by Beevis, Keri
‘But you’ve got her phone.’
‘I’m aware of that. She must have left it behind.’
‘So where is she?’ There was a mild note of panic in Elliot’s voice.
‘That’s what I’m trying to find out!’
The conversation was going nowhere and Jack was wasting precious time when he could be trying to find Lila. He tried to rein in his frustration. ‘I’m going to keep searching for her. Can you please do me a favour and go and check her flat, see if she’s there? If you hear anything from her please call me straightaway, okay?’
He slipped his own phone in his pocket, kept Lila’s in his hand as he did a more thorough search of the house, knowing she wasn’t there, but needing to check for his own peace of mind. She couldn’t have gone far outside with her crutches, but he checked anyway, wandering up to the main road then back down to the creek. There were a handful of people about and he pulled up Lila’s Facebook profile picture, showed it to them. No-one had seen her.
It occurred to him she might have texted or called someone before disappearing. While snooping wasn’t in his nature, at this point he was too concerned for her safety to care. He glanced at her text messages. The most recent message was the one she had sent him the previous night at the beach that he had ignored. He bit down on the stab of guilt as he scrolled past it, opening and reading conversations with her brother and a couple of friends, hoping they would offer up a clue. The conversation trail with Beth where his name was mentioned more than a couple of times (and which he knew Lila would be mortified knowing he had seen) might have actually made him laugh out loud if he weren’t so worried about her.
Closing the text messages he pulled up her call log, wincing when he saw all the missed calls to his phone the previous night. It was no wonder she had been mad at him.
Top of the log were an inbound and outbound call, both from that morning and both for the same local number. He called it without hesitation, heartbeat quickening when he realised it was a taxi firm. Had she gone back to Norwich?
‘Hi, I need your help. My girlfriend caught a taxi with you this morning and I need to get hold of her urgently. Can you tell me where you dropped her off?’ He gave the time of Lila’s call, rattled off his address as the pick-up point.
The operator seemed a little hesitant to hand out the information so freely, so Jack lied.
‘She was meeting a friend and she left her bag behind. It’s got her phone in it and also her insulin. I can’t call her to find out where they were meeting and I need to get her medicine to her. This is an emergency.’
That seemed to get the woman onside. She asked him to repeat the address again then put him on hold for a second while she pulled up the records. ‘Yes, I have it here. The driver dropped her in Fakenham at nine fifty-five. In the town centre.’
Jack thanked her, ending the call and reaching for his car keys. So Lila had caught a taxi to Fakenham, though he couldn’t imagine why. Unless she planned to then get a bus back to Norwich. He knew she didn’t have much money, probably couldn’t afford the cab fare all the way home.
He kicked himself again for being stupid enough to call Tiffany, hating that Lila had been that desperate to get away from him. What the hell must have gone through her mind when she had read Tiff’s message? After the previous night and this, he wasn’t sure she would forgive him, but he had to at least try to explain that the call to Tiff had been one really foolish moment in reaction to a crappy night, that he was not still seeing his ex-girlfriend and had no intention of getting back together with her.
As he was heading for the front door, there was a sharp rap on the French doors at the back of the house. Lila? He went back into the kitchen; frustrated when he saw it wasn’t her, but recognising the blonde woman standing the other side of the glass. As he unlocked the door, Cooper was already out of his bed, his tail wagging, as he headed over to greet her.
‘Jack? It’s been a while. How are you?’
‘It’s good to see you, Hayley. I didn’t know you were back.’
‘Just for a flying visit. I head home tomorrow night. I couldn’t go though without showing my face. Do you have time for a coffee?’
Much as Jack liked his old neighbour, he really didn’t have time. Finding Lila and sorting out the mess he had caused was the only thing that mattered. He had to figure out a way to fix things.
Hayley must have read his expression. ‘This isn’t a good day, is it? Maybe next time.’
‘Do you mind? I’m really sorry, but I’m right in the middle of something.’
