by Lisa Hobman
Seth shrugged. ‘If it was me you couldn’t prove it. Not that it was, of course. But I suggest you take your ridiculous, neurotic allegations and leave. Otherwise I will sue you for defamation.’
She snorted. ‘It’s not defamation if it’s true. You sick, evil-minded bastard.’ Anger and hate knotted at her insides and she shook more violently now. ‘You couldn’t just let me leave, could you? You couldn’t just let me be happy. You had to destroy my life and that of those I’ve grown to care about. That’s just the kind of vermin you are. Well I will prove it was you, if it’s the last thing I do, I will make sure you pay for what you’ve done to that poor innocent man. He didn’t deserve this. Your fight, such as it was, was with me, not Mac. He’s a sweet, kind, wonderful man and you’ve just ruined his life!’ she shouted at the top of her voice, hoping that everyone in the building could hear her.
Seth stood up and slammed his fists on the desk now; rage radiating from his very core and his cheeks bright cerise as though his head may explode. ‘He stole you from me! No one takes what’s mine! He deserved everything he got and wants to think himself lucky he wasn’t in the damned place when we torched it!’
Her jaw fell open. He’d just admitted it.
As if realising he had made a colossal mistake he smoothed down his tie and plastered a fake smile on his face. ‘That is, when it was torched. I mean, I’d like to shake the hand of the genius who did it though. That land is useless to him now. And it will have reduced nicely in price. I might just give him a call with a lower offer.’ He sniggered.
‘You really are sick, aren’t you?’ she whispered. ‘How I ever loved you I’ll never know. How I didn’t see through you for what you really are is beyond me. But I’m so grateful that I see it now.’ She shook her head in disdain and turned to walk towards the office door but the bald man stepped in her way.
He glanced at Seth questioningly. ‘Mr Guthrie?’
Seth shook his head. ‘Oh, just let her go, Frank. She can’t prove anything.’
The man glanced shiftily between Cassie and Seth. ‘Erm… that’s what I came to see you about, sir. My wallet—’
Seth’s eyes widened. ‘Do not utter another word,’ he told the man through clenched teeth. ‘Cassie, you can see yourself out. And for what it’s worth… I did genuinely love you… at first.’
Cassie shook her head. ‘Well lucky me,’ she sneered at the man whom she had adored for so very long and then back to the other man who eventually stepped aside like a dog obeying its master, allowing her to walk out and slam the door behind her.
The moment the office door was closed, adrenaline kicked in and she realised she may very well be in danger now she knew the truth. She ran along the corridor to the elevator, not stopping to say goodbye to Madge. Her heart was almost in her mouth and terror caused her whole body to shake. She glanced back over her shoulder as the elevator opened. Thankfully she was still alone.
I’ve got to go to the police. And I need to get there before he sends Frank or someone else to finish me off.
*
The interview room at the police station was cold and stark and Cassie tried to convince herself that was the reason she was shaking vigorously from head to toe. One of the detectives had gone to get her a cup of sweet tea seeing as she was pale and couldn’t quite get her words out when he had arrived.
The man returned and placed the white plastic cup in front of her and she smiled, in spite of the current situation, as she thought of Mac’s comment at the hospital. ‘So, Miss Montgomery, you think that there may be evidence at the scene which proves the involvement of Mr Guthrie?’
Cassie nodded. ‘Y-yes. The man… his associate… he hinted as such when I was at his office this afternoon. S-said something about a wallet.’
‘You do realise you did a very dangerous thing, don’t you, Miss Montgomery? If Mr Guthrie was instrumental in the perpetration of the arson attack, you could have put yourself in grave danger by confronting him.’
Oh god, he’s right. What the hell was I thinking? I’m an idiot.
The detective leaned forward. ‘I have to say though, between you and me, you’ve got balls.’ He grinned. ‘There’s not many women… or men for that matter, who’d do what you did in pursuit of the truth. Just don’t go doing it again. All right?’
She nodded vehemently. ‘Don’t worry. I most certainly won’t.’
