by Beevis, Keri
Jack eased to a halt as they approached a T-junction, remained stationary even though there was no traffic on the road, and turned to face her.
‘You won’t have to meet her. We broke up. She went back to London.’
Of all the things he could have said, Lila wasn’t expecting that, and her brain scrambled to process his words. Tiffany was gone, she wouldn’t have to meet her, but why hadn’t he mentioned anything about that before? They’d spent pretty much the last twenty-four hours together.
‘You broke up?’ she repeated numbly, still a little shocked.
‘That’s what I said. So can you shut up now and stop making such a big deal about staying at my place? It’s one night and you won’t run into Tiffany. I’m not looking for a rebound fuck, Lila. I have three spare bedrooms and you can take your pick. I’m tired and I want to go home. Okay?’
He stared at her, the scowl on his face warning that the matter wasn’t up for further discussion, and Lila wasn’t quite sure how she was supposed to respond to that.
‘Okay,’ she agreed quietly, the sting of his words still reverberating in her ears. She had never seen him this closed off or angry before and knew anything she said wouldn’t get through to him. She wasn’t sure she even wanted to try. After she had been honest with him, admitting she had a problem with meeting Tiffany, the reason why being fairly obvious even though she hadn’t spelt it out, he had bluntly told her in no uncertain times that sex wasn’t on the cards, acting as if she had offered to throw herself on the floor and be his pity fuck.
He was lashing out, she got that, and she understood why, but he had just humiliated her in the process, and if he hadn’t been so good to her in the past twenty-four hours, if she didn’t know the way he was behaving was out of character, she would be getting out of his car and finding her own way home, even if she had to hobble all the way on her crutches.
As they rode the remainder of the journey in silence, it occurred to her that she didn’t even know where he lived. She had guessed it was somewhere in North Norfolk, assumed it was close to Cley next the Sea, so she was surprised when they entered the village of Burnham Overy Staithe and he pulled off the main coast road.
Lila knew the place well, had photographed the sun rising and setting over the creek on many occasions, was fairly certain she had photos of the very house Jack pulled into the driveway of.
‘You live here?’ She breathed out the words as she got out of the car, temporarily forgetting that she was mad at him; in awe of the large house with its wide windows and balconies that she knew would offer amazing views of the quayside. She had known Jack came from an affluent family, that he had a successful writing career, but she hadn’t figured it was on this kind of level. To her, he was just someone she had met under unusual circumstances and had developed a friendship with, had slowly fallen for. He never acted like he thought he was better than her, never showed any airs or graces. It was easy to treat him as an equal when they were in her flat or roaming around the woods at Filby, but here was different. Here knocked it firmly home that he lived in a completely different world to her, one she would never fit into. Tiffany Pendleton-Shay fitted in here, Lila Amberson didn’t.
Jack didn’t answer her, had already strode towards the front door, Cooper charging after him. The dog glanced back at Lila and woofed, as if to say, ‘So are you coming?’, and grabbing her crutches, she reluctantly followed.
Inside was a little less daunting, the wide-open spaces and high ceilings were light, bright and welcoming, the furniture comfortable and homely, not showy as she had expected. There were plenty of plants about and art on the walls, some of it looked expensive and gallery bought, but other pieces were generic store photos and paintings. The walls were neutral, their tones subtle, but warm, and colour was added through the long curtains hanging at the patio doors, the rugs on the wooden floors and the various cushions scattered across the two huge sofas. Either Jack had a great eye for interior design or he’d had some help (sisters or girlfriend, Lila guessed) in furnishing the place.
She had a ton of questions but knew he wasn’t in the mood to answer them, so instead she followed him through into an impressive sleek white kitchen, aware of the noise her crutches were making on the uncarpeted floors, unsure what to do with herself and feeling a lot like an unwanted guest. She stood by the counter, watched as Jack fished inside an enormous fridge, pulling out a beer. He glanced up at Lila, seeming for a moment as if he’d forgotten she was there. ‘Help yourself to whatever you want. There’s water, juice, lager and white wine in the fridge. If you prefer red, there’s some over there.’ He indicated towards a chrome wine rack on the opposite counter. ‘Glasses are in the cupboard above. Tea, coffee, it’s all there. Whatever you want.’
Lila nodded, though didn’t move.
He opened his beer, gulped down half of it, setting the bottle on the counter. ‘I need to take Cooper out. He’s been stuck in the back of the car all day. Make yourself at home. Go pick a room, doesn’t matter which one. They’re all en suite. I have someone come in every Saturday, so towels and sheets are all clean. I’ll drive you home in the morning.’
That was it. He had played the genial host, she was dismissed. She remained by the counter, watched him leash Cooper and unlock the kitchen patio door. The dog glanced back as if to ask why she wasn’t coming, Jack didn’t, and then they were both gone.
Feeling on edge, Lila found a wine glass in the cupboard and glanced over the wine rack. No screw tops. All of the bottles looked expensive and she didn’t like to touch them. She pulled open the door to the well-stocked fridge. A bottle of white wine sat in the door, already open. She poured a generous glass of that instead, replaced the cork, shut the fridge door then leant against the counter as she drank it in large sips, partly to calm her nerves, but also because she was frightened of trying to carry it with her through to the lounge in case she spilt it on the undoubtedly expensive rug.
