Back to You

by Cathy Cole

  Eve realized in the drama of the past forty-eight hours she hadn’t given a passing thought to poor Ryan, who had died after jumping from a cliff on one of the islands off the coast of Heartside Bay. Her heart jumped in guilt. “I don’t blame them,” she said quietly.

  “Hopefully it won’t come to that,” said Mr Wills. “But we need to keep the business healthy and thriving until they decide what to do. Which is where you could come in useful, Eve.”

  “Me?” said Eve in surprise.

  “I could use your help to plan some of the events we have coming up. Rhi has a lot of singing engagements, and my wife is too busy to help.”

  Eve felt flattered. “I do have lots of experience in planning parties,” she said. “If you think that would be useful—”

  “More than useful,” Rhi put in. “Dad couldn’t organize his way out of a paper bag.”

  “Unfortunately, Rhi is right,” said Mr Wills, making a face. “We have a bridal show on Saturday afternoon. Several vendors have agreed to take part, and I’ve sent out invitations. But I have no idea what to do next.”

  “Decorations,” said Eve at once. Her mind filled with possibilities. “You need to make the Heartbeat the place to be if you’re planning a wedding, Mr Wills. There is so much you could do with the place – banners, lighting. A catwalk showcasing the new designs, maybe even a drawing competition for young designers in the area…”

  Rhi’s dad looked enormously relieved. “Sounds like you know what you’re doing. I’ll need some help running the show on the day as well. I can pay you. Will you take the job?”

  No one had ever offered Eve a job before. She wondered if Mr Wills was just being nice, knowing what he did about her situation.

  “Thank you,” she said, feeling strangely shy. “I’d love to.”

  The front door flew open and Rhi’s mother came in. “What a day,” she began, taking off her coat and hanging it up. “You’d think half this town had the plague, the numbers in the surgery. I barely had time for—” She stopped mid-flow, registering the piles of boxes stacked around her. “What are these doing in the hallway?”

  “An order for the Heartbeat Café, Anita. I was hoping to clear it before you—”

  “This isn’t a depot, Patrick,” said Mrs Wills. Rhi’s dad went quiet.

  “Hello, Mrs Wills,” Eve said politely as Rhi’s mother eyed her and her suitcase.

  “Eve needed somewhere to stay tonight, Mum,” said Rhi. “I hope you don’t mind.”

  “I don’t suppose my opinion would matter anyway,” said Mrs Wills a little peevishly. “For goodness’ sake, Patrick, deal with these boxes. I want them gone by the time I come downstairs.”

  It didn’t take long for Eve to unpack. She folded her clothes as best she could and tucked them into the drawer Rhi had cleared for her. She left a few things including the picture of Becca in her bag for now. It felt too permanent, taking it all out, like she would be here for several weeks. She didn’t think Rhi’s parents would be too happy about that. She could hear them shouting at each other downstairs. Although she couldn’t make out the words, she could make a good guess at the subject matter.

  “They’re arguing about me staying here, aren’t they?” she said anxiously. “I don’t want to be a burden, Rhi. I’m sure I can find somewhere else—”

  Rhi stopped her. “Ignore them. They do this all the time. It won’t be about you, it’ll be about the boxes of crisps or something stupid like that.” She sat down suddenly on the bed with tears trembling in her eyes. “I’m sorry you have to hear them like this.”

  Rhi was clearly upset. Eve felt awful for her. “Is there anything I can do?” she asked.

  Rhi gave a shaky laugh. “Give them both new heads? It’s Mum, mainly. Since Ruth died, Dad can’t do anything right.” She rubbed her hands through her hair. “I try and stay out of it as much as I can. I only seem to make things worse.”

  From down the stairs, Mrs Wills’ voice was suddenly as clear as crystal. “I swear I will divorce you, Patrick. I should have done it years ago!”

  Rhi hunched into herself, looking more miserable than ever. Eve had a sudden vision of her own father sitting dirty and crumpled in his cell; of her mother in her designer sunglasses driving away from the house without a backward glance.

