With shaking fingers, Ivy pulled the rest of the clothes out. They were all very small, and had a girlish, dated look. What on earth was going on? Did the clothes belong to some other woman whom Danny was moving in? It made no sense – why would the mistress of such a wealthy man agree to live in a miserable flat like this? Surely Danny could afford to give her the best? A thousand confused thoughts were racing through Ivy’s brain, but no answers came to mind.
Her hands were still shaking as she opened the side pocket of the rucksack. Inside, a bundle of documents were wedged tightly inside, and she snagged a fingernail trying to prise them out. Cursing, Ivy realised she had to hurry, since time was running out. If she delayed much longer, Mrs Brampton would be back from work, and her son Sean from school. Sticking her fingers down into the pocket, Ivy succeeded in getting another nail under the documents, and with a final heave, they spilled out onto the floor. Picking them up, she stared at them in astonishment. First was a passport, and when Ivy opened it, she found herself staring at a photograph of Rosa Dalton. The rest of the documents included Rosa’s school reports, her birth certificate and a train ticket to London.
Ivy’s heart plummeted. So Danny was having an affair with Rosa! Then she looked at the train ticket, and her blood ran cold. The date on the unused ticket was almost twenty years ago.
Ivy’s mind was churning. Terrible thoughts were forcing themselves into her brain, thoughts she was afraid to entertain, even for a second. Because if she did, life as she knew it would be over. No, she was wrong, she had to be wrong …
Frantically, Ivy raced out onto the landing and headed towards the remaining room. She needed to see what it held, then get away quickly before Mrs Brampton and the boy returned. It was already getting dark, but she didn’t dare to turn on any lights. By Ivy’s reckoning, she had about twenty minutes before Mrs Brampton was due back from work and Sean from school. Why on earth hadn’t she given herself more time?
Throwing open the door of the last room, Ivy saw a desk and chair, computer, notebook and pens, scissors, staplers and the usual office paraphernalia. There was also some electronic equipment on a shelf, but Ivy had no idea what it was for. She could also see several bundles of letters tied together with elastic bands.
With shaking hands, she turned on the computer, hoping desperately that she wouldn’t need a password to get in. Her heart pumping, it seemed an eternity before the computer produced a list of icons. Clicking on Word, Ivy hoped this was the most likely place to get the kind of the information she was looking for.
As Ivy drummed her fingers nervously on the desk, she glanced at her watch again. Mrs Brampton was due back in fifteen minutes. There appeared to be only one file in Word, and luckily it opened without a password. Ivy scrolled down through the correspondence on the screen and felt her heart contract as she saw what was on the screen. The file was full of typed letters from Rosa to her mother. Ivy was instantly puzzled. So Rosa had been using this computer. The letters dated back years – in fact ever since Rosa had left Willow Haven.
Quickly, Ivy reached for one of the bundles of letters, and tore off the elastic band. They were all addressed to Rosa Dalton at 6 Cherrywood Road, Hampstead, and were written by Hannah. Still puzzled, she spotted the notebook on the desk. Opening it, she found herself staring at the words on the page. It was the same word over and over and over again. Rosa, Rosa, Rosa.
It was then that she suddenly put two and two together, and felt as though her heart was about to stop. It was Danny who’d been practising Rosa’s signature! At last she knew the stark and painful truth. He was the one who’d been sending monthly letters to Hannah Dalton for years, typing them on the computer and signing them with his practised version of Rosa’s signature. More recently, when he’d taught Hannah how to use a computer, he hadn’t needed to use the signature or post letters and cards from far-off exotic places any more. No wonder Danny hadn’t been on any business trips lately – he hadn’t needed to go, since Hannah was now using email!
Overwhelmed by shock, Ivy felt an urge to vomit. Rosa had never made it to London. She was never coming home, because she was dead already. Had been dead for years. Ivy felt a lump in her throat. Poor Rosa, and poor Hannah, waiting and hoping for her daughter to visit. With a sick feeling in her stomach, Ivy realised that she’d finally found the answers she was looking for. The body in the car alongside Joe was Rosa’s, and Danny knew all about it.
Chapter 57
Tears in her eyes, Rosa headed towards the village railway station, where she was due to take the next train to London. She didn’t really want to go, and she’d almost changed her mind when she’d seen her mother’s distraught face. But the shame and humiliation of facing her peers outweighed her concern for her mother. She’d go to London and make a success of her life. That would show them all that she wasn’t fazed by Danny’s rejection! She’d better things to do with her life than hang around a hick little village in the back of beyond.
Rosa’s lip quivered. Who on earth did she think she was fooling? Truthfully, she was devastated by Danny’s rejection. And if she left Willow Haven, she’d be leaving him to Ivy Morton. But she had one final string to her bow. Danny wasn’t going to get off so easily, and she might still manage to destroy his relationship with Ivy Morton before it even got started.
As she reached the station, Rosa glanced over her shoulder. She could see her mother in the distance, still standing at her open front door and watching her daughter as she prepared to leave the village forever. She felt a momentary pang of guilt at the hurt she was causing her mother, but if her plan worked out, she mightn’t be leaving at all. Since her mother was still watching, she went to the ticket-window and in full view of her mother, bought a one-way ticket to London, then slipped it into a pocket on her rucksack. She peered out the station entrance again, and was relieved to see that her mother had finally gone inside and closed her front door. Slipping out of the station, Rosa took a sharp turn down the side road that led to Heartley’s Stores. She wasn’t going to leave without a last shot at getting Danny back. If she was successful, she could get her ticket money refunded. If not … well, she’d still have time to catch the 6.15.
Danny was standing outside the store when Rosa arrived, and she felt that his presence there augured well for her future.
