The Worst Lie

by Shauna Bickley

  Lexie picked up her phone and wandered out into the garden. ‘Hey Mum, how are things.’

  ‘Much the same,’ said her mother with a laugh. ‘I’ve cut back the hours I’m working but I think your father’s added them to his workload.’

  ‘Wouldn’t surprise me.’

  ‘So what’s the reason for the mid-week call? Nothing wrong, I hope.’

  ‘No, things are all good here. It’s a favour. Nathan and I have the opportunity for a weekend away and I wondered if you and Dad could have the girls and Max for us.’

  ‘Give me the dates and I’ll check the calendar.’

  Lexie told her mother the dates for the weekend and while she checked she handed the phone over to Lexie’s dad.

  ‘Hi Dad, how’s crime in Winchester.’

  ‘Still making me sound like a criminal mastermind rather than someone who tries to catch them, I see.’

  ‘You know me. Working on anything interesting?’

  ‘Clearing up paperwork and a few other bits and pieces. How are the girls?’

  ‘Cheeky as ever, they must take after you, or Nathan. Surely can’t be me. This morning Fiona informed me that she’d learned enough and it must be time for the school holidays.’

  Her father laughed and Lexie heard him telling her mother.

  ‘Your mum says that weekend is fine for the girls to stay. And Max of course.’

  ‘Thanks Dad, that’s great.’

  He handed the phone back to Lexie’s mum and they chatted for a few minutes more. Lexie rang her parents, or vice versa most weekends so there wasn’t too much more news to catch up on. Her mother worked as a counsellor and was always very circumspect when talking about work. Her father would occasionally mention a case he was working on, but only in the vaguest of terms so that generally meant Lexie talked about the girls.

  ‘Where are you going for your weekend?’ asked her mother.

  ‘Little Stillford, the place with the stone circles. We’re going with Helen and Gareth.’ It seemed easier to leave it at that.

  8

  Lexie Wyatt

  Little Stillford, Wiltshire

  2018

  The drive from Nettleford to Little Stillford took longer than Lexie anticipated, partly because of the amount of weekend traffic, but mostly because Nathan took one of his famous shortcuts when he became frustrated with the long tail of cars. As soon as the car came to a halt, Lexie climbed out, stretching her arms and shoulders before striding around the hotel car park to loosen her legs. They were pulling their weekend bags out of the car boot when Gareth and Helen arrived.

  ‘Oh bloody hell. I don’t believe it. How could Eden do this to us?’ Helen stood by the passenger door, frowning, her right hand covering the base of her throat as she gazed at the hotel.

  ‘What’s the matter?’

  ‘This is where we stayed last time. It’s had a paint job and a change of name since then, but it’s the same place.’

  ‘Perhaps Eden didn’t realise that,’ said Gareth. ‘And if you think about it logically, nothing actually happened at the hotel.’ He took a breath, steeling himself for his next words. ‘Madelaine didn’t die here.’

  He put his arm around Helen and pulled her close.

  Lexie glanced at the two of them. She’d liked the look of the hotel and despite Helen’s outburst her opinion hadn’t changed.

  ‘Sorry,’ Helen muttered to the three of them. ‘I wasn’t keen on coming back to Little Stillford, and as I didn’t recognise the hotel name I thought it was somewhere else in the village.’

  ‘It’s all in the past,’ said Gareth.

  ‘Let’s get booked in and have a wander around,’ said Nathan.

  He had been researching Little Stillford and the surrounding area, and while he still wasn’t keen on the old university friends part of the weekend, he had been talking a lot about the stone circles and a nearby long barrow.

  They pushed open the front door of the hotel and went into the lobby. Helen had mentioned that previously it didn’t have a proper check-in area. That had now changed and a young woman smiled at them from behind a chest-high reception desk. They signed the registration forms and the receptionist gave them keys to rooms upstairs overlooking the gardens.

  ‘At least it’s not the same room as either Gareth or I had last time,’ said Helen.

  Nathan picked up their bags. ‘Let’s meet down here in half an hour and we can walk over to the stone circles.’

