‘Why did you tell me about that set of events? Do you think it had anything to do with Madelaine’s death?’
‘No, not particularly. I haven’t thought about Renelle in a long time. We never kept in touch.’
‘So why those incidents?’
Eden took another sip of water from her bottle, giving herself time to answer. ‘When you look back, a lot of stuff blurs together and you end up with composite memories. Those few weeks are a clear memory of how we were. I guess because they were so dramatic, but definitely not pretty. Out of all the happenings in your life, it’s only when you look back that you recognise the life-changing moments. You have an idea of things you think will be momentous, but often it’s the events or conversations that appear insignificant at the time that tip the fine balance of life and death.’
Even for a writer, the comments sounded wordy and rehearsed. Life-changing for Renelle certainly, but Eden?
‘As you chose to tell me about that specific time, you must think it important?’
‘Important, yes, but I can’t imagine that any of it is a reason for murder. I simply attempted to show you the group without hiding any of the less pleasant characteristics.’
Lexie stretched out her legs. The events were certainly significant for Renelle. She hated to think how she’d have reacted to leaving university in such a way, explaining it to her parents. But beneath that she was shocked at Eden’s dispassionate tone when talking about Renelle. True, the events happened years ago, but Eden showed more emotion when talking about Spike being accused of writing the letter, of setting up the whole thing.
‘I’ve known Helen and Gareth for just over two years, but I’ve never met any of the others. Sum up each of them briefly for me. Use your journalistic skills. Be objective, bad qualities as well as good.’
‘My mother and Madelaine’s were best friends. No one knew me better than Mads. She was the kindest, most generous person I’ve ever met and passionate about being the best actress she could be.’
Lexie was about to interrupt, but Eden nodded that she understood and carried on talking.
‘Madelaine was naive. That’s probably the worst thing anyone could say about her. She believed the best of everyone and would do anything to avoid confrontation.’ Eden tapped her top lip with her forefinger. ‘Spike is witty and smart and very talented. On the flip side, he cares more about those things than people. He isn’t bothered if something he says hurts someone. Laurence…’ Eden paused, her forehead creased in a frown. ‘If I’m honest, I always thought of Laurence as a bit of a nonentity. He’s pleasant, hard to dislike. I always thought he hung around with us at university because he and Gareth played together on the rugby team.’
‘Helen and Gareth?’ asked Lexie.
‘At university, Gareth was the captain of the rugby team. They were pretty successful so he had a certain amount of celebrity around the campus.’ She shrugged. ‘Moving out of London was the biggest mistake career-wise. If he’d stayed, he’d be a top consultant with a multi-national now. Helen was always quiet. Another Laurence. She never said much, stayed on the periphery of the group. I think living somewhere like this was probably her idea.’ Eden glanced at Lexie, raising her eyebrows as if expecting a retort. Lexie kept her annoyance in check. She had asked Eden to be honest.
‘Mitch,’ said Eden. ‘What can I say? We met at a party and started going out together. I didn’t think we would last long, but somehow we did. He was serious about studying, good-looking, and there were always girls giving him the eye. He noticed, but never did anything about it. He didn’t like Spike and always rushed to Renelle’s defence.’
‘You haven’t mentioned yourself.’
‘You trust me to be objective about myself?’ Eden didn’t give Lexie a chance to reply. ‘I’m loyal to my friends, passionate about my work, but I don’t suffer fools gladly. If someone annoys me I usually let them know.’
They sat in silence for a moment, Lexie trying to tie this assessment to the events that Eden had recounted and the faces from the photo.
‘I can do better than telling you about us years ago.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘I’m planning a get-together for the group. I’ve been in touch with everyone and I’m arranging a weekend away. If you and Nathan come, then you can meet them.’
‘Wouldn’t the others find it a bit odd if we turn up?’