  “I think we both need a break from our parents,” she said. “Don’t you?”

  Rhi blew her nose. “What did you have in mind?”

  “A night in a hotel,” said Eve. She started visualizing it: her and Rhi in luxury, wearing fluffy white bathrobes and face packs, and stuffing themselves on room service. It was amazing how much the thought calmed her down.

  “Seriously?” said Rhi after a minute.

  “Of course!” Eve was getting into the idea. “Hey, why don’t we make it a week? Dad will be out of this mess by then and everything can go back to normal. Why not take this opportunity for a break? A bit of pampering? We could both use it, I reckon.”

  Rhi’s eyes were gleaming now. “Where?”

  “The Grand Hotel,” said Eve at once. She pulled out her phone and called up the number. “Hello? Yes, I’d like to book a room please, for a week. One of your suites facing the beach.” She fumbled in her purse, pulling out her gold credit card. “Here’s my card number…”

  “I can’t believe you just did that,” said Rhi in awe as Eve slid her credit card away and clicked off her phone. “The Grand Hotel? I’ve never even been in the lobby of that place.”

  “You’ll have gold service with me,” said Eve. “Time to pack again, don’t you think? Thank goodness I only have one bag.”

  Rhi packed almost as quickly as Eve. Downstairs, Mr and Mrs Wills were arguing louder than ever.

  “Damn it, Anita, you know how to stick the knife in…”

  “Don’t tempt me, Patrick…”

  “I ought to tell them I’m going,” said Rhi, pausing at the bedroom door with her bag in her hand.

  “Write them a note,” Eve suggested. She was already halfway down the stairs. “I do it all the time. Just make sure you have your phone. Parents get really mad when they can’t get in touch with you.”

  Rhi scribbled on a yellow sticky note and left it by the phone. They slipped out of the door, bags in their hands, into the darkening evening. It was like this morning all over again, Eve thought, only without a watching journalist and with Rhi by her side.

  Where would she be without Rhi?

  SIX

  It was a short walk from Rhi’s house to the beachfront. To Eve, it felt like a long way. She wasn’t used to carrying her own luggage. Her bag was heavy and unwieldy, banging into her legs every few paces. She’d picked it because it was large. Its largeness was proving an unexpected problem.

  “I can’t believe we’re doing this,” Rhi said a little nervously as they reached the wide pillared entrance of the Grand Hotel, with its gleaming glass doors. “My family doesn’t do hotels.”

  Eve’s mood rose now they had stopped walking. She set her suitcase down on the pavement and rubbed her hands together, trying to get a little feeling back into her fingers. She found it hard to picture life without hotels. She always felt perfectly comfortable in their grand, liveried interiors. The smarter they were the better. The Grand Hotel was the best Heartside Bay had to offer, after Heartwell Manor further up the hill. After the week she’d had, Eve felt she deserved to see the sea from her bedroom window. Heartwell Manor could wait for another occasion.

  “Don’t worry, Rhi,” she said, picking up her bag again and walking towards the entrance. “Just do what I do.”

  The Grand Hotel’s green-hatted doorman opened the doors with a flourish as Eve and Rhi passed into the circular lobby with its chequered marble floor and great glass skylight. Large potted ferns stood around the reception desk, whose inlaid wood was polished to a high sheen. Expensive paintings hu
ng on the wall, beautifully lit by small gold lights. There was an air of wealth and calm that soothed Eve like a balm.

  “Miss Somerstown?” said the receptionist. “Your suite is waiting. Marcel, bags!”

  “This feels so weird,” Rhi said as a bellboy in a striped waistcoat seized their bags and headed for the lift. “I feel as if I shouldn’t be here.”

  “There’s nothing weird about luxury, Rhi,” Eve said, flicking her hair back over her shoulders. “Just enjoy it.”

  She gave the bellboy a tip at the door to their suite and inserted the electronic card into the lock. With a soft click, the door swung open.

