by Mary Grand
Gabriel looked around, gave a sigh then a smile. ‘It was tragic, but, well, it’s all in the past now. Let us go and have breakfast, I’m starving.’
Gabriel drove them to the reception block and parked outside.
‘Morning,’ shouted a young man, also far too awake for Juliet’s taste.
‘Hi Joe, this is Juliet.’
Joe looked about eighteen to Juliet, but of course he was probably older.
‘Hi Juliet, nice to meet you.’ He turned to Gabriel. ‘How’s Maddie? I hear she’s had a rough night.’
‘She’s much better now thank you. Has the delivery from the bakery come?’
‘Yes, it’s all in the trays.’
‘Great, I had a word. It’s been late a few times now but looks like they’ve sorted things.’
Gabriel found a bag, took some pastries from one of the trays, and poured two take away coffees from the machine on the side. Turning to Juliet he said, ‘Come on. I’m ready for this.’
As they walked along, Juliet was impressed. Although no more than seven or eight lodges and pods, everything was tidy and well set out.
‘It’s very smart; I’m not surprised you’re fully booked.’
‘We could have taken double the number if we’d had the accommodation,’ said Gabriel, ‘but neither Maddie nor I wanted to give over any more land to this. The main business here is the vineyard, and it will always take priority.’
‘So, where is the ubiquitous bathroom block?’ she asked.
‘There’s nothing like that here. Each lodge or pod has their own facilities. Obviously, the pods are more basic, but still, they have their own loo and shower. Of course, it means a tonne more work, but people like it and will pay a lot more for it. We have a small shop here just for basics… well, locally sourced meats, jams, honey, fresh bread, pastries, and our wine of course, but also milk, toilet roll and ketchup, that kind of thing. Then there is the restaurant over at the vineyard where our guests can have lunch or an evening meal.’
Juliet looked out at the fields and the sea, and on a morning like this it was magical.
She followed Gabriel past the buildings to a lodge closer to the cliff edge, facing the sea. Like all the others, it had a small wooden patio area complete with a table and chairs.
Gabriel placed the bag on the table.
‘This one is mine. Maddie thought I was mad, but it’s my escape. See, I have it facing away from the rest and I look out to sea and pretend I am far away from here.’ Gabriel’s bike propped up at the side.
He took out the coffee and pastries and laid them out on the small table. Next to them she spotted his binoculars.
‘Ah I remember these. Are you still using them?’
‘Always. I remember you not liking them, but it’s amazing sitting here looking out. We get falcons and buzzards, all sorts.’
He handed her a cup of coffee and pastry and they chose to sit on the grass that was crispy dry and already feeling warm.
Gabriel nodded back towards reception. ‘I am so glad I took Joe on; I wasn’t sure he’d be any good, he had hardly any paper qualifications, but he works hard, and I need that. This place is twenty-four seven.’ He looked towards the door of the lodge with a smile. ‘However, it’s very quiet and discreet out here, any time you fancy a night away…’
She grinned, more tempted than she wanted to let on. ‘Noted… Now, tell me about these lodges.’
They chatted and the time flew, but at eight Gabriel stood up.
‘Well, I’d better give you a lift back. I need to get working and I’d better check on Maddie to be on the safe side.’
Juliet sat up and stretched. ‘I have to say this was a very relaxing way to start the day. Don’t worry about the lift, I can walk.’
She left the site and headed down the road, breathed in the unique smell of sand and sea that bundled together all those memories of sandcastles, dipping her toes into cold water, eating sandwiches with a slight crunch of sand that always managed to get in the food. She smiled to herself.
Once on the main road she saw cars heading to Compton Bay car park; families were already heading onto the beach, not that they would be jostling for places even in August, but Juliet could understand people who didn’t have the luxury of a beach within minutes’ walk making the most of their holiday.
When she reached home she was welcomed by the fabulous smell of cooked bacon. Her mother raised an eyebrow as Juliet came in through the patio doors.
‘You were out early.’
‘It’s a lovely morning,’ Juliet said, reluctant to share who she had been with.