Eden crossed her legs and tucked one sneakered foot behind the other. ‘Hunter’s coming,’ she mused, ‘and he’s only met Helen and Gareth, and Spike briefly. Laurence said he’d bring his latest girlfriend and I don’t think any of the group has met her.’ She paused, her glance roaming around the park taking in the lake, the children’s swings and slide, and neatly planted gardens. ‘Of course, why didn’t I think of it before. If anyone asks, besides saying that you’re friends of Gareth and Helen, we can use the interview as an excuse and say that weekend is the only time that works for both of us. But they won’t be bothered.’
‘Are you sure?’
‘Yes, I’m sure, no one will make a big deal of it.’
Lexie thought over the conversation. ‘You really do believe that Madelaine was murdered?’
‘Definitely.’
‘Let me know the date and I’ll give my parents a call to see if they’re free that weekend to look after our daughters.’
‘Good, I’m glad you want to come. I think we can work together well,’ said Eden. She turned a little, once again staring towards the lake, ducks jostling for position as young children threw scraps of bread on the ground. ‘Just before we finished university, we all went out one night to celebrate finishing final exams and taking the big step into being fully-fledged adults. People say school days are the best of your life, and I guess that includes university, but I never agreed. That night we celebrated, I truly believed my life was finally beginning.’ Eden’s lips twitched but didn’t quite form a smile. ‘The naivety of youth.’
‘But Renelle had left Bristol University a long time before that?’
‘Yes. I felt sorry for her if she was innocent, but I wasn’t entirely convinced. I realised getting chucked out was a big deal, but looking back I don’t think I accepted how big a deal. In my head it was more like she’d decided she couldn’t hack the course she was doing and decided to change. Perhaps it made everything easier to accept. The flat was a more relaxed place without her.’
Lexie wondered who was to blame for that, or if it was simply a clash of personalities. She glanced at her watch. ‘I need to get going to pick up the girls from school.’
Lexie gathered up her stuff and threw it on the passenger seat of her car. As she waited at the end of the road for a break in the traffic, she glanced in her rear-view mirror and saw Eden driving out of the car park. Strange, Eden had told her she’d come to the park to go for a run. So their meeting and conversation wasn’t the coincidence Eden had feigned.
Lexie woke and checked the time, ten minutes until she needed to get up. Thoughts flicked through her mind: the photo of the group and the little she’d gleaned about the friends, Eden’s assertion that Madelaine had been murdered, and Helen’s edginess since Eden’s arrival. Try as she did she couldn’t come up with any insights. Nathan’s alarm went off, and she swung her legs over the edge of the bed. Time for “mummy mode”.
As she made up the school lunch boxes, Tilly thrust the kitchen door open so it hit the door stopper and bounded back. ‘Mummy, I don’t feel well. I think I’m above the weather.’
Lexie smiled at Tilly’s misinterpretation. ‘Come here and let me see.’ She inspected Tilly’s face and checked her temperature. ‘You look okay to me and you’re not hot.’
‘But I might be sick if I go to school.’
‘I think you’ll be fine once you’re there with Rachel.’
Nathan wandered into the kitchen and pulled his here we go again expression. Generally Tilly loved school and couldn’t wait to get there and play with her friends, but occasionally s
he tried on the feeling sick trick.
‘Rachel would miss you if you weren’t in class,’ he said.
‘But Daddy, what if I’m very, very sick and I die while I’m at school ’cos mummy and you won’t let me stay home?’
Nathan gave a big, pretend sigh. ‘We’d be really, really upset, but we’d get over it.’
‘Da-ad.’ Tilly gave him one of her dirty looks and flounced out of the kitchen.
‘Tell Ruth and Fiona they need to get a move on,’ Lexie yelled after her.
Soon afterwards, the twins came in tugging a dress between them that they both wanted to wear. Lexie took it off them before they ripped it and, for once, was pleased to find a juice stain on it.
‘Put the dress in the dirty laundry basket and both of you go and find something else to wear.’ Honestly, running the United Nations or the EU would be nothing compared to getting a family out of the house in the morning.
