by Dan Scottow
‘Uh huh.’
‘She had it removed not long ago. When I got back, red paint had been poured over the floor. I think… I mean… I’m pretty sure she’s done it herself.’
Silence from the end of the line.
‘Maybe you should come and visit her. See what you think? You know her much better than I do. She’s seen the doctor, but perhaps she needs a friend?’
‘Right,’ Lucy hears tapping, ‘this isn’t good. Has she been painting at all?’
‘Not to my knowledge. But I don’t know what she does when I’m not here.’
More exhaling. Lucy can almost see the plumes of smoke.
‘I’ll come tomorrow. It won’t be until about five or six; I’ve got a thing in the morning. But I’ll come after.’
‘That’s great, I appreciate it.’
The woman hangs up without saying goodbye.
Lucy places the receiver down and slips the card away, heading upstairs.
62
Lucy
The hum of the boat arriving outside draws Lucy’s attention to the window. She’s seen him a few times since he rejected her; assured him everything is fine, but she can’t help thinking things feel awkward. She needs to keep him onside so she can figure out why he was lingering outside the courthouse at Kernick’s trial.
It doesn’t help that the only way to speak is on the landline, which inevitably Diana usually answers.
It’s madness that in this day and age there are places with no signal.
Shaking her head, she steps out into the garden, pulling the door shut behind her.
He’s still on the boat, fiddling with something. She suspects he’s procrastinating. Eventually he steps ashore, trudging across the lawn towards her.
‘Hi!’ he shouts.
She nods, aware that her behaviour must seem odd to him; not inviting him inside. But she doesn’t want him to come into the cottage, doesn’t want to risk him seeing the red at the bottom of the stairs.
He hands her the pile. She glances down at it, shuffling through. Opening the door, she leans inside, placing the letters for Diana onto the worktop, holding her own parcel.
‘How’s things?’ he asks, with what comes across as forced cheerfulness.
She shakes her head.
‘Okay, I guess.’
He gazes over her shoulder. She turns to see Diana is approaching behind her from the hallway. The door swings open.
‘Mylo, hello, my dear!’
She’s beaming. She looks better today. Hair tidily braided down her back as usual. Speech is less slurred. It’s a vast improvement.
‘Hello, Diana.’ He attempts to smile. ‘How are you feeling now?’
She averts her eyes, cheeks flush.
‘Yes, I’m… better. Thank you.’
Lucy wishes he had not mentioned anything, pretended the weirdness from the other day hadn’t happened. They stand, three people in an awkward silence, for a few moments, none of them quite knowing what to do. Afraid to say the wrong thing.
‘Anyway, I guess I should be going. Loads of deliveries to do. Diana, I notice there isn’t a grocery order in for Willow Cottage this week… do you need anything?’
She looks at Lucy, blinking a few times.
‘It’s fine, Mylo,’ Lucy says. ‘We’ve still got plenty. We’ll get one in for next week. I can make do.’
‘If you’re sure?’
She nods. Mylo turns, heading towards the boat. He spins round, halfway.
‘Lucy, are you free after lunch? It’s such a nice day, would be a shame to waste it.’
She looks at the older woman, whose jaw clenches.
She hesitates, but Diana’s demeanour pisses her off.
‘Yes. Yes, I am. What were you thinking?’
‘A walk? I’ll come back about one, and we can take it from there?’
‘Perfect!’ she says, and for the first time that day, she smiles a real smile. She feels like a weight has been lifted from her shoulders, and her and Mylo are friends again. She has a habit of overthinking things. Convincing herself of one thing, when another thing altogether is actually happening. She wants to trust Mylo; doesn’t want to believe he had anything to do with Claire’s death, and in order to do that, she has to spend more time with him. Without Diana spying on their every move and word.
Diana shoots daggers at him as he turns away.
Screw her, Lucy thinks, as Mylo leaps onto his boat, the spring suddenly back in his step.
