by Lynda Stacey
Chapter Twenty-Six
Ella pulled up at the gym. Her car was suddenly surrounded and she took in a deep breath as she watched with keen interest how the other reporters dashed towards her.
‘Ella, how do you feel about Rick Greaves being released?’ a reporter shouted. His microphone flew forward and almost hit her in the face. She stepped back, unbalanced, fell backwards and grabbed at her car for support.
‘BACK OFF!’ she screamed, her voice angry but controlled. ‘I’ll say this once. I’m here to work, not to give you a damn story. That ship has sailed. Now, get out of my face and let me be.’ She felt her stomach turn, but held her nerve and grabbed the crutch from the front seat, along with her camera bag and notebook, and made her way to the side of the gym, where the other reporters stood. One after the other they nodded, smiled and acknowledged her without saying anything further.
For a few moments she stood, used her crutch to steady herself and watched the gym with eagle eyes. She’d been right to worry about the anxiety that she might feel. Earlier she’d been okay, but now the tension had built itself up and she hadn’t realised quite how bad it would be. She could feel her stomach turning, her mind spinning and a thick mist drifted in front of her eyes. She knew that the first interview would be the worst, especially if she had to face Rick Greaves, but she also knew that all eyes were on her, that every reporter in Yorkshire was waiting to see what she did. It occurred to her that if she could only get through today, tomorrow would be easier and the day after that would be easier still.
‘Daisy, are you ready? Bring the camera.’ Ella inched her way to the front of the crowd. Her stomach lurched forward as Rick Greaves’ Outlander screeched to a halt outside the gym. He hesitated before climbing out. He still didn’t know she was there, he still hadn’t seen her, and certainly wouldn’t be expecting her. She felt an odd sense of excitement to see the shock on his face when he did.
‘Don’t miss this, Daisy, for God’s sake. Are you ready?’
‘Rick Greaves,’ she jumped in quickly, before the other reporters could do so, as he opened his car door. ‘I expect that I’m the last person you expected to see today?’ she asked and saw the look of dismay in his eyes. ‘I’m here today, Mr Greaves, to find out why you tried to kill me and, what’s more, why another friend of yours, Michelle Everett, has been murdered.’ She swallowed hard. ‘Were you driving the car that hit her, Mr Greaves?’
Rick’s feathers were obviously ruffled. He pulled on the lapels of his suit jacket as he tried to step away from the car. Ella saw what he was trying to do and brought her crutch up, slamming it against the car window, blocking his exit.
‘You need to get of my way.’ His words were strong, but his eyes jumped from reporter to reporter as each one held up a camera, making him lift his arm to cover his eyes as the flashes began to go off like mini explosions. ‘I said move.’ He grabbed at the crutch and pushed it out of his way.
‘I’ll ask you again, Rick, why did you attack me? Why did you leave me for dead? Why is another of your associates dead and is it just a coincidence that two of your wives died in suspicious circumstances too?’ She steadied herself, using the crutch and followed him towards the door. ‘Do you think you can keep getting away with it? Do you think that beating women within an inch of their life is acceptable? Or is it just a hobby of yours?’ As Ella stood between Rick Greaves and the door she could feel her stomach doing somersaults as if an orangutan was jumping inside it over and over.
Rick stared over her shoulder at the gym’s doorway. ‘I won’t ask you again, now move out of my way.’
‘I’ll move when I get an answer. You can’t even look at me, can you? I need to know why. I need to know why you did that to me.’
Ella could see him trembling from top to toe. He stared directly into her eyes. ‘I did not hurt you. I swear to God, I did not attack you and, believe it or not, I actually liked you. IS THAT CLEAR?’
Ella shook her head. ‘You liked me? Jesus, I’d hate to be one of your enemies.’
‘Look.’ He pulled her to one side and whispered, ‘You have no idea how sorry I felt when I heard what had happened. I saw the news report the next morning and I couldn’t believe it. But then you blamed me, you seriously seemed to think that I’d hurt you. I did months on remand. Jesus Christ, woman, have you got any idea what that’s like? I’d done NOTHING wrong.’ His eyes searched hers. They were deep, dark and Ella could feel herself holding her breath to a point that she suddenly gasped and began to cough.
‘But … but … it had to be you.’ Once again she swallowed hard. The interview was going all wrong. Everyone could hear, everyone would believe him. ‘You were there, we were together. It had to be you.’
‘We were together that night, but you left. That doesn’t make me a woman beater, does it?’ Rick reached for the door.
‘But …’ Ella looked around; all the reporters were waiting for her to speak, the flashes of the cameras still exploding in her face. Everyone was watching the exchange. They watched every move and she suddenly felt a new and frustrating confusion. What if he was telling the truth?
Cameras flashed and the reporters moved forward, all shouting questions of their own. Ella looked back to where Daisy had been standing. She needed reassurance, needed to see a friendly face, but saw no one except a blur of faces disappearing into a mist.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
‘It’s okay, you’re okay now.’ Ella heard a man’s voice come from somewhere in the distance. Nothing felt real, her head and eyes felt heavy and an annoying waft of air repeatedly went across her face. It was cool and intermittent and she felt a certain amount of gratitude as her body went from boiling hot to a cooler and more bearable temperature. She was lying down, on her side with her hand under her face. It was a flat surface, hard and not very comfortable. But at least it felt safe. A cool, damp soft cloth was dabbed across her forehead and a second one was pressed against the back of her neck. Her body began to cool and slowly she began to feel more and more alert.