  Lexie thought that as the girls were staying with her parents for the weekend, Nathan might have wanted a bit longer in their hotel room, but he appeared eager to explore the area. He chucked his bag on the wide shelf in the corner of the room, plugged his razor into the socket in the bathroom and declared he was unpacked. Lexie inspected the room and en suite and hung up a dress she’d brought to wear for dinner while Nathan checked the view from the window and kept up a running commentary of what he’d discovered about Little Stillford’s stone circles and similar sites.

  They were downstairs twenty minutes later and although the lobby boasted a sofa and chairs as well as the cushioned window seats, they walked out into the early afternoon sunshine rather than wait under the young receptionist’s gaze. Helen and Gareth joined them a few minutes later.

  Together, they sauntered across the car park and wide lawns until they reached the woods. Lexie was relieved that the optimistic sunshine weather forecast appeared to be holding up, albeit with slightly cooler temperatures. This wasn’t the place for a wet weekend. The tree branches knitted above them, forming an archway. Helen appeared calmer than she had when they first arrived.

  They came out into a large open area dominated by the two circles. Lexie stopped as she first saw the tall stones, more impressed than she’d imagined. She’d seen pictures of them but nothing had prepared her for their stateliness and size now she stood close to them. They were rough-hewn, easily recognisable from her internet searches.

  Although tall, the stones of the outer ring towered over her by at least two feet. Nathan strode around, guidebook in hand, avidly reading all the information plaques around the circles. Lexie retreated a dozen paces to take some photos. At Stonehenge fences kept visitors away from the stones, and while she had been impressed at how they’d been moved and placed in position centuries before, she’d felt nothing more. This place was different, you could walk among the huge stones, touch their surface. A chill shimmied down her spine, causing her to shiver. She was being stupid. There was nothing weird or creepy about the place.

  She walked through the outer ring, stopping to place her hand on one of the stone sentinels. As she glanced around, she noticed the larger gaps between two of the stones. Nathan had told her they were entranceways, something to do with the solstice. Her gaze lingered on the horizontal stone. Before they left home she’d checked online again and studied the film poster with Madelaine in the white dress. Now she could imagine the scene Helen had described from the group’s last visit. Madelaine lying on the stone, her arms folded across her chest, the others, most of whom she had yet to meet, standing around.

  That particular morning Madelaine had all her life before her, including a finished film that she and Spike were sure was going to be a winner, which it was. Yet within days she was dead.

  Two young girls skipped past her, holding hands. She really had to snap out of this mood. Around her other families chatted, children ran, jumped and laughed, but she was ready to move on. She was contemplating a polite way of suggesting they walk through to the village when Eden and Hunter appeared from the direction of the hotel.

  ‘The receptionist said you’d come to see the circles. We didn’t have breakfast so we’re starving. Do you want something to eat?’

  ‘What a great idea,’ said Lexie.

  The path through the second part of the woods twisted drunkenly, criss-crossed by a myriad of other tracks made by decades of visitors. Lexie now understood what Helen had said about it being easy to lose your way in th
e dark, even though it wasn’t that far to the village. Out from the shade of the trees, there were a variety of pubs and restaurants with lawns and gardens running towards the woods. They stopped at one of the pubs that also served food, but no doubt all these places brought back memories for the group. Eden asked for an outside table large enough for the whole group, and Lexie guessed it was to make it easier for them to see and be seen when the others arrived. Fortunately the waiter seated them in a sheltered corner, but Lexie was glad she’d brought her denim jacket. Once they’d ordered drinks and something to eat, Helen mentioned the hotel.

  ‘I hadn’t realised it was the same place,’ said Eden. ‘The name didn’t ring a bell, and while I knew it was around here I thought it was a different hotel.’

  Helen nodded, appearing satisfied with the answer, but Lexie watched Eden out of the corner of her eye. A complacent expression flickered across Eden’s face and was gone. Lexie wasn’t so sure she had told the truth.

  ‘Eden, Gareth, Helen. What a wonderful day for our reunion. You all look amazing.’

  Lexie recognised Spike from internet photos of him taken at premieres of his films. He was around five-ten and not conventionally handsome. Each feature, taken individually, was satisfactory – the wide mouth with his smile showing Hollywood white teeth, straight nose and brown hair, the style short and creatively messy with product – but together they were less than the separate parts. However, he had an undeniable charisma that had nothing to do with either looks or height.