Slightly nervous about being alone with him, she shakes the thought away, hurrying inside to prepare some lunch for Richard before Mylo returns for their date.
Diana follows her inside, shooting her an icy glare. Lucy tries to ignore her, but she begins banging cupboard doors obstinately.
‘We’re just friends, you know,’ she says casually, without even glancing at the woman.
She seems surprised.
‘Mylo and I. There’s nothing going on there. We get on. We enjoy each other’s company. He’s still very much in love with Rose.’
Diana stares at her, indignantly.
‘I never said–’
‘No, I know you didn’t. But I’m telling you. I don’t want anything to put a strain on our working relationship. And I get the feeling you’re not happy with me seeing him. So I thought I’d set the record straight.’
She can tell the woman doesn’t believe her, her eyes narrow, as she purses her lips.
‘It’s not that I don’t find him attractive. But he’s not interested,’ Lucy continues.
A flicker of a smile dances over Diana’s face; gone in a split second, but Lucy sees it regardless.
That’s what you get for trying to be kind, she thinks.
‘I’m sorry,’ Diana says finally. But Lucy can tell from her tone that she is anything but. She sounds… triumphant.
‘It’s fine. I didn’t come here looking to meet someone. Believe me when I say, a relationship is the last thing I need right now. I came here to work. And to forget about men.’
She isn’t lying. Her last relationship left her with mental scars that she suspects will never heal. She crosses to the laundry room and emerges with a bottle of bleach. Diana watches as she heads out to the hall, following behind inquisitively.
‘What are you doing?’
Lucy kneels, twisting the cap from the container, and pours the viscous liquid all over the floor. She trots back into the kitchen, retrieving the mop, swirling the bleach around the wood.
‘There. See if that helps at all. Have you eaten today?’
Diana shakes her head, grimacing.
‘I’ll make you a sandwich while I’m doing Richard’s. It’s important that you eat. When did you say your appointment is?’
She looks confused.
‘With the doctor? For blood tests. You phoned the other day.’
Her eyes widen.
‘Oh, I forget, I’ve written it down somewhere. In my diary, probably. I’m feeling much better now anyway. I don’t think there’s any need to waste his time.’ She shrugs.
Lucy raises her eyebrows, breathing out an exasperated sigh. She steps, crablike, over the wet patch, heading back to the kitchen to prepare lunch.
63
Lucy
The kitchen door swings open almost as soon as Mylo cuts the engine. As he steps from the boat, Lucy comes bounding across the lawn, all perfect teeth and smiles.
‘Afternoon!’ he calls as she approaches.
She plants a huge kiss on his cheek. His face flushes, and he looks away.
‘Where are you taking me then?’ she asks playfully. She doesn’t want to come on too strong, but she needs him to trust her, so that she can try to get him to open up. A little flirting wouldn’t hurt.
‘Let’s walk and see where we end up.’
She nods but doesn’t say anything. They head towards the treeline. As they stroll from the cottage, she glances over her shoulder, seeing a shadowy figure looming in the window.
/> They clamber through the woods without speaking at first, Mylo taking the lead. He’s diverged from the path, opting for an off-piste adventure. Lucy follows obligingly, but the trepidation she feels about being alone and isolated with him doesn’t dissipate. She tells herself she’s being ridiculous.
The air is warm, and the scent of wild flowers lingers. The foliage and undergrowth are wet from recent rain, the ground soft. Patches of mud squelch underfoot as they trek. He glances behind, waiting for Lucy to catch up. Beads of sweat are forming on her brow. Eventually, he speaks.
‘How are things? You know… with… her.’
Lucy sighs, shaking her head.
‘I’m not sure. Honestly, I thought she was improving. But it’s a case of one step forward and two steps back.’
Mylo nods sympathetically.
‘Have there been any further… episodes?’
She hesitates.
‘No.’
She pushes past him, speeding up, heading up a mound.
‘Come on, I’ll race you!’ she calls as she dashes away.
