, then?”
“Me! Me!” said Eva, jumping up and down, alongside a delighted Bryn, ready for yet another game.
“C’mon, Hanna! You, too!” Rhys pulled Hanna to her feet, leaving her no choice in the matter.
***
Hanna continued to mull over her dilemma in the car on the way home. She felt that she was the one who had to make the final decision whether to go to the wedding. Only she had lived through the ordeal of Eva being kidnapped, only she knew what Luciano was capable of. Rhys had only been a casual friend at the time, someone who was helping out his sister’s best friend.
She’d have to call Ceri the following day and let her know what she’d decided. Her last chance to cancel, with the wedding being less than a week away now. As she weighed up the pros and cons, she began to think more and more that it would be too risky to leave Eva behind.
Her thoughts persisted as she mechanically peeled potatoes and carrots for dinner. By the time she took the shepherd’s pie out of the oven, her mind was made up: she would stay in Wales with Eva and Rhys could go to Sicily on his own. She’d tell him after dinner, once Eva had gone to bed.
But it was Rhys who brought the subject up later that evening as they sat next to each other on the sofa. “So, have you thought any more about Eva and what we should do?” he asked softly.
“I’ve thought of nothing else, especially with Ottavio’s father turning up like that today,” she replied with a frown.
“And have you reached any conclusion?”
She sighed. “It’s just so difficult. I don’t want to let Ceri down – I wouldn’t miss her wedding for the world – but I can’t risk anything else happening to Eva.”
Rhys shook his head. “It’s a hell of a quandary, I admit. I wish I could come up with a better solution. I suppose there’s always the option you suggested – I go on my own and you stay here with her.”
“Yes, I’ve given that some more thought. But unless all this local business gets sorted out sometime soon, we could be in a vulnerable position if we stay here.”
Rhys looked shamefaced. “I wouldn’t want that. I’m only trying to help, not make things worse.”
“Yes, I know,” said Hanna, with another sigh. “There’s no easy solution.”
“Have you heard how Sergio’s getting on with the investigation?” Rhys asked.
As if on cue, Hanna’s mobile rang. She fished it out of her handbag and glanced at the screen. “This is Ceri now. She may have some news.”
Rhys watched as she listened intently for several minutes without interrupting.
“Christ, I can’t believe it,” she blurted out finally. “You don’t think it could be a trick of some sort, do you?”
“Why would it be?” Ceri’s voice was so clear, it was if she was in the room in person. “Luciano can’t have had any inkling that his phone was being tapped, and he was speaking to his father, not just any old acquaintance. I think we can take it as being genuine.”
Hanna exhaled slowly, gripping the arm of the sofa as she did so. “If this is true, it changes everything. It means we’ve got our lives back and we’re safe, no longer having to look over our shoulder. But what about the girls in the cottage? How’s Sergio getting on with the story? That’s still something we could be implicated in…”
“But Luciano’s made no attempt to contact you, has he? He probably doesn’t know you’re there, and even if he does, it seems he’s not bothered, given what he’s told his father.” Ceri seemed animated, clearly enjoying being the harbinger of good news.
“No, that’s true but—”
“But nothing, Hanna! And, according to Sergio, the police should be in a position to round up the traffickers within a few weeks, so that’ll be the end of that.”
“After the wedding, then?” asked Hanna gingerly, trying to weigh up the situation.
“Probably, but does it really matter now? You and Eva are off the hook, as far as Luciano is concerned. You’re safe, Hanna, free to get on with your life.”
Hanna gulped, her throat dry, as she tried to take all this in. She desperately wanted to believe it but didn’t know if she dared. She glanced at Rhys, who was looki
ng at her quizzically.
“So, no excuses now for not coming to the wedding!” Ceri’s voice tinkled like sharp notes being played on a piano. “We’ll be expecting you both!”
“No, I guess not,” said Hanna. Circumstances had made the decision for her.
***
“So, what was that all about?” asked Rhys, when Hanna came off the phone.
“The police managed to put a tap on Luciano’s home phone line as part of their ongoing investigation. Yesterday he was talking to his father, who asked about the situation with me and Eva. Apparently, he was very dismissive and said that part of his life was over, as if it had never happened as far as he was concerned. He has no intention of trying to get custody of Eva, by fair means or foul. Vincenzo felt it was such a key revelation that I should be told immediately to put my mind at rest, especially with the wedding coming up. It’s against police protocol, but it’s family, or as good as…”
Rhys’ brow furrowed. “You think it’s genuine?”
“Well, the police and Sergio and Ceri seem to think so. And, apparently, Luciano’s been seen out and about on several occasions with one of his old flames. Someone I’ve met, actually – she owns a shop in Palermo selling local artwork and handicrafts. Very glamorous, not like me.” Hanna laughed briefly, but it sounded hollow, even to her.
A worried look flitted across Rhys’ face. “You don’t regret… you know…getting together with me, do you?”
“Of course, I don’t! Don’t even think that. I’m happier now than I ever was in the past, and Eva adores you!” Hanna leaned across and snuggled up to him. “You’re happy, too, aren’t you?”
“’Course, I am. Can’t you tell?” He kissed the top of her head and held her in a tight embrace.
Bryn stirred from the rug and sneaked up onto the sofa, settling down next to them, determined not to be left out. Hanna and Rhys laughed at his antics, and any slight tension between them completely disappeared. He tilted her face towards him, kissing her gently at first, then more urgently until he pulled her up from the sofa and steered her upstairs towards the bedroom.