‘No of course not and do say hello again to Lila for me. She seems like a lovely girl.’
‘Lila? You’ve spoken to Lila?’
If she was surprised by the question, Hayley didn’t show it. ‘We met down by the boats this morning. Cooper was having a whale of a time, weren’t you, mister.’ She reached down to affectionately rub him behind the ears.
‘I don’t suppose she said anything about what her plans were, did she? She was gone when I woke and I can’t call her. She forgot her phone.’
‘I actually saw her in Fakenham a short while ago. I’ve just come back from the letting agency.’
‘Did you talk to her?’
‘I was going to. I was going to see if she needed a lift back. But she was with a young man so I left them to it.’
A young man? Had Elliot lied to him about knowing where Lila was?
‘Tall skinny kid with dark hair and glasses?’ he questioned.
‘Tall and dark, yes, but not skinny and he wasn’t wearing glasses. He was only young, maybe eighteen, nineteen, her brother perhaps?’
An ominous feeling settled in Jack’s gut. Not her brother and he feared he knew exactly who it was. He reached in his pocket for Lila’s phone, logged straight into Facebook and found the person he was looking for in her friend requests. He pulled up Aaron Gruger’s profile picture and showed it to Hayley. ‘This kid?’
She studied the brooding boy in the photo before nodding. ‘Yes, that’s him.’
38
Aaron Gruger had been the last person Lila expected to approach her in Fakenham and she wasn’t sure she bought his story that he had been running an errand for his mother. It seemed all too much of a coincidence that he was here and seeming so pleased to run into her. Her cynicism though was tinged with the tiniest bit of relief, not at seeing Aaron, because knowing what his father had done made her downright uncomfortable (and she couldn’t help but think of him as guilty by association), but because he was a familiar face and he would have a phone.
Her first reaction had been suspicion and all she wanted was to get away from him. Why was he there and what did he want? She was still jumpy about what had happened at his house and reluctant to be near him, but he had over-apologised, seemed downright mortified his father had pulled the shotgun on her and Jack – even if Jack had vandalised their property, he was quick to point out, which reminded her that they had hardly been innocent, the police arresting Jack, and given that Aaron probably had no idea what his dear old dad had been up to, it was a wonder he wasn’t giving Lila a wide berth.
‘I did actually want to talk to you about the stuff Jack said that night,’ he told her, before his voice dropped to a whisper, bottom lip trembling. ‘I was bloody angry at first that he had the nerve to accuse my dad, but then I found something.’
He averted his eyes, looked a little embarrassed, and Lila’s heartbeat quickened.
‘What do you mean you found something?’
‘I don’t know if I can say. It’s so difficult.’ Aaron’s voice broke slightly. ‘He’s my dad, Lila.’
‘If it’s to do with me or the two missing girls from Lincolnshire, you need to come forward, Aaron.’ She found a smile for him, even forced herself to reach out and touch his arm. ‘I know he’s your dad and you love him, but if you have proof that he did something bad, you need to tell the police.’
He seemed to consider that briefly and it crossed
her mind how tough it must be on him. He was just a kid, what, eighteen, and she shouldn’t blame him for his father’s actions.
‘I can show you?’
‘Show me?’
‘What I found.’
‘Where is it?’ Lila’s stance might have softened, but she had no intention of going anywhere with him.
‘Back at the house.’ When he saw her alarmed expression, he was quick to try to reassure her. ‘My dad’s not there, he’s away this week at a teaching conference. And my mum will be out.’
‘I’m sorry, Aaron. I’m not comfortable going back to your house again.’
‘I see.’ His gaze dropped to his shoes and he studied them as he shuffled his feet. ‘What are you doing here anyway? Is Jack with you?’
Lila’s throat thickened at the mention of Jack’s name, remembering the text she had found. She swallowed hard, tried not to think about him. ‘No, and I’m actually in a bit of a muddle if I’m honest.’
‘Really?’ Aaron sounded interested.