He sniffs, pausing for a second, before following her up the hill. There’s a small clearing at the crest. Huge lumps of quartz break through the soil, jutting into the air. Lucy climbs onto one. Scaling it quickly, she perches on the top. Mylo joins her, sitting. He sniffs again.
‘Are you wearing perfume?’ he asks.
She shakes her head, pulling a bottle of water from her bag. She unscrews the top, taking a gulp, before offering it to him. He does the same and hands it back.
‘Strange. I got a whiff of it a moment ago… and then again now as I sat beside you.’
She shrugs, chewing her bottom lip.
‘I don’t wear perfume. Soap maybe?’
He glances out into the trees. Pulling a lump of moss from the rock beneath him, he balls it up in his fist, throwing it out as far as he can.
‘Was she okay about you coming out with me?’
‘Do we have to talk about her? I am with her all the bloody time. It would be nice to forget about her for a while… when I’m not having to look after her.’
He looks down at the ground, before flicking his gaze up to her face.
‘Are we… all right?’ he asks sheepishly.
She stares him in the eye.
‘Yes, we’re all right, Mylo. I’m a big girl… I’ve been turned down before.’
His face colours as he fidgets awkwardly beside her. She punches his shoulder.
‘It’s fine. I totally understand. Don’t worry. It’s your loss!’
She squeezes his thigh.
‘I’m sorry if you thought I was short with you the other day when we were dealing with Diana. It was my nursing history kicking in. I didn’t mean to upset you. I was trying to get the situation under control. That was all.’
‘No need to be sorry. You were amazing. I was terrified. It was… disturbing.’
She nods.
‘I can understand how it would be scary if you’ve not seen anything like that before. Unfortunately, I’ve witnessed many psychotic episodes. With the cocktail of drugs she’s on, mixed with alcohol… it was only a matter of time before it happened.’
‘What did the doctor say?’
‘He told her to make an appointment to go in for some blood tests. She pretended that everything was fine, so I had a quiet word as he was leaving. Let him know that she’d been a bit off lately, so he’s doing what he can. She said she phoned in… but something tells me she’s lying.’
She lets out a slow breath through her nostrils, glancing down at the grass beneath them.
‘If she won’t do anything to help herself, there’s only so much you can do. You were awesome the other night. She owes you a lot.’
Lucy swats at the air dismissively with her hand. They sit a while without speaking. She wants to ask him about the photograph, but she isn’t sure how.
‘Diana was telling me that you knew her daughter,’ she says, without looking at him. Trying to sound breezy, as if it’s unimportant.
He stiffens. She glances at him.
‘Yes. I knew Claire,’ he finally says softly.
‘It was a terrible thing that happened to her. So sad. And you were a couple at one point?’
He nods, clearly uncomfortable with the conversation. But Lucy has never been one to shy away from awkward things that need to be said.
‘Did you see her before she was killed?’
Mylo shrugs.
‘No. I mean… we were barely out of our teens when I knew her. It was years before.’
‘Oh… right,’ Lucy replies, hoping he picks up on the doubt in her voice.
He turns to her.
‘Why do you say it like that?’
‘It was just that Diana mentioned you were at Christopher Kernick’s trial.’
His eyes widen. A drop of sweat builds on his brow, before trickling down the side of his temple.
‘Right. Yes… I was. I… didn’t realise she’d seen me actually. I never spoke to her there. I read about Claire in the paper… and I wanted to be there. To see him go down. That man… he was a monster. I had a lot of affection for Claire. She was a wonderful girl. And we did stay in touch after we split up. So… you know… I felt I should be there.’
Lucy nods. It makes sense. If a friend of hers had been murdered, she would probably want to be at the trial.
‘Funny though… don’t you think?’
Mylo cocks his head, narrowing his eyes questioningly.
‘That you ended up back here, and Diana did too, all these years later. And that you ended up with Rose. Small world.’
He clears his throat, wiping his forehead with the palm of his hand.