‘Did you take the patio key then?’ her mother asked.
‘No, it was already open when I left.’
‘Oh, that’s odd,’ her mother said. ‘I know I locked it last night before we all went to bed.’
‘I saw the light on in the workshop in the night, do you know who went out there?’
Her mother shook her head. ‘No idea. Now, do you want a bacon sandwich?’
‘I’m okay, I’ve had some pastries.
‘Oh, have you?’
Thankfully, Juliet was saved from offering her an explanation because Mira came into the kitchen. ‘Morning. I can’t get hold of Rhys this morning. His phone just goes to voicemail when I try.’
‘Maybe the signal is down, you know how it is around here.’
‘I suppose so. He sent me a text last night to say he was about to leave the church at one, but nothing this morning. I’d have expected him to say hi by now… Maybe he’s been called out somewhere. Mmm, that smells good.’
Mira sat down to a sandwich while Juliet drank some coffee. Occasionally Mira tried Rhys’s phone again, but still there was no reply. Juliet’s mind kept drifting back to the lodge, the sea, Gabriel… she smiled at the thought of going back.
She was shaken from her daydream by Mira poking her and giving her a mock frown. She signed without speaking. ‘What’s up with you? I know that smile and you’re dressed. Where have you been?’
Juliet grinned, returned a quick sign of, ‘Mind your own business,’ before her mother returned to the table. The sisters swapped a conspiratorial grin.
Once she’d finished her breakfast, Mira rang the house phone at the vicarage, but still there was no answer. ‘It is a bit strange, maybe I’ll pop up and check everything is all right. Fancy a walk?’ she asked Juliet. ‘I need to take Lola out anyway.’
‘Of course. It is a lovely morning,’ Juliet said before adding, ‘Are you really worried about Rhys?’
Mira shrugged. ‘It’s silly, I know. It’s just a feeling that’s all.’
Juliet thought back to seeing Rhys leave last night. He had seemed a bit scared, a bit unnerved, but that felt rather melodramatic on such a lovely morning. Nothing awful could happen on a day like this.
Juliet and Mira got their things together and left. It was very quiet walking through the village. Through August there was only one Sunday morning service among the three churches, instead of Rhys having to space out three individual ones, and today the service was in the next village. They walked past the small stream, which, despite looking seriously depleted of water following the days of sunshine, was being enjoyed by ducks quacking contentedly as they tugged at the grasses along the bank with their beaks. Mira greeted a solitary dog walker.
The vicarage was a further climb up the hill, past the church.
‘I have my church key,’ said Mira. ‘We might as well check the church as we go past. He could have been taken ill, couldn’t he?’
‘I doubt it, but we’ll check to keep you happy.’
There were two paths up to the church door. The one through the lychgate was narrow, made from muddy gravel and hardly used. The second, much wider one was a steep incline that split at the top, the right to a car park, the left to the church door.
Juliet and Mira walked up the wider path. It was steep and winding, and overhanging trees meant it was always in the shadows. Mira, fami
liar with the path, was looking over at the church, but Juliet kept her gaze fixed to the ground, making sure she didn’t trip. And that was the reason she saw the body before Mira.
12
Juliet rushed over and knelt down next to Rhys’s body. He lay staring up at the sky with unseeing, unblinking eyes. She grabbed his wrist but could feel no pulse. Mira fell down next to her and gave a heart-rending scream.
‘No, not Rhys.’ Mira collapsed onto his body, her own convulsing with pain. ‘I’m sorry. Come back, please come back.’
Juliet took hold of Mira firmly, eased her away, and Mira curled up, foetus-like in her lap, gulping tears.
‘I have to phone for an ambulance,’ she signed to Mira.
Mira sat up. ‘Tell them they have to be quick,’ Mira signed back urgently.
Juliet’s eyes were blurred with tears and her fingers were shaking, making it hard to pick out even the simplest of three-digit numbers.
The voice that answered was calm and listened carefully as she explained what had happened, and Juliet heard the compassion and warmth flood into the woman’s voice.
‘Someone will be with you as soon as they can, but please don’t hang up.’
