As much as she’d like to see Henry take the hit, she didn’t want to get herself and Franklyn into trouble at the same time.
So, she sighed and said, ‘I fell, when I was running home. I went over on my stupid ankle. Thought I’d broken it, to be honest, but I guess not.’
‘You should go to the hospital and get it x-rayed.’
Daniela shook her head. Her gaze wandered to the liquor cabinet in the corner of the room. She should’ve gone there first rather than straight to the sofa. ‘It’s not worth the trouble,’ she said. ‘I’m fine.’
‘You don’t look fine.’ Auryn watched her. ‘Do you want me to call Steph?’
Daniela shook her head. ‘I’ll tell her when she gets home.’ Once I’ve figured out how much to say.
‘Definitely?’
‘What’s that look for? Yes, of course, I’m going to tell her.’
‘You’re angry.’ Auryn studied her from behind those round glasses. ‘Can you promise me you’ll tell Stephanie, rather than doing something foolish?’
Daniela stared down at her busted ankle. She didn’t answer.
22
It was obvious Auryn wasn’t happy with the situation. She kept hassling Daniela to go to the hospital, and Daniela kept refusing.
‘My foot is obviously not broken,’ Daniela said. ‘Why should I waste everyone’s time getting someone to confirm what we already know?’
Eventually, Auryn threw her hands up in annoyance up and went to find Leo.
Daniela waited until Auryn’s creaking footsteps reached the top of the stairs, then she got off the sofa. Putting weight on her ankle was agonising. She sucked in her breath and hopped across the room. On a side table next to the television was the landline phone.
With difficulty, Daniela settled onto the sill of the wide bay window and picked up the phone, dialling Franklyn’s number from memory.
As she listened to the dial tone, Daniela rooted in her jacket pocket and brought out the flick-knife. It was a cold, ugly weight. She closed her fingers around it, feeling a dull thrill as if the metal was electrified. Her thumb rested on the push button that would pop the blade. Her mouth was dry.
The phone rang at least ten times, and Daniela was about to hang up, but then Franklyn answered.
‘Yeah?’
‘Frankie? It’s me.’
A heavy exhalation of air. ‘Thank God. You all right, Dani?’
‘I’m fine, yeah.’ More or less. ‘You?’
‘Never mind about me. Henry said he – what happened? What did that bastard do?’
‘Nothing. He was just – I don’t know. It’s all right though. I’m okay.’
‘Listen, Dani, I’m sorry. I am so sorry you’re involved in this. It’s all my stupid fault. I never considered Henry would come after you.’ Franklyn loosed a breath. ‘I shouldn’t have gone into his shop this morning. I definitely shouldn’t’ve taken you with me.’
‘I’m not a kid. I can get myself into trouble if I want.’
‘This isn’t a game, Dani.’
‘Yeah, no fooling.’ Daniela leaned back so she could prop her bad foot on the corner of the television stand. ‘And, if it means anything, I’m sorry too. I—’
‘Christ, this isn’t your fault.’
‘I let it happen. I should’ve … should’ve done something. I shouldn’t have let him take my phone. He wouldn’t have been able to find you if it wasn’t for me.’
She heard the scratch of a lighter as Franklyn lit a cigarette. ‘Right, we can play this game later, when I’m home. For now, we draw a line under it. I’m on my way to meet Henry.’
Despite her ankle, Daniela sat up. ‘You are?’
‘What else can I do? I’ve already made the situation worse. I can’t risk any of you getting hurt.’
The hard edge in her voice unnerved Daniela. ‘I don’t know if it’s such a great idea,’ Daniela said. ‘Henry’s pretty angry. I don’t know what he’s planning.’
Franklyn laughed without humour. ‘Don’t worry. I can guess. Listen, is Steph working today?’
‘Steph? I don’t know. Yeah, I assume so.’
‘That explains why she’s not answering her phone. If you see her, get her to call me.’
Daniela blinked. ‘Sure, but—’
‘Thanks. I’ll see you later, yeah? Take it easy.’
