by Beevis, Keri
‘Correct.’
‘Did the two of you know each other before the accident at Filby Broad?’
‘Nope.’ Jack’s tone was tight and Lila caught hold of his hand, squeezed it.
‘We met at Stephanie’s funeral,’ she told the detectives. ‘I went to pay my respects.’
Jones nodded again at that, a vague smile on her lips that gave nothing away.
‘So Lila and I have become friends,’ Jack continued. ‘I don’t see how that is relevant to what happened here tonight or what happened in Cromer last week. Someone is trying to hurt her. Perhaps that should take precedence?’
Galbraith’s moustache twitched again. ‘It is, Mr Foley, and as you and Miss Amberson have become such good friends…’ He made a brief point of looking at Lila’s hand covering Jack’s. ‘I’m sure you won’t mind answering a few questions.’
* * *
It was nearly an hour later when the police left and Jack’s friendship with Lila had been thoroughly dissected. Because of the way they had met, because she had been involved in the car crash that had killed his sister, the police somehow doubted his motives and were questioning how genuine their connection was.
It pissed him off that someone was trying to hurt Lila and they were wasting their time over irrelevant details, instead of trying to catch whoever was responsible. For that night though she was safe. He had insisted on staying, despite her protests. There was no way on hell’s earth he was leaving her alone with a broken window, knowing someone out there wanted to hurt her.
After the detectives had left, Lila opened a bottle of wine. It was already gone midnight, but Jack knew sleep wouldn’t come easy for her. She sat beside him on the sofa, poured them both a glass, and she looked exhausted, dark circles haunting her eyes.
‘You didn’t have to drive all the way down here.’ She managed a smile, but it was weak and forced.
‘Yes I did. We’re in this together, remember?’ Jack tried his best to coax another smile out of her. Failed. ‘I’ve got your back, Lila.’
She looked so sad, so beaten, and he hated that.
‘Why don’t you try to get some sleep?’ he suggested, reaching out to brush her cheek.
‘I don’t think…’ Her voice cracked and she tried to clear her throat. ‘I can’t sleep in there…’ She took a gulp of wine, struggled to swallow it.
Jack took her glass, setting it down on the table. He wished he could find the person responsible for scaring her.
‘You don’t have to,’ he told her softly, pulling her towards him, feeling the briefest resistance before she leaned into him and choked out a sob. He held her as she cried, stroking her hair and trying to comfort her, wishing there was something he could do or say to ease her pain.
Eventually she fell asleep in his arms and he eased her back on to the sofa, placing a cushion below her head and fetching the duvet from her room, covering her.
Finally she looked peaceful.
He settled into the armchair opposite, watching her until his eyes finally drifted shut.
18
When Lila awoke it took her a moment to realise where she was, figure out why she was asleep on the sofa and not in her bed, but then the events of the previous night came flooding back; a nightmare that had actually happened.
Someone had broken into her flat.
Icy fear clawed at her throat, as she remembered how she had woken up, seen the hooded man standing in her bedroom. She had always felt safe in her flat. How was she supposed to get that feeling of security back again?
The police had taken her statement and one of their crime scene colleagues had arrived to lift the boot print in the bathroom, but she knew they didn’t have any leads. And Jack, he had been there, had gone over and beyond, letting her cry all over him, staying with her until she fell asleep.
She wondered what time he had left, knew he had his own life to get back to.
Rubbing at her sore eyes, she threw back the duvet, climbed off the sofa, grabbing her crutches and made her way down the hallway to the bathroom, wanting to assess the damage to her window.
The handle had come off and was broken on the floor. Priority of the day would be getting the window fixed, though she wasn’t sure whom she would find to do that on a Sunday. One thing she knew though, she couldn’t stay in the flat that night knowing the window offered an opportunity for the intruder to return.
As she splashed water on her face, trying to relieve the soreness of her tired eyes, her phone beeped. Lila went through to her bedroom to check it, shocked by the number of missed calls and messages.