Juliet answered incoherently a barrage of questions that seemed irrelevant, but which she later understood was the woman making sure she was safe as well.
The sisters sat together on the ground waiting. Juliet couldn’t take her eyes off Rhys, the large gash on his forehead, his bloodied legs that lay at an unnatural angle. Nothing about this looked like a ‘natural’ death. Her mind flashed to stories of kids in cars up here, drinking, taking drugs. Had they been responsible for this? Or had something darker and more sinister happened here?
Juliet shivered. Rhys had talked of evil; he’d been afraid. He’d been on the brink of revealing what her father had told him, difficult things he knew would affect the family. But death had intervened, Rhys would take what he knew to the grave. A terrible idea came to Juliet. Was it possible that this accident had been a deliberate act by someone to silence Rhys? Was it even possible that this person was someone she knew? Juliet shook her head. No, no one she knew would so anything so wicked. However, her father’s words came back to her. ‘You think you know them but you don’t… Anyone who has the motive can kill.’
Her heart thumped so hard in her chest it hurt. Fear and terror threatened to suffocate her.
She heard Mira sobbing beside her. She had to be brave, she had to take care of Mira.
Juliet checked around, there was no one here. Then she heard the sound of children walking down the road to the beach. She panicked, what if they were to come up here, see Rhys? But of course, they didn’t, they walked on by, unaware of the horror they’d passed.
Juliet’s eyes were drawn again to Rhys, and it was as if one tiny space cleared in her head, helping her to focus, to think. Something was missing… She touched Rhys’s neck. ‘His crucifix has gone. I saw it on him last night. Has it fallen off?’ As soon as she’d said the words, she regretted them.
Mira uncurled and reached out to touch Rhys’s neck. ‘Where is it?’ she stammered.
‘Sorry it doesn’t matter,’ Juliet said quickly.
‘He always wore it; it had a safety chain. Where is it?’ said Mira and she started to scrape and scrabble at the mud around Rhys.
Juliet gently took hold of her, and this time they stood up and she managed to guide Mira to a wooden seat close to the body. It had been put there because it was a slightly raised area that allowed you to look downland to the sea. Today it seemed wrong that the sea sparkled, that the sky was cloudless.
At that moment, Juliet heard the sirens.
‘Wait here,’ she signed to Mira and she walked down to the edge of the road, waving to a police car and ambulance.
A police officer and paramedics followed her to where Rhys lay. They formed a circle around Rhys’s body, so Juliet stepped back and went back to look after Mira. Soon a female police officer came over to them.
‘You said on the phone that this man is the vicar here. I believe you said his name was Rhys?’
‘That’s right,’ replied Juliet. Mira had her head in her hands. ‘He’s my sister’s husband.’
The police officer spoke to Mira. ‘I am so sorry—’
Juliet interrupted, ‘My sister is Deaf, she needs to read your lips.’
Juliet tapped her sister on the knee and Mira looked up into the police officer’s face.
‘I am PC Wendy Gregg,’ she said and lent down to touch Mira’s hand. ‘I am sorry to tell you, it appears your husband died some hours ago.’ The officer glanced at Juliet. ‘Has she understood?’
Juliet usually hated it when people bypassed Mira, asked things like that, but maybe it was a valid question to ask of anyone frozen in shock. However, Mira’s expression changed, as she allowed the words to at least skim across the surface of her mind.
Juliet nodded to the officer.
The officer went to speak to Mira again, but Mira shook her head.
‘Talk to her,’ Mira said, pointing to Juliet.
The officer appeared relieved. ‘We need to try to ascertain what happened. Do you know what Rhys was doing up here?’
‘He came up here very late to pray,’ said Juliet, she signed as she spoke. ‘He sent my sister a text at about one in the morning to say he was leaving—’
‘Was that unusual, did he do that often?’
‘Yes, every Saturday evening, he usually came up here at about half past eleven and left about one, but he came earlier last night, more like half past ten.’
‘Thank you, that’s useful to know. Now, I’m afraid this area will need to be cordoned off; can we give you and your sister a lift somewhere, are you able to stay with her?’