Franklyn hung up. Daniela stared blankly out of the window. The same feeling of helplessness stole over her. She should be doing something. The idea of Franklyn going off to face Henry alone … anything could happen. Henry was crazy. He’d threatened to drown Daniela over some petty breaking-and-entering. What might he do to Franklyn?
But Franklyn could look after herself, couldn’t she? Daniela had to believe that. The alternative didn’t bear thinking about.
Daniela awoke on her bed. For a minute she couldn’t work out how she’d got there. Eventually she remembered swallowing two paracetamol and filching a bottle of whisky from the drinks cabinet to take upstairs. There’d be hell to pay when her dad realised the alcohol was missing, but Daniela didn’t care. Chances were, he’d blame Franklyn anyway.
After that, Daniela must’ve fallen asleep, although she didn’t recall doing so. She was fully dressed, sprawled on her bed with her foot propped on a pillow, the whisky bottle resting at her side. About a fifth of the bottle was gone. She’d left the tea towel full of ice on the hardwood floor, where it’d formed a sodden puddle next to her shoes.
Daniela sat up. She felt dizzy and sick, a combination of alcohol, painkillers, and sour adrenaline. It was dark in the bedroom, dark outside the window, so she must’ve been asleep for hours.
Something had woken her but she didn’t know what.
Her foot had mercifully gone numb, until Daniela swung her leg out of bed and tried putting weight on it. Then pins and needles raced up her leg and drilled into her knee. She gritted her teeth and waited for the ache to recede. It didn’t. Each time it started fading, it returned in a hot wave, fierce enough to bring tears to her eyes. She fished for the whisky bottle and took another burning gulp.
Daniela became aware of voices downstairs, muffled and indistinct. She thought she recognised Stephanie’s bass rumble. Daniela’s stomach turned. She couldn’t put off talking to Stephanie any longer.
The noise of an engine. That’s what’d woken her. In her dreams she’d heard the distinctive rattle of Stephanie’s car pulling up outside the house.
The other person downstairs raised their voice, and Daniela recognised it. She felt a wave of relief.
Bracing against the jagged pain, Daniela hobbled down the stairs to the landing. Every step was a reminder of what she owed Henry. At some point while she’d slept, Daniela’s fear – for herself, for Franklyn – had hardened into anger again. She’d dreamed about getting even.
From the landing, Daniela heard Stephanie’s voice in the kitchen. Whatever Stephanie was saying, she was angry. Her voice was low, level – a sure sign. Everyone in the house knew to start running if Stephanie spoke like that.
‘She needed to know,’ Franklyn answered. Unlike Stephanie, her anger manifested itself conventionally. She was two steps from shouting. ‘She has to get away from him. If this is what it takes …’
‘Sure. Poor, altruistic Franklyn. Just trying to do the right thing.’
Thank God, Franklyn was home. Ever since they’d spoken that afternoon Daniela had been certain something awful would happen. She padded downstairs, then through the living room to the kitchen. She peeked in.
Stephanie, in her uniform, had her back to the door. One hand rested on the handcuffs at her belt, hopefully just from habit. Franklyn sat on the kitchen table, hands on knees, shoulders hunched.
‘I know this whole shitty situation is my fault,’ Franklyn said, ‘but at least I—’ She broke off as she saw Daniela in the doorway.
Daniela’s smile died. Franklyn’s eyebrow was split, her bottom lip crusted with dried blood. When she raised her head, more
bruises peeked out from the neck of her T-shirt. Two fingers on her left hand were inexpertly splinted together.
Daniela opened her mouth but couldn’t find her voice.
‘It’s all right, Dani,’ Franklyn said in a quieter tone. ‘It’s okay now.’
‘What happened?’ Daniela managed to ask.
Stephanie snorted. ‘She got some of the stupid beat out of her. Don’t worry, there’s plenty left.’
‘I went across a road without looking,’ Franklyn said, flicking a glare at Stephanie. ‘I got clipped by a bus. My own fault.’
Stephanie scoffed.
Franklyn got down from the table. She moved slowly, carefully, as if anything more would break her. Any pain was hidden behind her mask-like expression. ‘Anyway, I spoke to Henry,’ she said. ‘That’s the important thing. He got what he wanted from me, so he’ll leave us alone.’