The twins went back to their bedroom, shoving each other as they left the kitchen. Lexie pretended not to notice, sometimes it was easier that way. Eventually they were all ready, and, oh joy, today it was Nathan’s turn to drop them off at school.
During the recent house renovations, the builders’ rubbish skip in the garden had seemed to be a permanent feature. Now they’d removed it, Lexie wanted to get some plants and shrubs to try and repair the damage and make the garden more appealing. She’d mentioned this to Helen the previous afternoon and they arranged to meet at the garden centre at ten. They wandered around the aisles of shrubs and Lexie chose two azaleas, a rhododendron and a camellia. By the time she finished checking through the summer bedding plants for her ceramic tubs, the trolley was full. It was only then she realised that Helen’s was empty.
‘Aren’t you buying anything?’
Helen shrugged in a weary fashion, as if even this task was too much for her at the moment.
‘D’you fancy a drink at the café here?’
‘Sounds good.’
There was a queue at the counter waiting to order, but eventually they were seated at a table overlooking the fruit trees and bushes.
‘Eden’s talking about a weekend reunion with the others from uni,’ said Helen, showing a decided lack of enthusiasm. The worry lines creasing her skin were new and her nails were chewed painfully short. Eden or someone else in this group was causing her far too much distress.
‘I bumped into Eden yesterday in the park and she mentioned it.’ Lexie paused, not sure how Helen might react to Eden’s invitation. ‘She asked if Nathan and I would like to go.’
‘And there’s Eden’s arrogance shining through, as if they’re somehow special and you should be honoured just being asked to join them. I mean, why on earth would anyone want to join a group of strangers for a weekend?’
‘She did mention doing the interview there.’
‘But you’ll have plenty of time to do that while she’s here.’
‘I did say yes to the invite, but I can tell her that Mum can’t have the children for the weekend if you don’t want us there. I haven’t asked her yet if they’re free.’
‘It’s not that. I’d love you and Nathan to be there. It’s the only thing that would make the weekend bearable, but they’re strangers to you. Why would you want to go?’
‘I want to help you and I hoped it might ease some of the pressure if Nathan and I were there. I know you weren’t happy about Eden coming here, and I guessed you wouldn’t be too keen on this weekend.’
‘That’s really kind of you to give up a weekend.’
‘I’m not being completely altruistic about this. If Mum and Dad can have the children then we get a weekend away. And I must admit I’m quite keen on meeting these people. They sound rather exotic compared to my university friends.’
‘Exotic!’ Helen choked on her drink and coughed for a few minutes before being able to talk again. ‘They’re anything but that.’
‘Think of it as a few days away without the children.’
‘Rachel and Jake are easier to deal with and even on their worst days they’re better behaved.’
Lexie hoped that was a bit of an exaggeration on Helen’s part. ‘What aren’t you looking forward to about the weekend?’
Since the conversation with Eden, she had pondered over whether to tell Helen why Eden was in Nettleford. She didn’t like keeping this kind of secret from her friend. However, there were several reasons why she decided not to confide in Helen. If she told her, Lexie wasn’t sure what Helen would do. Confronting Eden and turning her out of their rental house might be the least of it, and Eden certainly wouldn’t share anything more with her. Lexie couldn’t believe that her friends were capable of murder, but they were part of the group that Eden considered suspects and therefore they shouldn’t be told more than any of the others. If she thought, or found out, that Eden had told anyone else in the group then she would tell Helen and Gareth what Eden suspected.
Helen chewed on what was left of her thumbnail, her gaze flitting around the garden centre. ‘The group dynamics were bad enough back then, I dread to think what they’ll be like now.’
‘But that was years ago, everyone’s grown up since then.’
‘You’d hope so.’
‘What else is worrying you? I think it’s more than simply Eden visiting Nettleford.’ Lexie ventured the question that had been on her mind.