‘I forgot my phone and I’ve realised I don’t have any money on me. I need to get back to Norwich.’ Her face burned at that admission. Who in this day and age didn’t carry basic resources? ‘Any chance I could borrow your phone to call my brother?’
Aaron beamed, looking positively delighted at the idea of being her knight in shining armour. ‘Why don’t I just give you a lift home?’
‘No!’ The word came out a little too sharply and seeing his face fall, Lila stumbled over her words. ‘I mean that’s very kind of you, but I couldn’t impose, and Elliot was planning on meeting me up here at some point anyway.’
It was a mishmash of an excuse that sounded like a lie even to Lila’s own ears. Aaron regarded her with what looked like suspicion, but didn’t call her on it.
‘You wouldn’t be imposing, but if you’d rather call your brother then yes, you can borrow my phone. It’s in my car.’
‘Where’s your car?’
‘About five minutes that way.’ He pointed his thumb over his shoulder.
Lila was suspicious again. Who wouldn’t have their phone on them? Why was he so eager to get her back to his car? ‘I’m not sure I can walk that far with the crutches.’
Was it her imagination or did he look a little irritated at that?
She was feeling edgy about the whole encounter, thinking she should make an excuse to get away from him. After all, she was in a busy town centre. As long as she stayed where there were people she would be safe. But then he surprised her.
‘Tell you what. There’s a coffee shop over there. I’ll buy you a coffee and you can sit and wait here while I run back to the car and get my phone? How’s that?’
Her relief was palpable, though tinged with guilt at doubting his motives. ‘I’d really appreciate that. Thank you.’
She thought back to what he had said about his father and that he had found something. Maybe when he returned with the phone, he would sit down with her and she could try to get him to open up, tell her what he had found out about his father.
She gratefully took the latte Aaron bought her, set the cappuccino he had got for himself down on the bench beside her. Sipping at her coffee, she watched him disappear down the street to his car, feeling the hot drink hit her empty belly, reminding her she hadn’t eaten. Truth was, after everything with Jack she didn’t feel hungry, wasn’t sure she could force anything down; though the rumble in her gut suggested it disagreed.
Reaching into her bag, she pulled out her purse, rummaging through the numerous business cards she stored in one of the cardholders, grateful she had kept them. She found Elliot’s business card, Research Associate in History of Science, glad her geeky brother had insisted on having cards printed up. Lila couldn’t even remember her own mobile number, let alone anyone else’s.
She would wait for Aaron to return, call Elliot, and then try to dig to find out what Aaron had uncovered about his father. The day had so far gone from bad to worse, but she was about to turn it around.
Screw Jack Foley. She didn’t need him. Tiff was welcome to him.
Despite it still being mid-morning, the sun was already warm and Lila could feel beads of sweat on her forehead, her cheeks burning, and although she had no appetite, she was starting to rue her decision not to eat. The emptiness in the pit of her belly was beginning to make her feel a little sick and her head was pounding, though that didn’t surprise her when she thought about how little sleep she’d had in the past forty-eight hours.
She closed her eyes for a few seconds, the sting behind them softening, and hoped Aaron would hurry. She was desperate to get home, where she could hide away in her flat and put the day behind her. The place was secure, so she would feel safe there – thanks to Jack.
She braced herself against the wave of emotion as he popped into her head yet again.
After everything they had gone through together over the past two weeks, how could he do this to her?
Her eyes burned with tears and she pressed the heels of her hands to them, furiously telling herself they had better not fall. She forced herself to focus, aware Aaron would be back any minute and she couldn’t have him catching on that she had finished things with Jack. The whole situation was just too uncomfortable.
Feeling steadier, she opened her eyes, thrown when her vision swam before her. As everything came back into focus, she saw the busker was watching her, brow knitted in what looked like concern. Little dots of yellow appeared in her vision and she tried to blink them away, glad she was sitting down. Her limbs were heavy and she was too hot, sweat beading on her forehead.