  “It’s beautiful!” Rhi gasped, looking round the vast, softly carpeted room with its two huge double beds and chandelier twinkling on the ornately plastered ceiling. “Look at the size of those beds! There’s a balcony too! Eve, are you sure about this?”

  Eve was already in the bathroom, turning on taps and selecting products. “Credit cards are wonderful things, Rhi. We can sit out on the balcony tomorrow morning with our breakfast. Order room service, will you? I’m starving.”

  This was where she belonged, she thought, as she slipped into the bubbly scented water. She felt more confident than she’d felt in days. Suddenly her father’s imprisonment seemed too ridiculous for words. Of course he was innocent. His lawyer would get him out and everything would go back to normal. She had been crazy to doubt it.

  Thirty minutes later, she emerged with her hair wrapped in a snowy white towel and a big white bathrobe wrapped around her. Rhi had turned the TV on, and was sprawled on one of the beds.

  “Did you order room service?” asked Eve, looking around for a trolley.

  Rhi shook her head. “I ordered something much more important,” she said, a little cryptically.

  There was a knock at the door. Eve adjusted her towel turban and retied her bathrobe. “It had better be food of some description,” she joked, opening the door.

  Her stomach felt like it had just hit the ground like a stone. Lila and Polly were standing in the plush carpeted corridor in front of her.

  “Hi Eve,” said Lila warily.

  Eve felt a rush of fury. “What are they doing here, Rhi?” she said, holding Lila’s gaze with as much ice as she could muster. Polly hovered cautiously.

  “You need your friends, Eve,” said Rhi. There was a note of pleading in her voice. “This was too good an opportunity to pass up. I invited Lila and Polly to join us for a sleepover tonight.”

  “We’ve missed you, Eve,” said Polly timidly. “How are you?”

  Eve wanted nothing more than to slam the door. But as she tried, Lila put her foot in the way.

  “Please don’t shut us out,” she said.

  Eve pointed in Lila’s face. “I warned you to stay out of my way. How dare you come here like nothing’s happened? Your father arrested mine!”

  “I didn’t know he was going to do that!” Lila said, her cheeks flaring with colour. “You have to believe me, I had no idea. Dad doesn’t talk about his work at home.”

  “I don’t believe you.” Eve was feeling more and more furious. How could Lila stand there and look so innocent when she was nothing but a traitor? “You made friends with me so you could tell your dad everything about us. You’re nothing more than a spy.”

  “I swear on my life, Eve, I had nothing to do with it! Do you know everything your dad does?”

  Eve flinched. No way was she giving Lila the satisfaction of answering that one. “My father is innocent of all the things your father says he did,” she said.

  “And my father was just doing his job!”

  Eve was finding it difficult to think clearly. All she wanted was for Lila to get out of her sight. “Leave,” she hissed as Rhi wrung her hands helplessly.

  Polly stepped in. “Eve, we want to help you, we miss you—”

  “You’re as bad as she is,” Eve spat, glaring at Polly now. “You sucked up to her on her first day in Heartside Bay. Don’t think I didn’t notice. I should never have made friends with you again.”

  “Don’t speak to Polly like that!” Lila said, suddenly loud with anger as Polly’s eyes brimmed with tears. “She has been nothing but supportive towards you, you spoiled little rich girl. Stop behaving like a brat!”

  That was rich. Eve felt almost breathless with rage. “Get out of here or I’ll call security,” she said.

  “Eve, please…” Rhi began, holding up her hands for peace.

  Eve rounded on Rhi. “I can’t believe you did this. You know what happened. I thought you understood. You have to choose, Rhi. Them or me.”

  “Don’t make me do this,” Rhi begged.

  Eve’s heart had turned to solid ice. “Decide,” she said. “You can be my best friend, or friends with those two. You can’t have it both ways.”

  Rhi swallowed unhappily. “You need me, Eve. So I’m staying.”

  Polly and Lila both looked stricken.

  “Right answer,” said Eve grimly.

  She took great satisfaction in slamming the door in Lila and Polly’s faces.