Helen picked up her cup and then set it down again without taking a drink. She sighed before talking, almost to herself. ‘When we get together things happen. I can’t really explain it, but it’s not healthy.’
‘What things?’
‘For the weekend away, Eden has booked a hotel in Little Stillford. You might have heard of it. There are two ancient stone circles near the village. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a lovely place. We spent a weekend there years ago. The trouble was it didn’t end well.’
‘You had arguments? A fight? I don’t understand.’
‘Yes, there were arguments and at times I thought the weekend would end up in a fight. Spike enjoyed needling people. Often it felt like he wasn’t happy unless he was being snippy to someone. We don’t see him often, but I don’t think he’s changed much.’
‘Was he like that with everyone, or was it a select few?’
Helen managed a listless smile at the way Lexie phrased the question. ‘He was like it with a lot of people, especially some of the staff at university if he didn’t consider them talented. Within the group, Renelle was mostly the target.’
Lexie had guessed as much from what Eden had told her.
Helen toyed with the serviette that had come with the coffee. ‘The only person Spike ever listened to was Eden, but she didn’t like Renelle so never tried stopping him. Madelaine would intervene, but while Spike liked her, it didn’t stop him. Gareth and Laurence would change the subject and try easing things, but Mitch was usually the one who’d stand up to Spike. There were so many times when I thought they’d end up fighting. Needless to say, Eden didn’t like Mitch speaking up for Renelle, so there was more friction.’
‘None of that makes for a wonderful weekend, but you haven’t told me why the trip was so awful and why it didn’t end well.’
‘Madelaine was found dead the following week. I’m sure the reason she died was something to do with that weekend.’
‘So what happened?’
6
Helen Ford
Little Stillford, Wiltshire
11 years earlier
Helen dropped the small travel bag on the floor near her front door and wandered back into the living room. Even though she’d taken her time packing, she was still ready way too early so she sat on a chair next to the window to watch for Gareth and Madelaine.
Since they’d left university, the group hadn’t been able to meet up often, hence someone’s suggestion of a weekend away. Now she was ensnared in the adult world of work, performance standards and deadlines, her brain settled on the fun memories of university, forgetting assig
nments and exams.
Helen now taught in a private school. The salary was better than her previous job and allowed her to rent this tiny flat rather than share. While smaller than the previous rentals, she luxuriated in the peace and knowing that when she returned everything would be exactly the same as she had left it.
She’d been out with Gareth and Madelaine twice in the past six months; on the second occasion Eden and Mitch were also there. They had moved to London from Manchester when Eden found a job as a lowly something or other with the BBC after breaking a life insurance fraud story.
When he arrived, Gareth double-parked outside her flat as there were no free spaces and Helen waved to let them know she’d seen them. Madelaine leapt out of the car and they hugged.
‘Belated happy birthday for Thursday. Did you do anything special?’ Helen dropped her bag in the boot of the car.
‘I managed to get back to London as I finished filming all my scenes at the beginning of the week. Gareth and I went to a show and then dinner, but I’m looking forward to this trip. It’ll be so good for us all to be together.’
‘I’ve never been to Little Stillford.’
‘It’s so quaint. You’ll love it. We’re staying at a small place that calls itself a hotel, just a few minutes’ walk from the stone circles. Some of the film is set there.’ Madelaine’s excitement was obvious.
Gareth indicated and pulled away from Helen’s flat.
‘We’re going to pick up Renelle.’ An apologetic expression flitted across Madelaine’s face. ‘I guess Eden won’t be pleased that I invited her, nor Spike, but it didn’t seem right to have this weekend reunion without asking her.’
Helen didn’t know Renelle well, having only met her briefly before but she agreed with Madelaine’s reasoning. After all, she wouldn’t want to be left out of an invitation.
Gareth glanced away from the road. ‘Renelle has a hard, scratchy exterior and doesn’t let people in easily, but she had a rough deal at uni.’
‘That would certainly make it difficult for her to trust people.’
The Worst Lie Page 5