Another waft of air hit her square in the face. It suddenly began to annoy her and Ella opened her eyes, just a little at first, and peered out cautiously.
A desktop oscillating fan stood before her. She could see the blades spinning around as it twisted from side to side. It stood close to the floor, which meant that she must be on the floor too.
‘What … what … where … what happened? Where am I?’
‘You’re fine. You’re in the gym. I’ve called an ambulance.’ The voice of Rick Greaves spoke and Ella felt herself jump on the spot in an attempt to see his face. Panic rose within her and her eyes darted towards the door.
‘Door’s locked. Sorry, had no choice or all the world’s press would’ve been crawling all over the place.’ He was dipping the flannel in a bowl and then wringing it out. ‘Here, this’ll help.’ He placed the flannel back over her forehead.
Ella looked across the room and out the window to where she knew the crowds of reporters would still be gathered. They’d wait all day if they had to, cameras still in hand, waiting for their one opportunity of a front page photo, and the one they’d end up with would be her leaving Rick’s gym in an ambulance. She shook her head. It was the last thing she needed.
‘You can’t keep me here.’ Ella once again began to look around. ‘I … I want to leave.’
‘So leave. I’m not holding you here and, if I’m honest, I’d have preferred you to collapse on any other doorstep in Scarborough, except for mine.’ He looked concerned and Ella lay back down. ‘I had no choice but to bring you in here. It was much against my better judgement, I might add. Half of that lot probably think I’m murdering you as we speak, the other half are waiting for you to accuse me of something else I didn’t do.’
Ella sat up and then held onto the floor. She still felt dizzy and her legs felt like marshmallows. They’d gone all soft and squidgy and she knew it would be impossible to stand, making her watch Rick Greaves with nerv
ous eyes. He moved away, sat on the rowing machine, leaned back and watched her intently for a few moments.
‘Look, would you like some water, or something?’ he suddenly asked without moving.
Ella looked from him to the water fountain and then back again. The last time she’d drank with this man, she’d ended up drugged and she had no intention of that happening again.
‘Bloody hell, I’ll drink from it first, if it would make you feel better.’ He smiled tentatively as though reading her mind. He stood up and took a plastic cup from the side, filled it and drank the water. ‘See? It’s not poisoned.’
Ella nodded her head. ‘Then, yes please. I’d like some.’ She took the cup from him and sipped slowly, while Rick returned to perch on his seat. His hands were clasped and held under his chin, his white T-shirt stretched around his biceps and his legs were crossed. He looked nervous, and Ella knew that she might never get the opportunity to get him alone and speak to him like this ever again.
‘Can I ask you a question?’
He frowned and nodded. ‘Ask away.’
‘What happened that night? I mean, what really happened?’
Rick closed his eyes. He’d known bringing her in here alone had been a gamble, but he hadn’t had much choice. One minute she’d been challenging him about the night she’d been attacked, the next minute she’d been falling towards him and had landed in his arms, in a faint. He’d quickly weighed up his options and finally, and without too much thought, he’d dragged her into the gym to escape the continuous glares and cameras of the reporters. He looked towards the windows and felt happy in the knowledge that he’d had them all fitted with the etched manifestations, making it impossible for the reporters to see in.
‘Please … I need to know … please tell me what happened?’ Her eyes pleaded with his as she repeated the question.
He thought for a few moments before answering. After all, she’d already heard everything he’d previously said in court, and he had no idea what more he could say to convince her of his innocence. He hadn’t attacked her. He had no idea what had happened himself, but he wished to God that he did.
The last thing he remembered, he’d been looking into her eyes, the lamp light had made them sparkle and for just a few moments he’d thought he should kiss her. But then, something had caught his eye; he couldn’t remember what, but when he’d looked back at Ella, the moment had gone. Then he’d begun to feel ill. The room had started to move all by itself and he’d had an overwhelming feeling that he was about to pass out. He’d excused himself, headed for the bathroom and had felt sure he’d been about to publicly embarrass himself. He remembered splashing cold water on his face, holding onto the sink and steadying his feet. He’d locked himself into a toilet stall, put the seat down and sat with his head in his hands. The next thing he remembered he woke up leaning against the wall.
When he’d returned to the table, Ella had gone. He’d paid the bill, driven home, collapsed in a heap and the next thing he’d known Nina had been there. He remembered her being at the house, making him coffee and … and … had she been in his bed? He couldn’t remember. It had been the middle of the next day when he’d been woken up by the police. Nina had gone and he’d been arrested. After that, he’d spent the next few months in custody. The nightmare had begun and, for the life of him, he had no idea what had happened to either of them.