Most of the missed calls were from Jack and had been last night in response to her text message, but there were a couple from Beth, who had also sent two text messages demanding Lila call her immediately. There was also a text from Ruby Howard, agreeing to meet with Jack, at a service area just outside her hometown in Lincolnshire. She would have her brother with her, and could do later that afternoon.
Lila dealt with Beth first, calling her friend who was furious with her for not phoning sooner. Beth hadn’t seen Lila’s text message until an hour earlier and Lila knew she felt terrible about it, guilty that she hadn’t been there when needed. Lila assured her she was fine, trying to downplay what had happened, admitting Jack had shown up and had stayed with her.
For once there were no smart-arse quips. Beth must have really been feeling bad.
Next Lila texted Ruby, telling her she would speak to Jack and get back to her.
First she needed coffee, and painkillers for the raging pain in her head.
She had made a cup, was taking her first sip, when the door to her flat opened and Jack walked in, a bag in one arm. As he pushed the door shut he glanced up, spotting Lila, and nodded. ‘Hey, you’re up. I thought you’d still be asleep. You were dead to the world when I left here an hour ago.’
‘You were here all night?’
Lila didn’t mean to blurt out the words. He had told her last night he intended to stay with her, but she had assumed it was until she fell asleep, that he would need to get home… to Tiff.
‘I told you I would stay.’
As she absorbed that information, he headed past her into the hallway, towards the bathroom. ‘What’s in the bag?’
‘A new handle.’
‘You went and bought a new handle?’
‘You need the window fixed, Lila.’
She followed him down the hallway and into the bathroom, watching as he emptied the contents of the bag onto the toilet seat. Not just a handle. He’d bought the tools necessary for the job. ‘I have a screwdriver.’
‘I wasn’t sure, so I bought one anyway.’
Lila watched as he ripped open the box containing the new handle. He had stayed all night, gone out and bought the tools needed to fix her window, and was now doing the job himself. ‘Okay, thank you. You’ll have to tell me how much it came to, so I can pay you back,’ she told him, suddenly feeling in debt.
Jack glanced over his shoulder, the look he gave her so chastising she actually felt guilty for offering to pay him. ‘How about you go put the kettle on while I sort this,’ he suggested, keeping his tone neutral. ‘I could murder a coffee.’
Lila did as asked, cooking up the rest of the bacon and making butties along with the coffee. It was the least she could do.
She waited until he had fixed the window before telling him about the text from Ruby.
‘So she’ll meet today?’ Jack confirmed through his mouthful.
‘I need to text her back and let her know if that’s okay.’
‘It is. Do you still want to come with me? You were pretty shaken up last night, so I understand if you’d rather not.’
Lila had assumed he wouldn’t want her there after what had happened on Friday night, was surprised he did. She wanted to ask where his girlfriend was, knew she was in Norfolk this weekend and couldn’t get over how understanding she must be, letting Jack spend so much time with another woman. Did she
even know about Lila?
Still she didn’t ask, couldn’t bring herself to have that uncomfortable conversation, instead trying to rationalise that nothing had happened between her and Jack and that nothing was going to.
‘I’ll come,’ she found herself answering. ‘I need something to take my mind off what happened, if I’m honest.’ Besides, she had the impression Ruby would be expecting her to be there.
Jack nodded. ‘Okay. She’s near Sleaford, you said? It’ll take a couple of hours to get there. Text Ruby back and tell her we can get there later this afternoon?’
* * *
They left the flat just after midday. Jack had grabbed a shower at Lila’s, but was still tired, his muscles stiff from a night spent sleeping in a chair. He had woken early, watched Lila sleeping for a while before making coffee and heading out, figuring he may as well get a start on clearing up the aftermath of the night before.