‘This,’ Stephanie said with a gesture, ‘looks like more than a conversation.’
‘A bus. Like I said.’ Franklyn’s smile was crooked. From her pocket she produced a mobile phone. It took Daniela a moment to recognise it as her own – the one Henry had taken.
Franklyn held it out. When Daniela reached to take it, Franklyn saw the way she hobbled on her injured leg. Her lips thinned. Daniela saw the assumption in her eyes, but said nothing to correct it.
‘I’m sorry,’ Franklyn said. ‘I can’t make up for this. But I swear it’s finished now. Henry’s got his money back. And, well …’ She rubbed the knuckles of her splinted fingers. ‘I guess we’ve reached an understanding. Nothing more will happen.’
It sounded less like reassurance and more like an order. Daniela nodded. Her hand closed tight around her phone.
Franklyn glanced at Stephanie but said nothing more, then walked out of the kitchen. A moment later the front door slammed.
Stephanie was watching Daniela. Daniela met her gaze with difficulty.
‘What did you do to your leg?’ Stephanie asked.
‘Fell.’ Even thought it was the truth, it sounded like a lie. ‘I was out in the woods and—’
‘Got clipped by a bus?’
Daniela glared at her. ‘Why’re you asking? Shouldn’t you be talking to Henry, not me?’
‘I’m on my way to see him now. But you’re here, so, want to tell me your side of things?’
Daniela took a breath. ‘I was out in the woods. Henry started following me. He wanted to know where Franklyn was. He—’ Her chest was suddenly too tight to speak. She had to swallow before she could continue. ‘He threatened to drown me if I didn’t give him my phone.’
Stephanie’s jaw went tight. She struggled to keep the anger off her face. ‘When was this?’ Her voice was quiet, dangerous.
‘This afternoon.’ Daniela glanced at the clock. It was later than she’d realised. ‘I was going to tell you when you got home—’
Stephanie nodded, her jaw still clenched. ‘And your leg?’
‘I fell. Genuinely. When I ran off.’ Daniela’s cheeks burned. She relived the shame and frustration at her reaction. Fresh tears prickled her eyes.
Again, Stephanie nodded. ‘Stay here,’ she said. ‘I’ll speak to Henry.’
It was only after the front door closed behind Stephanie that Daniela realised she should’ve told her to be careful.
23
February 2017
‘I don’t know how much you heard while you were … away.’ Leo wiped his eyes with his fingertips. ‘About me and Auryn, I mean. Things were never the same after … after you left. She wouldn’t talk to me.’
His voice held a thin undercurrent of accusation. Only to be expected. After what Daniela did she was surprised Leo would even talk to her.
‘She retreated from me.’ Leo’s eyes clouded with old pain. ‘I thought things might be different when we got to uni. It was supposed to be a clean break, for both of us. We’d talked about it so often …’ He shook his head. ‘You can never really escape, can you? It didn’t help that I was, well, I was reliant on her.’ He lifted his head to face a truth he still tried to avoid. ‘I didn’t have the money to support myself. We were supposed to be living together, helping each other. I tried to contribute, but it was never significant. And I-I assumed Auryn would always be there if I couldn’t keep afloat.’ He laughed at himself. ‘That’s no kind of life-plan – expecting someone else to bail you out. I should’ve relied on myself.’
He set down his tea and stood up, then went to a bookcase and shifted a couple of paperbacks aside.
‘Eventually we broke up,’ he said. ‘Just after Christmas that year. Well, it was ongoing really, starting before New Year and culminating near the middle of January. A long, drawn-out dying.’
From behind the books he produced a packet of cigarettes and an ashtray. He gave Daniela a sheepish smile as he came back to the sofa.
‘I told Mum I’d quit smoking,’ Leo said. ‘She never tells me when she’s coming to visit, so I hide them.’
Daniela had to laugh because it was likely she’d do the exact same thing on Monday when she got home. She’d promised she would quit for good after this weekend.
Her mouth twisted. After this weekend. If I get home.