‘I didn’t do it. I know you don’t believe me, but I honestly didn’t attack you,’ he whispered. He held his hand out for the cup, refilled it and passed it back to her. ‘I swear to you I didn’t do it. I went to the bathroom, I felt so ill, thought I’d got food poisoning. You know the scallops, I thought they’d affected me and I must have passed out. When I eventually came out, you’d gone.’
‘But … what did … I … I don’t … I don’t understand.’ Ella moved awkwardly, pulled herself up and onto a chair. She sat forward, stared at the floor and seemed to grip onto the gym equipment as though her life depended on it. She shook her head from side to side and rubbed her face with her hands as though shaking off cobwebs. Her eyes searched his. ‘If it wasn’t you …’ A sob left her throat. ‘… I don’t … if it wasn’t you, I don’t know who … who it was … Why … why did they do that to me? He … she … they almost killed me. I didn’t deserve that … what did I do to deserve that?’
Rick simply shook his head. ‘I’d give everything I have, every single penny to answer that question. Seriously, I’ve already lost so much and want nothing more than to clear my name.’ He paused, grabbed a second cup from the water fountain and sipped. He trembled, tears sprung to his eyes and he felt close to breaking down. He was a man, he was supposed to be strong and the last thing he wanted to do was to cry, especially in front of Ella. But he knelt down before her, placed a hand on each of her shoulders and stared deep into her eyes. ‘Ella, can I tell you something?’ He shook with nerves. ‘I’m terrified. People keep dying around me. It seems that everyone I care about or love … they die, and I’m so scared and I’m so, so sorry. I know you were hurt and your life since has been a nightmare, but my life’s a nightmare too and I have no idea how to escape from it.’ Rick turned away and discreetly wiped his eyes. ‘I’m an amorous person, Ella. I like women, I like being with women, I find it easy to love them and I love being loved in return.’ He choked back the tears. ‘That shouldn’t be too much to ask, should it?’
Ella shook her head. She had no idea how to react. The whole situation was totally surreal. She was here, sitting in the gym, with Rick Greaves and he was pouring his heart out to her, at a time when he had no need to lie. No one else was here. No one could hear him, no one except for her.
She’d hated him for so long. She’d felt so much anger towards him, yet, even after all that, it still made her really sad to see him so emotional. He was muscular, strong, a great looking man that had been reduced to tears, and the sudden reality of the situation hit her.
She believed him.
Rick Greaves was innocent and with that thought, Ella gasped for breath and began to retch repeatedly.
‘It’s okay, I’ve got you,’ Rick’s voice once again calmed her as a wastepaper basket was thrust into her hands and the cloth was once again dampened and placed on the back of her neck. ‘You’re okay, let it out.’ He held one hand against the flannel; the other had pulled her long auburn hair to one side, where he held it from falling back into her face.
They sat quietly, waiting for the moment to pass. No words were said, needed or asked for. Ella closed her eyes; she didn’t feel any danger. She felt safe, looked after and what’s more her heart went out to Rick. He’d obviously been through as much as she had. Of course he hadn’t had the broken bones, but he had had his heart broken, over and over again.
Ella looked up, caught his eye and held his gaze. A silent word of forgiveness passed between them. And then, without warning, a banging on the door spoilt the moment, making both Ella and Rick jump and look up.
‘Who the hell?’ He ran to the door.
‘North Yorkshire ambulance, sir, did someone call for us?’
Chapter Twenty-Eight
After her episode at the gym, Ella decided it might be a good idea to work from home for the afternoon and spread newspaper clippings all over the dining table. She’d gone to her newspaper office and collected all her old files that contained a full itinerary of Rick’s life for the past four years, and she intended to revisit it all. She’d collated clippings from when he was at school. She’d found announcements for his first and second marriages. There were obituary notices about the two wives that had died, along with newspaper reports that had seemed to fill the front pages for days. She’d found articles that were related to the gym, the fifty grand Outlander, and the house purchase that had cost over a million. She’d downloaded pages from his Twitter and Facebook accounts, sayings and messages going back years. There had been the talk of his business partner, Tim, who’d been the brother of Rick’s first wife. Rick had
dug him out of a hole and saved him from prison, and had subsequently taken full control of the gym. The circus surrounding Rick was huge and all of this had happened before her attack, before all of her own medical reports along with the articles that had covered Michelle’s death. She’d been an employee of Rick’s too, and another coincidental death that seemed to surround his life, just like both of his wives.
Ella stood back and sighed. She was satisfied with her collections. This was reporting at its best, gathering the evidence and spreading it out to make sense of it. It was just a shame she didn’t have everything. Original copies of his wedding certificates, divorce papers, death certificates and coroners’ reports, all would need to be collected – she’d applied for them but knew they’d take time. However, it was important that she had them so that the whole picture would appear before her. Rick Greaves’ whole life would be laid out on the table and for the first time nothing would be hidden.
Sarah burst in through the door, shook an umbrella, placed it back outside, kicked off her bright pink wellingtons and passed a box of doughnuts to Ella who had been watching her entrance with amusement. ‘I brought us midday sustenance as it’s raining,’ she said as she walked through the conservatory and into the kitchen, switched on the kettle and pulled mugs from the cupboard.