She didn’t want to be in the flat and he got that, could only guess at how intrusive it felt to have someone break into your home, into your bedroom, while you slept. The least he could do for her was fix the window. He had also paid a visit to her landlady, explained what had happened, and talked her into installing an alarm system. He hadn’t told Lila that bit yet, didn’t want her thinking he was taking over – which he guessed technically he was – or making decisions without her – which again, he supposed he had. She might not like that he had done it, but it was for her own good. She would be safer, and he wouldn’t have to worry about her being in the flat alone.
They had only gone a couple of miles when Jack’s phone rang. He answered it on hands-free, wished he hadn’t when Alyssa’s voice filled the car.
‘What has four legs, begins with D, and got left behind at my house when you rushed off to save your new girlfriend last night?’ she began, dispensing with any pleasantries.
D. Dog. Fuck! Jack had forgotten all about Cooper.
‘She’s not my girlfriend, she’s fine by the way, and actually in the car with me. Oh, and you’re on loud speaker.’
There was a moment of silence. ‘You need to come and get your dog, Jack.’
‘Okay, here’s the thing. I’m heading up to Lincolnshire, so I need you to look after him for a bit longer.’
‘Come and get your bloody dog now.’
‘You’re being unreasonable, Alyssa, it’s just a few more hours. You like Cooper. Stop overreacting.’
‘I’m not overreacting. Your fucking dog has chewed up Giles’s golf shoes. You need to come and get him now!’
Jack struggled to suppress his laugh. ‘I can’t. We’re already on the way.’
‘So make a detour.’
‘Damn it, Lys!’
‘One hour, Jack! If you’re not here in one hour, I’m driving him over to yours and leaving him on the porch.’
She hung up before Jack could respond to her threat. He didn’t believe for one second she would ditch Cooper, but even so, she’d sounded mad, and he couldn’t take the risk.
‘You have a dog?’ Lila asked.
‘Yes… shit, I’m sorry. I need to swing by and get him.’
‘It’s fine. Where is he?’
‘He’s at my sister’s place in Aylsham. I was there last night when I got your message.’
‘I take it your dog doesn’t like this Giles person.’
Jack glanced at Lila. She seemed amused by the conversation she had heard. ‘It’s a long story.’
She shrugged. ‘We have plenty of time.’
By the time he pulled into Alyssa’s driveway, Lila knew all about the disastrous dinner party, that Jack thought his sister’s boyfriend was a pompous arse, and how Giles had stormed off in a drunken rage halfway through dinner. Jack didn’t share that Giles had paid someone to look into her. He was still livid about that himself. Lila didn’t need to know.
‘It may be best if you wait here,’ he suggested, as the door opened and Alyssa appeared on the front step, arms folded, and a scowl on her face.
Lila was happy to oblige, her expression suggesting she was in no hurry to meet Jack’s angry sister.
Cooper charged out from behind Alyssa’s legs as Jack got out of the car, tail wagging like crazy as he woofed in joy.
‘Is Giles back?’ Jack asked as Alyssa dumped Cooper’s biscuits and lead in Jack’s arms.
‘Yes, and in a foul mood, thanks to you and your dog.’ She peered over Jack’s shoulder, trying to get a glimpse of Lila.
‘Hey, don’t blame Cooper. Dogs are supposed to be a good judge of character. If Cooper doesn’t like Giles’s shoes then maybe you should be questioning why.’
Alyssa turned her attention to her brother, her frown deepening as she stepped back inside in the cottage and slammed the door in his face.
He glanced at the dog. ‘So, that went well.’
Cooper grinned up at him, barked again.
Alyssa had always been so feisty, never taking any crap from anyone. It annoyed the hell out of Jack that she had a weak spot when it came to Giles Buchanan and couldn’t see him for the tosser he was.
‘You wanna go for a car ride?’
Another woof.
Back in the car and Cooper was delighted to meet Lila, leaning through the gap between the front seats and covering her in wet sloppy kisses. She didn’t seem to mind, rubbing his ears and making a fuss of him.
Jack left them to get acquainted as he reset the satnav, pulled out of the driveway.