‘Our mum lives down the road and I am staying with her. It’s best Mira comes there.’
‘Good, we’ll take you there, and someone will come to speak to you very soon. We’ll need your contact details too so we can keep in touch.’
Juliet signed to Mira, but Mira shook her head, tears running down her face now.
‘No, I can’t leave. I have to stay with him.’
‘I’m sorry, but you can’t, not now,’ said the officer sympathetically.
Juliet put her arm around a reluctant Mira, walked her to the police car, and the sisters were taken home.
They arrived as Rosalind was leaving the house, and her eyes shot from them to the police car that was now driving away.
‘What the hell?’ she asked, looking first at a tearful Mira and then at Juliet.
‘It’s Rhys, he’s had an accident. He’s dead.’
‘Oh God! No! Mira, I’m so sorry.’ Rosalind turned and walked back to the house behind them.
Once inside, Juliet called her mother and, as calmly as she could manage, explained what had happened. After a moment of stunned silence, her mother’s lips trembled, and she flew to Mira.
‘My darling girl,’ she signed, and Mira fell into her mother’s arms.
Just then, Juliet remembered Anwen. One of them would have to tell her the news about her brother.
‘Where are Cassie and Anwen?’ she asked her mother.
‘Cassie said Anwen was sleeping in. Cassie is reading up there, I think.’
‘Well, I’d better go and tell her, hadn’t I.’
Juliet went upstairs and gently knocked on Cassie’s door before going in. Anwen was tucked up in bed, fast asleep, and Cassie was on her own bed, dressed, reading.
‘What’s up?’ Cassie asked, scowling.
‘It’s Rhys, there’s been a bad accident,’ Juliet replied quietly.
Cassie threw her book down, got out of bed and went and shook Anwen awake.
Startled and half-asleep, Anwen looked confused. ‘What’s the matter? What’s happening?’ Anwen asked.
‘It’s your brother, Anwen. It’s Rhys, you need to wake up.’
Anwen sat up, confused, annoyed at being woken. ‘What’s my br
other done now?’
Juliet broke the news as gently as possible but could see Anwen was struggling to comprehend what she was saying.
‘Rhys is dead?’ repeated Anwen.
‘I’m so sorry,’ said Juliet.
‘Rhys can’t be dead.’
‘The police are with him now; we found him at the church.’
‘He’s dead? Are you sure?’ Anwen was stumbling over her words.
‘I’m so sorry. I’m afraid so.’
Anwen shook her head slowly, numbly. ‘That’s not right. Not Rhys. It doesn’t make any sense.’
Cassie went over and put her arm around Anwen.
‘How is Mira?’ asked Anwen and Juliet was touched that her thoughts went to her sister.
‘She’s downstairs with Mum. She’s in shock, I think.’
‘And she found him? God, how awful.’
Anwen got out of bed, pulled on jumper and trousers over her pyjamas, but then stood helplessly.
‘I don’t know what to do. I wish my last time with Rhys hadn’t been so awful.’ She paused. ‘I know me and him weren’t close, but he was still my brother. I’ve not got Mum or Dad; he was the only one left.’ She burst into tears, sobbing into her hands.
‘Is there anyone I should ring?’ Juliet asked her gently.
‘No, there isn’t anyone close. There are my aunts – I’ll phone them, I suppose. I can’t believe this.’
Anwen sat back down on the bed.
‘Juliet, you go back to Mira. We’ll come down in a minute,’ said Cassie, putting her arm around Anwen again.
As Juliet walked downstairs, she heard a knock at the front door, and she went to answer it. It was the PC who had brought them back, now accompanied by another officer who she introduced.
‘This is your family liaison officer, DC Adam Smith. Could we have a word with your sister?’
DC Smith was a tall, grey-haired older man, with a quietly self-assured and serious manner.
‘Of course, come in,’ said Juliet.
Her mother was out in the hallway now and Juliet explained that their visitors needed to see Mira.
‘I don’t think Mira is in any state to talk to anyone at the moment,’ said her mother, but Mira appeared close behind her.