We watched the impact, heard the crash, and then saw the fireball rise and paint the sky red and orange.
Epilogue
On the sixth of January Emily, Suzanne and I stared out at the snowy mountains of Reggio Emilia from the warmth of the hotel foyer. Behind us, suitcases were stacked, ready for when the taxi arrived. Suzanne was staying another day, to meet some fan club delegation. The press too had caught up with her and was camped out at the hotel.
‘Well, some reunion,’ I said.
‘Yes,’ said Emily. ‘Never again.’
‘They detained the owner of the castle too, for questioning,’ I said. ‘I’m glad we declined their offer to stay and debrief. I told them we needed to get home to our families.’
‘You don’t have a family, Rafe,’ Suzanne said.
‘What are you doing after this, Suzanne?’ Emily said.
Suzanne sipped a hot chocolate. ‘New movie. A thriller called In the Deep Mid-Winter, I believe.’
‘Really?’ Emily said.
‘I wish I could skip this one, though,’ said Suzanne. ‘I need a break from snowy settings.’
‘One thing I don’t get,’ said Emily. ‘I don’t think Glen meant to kill himself. What was his plan, do you think?’
‘To kill us all, and have Suzanne to himself for ever and ever in the castle, with rotting dead bodies around,’ I said.
‘No,’ said Emily, ‘I think he had planned even the helicopter escape. Glen and Suzanne ride off into the sunset together and live happily ever after.’
Suzanne shuddered. ‘He never could let that schoolboy crush go. Or his grudge against The Twelve.’
‘Some people never change,’ said Emily.
‘Thank God it’s over,’ said Suzanne. ‘I can’t wait to go home. But I’ll have to face these guys first.’ She pointed to the vans parked across the road outside the hotel – Rai, Canale 2, Sky News. ‘They found me at last.’
‘Here’s the taxi!’
Emily, freezing, ran from the hotel to the waiting car and climbed into the back seat. The driver shut her door then piled our suitcases into the trunk. Cameras flashed from across the road. I couldn’t understand how Suzanne could live with people preying on her very existence.
Suzanne rested a hand on my arm. ‘Rafe, before you go, one last thing…’
‘Sure.’
‘Did you ever wonder why I accepted the invitation to the reunion?’
I pointed at the media crews on the other side of the road. ‘You were waiting for that big scandal to blow over.’
She smiled. ‘Forgotten. Anyway, they always have a new story – now it’s about an obsessive lover who lured me to a castle in Italy and killed himself over me.’
‘I honestly didn’t think you’d come. Was surprised when I heard you were here. Then I guessed it was to avoid the media attention. Was it?’
‘Not the only reason. I had some ghosts to put to rest.’
I looked into her eyes. ‘What do you mean?’
‘You.’
She touched my lip with her finger. ‘Didn’t you know?’
‘Know what?’
She sighed. ‘I loved you, Rafe, you idiot. For years. At school. In The Twelve. Even after. You never noticed. You were that self-involved.’
‘Not possible!’ I studied her face for any sign of insincerity. She was smiling ironically, yes, but her eyes were true. Was this possible, that I had been so wrapped up in my own obsession I hadn’t taken note of this minor fact?
‘All the other guys knew. They were insanely jealous. But you were so enigmatic, so aloof. And I was too proud to ever let you know how I felt.’
‘I had no idea, Suzanne.’
‘No, of course not. For a while afterwards I imagined fame would impress you, that you might finally come running to me. But you were immune, beyond my reach. Anyway, I came here to lay my own ghosts to rest, and I’m glad to say, they rest.’
‘Suzanne.’
She shook her head. ‘It’s fine. I’m fine. It would never have worked anyway. You and I, we’re too much the same. You’d better go.’ She leaned over and kissed my cheek. ‘Look after yourself, Rafe. Someone’s waiting for you.’ She inclined her head toward the taxi. ‘Take good care of her, she’s worth it.’
She walked inside the hotel entrance, turned once, waved, and the door swung closed behind her.
Acknowledgements
Thanks to Shelley for being co-conspirator; and to the wonderful Bloodhound team, especially Betsy, Tara, Clare, Heather and Sumaira for their excellent work on this book.
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