Leo offered a cigarette to Daniela before lighting his own. The simple action made Daniela want to weep. She hadn’t realised till then how desperate she’d been for a cigarette.
‘When we broke up, I didn’t know Auryn was pregnant,’ Leo said. ‘I only found out a few weeks later. I-I didn’t know what to do.’ His expression hardened. ‘No, I knew exactly what to do. I was convinced it was the right choice, for both of us. We were at university, for God’s sake. We were already struggling. The studying was brutal. I was constantly terrified I’d fail and have to retake a year. There’s no way I could afford that. So how the hell could we afford a baby? It would’ve meant Auryn giving up her studies, giving up everything. And Auryn … we’d broken up. She didn’t want me. Why would she want our kid?’
The raw edge to his voice made something crack inside Daniela.
‘So that’s what I told her,’ Leo said. ‘I said it was her decision. After that, I didn’t ask. I pretended like it hadn’t happened.’ He hunched his shoulders under the weight of the memory. ‘We tried to remain friends, obviously, but with everything else we didn’t speak much. Eventually, after she got that job in London, we re-established contact. As friends. A few emails. I would’ve liked …’ He exhaled smoke. ‘Honest truth, I wanted her back. I loved her. I never stopped loving her. I thought we’d have time later, once everything was in the past, and I could make it up to her. We could get back together. Settle down. Start a family.’
His voice broke on the last word. Daniela squeezed her eyes shut against sudden tears.
Leo took a steadying breath. ‘Then,’ he said, ‘she emailed to say she was quitting her job and coming back to Stonecrop. I was living in Hackett, but I’d been looking at moving out.’ He gestured around the room. ‘This place became available. I took it as a sign.’
‘And you and Auryn got back together.’
Leo gave her a sharp look. ‘What makes you say that?’
Daniela was thinking of the ashtray on the bedside table at Auryn’s house. It’d seemed so out of place. Like someone else had been there.
But that was a dull, prosaic response. Instead Daniela said, ‘You loved each other. I never really believed it when I heard you’d broken up. You were always going to end up together.’
Leo’s smile was grateful but sad. ‘We didn’t get back together,’ he said. ‘Not really. We spent a lot of time with each other, but … Auryn had a rough time in London. I wanted to be there for her, as a friend.’
He shifted in his seat. The movement brought him a little closer to Daniela. Daniela concentrated on the warmth of the cup resting on her leg.
‘When did you last speak to her?’ Daniela asked.
‘It would be two days ago, I think. No, three. When the rains started, I came by to help sandbag
the house. Then she left. As far as I was aware, she was staying with friends in London.’
‘You didn’t speak to her again?’
Leo shook his head. ‘She didn’t have a mobile, not recently anyway. She said she lost it, but I think it’s more likely she turned it off because she didn’t want to talk to anyone.’
Daniela remembered the landline phone in the old house, on the windowsill with the cord wrapped around the handset. She’d assumed Auryn had disconnected it because of the flood. ‘Why’d she come back to Stonecrop?’
‘I have no idea.’ Leo wiped his eyes again. ‘She only left on Wednesday. Why would she come back? She must’ve been determined. Most of the roads were shut.’
Daniela had considered that too.
Leo let out a breath. ‘You’re right, though,’ he said. ‘She’s been in a mess for a while. Ever since your dad died, really. I think she somehow blamed herself for that.’
‘It was an accident. Nothing any of us could’ve done.’
‘I told her that. A hundred times. Auryn reckoned if she’d been there, she could’ve done something. But that’s not how the world works, is it? We can’t rely on other people to catch us.’ In an angry motion, Leo stubbed out his cigarette. ‘Auryn didn’t want to talk about your dad either. And I didn’t want to pry. That sounds so stupid, with everything that’s happened, but Auryn was adamant she could cope. It was just a bad patch. That’s what she said, “Just a bad patch”.’
‘Was she drinking too much all that time? Or did it start recently?’
Leo gave the smallest of shrugs. ‘It’s hard to say. She hid it at first. Sometimes I’d go around in the evenings and she’d be passed out on the sofa. But it wasn’t like she ceased to function. Most of the time, she probably wasn’t drinking more than the rest of us.’
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