He’d had reservations about bringing Lila with him after the awkward moment in her flat on Friday night, had decided that if Ruby agreed to meet him, he should go alone, but Lila had been so shaken by the break-in, he had been reluctant to leave her, wondering if the distraction might do her good.
And it had been the right decision. Not only did she seem to be a calming influence on Cooper, she was also in better spirits by the time they crossed the county line, with colour back in her cheeks, some of the light back in her eyes, and she kept Jack distracted, so he couldn’t keep mulling over the meeting with Ruby.
As the dog snored on the back seat, they had fought over the radio station and kept the conversation light: trading family stories, arguing over whether fried eggs and anchovies belonged on pizza, discussed favourite bands, learning they had similar taste and had seen several of the same acts live, found out they shared a mutual dislike for reality TV, but loved Hitchcock movies, that they both found the occult fascinating, though were on the fence when it came to believing in ghosts.
Lila learnt that Jack had a scar next to his naval after getting glassed while trying to break up a pub fight when he was in his early twenties, that despite travelling across five continents on book tours, he had a fear of flying, and that he had been sent some strange gifts from some of his female fans, including an engraved “I love U” butcher’s knife and a framed photo of one reader posing in stockings and suspenders, a copy of one of his books covering her modesty.
Meanwhile Jack discovered Lila had once got a peanut stuck up her left nostril following a dare from Beth that she couldn’t snort it and make it come out of her mouth, (she couldn’t, resulting in a visit to A&E), that she was freaked out by clowns, that her singing was painful (proven when she attempted to sing along to a Scissor Sisters track on the radio, which had Jack threatening to stop the car), and – despite working in Cromer – she had never eaten crab.
He made a promise to himself that at some point he would take her to a little restaurant in Wells that he knew sold some of the best crab salads on the North Norfolk coast.
As they neared Sleaford, conversation skirted around relationships, with both sharing their most embarrassing dating stories: Jack’s when he had drank a bellyful of alcohol aged seventeen, vomiting all over his date’s shoes, while Lila recounted the time she had gone on a date with a boy she had crushed on for ages, only to fall flat on her face as she showed up to meet him.
Jack was careful to avoid the subject of Tiffany, not wanting to make things awkward. H
e hadn’t mentioned to Lila they had broken up, figured it was safer to keep that barrier between them. He would be a liar if he didn’t admit to having feelings for her, but ultimately she was helping him get answers about Stephanie and that had to take precedence. They had become friends, and that was fine, but it was better, safer, for both of them if it stayed that way.
As the satnav announced they were five minutes from their destination, anxiety gnawed at his gut.
At least that creep can’t get to u anymore.
Ruby’s words suggested someone had been harassing Stephanie. Who?
The girl lived with her family in the village of Navenby, having moved there after she had finished high school according to Lila’s friend, Joe, and she attended college in Lincoln, while Stephanie had stayed on at school to do her A levels.
Stephanie and Ruby had obviously still been in touch though, and it bothered Jack that Ruby seemed to know more about his sister’s life than he did.
Who was the creep trying to get at Stephanie? Was it someone at sixth form or someone closer to home? At Henry’s insistence, she had spent holidays helping out in the Whitman Homes head office. Henry employed a large staff. Was one of them the creep Ruby referred to?
‘It’s going to be okay,’ Lila told him, picking up on his unease.
He glanced at her, saw the warmth and compassion in her dark wide-set eyes, finding her accuracy at reading what was going on in his head at times both comforting and a little unnerving. Lila Amberson really was like no-one else he had ever met.
She was make-up free, the dark circles of her late and traumatic night still evident under her eyes, and her hair was plaited into two messy braids, while the demure neckline and shapeless style of the candy-pink gypsy dress she wore ended mid-thigh, leaving her legs on show all the way down to her plaster cast and one scuffed cowboy boot.
She really didn’t care what anyone else thought, marched to her own beat, and everything about her was quirky and mismatched, yet somehow effortlessly sexy.