Jack had told her to make herself at home, but still she felt she was trespassing as she slowly made her way around the big lounge, balancing on her crutches as she glanced over his bookshelves, studied the collage frame filled with pictures of Jack and his extended family. In one of the pictures, she spied Tiffany. They had only just broken up so it was inevitable her presence would still be in the house. Lila recognised one picture, it was the same one she had seen on Facebook of Jack and Stephanie fooling around on the beach.
Aware she was snooping, she stepped away, decided to head upstairs. Jack had made it obvious he didn’t really want her around and that he would prefer to be alone with his own thoughts. She would pick a bedroom before he got back with Cooper and try to get herself settled, stay out of his way.
As luck would have it, the first door she opened led into his bedroom, a space that was not far off the size of her entire flat, dominated by a large sturdy-looking oak bed, the walls and bedding in a soft grey. One bedside table was bare, except for a slim slate-coloured lamp, while the other held a matching lamp, a well-worn paperback and an empty water glass. On the opposite wall to the bed, in front of a floor-to-ceiling window, sat a slim desk with a laptop on it, the lid up, though the screen blank, a pot of pens and a couple of hardback notepads. Jack’s black bomber jacket hung over the back of the desk chair.
Feeling guilty for intruding in his private space, Lila closed the door, checked out the other three bedrooms, picking one at the far end of the landing, furthest away from Jack’s room, a more feminine space decorated in shades of lemon and cream, with balcony doors that looked out over the marshes. As it was a warm evening, she pushed open the doors, enjoying the salt air breeze that gently billowed the long cream curtains as she set down her crutches and flopped back on the bed.
She thought back over the meeting with Ruby and the revelation that someone had tried to blackmail Stephanie. They needed to find out whom, but how were they going to do that? Stephanie hadn’t even confided a name in Ruby. And then there was the incident Ruby had
mentioned that happened at Christmas. Just what had been going on in Stephanie’s life in the lead up to her death?
Lila needed to sleep, hoped it would clear her head, help her to think straight, but first she needed water. Her mouth was so dry. Reaching for her crutches, she made her way downstairs again. Jack was obviously back from his walk with Cooper as the dog padded over as soon as she entered the kitchen. Jack though wasn’t around, so must be staying out of her way. She reached in the cupboard for a tumbler, filled it with water and downed the glass before rinsing it under the tap. Cooper tried to follow as she headed back towards the stairs, whimpering in protest when she told him no. Although he slunk back into the kitchen, Lila suspected he was planning on sneaking upstairs when he thought the coast was clear.
As she passed Jack’s bedroom, she noticed the door was open. The light was off, but she could see him standing in front of the picture window, looking deep in thought.
Something must have alerted him to her presence because he glanced back over his shoulder, stared at her for a moment, his expression unreadable.
‘You find everything you need?’
‘Yes… thank you.’
He nodded, turned back to his view, dismissing her.
‘Goodnight, Jack.’
He didn’t answer.
* * *
Richard was away on another weekend conference; at least that was what he told her.
Judith had long suspected the conferences and meetings he attended were cover stories and didn’t really exist, but she chose to go along with the lies, terrified it would fracture her family if she tried to find out the truth, so when she came across receipts for motel rooms in different areas to where his “conferences” were held, knew, in truth, that he seldom left the county, she turned a blind eye. Whatever he was up to, she had convinced herself it was better if she didn’t know.
That was her job, to be the glue that kept them together.
Certainly they had their ups and downs, like any other family, and yes, maybe Richard didn’t treat her as well as he should do at times, but she took her marriage vows seriously, and would stick by him for better or for worse. Sometimes, when it all became too much, she would lock herself in the bathroom and cry, let all of the emotion and frustration out, but then she would dry her eyes and pull herself together.
Her husband appreciated an orderly home and she went out of her way to give him just that, keeping the floors sparkling clean, every surface free of dust. She always made sure the kitchen cupboards and fridge freezer were fully stocked, that there was a hot meal on the table every night.
If there were any problems, she took care of them, so as not to burden him. Like when the boiler had packed up as they had entered that cold spell back in February. Richard had been travelling home from one of his alleged conferences and would be expecting a warm house. By pure miracle, she had managed to get a plumber out at the last moment. Her husband hadn’t been troubled and he had never known any different. She dreaded to think what might have happened if she hadn’t managed to solve the problem before he returned.
Aaron knew how hard she worked to keep his father happy and she knew it frustrated him listening to Richard’s lies. He didn’t seem to understand that Judith didn’t mind, as long as she kept her family together, and she so wished Aaron wouldn’t keep testing Richard’s patience.
He didn’t seem to understand that if he kept goading his father, things could turn very bad for them both, very bad indeed.
21
Jack awoke from a pleasant dream involving Lila, her demure pink gypsy dress, and her cowboy boots (in his dream she hadn’t worn the cast), and enjoyed approximately twelve seconds of post-fantasy bliss before reality kicked him in the balls, souring his mood, reminding him of the meeting with Ruby Howard, how he had learnt that some nameless man had harassed his sister in the lead up to her death and tried to blackmail her into having sex.