  Spike sat on one of the empty chairs at the table, smoothing down his white cotton shirt and fashionably distressed denims. ‘And some new friends as well.’

  Eden briefly covered the introductions.

  Spike leaned back, resting a foot on the opposite knee, looking every inch the relaxed raconteur. ‘My father wasn’t the greatest parent, other than making plenty of money, but he told me two things I’ve always remembered. The first is that a snowball fight is the best way to make new friends. Personally, I always doubted that and thought it was his way of trying to get me out of the house, and it’s not really applicable for the current weather. The second was that we don’t meet people by accident, they cross our path for a reason. Here’s to new friends and good reasons.’

  Coming from anyone else the comment might have sounded pretentious but Spike’s easy smile and charm made it appear natural. He inhabited a world of writing and quotations, and Lexie gained the impression that he dealt with new acquaintances as if they were the audience in a chat show of which he was the star.

  Spike quickly caught up with Helen and Gareth’s latest activities. He knew Hunter, and Lexie guessed that he and Eden met up more often than she’d admitted.

  ‘How are things with you, Spike?’ asked Gareth.

  ‘Tolerable.’

  Eden pulled a face and shook her head like a mother tutting over her wayward child. Spike gave her a quick glance from under long eyelashes and grinned.

  ‘Things are fine. We’ve finished final editing on the current film but I’ve hit a bit of a blank with the latest script. Eden’s invitation here was like manna from heaven. I’m sure meeting up with all my old friends, and some new ones, will feed the creative juices.’

  ‘Who’s in the film you just finished?’ asked Gareth

  ‘I was lucky enough that Leonardo DiCaprio loved the script and signed up.’ Spike’s grin and his tone indicated that luck had nothing to do with it and he expected A-listers to appear in his films.

  ‘What’s it about?’ Lexie couldn’t help the question.

  Spike’s eyes sparkled. ‘It’s a time travel mystery. Leo’s character is an archaeologist. He picks up an ancient piece of jewellery in a souk and after research discovers it has links with the Nabataeans.’ He stopped and glanced round, waiting for someone to speak.

  ‘Go on,’ said Gareth. ‘I’ll ask the obvious question. Who are or were the Nabataeans?’

  ‘A nomadic people, but one of their settlements we know today as Petra. Leo travels there and in the ancient buildings of the city he discovers a hidden sealed entrance bearing the same image of a beautiful woman that is engraved on the necklace.’

  ‘Even though the buildings in Petra don’t have any carvings and those people weren’t necessarily known for their jewellery.’ A mocking smile played around Eden’s lips.

  ‘How come you know so much about the Nabataeans and Petra?’ Gareth asked Eden.

  ‘I don’t, I just wanted to see Spike squirm if he thought he’d got it wrong.’

  ‘I don’t do squirming, and why let small things like facts spoil a good story. Petra is a fabulous setting and the Siq was amazing for our chase scene. As Leo said while we were filming, if it’s good enough for Indiana Jones, it’s good enough for us.’

  Spike talked more about the plot, making them laugh as he described the cast and cameramen running for cover during a minor dust storm, and shared a few drunken exploits from the last night party in London. He was an interviewer’s dream guest: intelligent and sharply witty, although the biting sense of humour wouldn’t be pleasant if you were the target. While it wasn’t a secret that he was gay he managed to keep most of his personal life relatively private, given his high profile that was quite a feat.

  With Spike’s arrival, Gareth became more of the man Lexie sensed from the photos. His shoulders relaxed and he initiated tales and laughter in the reminiscing stories of university: rugby games, cramming for exams and the parties.

  Nathan joined in with some of his university memories while Lexie sat back and observed the interactions. She looked forward to meeting the rest of the group. Hunter was quiet and she pondered whether he felt a little out of place due to his age. As she watched him from behind her sunglasses, she noticed a flash of surprise and then annoyance cross his face as he looked towards the woods.

  ‘Laurence, over here.’ Eden stood and waved. The man gestured that he’d seen them and spoke to the young woman next to him who Lexie assumed was his girlfriend. According to Eden, Hunter hadn’t met any of the group before, but judging by that fleeting expression, Hunter knew Laurence.