*
She decided to make another attempt to speak to Mac and although she was completely exhausted and felt like all she had done was drive around all day she made the journey to the hospital once more. There was around ten minutes left of visiting time and she thought perhaps that was a good thing. Maybe if time was a factor he would listen. She wouldn’t mention anything about her detective work though. Mac would no doubt hit the roof if he knew what she’d done.
She nervously walked into his room. He was lying on the top of the sheets, eyes closed and wearing the Star Wars pyjamas she had brought. He looked ridiculously cute and she smiled to herself, feeling a little spark of hope that maybe he didn’t hate her after all.
She cleared her throat and he opened his eyes. ‘Oh… hi, Pebble. It’s good to see you.’
On hearing him use the nickname he’d adopted for her, her eyes began to sting and the urge to throw her arms around him bubbled up from deep inside and almost overwhelmed her. But instead she smiled and nodded—it was all she could manage.
He sat up. ‘Oh, hey, come on, don’t cry. I’m sorry for how I was earlier. Come here,’ he said in a soft voice, which pushed her over the edge.
She rushed to his bedside and into his open arms. ‘I’m so sorry, Mac. All this happened because of me. I know you must want me out of your life and I totally understand that. I promise I’ll find somewhere else to live. I’m just so sorry,’ she sobbed.
He stroked her hair. ‘You’ll do no such bloody thing. I’m an arse. You’re lovely. Can you forgive me?’
She lifted her face and gazed into eyes filled with sincerity. ‘There’s nothing to forgive, Tiger.’
He grinned and placed a hand on her cheek, wiping away her tears with his thumb. ‘Cassie, none of this is your fault. I don’t blame you. I really do mean that. It’s him. Guthrie. He’s a nutter. Neither of us deserves him.’
‘You don’t… you don’t hate me?’ she asked weakly.
He shook his head. ‘Not in the slightest, Pebble. But… I have something I really need to ask you.’
She nodded, smiling widely and inside a little flutter sparked to life. An errant thought jumped into her mind that took her by surprise. Yes, you can kiss me. ‘Anything,’ she whispered breathlessly.
‘Can I move in to Rose Brae when they discharge me? I don’t have anywhere else to go.’
Oh. Of course that was it. Silly me. ‘Of…of course you can. It’s your house after all. I should move out—’
He shook his head and rested his forehead on hers. ‘Nah. From now on it’s besties, Pebble and Tiger against the world, eh?’
A little disappointment tugged inside her but she smiled and nodded. Besties. Of course…
Chapter Thirty-seven
Mac
Luckily for Mac, Cassie had agreed to collect him from the hospital the day after he asked if he could stay with her. He was keen to leave the smell of disinfectant behind so when she arrived he was ready to go and wearing the clothes she bought him—surprised at how perfectly they fit. A flutter of excitement tripped around his belly at the thought of being close to Cassie twenty-four seven. But he had to continually remind himself that it was both a temporary and platonic arrangement. He could buy a new caravan once he knew that the site was ready and that the insurance had been dealt with. He would just need to check into how long that would actually be.
Cassie smiled nervously as she walked into his room. ‘We’ll have to stop meeting like this.’ She giggled as her cheeks flushed pink.
‘Aye, we’re one-all for the hospital pick-ups now. Let’s try not t
o need any more, eh? Deal?’
She laughed. ‘Deal.’
He was relieved to be leaving the hospital but knew that there was so much to sort out at home—or what was left of it anyway. He’d had a call from the solicitor to tell him there were letters and documents pertaining to his uncle that he needed to collect but he presumed they were just the will copies so didn’t rush to make an appointment.
They arrived back at Rose Brae and walked in through the door. It was a peculiar feeling, knowing that it would be his home for a while. Cliff was as excitable as ever to see him and he immediately lowered to the floor to greet the dog properly. Cliff jumped up and licked his face, almost climbing on to his shoulders and Cassie looked on laughing. Once the dog had calmed Mac stood awkwardly wondering what to do now.