‘Yeah, I suppose. I moved back after my father’s death… to help my mother with the shop and stuff. I had no idea Diana was here until the first time I had to deliver her groceries. We were both very surprised to say the least. It was pure coincidence.’
‘Hmm…’ Lucy says airily.
He goes to speak again, but she holds her finger to her lips. He narrows his eyes questioningly.
‘Do you hear that?’
He leans his head to one side.
‘Running water!’ she says excitedly. ‘We must be near a stream. Come on!’ She hops down from the top of the rock, landing below him, before dashing off into the trees. He follows obediently, catching up with her a few metres away. She’s crouching by a rocky bed. The sound of a stream babbling over pebbles is louder now.
‘Look at this!’ she calls to him. ‘Have you ever seen anything so pretty?’
As he nears, he sees she is knelt beside a clump of spiky green leaves, throwing beautiful pink blooms on tall stems into the air.
‘Is it some kind of orchid?’ she asks, picking a stem, holding it to her nose and inhaling.
Mylo shakes his head.
‘No. It’s Himalayan balsam. It is lovely, but it’s a highly invasive species. Kills off a lot of our native wild plants and flowers.’
Lucy’s face crumples, like a child who’s been told that Father Christmas isn’t real.
‘Oh. That’s a pity. It looks so lovely.’
‘It also contributes to localised flooding. It dies off in the autumn and winter, and the petals and leaves clog up the waterways. Not a great species. We’re trying to control it but it’s almost impossible.’
Lucy stands up, tucking the blossom into her rucksack.
‘I like it. We brought it here, I assume?’
He nods.
‘Well there you go. It’s our own crime. We’re so quick to blame things when it isn’t their fault at all.’
‘You have an interesting view of the world,’ he says through a broad smile.
She wanders away from the stream.
‘I try not to judge. Things, people, plants… I think nothing in life is black and white. Good people sometimes do bad things, and vice versa. We’re so quick to say oh that is awful. But take this flower, for example. Real
ly, the plant isn’t doing anything wrong. It’s just… living. Humans brought it here because they liked the look of it, no doubt. We introduced it to the landscape. It doesn’t know it’s not supposed to be here. But somehow it ends up being the villain? How is that fair…?’ She trails off.
‘Yes, you’re right.’ He pauses, seeing a flash of movement near the riverbed.
‘Oh wow, Lucy, look!’
She turns as he crouches down beside the stream.
‘What is it?’
He beckons to her.
‘A newt… come see.’
She hurries over, kneeling next to him, narrowing her eyes as she scours the pebbles. Mylo holds a finger to his lips, pointing to a clump of grass at the edge. Her face lights up.
‘Oh, I see him! He’s so cute. I don’t think I’ve seen a newt since I was a kid.’
‘He’s a great crested… quite rare!’ Mylo says excitedly.
The newt hops into the water, swimming away with the flow. Lucy collapses onto her bottom, pulling her bag from her back.
‘Let’s eat!’ she says, taking two foil-wrapped packages from inside, handing one to Mylo.
‘You made a picnic?’
She nods. ‘I was making lunch for Richard and Diana, so I made a few extra.’
He takes his sandwich, unwrapping it carefully. He watches her as she does the same, taking a bite from her food. He’s set her mind at ease a little, but she watches him for a few moments, mulling over his explanation.
The coincidence is huge… but stranger things have happened. She shrugs.
There are moments when you feel so happy that you worry that your heart might burst. Lucy doesn’t get that too often. But she feels it right now. Glancing at Mylo, she notes that the dour demeanour that radiated from him when they first met, has all but disappeared. He smiles, tucking into his food, and she suspects he may be feeling the same way.
64
Lucy
After they finish eating, they walk for another hour or so. Lucy points out flora and fauna, Mylo explains what it all is. She’s impressed with his knowledge. Not her usual type, she has to admit. Not that it matters. Nothing will happen with him. She’s sure of that now.