  Laurence gave Eden a big hug and introduced his girlfriend, Xena Walsh, to the group. What was it with this group and their young partners? Laurence was barely recognisable from the photo. The smooth farm boy face now had noticeable wrinkles radiating from his eyes and frown creases across his forehead. His skin was looser, giving his face a smudged look as if the artist’s hand had shaken slightly on the canvas. His white-blond hair had darkened and he sported an expensively fashionable hairstyle which didn’t quite hide his receding hairline.

  Lexie guessed his girlfriend was a decade younger. She wore ankle boots with black jeggings, and a mandarin collar apricot silk top which complemented the colour of her hair and contrasted the bright blue chunky bracelet and earrings. Her hair was cut in a long, sleek bob. Xena smiled at everyone as Eden, once again, did the introductions. Hunter displayed no knowledge of either of them as he was introduced.

  Xena was an interesting name, but young though she was, surely she was a little too old for her parents to have named her after the warrior princess. Laurence plonked himself down at the end of the table with Xena on his left, next to Lexie, but he immediately turned to talk to Gareth. Lexie didn’t want Xena to feel left out as this was presumably the first time she had met any of them.

  ‘We’re friends of Gareth and Helen, but we don’t really know any of the others,’ she said. ‘Did you have far to come today?’

  ‘From north London.’

  ‘Have you been dating Laurence long?’ Lexie hoped the question sounded light and friendly rather than interrogative.

  ‘No, just a month or so.’

  ‘What type of work do you do?’

  ‘Graphic design for a marketing company.’

  Xena’s tone was friendly, but she didn’t make the conversation easy.

  ‘Computers, I guess, rather than drawing?’

  Xena gave a n
od in answer. Lexie sighed inwardly and searched for a new topic, but perhaps realising her answers were a little brusque, Xena volunteered more information.

  ‘Laurence is the real techie. I’m good with the design and drawing software programs I use, but other than that I don’t have any interest in them.’

  ‘About the same for me, that I use them for work, I mean.’

  Lexie was relieved when Spike raised his voice a little and spoke across the table to Eden.

  ‘I assume Mitch and Renelle are coming?’ His smile to Eden spoke volumes for the depth of their friendship.

  ‘Well, I guess it wouldn’t be the same without them here, and I couldn’t invite one without the other.’

  ‘That’s true, but out of interest, which one would you leave out if you could?’

  Gareth gave an exaggerated sigh and Spike grinned. ‘Don’t worry. I’m all for a relaxing weekend with friends old and new. I’ve got enough trouble with my next script without creating more, and speaking of the devil, look who’s just appeared like woodland nymphs.’

  Eden gave a snort, presumably at Spike’s comment, but waved at the couple who stood, hand in hand, looking around as Laurence had done minutes before. She sauntered over to meet them, closely followed by Gareth and Helen.

  Eden gave Mitch a light kiss on his cheek and exchanged an air kiss with Renelle, but Renelle’s body language softened noticeably when she hugged Helen and Gareth.

  Lexie was fascinated by Spike, partly because of the people he knew and worked with, and was happy to talk about, but mostly because of his personality. However, Mitch and Renelle were the couple she’d been longing to meet since she first found out about the group. She still wasn’t sure of the reason for her interest. There was the antipathy Eden had shown when talking about Renelle, which wasn’t shared by Helen, and the dreadful way Renelle had been forced to leave Bristol University. Terrible if she’d been innocent, and harsh even if she hadn’t, judging from the comments of the others about the lecturer.

  Mitch was good-looking in a world-weary sort of way. Dark hair curled over the collar of his open-necked shirt, and his tanned colouring would always give the impression he’d been away on holiday. Lexie was interested to see that while Renelle’s career was in film and theatre make-up, she went for the less-is-more approach with no discernible foundation and the lightest touch of eyeliner and mascara. Her long, dark hair was pulled up into a loose knot with tendrils framing her face. The kind of hairstyle that looked casual but probably took ages to get right. Lexie mentally gave herself a slap on the wrist for the last uncharitable thought, because her curls never did anything easily even with loads of product to tame them.