Maybe she was overtired or perhaps she was coming down with something. Or it could just be the shock of what Jack had done to her after she’d opened herself up to him, trusted him completely.
It scared her feeling like this when she was alone in an unfamiliar place. She wanted her brother to come and get her and take her home.
She closed her eyes again, willed herself to feel okay. She had to call Elliot, but she needed Aaron’s phone to do that.
What if she couldn’t trust him? What if he didn’t come back?
No, she couldn’t think like that. Aaron had been good to her. He had bought her a coffee and he was going to help her. Despite what his father had done, she couldn’t compare them. He was one of the good guys.
But she wouldn’t let him drive her home. Although she believed him and was trying to trust him, she wasn’t ready to put that much faith in him.
She wasn’t aware she had lurched forward until arms caught her.
Although she managed to force her eyes open, it was an effort and her lids were so heavy. She tried to centre her vision on the face before her, but it swam in and out of focus before she could register who it was.
‘Come on, let’s get you home.’
Elliot? Had he come to get her?
Someone was lifting her, hands slipping under her arms in support. She started to protest that she didn’t have her crutches, but the words came out slurred and as they moved, she found her broken leg was no longer hurting, that although the bulk of her weight was being supported, it didn’t cause her any pain to put pressure on it each time she awkwardly lost her footing.
‘Hey, is everything okay?’
The voice was unfamiliar. Lila tried to focus on the face, but it was too much effort.
‘My sister isn’t feeling well. I’m going to get her home.’
‘Okay, son, you need a hand?’
‘It’s fine, my car’s just over there, but thank you.’
It was Elliot. Thank God he’d finally come to get her. She relaxed into his body, let him half carry, half drag her, tried to focus on her bed, knowing once she was in it she planned to stay there for the whole weekend, brood over Jack, and shake off whatever this nasty bug was that she had picked up.
The first she was aware she was sitting in a car was when the door slammed shut. Lila realised Elliot no longer had hold of her and that she was sat down.
She heard him beside her, realised he was fastening her seat belt. Which was good, because she wasn’t sure that she had the strength to do it herself.
What the hell was wrong with her? Did exhaustion, hunger and heartbreak really make you feel this bad or was she seriously sick?
‘Elliot?’
‘Yes, Lila?’
‘Are… we… home?’
‘Soon, Lila, soon.’
* * *
There was no sign of Lila in Fakenham town centre. Jack knew that Hayley had seen her over an hour earlier, that Lila could be long gone. What the hell had she been doing there with Aaron Gruger?
Jack pulled out his phone, saw he had a missed call from Elliot and rang him straight back.
‘Anything?’ he barked, before Elliot could speak.
‘I’m in her flat, Jack. She’s not here.’
‘Fuck!’
‘Where is she?’
Jack debated telling him about Aaron Gruger, decided to hell with it. Lila was missing and had last been seen with the kid of the man who had tried to hurt his sister. Elliot had a right to know.
‘My neighbour saw her in Fakenham this morning with Richard Gruger’s kid.’
‘What? He’s the bloke who–’
‘I know who he is!’ Jack calmed his tone. None of this was Elliot’s fault. ‘I’m here now. I’m going to ask around, see if anyone saw them.’
‘And if they haven’t?’
The Foo Fighters started playing in Jack’s pocket. ‘Hold on, there’s a call on Lila’s phone.’
He reached in his pocket, stared apprehensively at Ruby’s name flashing on the screen. What the hell did she want? And then he remembered, Lila had called her about Stephanie’s French trip.
‘Hello?’
Ruby sounded taken aback to hear a male voice. ‘Umm, can I speak to Lila?’
‘Ruby, it’s Jack. Lila’s not here right now.’ There was an awkward silence and for a moment, Jack thought she was going to hang up on him. After how he had treated her when they’d met up, he guessed he couldn’t blame her. He made an effort to soften his tone, not wanting to scare her off. ‘Ruby, are you still there?’