  Rhi went silently into the bathroom and shut the door. The beautiful suite felt large and empty now, not luxurious. Eve struggled to maintain the feeling of icy rage that had got her through the last five minutes. But it was melting fast, and leaving a heavy sense of sadness in its place.

  My whole world had shrunk to this, she thought in exhaustion. One room and one friend.

  SEVEN

  The court room was crowded and hot. Eve tried not to catch the eyes of the pushing crowds in the public gallery. They were all here to gawp at her father’s disgrace, and she hated them for it.

  She could see her dad sitting in the dock flanked by two expressionless guards. His head was bowed. She couldn’t see any way of communicating with him.

  Eve tried to catch the eye of her father’s lawyer, a couple of rows in front of her. She knew him well, having made endless cups of tea and coffee for him and her father as they sat closeted in the study together.

  “Eve?” he said in surprise when he saw her. “Shouldn’t you be in school?”

  “I had to be here, Mr Munroe,” Eve said. “I have to speak to Daddy.”

  He shook his head. “I’m sorry, but you can’t. Not when he’s in the dock.”

  Eve bit her lip. What was she going to do? She had to tell her father she hadn’t found the laptop. She needed more information on how to find it. She felt terrible for letting him down when he needed her so badly. Help me, she wanted to say. Where is the secret compartment?

  “But you can write him a note,” the lawyer added.

  This was Eve’s best chance, she knew. She grabbed a pen from her bag and scribbled a note for her father to read. She hoped he would understand what she was trying to tell him.

  Mummy’s still in the house and I can’t get her out. Help! E xx

  She watched as the note was passed to her father in the dock, via the guard, who scrutinized it carefully before handing it over. Henry Somerstown lifted his head. His eyes, dull and unfocused, suddenly blazed with life at the sight of his daughter. Eve waited as he wrote something to pass back in her direction.

  Very important she leaves. The most important thing in the world. Tell her I’m sorry I never took her to Morocco. Love you xx

  Eve frowned in confusion. Her father had taken Eve’s mother to Morocco only last autumn. Eve remembered it well: her mother’s delight at the beautiful hotel, the bags of shopping from the souk, the gold earrings her father had bought her and Chloe as presents. What was he trying to tell her?

  She studied the note more carefully, and noticed how he had emphatically underlined the word “world”. The world. Morocco. They were clues, Eve felt sure of it. She wished she knew how to translate them.

  “Any reply?” asked the lawyer.

  Eve looke
d across at the dock. Her father was staring at her in desperation. She’d never seen him look so scared. He was telling her with his eyes how important the laptop was. If she didn’t find it and destroy it, he would go to jail.

  When you get bail, can you talk to her yourself? xx

  They won’t let me near the house. If there was any other way in the world, I would tell you. Be brave for me, sweetheart. xx

  World. That word again. Eve took up another piece of paper and wrote the only thing she could think of.

  I’ll figure it out, Daddy. Leave it to me. xxxx

  “He will get bail, won’t he Mr Munroe?” she asked the lawyer as the note made its way to her father.

  “I’ll do my best,” the lawyer assured her.

  Eve felt relieved. When her father got bail, they could talk properly about this. She settled down as the magistrates arrived in the courtroom.

  “All rise!” shouted the court official.

  She may not have found the laptop yet, but Eve was determined not to let her father down on the bravery front. She sat perfectly still, her head held high and her eyes firmly fixed on her father. Everything would work out. It had to.

  Her father was called on to confirm his name. He did so in a low voice. As he sat down, his lawyer addressed the magistrates in a loud and confident voice.

  “Your worships, I request that the defendant be granted bail. Henry Somerstown is a respected member of this community, mayor of Heartside Bay and a family man desperate to clear his name in the face of these ludicrous accusations. I am confident that he will not abscond before the trial.”

  “That remains to be seen, Mr Munroe,” said one of the magistrates. “Does the prosecution have anything to add?”

  Another lawyer rose to his feet, a big bull-faced man whose shoulders strained at the seams of his dark jacket. “We do, your worship.”

  “He’s done it before!”