Cassie pointed towards the downstairs bedroom. ‘I’ve put clean bedding on in there for you. And you know where everything else is so… treat the place like your own.’ Then she cringed. ‘Which technically it is.’
He nodded and gazed at her with what he hoped came across as sincerity. ‘Thank you again Cassie. I really do appreciate you letting me invade your privacy like this. I promise you won’t know I’m here. And I’ll pay my way, food wise, bills and such.’
She shook her head. ‘Honestly it’s absolutely fine. Make yourself at home.’
‘I’m going to need to take a trip into Gala or Edinburgh at some point. I can’t live in the one outfit I have.’ He cringed hoping he hadn’t caused offence and he smooth down the sweatshirt. ‘As much as I love it. You did good. I’m impressed.’
She blushed again and nibbled at her lip, which immediately drew his attention there. ‘I’m so glad they fit. I really wasn’t sure what sizes to buy so I went for the easiest option.’
He held his arms out to his sides. ‘Well as you can see, they’re perfect. Maybe I should get you to do all my clothes shopping.’
She laughed. ‘Oh no. I don’t want that job thanks very much. Once is enough. I’m more adept at buying designer shirts and ties these days. So if you go to a wedding I’m your girl… if you catch my drift.’ She tucked her hair behind her ears as her face coloured a stronger shade of pink.
He found her embarrassment endearing. ‘I’ll bear that in mind. Now, what do you fancy for dinner? Luckily I have my wallet so I can go get us whatever you fancy.’
She tapped her chin and glanced up at the ceiling. ‘I think Chinese.’
‘Consider it done. I’ll just go stick my bag in my room and I’ll go.’
There was a loud banging on the door and Mac’s skin prickled. Cassie jumped and turned quickly to face the door. Clearly they both had the same thought.
Guthrie.
‘I’ll go,’ Mac said insistently as he walked towards it. He yanked it open and sighed with relief. ‘Oh, hi officers. What can we do you for?’
‘May we come in, Mr Mackenzie? We have news.’
‘Sure.’ He glanced over at Cassie as he stepped aside and she showed them to the couch. They both sat and Cassie and Mac followed suit.
‘Are either of you familiar with a Francis Coutts?’
Mac scrunched his brow. ‘Nah. Not me. Cassie?’
She shook her head. ‘Never heard of him. Should we have?’
The officers shared a concerned glance. ‘There was a wallet discovered at the scene of the arson attack. There wasn’t much inside it apart from what looks like a company credit card in the name of Francis Coutts.’
Cassie sat up straight suddenly. ‘Frank is short for Francis.’
The male office tilted his head to one side. ‘Well yes, we know that but it doesn’t exactly help.’
Cassie gasped. ‘Frank was that bald guy who was at Seth’s office when I went to confront him!’
Mac swung around to face her. ‘You did what?’
She paled and turned towards him. ‘Mac, we don’t have time to argue about that now.’ She turned her attention back to the police officers, one of which now had a notepad and pen at the ready. ‘There was a man who came bursting in when I was in Seth’s office. Seth referred to him as Frank. And the guy had started telling Seth that there was a reason they could be tied to the fire! He got so far as mentioning a wallet but Seth made him stop talking. And I had seen the same man in the village when I was on the way back from the beach. He was in a big black car. I had presumed it was someone from the funeral.’ Her words came out in an excited rush.
Mac rubbed his chin. ‘Hang on. I remember seeing a bald guy in a black car. I thought it was odd too but… didn’t put two and two together.’
The male officer was frantically making notes and the female officer informed them, ‘There were receipts for petrol and a petrol canister in the wallet. And the credit card used was a Guthrie Developments credit card. Bingo!’ She clapped her hands together, a look of glee in her eyes. ‘Looks like Mr Coutts is our main suspect then.’
Cassie shook her head. ‘But it was Guthrie who instigated it. Surely he can be arrested too?’ she asked with a fear-tinged voice.