Almost as a guilty afterthought Jack remembered that Lila was staying in one of the spare bedrooms and that he had taken all of his frustration out on her the previous night, acting like a complete dickhead. He cringed as he recalled the look on her face, her utter mortification when he had harshly told her he wasn’t looking for a rebound fuck, knew he deserved a slap for that, and how he had then dragged her here instead of taking her home, leaving her alone in the big house and making her feel unwelcome instead of putting her at ease.
If his mother knew how he had treated her she would be appalled, but no more than he was with himself.
He searched for some kind of brownie point, reminding himself that the true reason he had brought Lila home with him was because he didn’t like the idea of leaving her alone in her flat. Of course he hadn’t told her that. No, the previous night he had been trying to push her buttons and it had been far easier to let her believe his motives had been entirely selfish.
Throwing back the duvet, he climbed out of bed, too annoyed to try to get back to sleep, heard a yowl as he stepped on fur and a startled Cooper shot to his feet.
‘When the hell did you sneak up here?’
Cooper sat obediently still and grinned, his tail thumping back and forth at a dizzying pace. The dog was a law onto himself.
‘Stay here,’ Jack ordered, shaking his head and disappearing into the bathroom.
After showering, Jack shrugged on jeans and an old T-shirt, rubbing at his tired eyes. He had slept eventually, but it hadn’t come easy and, until the pleasant Lila dream, he had tossed and turned, the previous day’s events never far from his mind.
Yet to decide what he was going to do with the information he had learnt, one thing was for certain, he had no intention of telling his mother the truth. It would destroy her.
He padded downstairs, the dog behind him, and filled the coffee machine, left it to filter while he slipped his bare feet into trainers, and grabbed Cooper’s lead.
It was before seven on a Monday morning and the quayside was quiet with only one other dog walker further along the creek who raised a friendly hand in greeting. Jack waved back, enjoying the peace and solitude. He watched Cooper frolic in the water, finding the time alone outside therapeutic.
Eventually he whistled the dog, headed back to the house, spending a couple of minutes rubbing him down with an old towel.
While Cooper chomped on a bowlful of biscuits, Jack poured himself a coffee, turned on the TV in the kitchen for background noise to take the edge off the silence, grabbed one of the many notepads and pens he kept in various locations around the house and sat down at the kitchen table.
He began by jotting down what Ruby had told them. Starting with the incident at Christmas. He had seen Stephanie on Christmas Day, but Ruby said Steph had texted her on Boxing Day. He needed to find out where his sister had been, what might have caused her to become upset. And the exam fixer; was he a teacher at Steph’s school?
Jack was sipping at his coffee, deep in thought, when he heard Lila’s crutches on the stairs. ‘There’s coffee in the machine,’ he told her, focussed on the words on his pad.
He would wait for her to get a drink and join him before figuring out how the hell he was going to apologise for the previous night.
When she didn’t answer him, he glanced up, immediately zoning in on the pretty silk kimono robe she wore, the cream-coloured material covered in colourful butterflies. He had seen that robe so many times before, remembered picking it out himself.
‘What are you wearing?’ He snapped out the words more harshly than intended.
Lila reached the bottom step, frowned as she glanced down. ‘This? It was hanging on the back of the bedroom door.’
Blood thumped to Jack’s head, so many memories rushing back. His sister had loved butterflies, had adored her birthday present, and she had practically lived in the robe whenever she stayed over.
‘Jack?’
‘It was Stephanie’s. You’re wearing her robe.’ He said the words tightly, with more control than he felt. ‘Take it
off.’
‘I didn’t know it was Stephanie’s,’ Lila pointed out quietly. ‘I haven’t got anything with me and you told me to make myself comfortable.’ When he continued to scowl at her, she shook her head wearily. ‘It’s fine. I’ll go take it off, but then I want to go home.’
* * *
A fresh start, that’s what she had told herself.
Jack had been hurting the previous night, had said some spiteful things. He hadn’t meant them for Lila, but she had been there and had been a convenient target. She had lain awake trying to convince herself until sleep had finally pulled her under that the next day would be a fresh start for them both.
How wrong she had been.
The robe was distinctive, she got that, and so pretty too. Which is why she had slipped it on while she headed downstairs for coffee. She only intended to wear it until she had showered and dressed. It had been hanging on the back of the bedroom door and Jack had told her to make herself at home.
Furious, she slammed the bedroom door shut, pulled off the robe and threw it on the bed. Screw coffee. She would shower and get dressed then insist he drive her home.
Her sympathy well had dried up and she was done with Jack Foley and his Jekyll-and-Hyde mood swings.
Her resolve lasted until she got back downstairs; saw him still sitting at the table. He hadn’t moved since she had gone up to shower and dress twenty minutes earlier, head down and hands pushed back in his hair, and he looked utterly broken.
As she stopped beside him, he glanced up at her, eyes damp and full of pain. They were a lighter shade than normal; navy rims around crystal blue irises that were flecked with silver, staring straight into her and sucker punching her right in the gut.