The officer shrugged. ‘In all likelihood, Miss Montgomery, Mr Guthrie will insist that Coutts acted alone. We don’t have any proof that Guthrie was connected.’
Cassie leaned forwards and rested her head in her hands. ‘He can’t get away with it. He pretty much admitted it to me.’
The female officer replied in a sympathetic tone. ‘Unfortunately, that won’t be admissible in court. It’s just hearsay. And you and Mr Guthrie have a history, which will make this look like sour grapes. I’m so sorry. But unless we can find proof that Mr Guthrie is definitely connected then we can only go after Coutts. We can interview Guthrie, but knowing the type of clout he has in the business world, he’ll more than likely be lawyered-up to the hilt. He has plenty of cash and connections. He can get the best backing money can buy.’
The officers stood and the male one spoke. ‘We’ll be in touch. In the meantime, please do not attempt to visit Mr Guthrie again. You’ll only complicate matters and potentially put yourself in danger.’
Cassie lifted her chin and nodded despondently. Mac showed the two officers out and once the door was closed firmly behind them he stormed back through to the lounge area.
Through gritted teeth he shouted, ‘Are you bloody insane?’
‘Not now, Mac. Please.’ She stood to walk away but he blocked her path.
‘Oh no, you don’t. Do you realise how dangerous that was? Have you forgotten what a twisted sicko that man is? Jesus, Cassie. If something were to have happened to you. If he’d hurt you. If… I just…’ He gripped the shaggy strands of his unkempt hair and stared at her.
She walked over and cupped his cheek tenderly. ‘I appreciate you worrying about me, Mac. But I’m fine. He didn’t do anything. So you can calm down now.’
Without thinking he pulled her into his arms and held her close to his chest. ‘You’re a daft wee mare, you know that? But if anything had happened to you…’ He couldn’t find the words to finish the sentence without expressing his true feelings so he fell silent and just held her.
*
Cassie
The food was delicious. They ate sitting on the rug in front of the fire as Cliff drooled between them. Mac opened a bottle of wine and once they had finished eating they both sat staring into the flames, watching them dance and flicker. Cassie found herself observing Mac in her peripheral vision as discreetly as possible. He was such a handsome man. There was something almost sculptural about his features. He didn’t have to try to look good. It just happened effortlessly. And she hated the fact that she was becoming more and more attracted to him. He had once made it clear that he was attracted to her too, but after she rebuffed him so forcefully she doubted that he would ever dare to cross the line of friendship she had drawn in invisible ink between them. She regretted it now, finding him more and more appealing as she got to know him better. But, she reminded herself, I’m not looking for more heartache. I don’t want a relationship. They only lead to rui
n and hurt and sadness. Plus I love living here. If Mac and I got together and then split I’d have to leave. And I really don’t want to do that.
No… friendship was good. But she had found herself playing the memory of the passionate exchange they had shared over and over again in her mind, trying to recapture the feeling of his lips against hers, the fresh scent of him infiltrating her senses; the way her body had so willingly betrayed her. But finding someone physically and sexually attractive wasn’t enough. He was of the same species as the one who trampled all over her heart. She couldn’t go through all that again.
She wouldn’t allow it.
As they watched the flames licking at the crackling logs in the fire grate and the companionable silence enveloped them, they listened to the playlist chosen by Mac. He had such eclectic taste and she guessed that many of the bands he loved had been influenced by his carefree, sea-loving parents. The Beach Boys featured heavily and she couldn’t help but smile and wonder if perhaps he had been born in the wrong era.
‘So… what will you do now, Mac?’ she blurted before thinking.
He turned towards her. ‘With regards to what?’ A look of confusion crumpled his brow.
She rested her head on her hand and eyed him cautiously. She didn’t want it to sound like she was trying to get rid of him when he had literally just moved in. ‘You know, with everything that’s happened? Don’t you feel like it’s time to make a fresh start somehow?’
His furrowed brow deepened and she regretted prying but after a few silent moments he shrugged. ‘I suppose so. Finding somewhere to live I guess is the main priority. You won’t want me here until time immemorial.’