“Danny, I need to speak to you – in private,” she told him quietly. “Meet me down by the lake in five minutes.”
Without another word, Rosa turned and began walking towards the lake.
Surprised and slightly worried, Danny waited until she was out of sight before following her. He didn’t want Ivy or anyone else to spot him with Rosa now that they were no longer a couple, but he was concerned by Rosa’s air of calm superiority. The last time he’d seen her, she’d been hysterical, and he’d felt guilty. Now, she appeared like someone holding a trump card. But he’d no reason to be worried, had he?
Down by the lake, Rosa removed her rucksack and sat on it to wait for Danny. She felt surprisingly calm about what she was going to do. All was fair in love and war, and she was playing to win. She wanted Danny, and this was her last chance of getting him back. If not, she’d go to London as planned …
Danny made his way through the bushes and the reeds, standing in front of her, a concerned look on his face. “What do you want, Rosa? I really haven’t time to play your little games. We’re finished, and nothing’s going to change that.”
Rosa looked up, a smirk on her pretty face. “Oh, I think it might, Danny. Sit down and listen to what I have to say.”
“I don’t want to sit down. Say what you have to say, because I’m leaving.”
“Well then, I’ll stand up,” said Rosa, getting to her feet. “I just thought you might want to sit down, since what I have to say might be a shock to you.”
Danny looked defiant. “Go on – whatever you have to say, it won’t make any difference to me.”
“Oh yes, it will – I’m pregnant, Danny – I’m expectin
g your baby.”
It was a lie, but Rosa was so desperate to get Danny back that she was prepared to do anything to make it happen. By her reasoning, he’d feel obliged to stay with her, and eventually he’d realise they were meant to be together. Then she’d conveniently have a ‘miscarriage’. But by then, they’d hopefully be married …
Danny’s face went white. “W-what? You’re joking! You told me you were on the pill!”
“Well, I guess it didn’t work,” Rosa said smugly. “I’ll have to tell Mamma soon, and before long, everyone in the village will know. So we’d better start making plans for our future.”
Danny was speechless with rage.
Rosa smiled at him triumphantly. “You’d better forget all about Ivy Morton now – I don’t think she’d be happy to have a boyfriend who’s got another girl pregnant!”
Looking at Rosa’s smug face, Danny finally found his voice. “You little bitch!” he screamed. “You’ve done this to trap me. Well, you’re not going to get away with it!”
Rosa was still smirking when Danny grabbed her by the throat. As her expression changed from surprise to fear, she found herself struggling for breath, but she was incapable of making him let go. Suddenly, she was terrified. She’d never seen Danny so angry.
“You’re nothing to me, Rosa!” he told her as he tightened his grip. “Nothing! Do you hear me – nothing! You’re not going to ruin my life – I’m not going to let you!”
As though possessed, Danny dug his fingers deeper into her throat, and frantically, she tried to prise his fingers away, but it was impossible, and she realised she was fighting a losing battle. Why had she made up such a stupid lie? If only he’d give her a chance, she’d tell him the truth, but she was finding it impossible to breathe any longer … As he continued to crush her throat, Rosa slipped into unconsciousness, and was no longer able to hear what he was saying.
As Danny let go of her at last, she slid to the ground like a rag-doll. He’d broken her neck and she was now lying dead at his feet.
Danny’s mouth was dry and his heart was thumping rapidly. What on earth had he done? He looked at Rosa’s body slumped on the ground and felt an overwhelming urge to puke. She wasn’t really dead, was she? It was just Rosa playing another of her stupid games … He knelt down and shook her body frantically. “Come on, Rosa – stop messing!” he croaked, his voice hoarse with fear and emotion. But as he looked at the deep red marks gouged into her neck, he had to accept the truth of what he’d done. Tears filled his eyes. How could it have come to this?
He licked his dry trembling lips. If she hadn’t been so smug, he’d never have touched her. He hadn’t meant to harm her, but she’d kept goading him … Oh God, what was he going to do? He looked down at Rosa’s body once more. It was hard to believe she was gone. Everything had changed in an instant, and right now he didn’t even know if he had a future himself.
Wildly, he looked around him, and was relieved to see that the lakeside was deserted. At this time of evening, most people were at home preparing dinner. Did anyone know that Rosa was planning to meet him? His goose was cooked if she’d told anyone. Of course, he’d claim he never saw her. Luckily, they’d each arrived at the lakeside separately, so no one could have seen them together, except outside Heartley’s Stores.
Panicking, Danny wondered what he could do with the body. He couldn’t risk leaving it here, even for a few minutes. Anyone walking by would see it, then he’d find himself serving a very long prison sentence. Calm down, he told himself. He needed to think clearly and rationally if he was to find a solution to his problem. Whatever decision he made now would decide the course of the rest of his life.
Danny was numb from shock and fear, but he needed to find a solution to his dilemma quickly. He knew that if he threw Rosa’s body into the lake, it would surface before long, and the marks on her neck would confirm she’d been strangled. Soon the police would be crawling all over the village, and checking everyone’s association with Rosa. He’d quickly become the prime suspect.
For Christ’s sake, think of something, he told himself. His future was at stake here!
As he gazed at the lake, he suddenly thought of Joe and his father’s car at the bottom of the lake. Eureka! If he could get Rosa’s body into the car, no one would ever find her. Even if the car was eventually found, Rosa’s body would hopefully be so decayed that no evidence of foul play would be visible any more.
Danny shuddered. The water would be freezing and he didn’t fancy making the journey to the bottom of the lake with Rosa’s body, but he’d no other choice. His brain was in shock and at this moment he couldn’t think of any better option. Luckily he could swim well, and right now the stakes were too high for him to change his mind.
Quickly, he stripped off. He’d have to do it naked, since he couldn’t go through the village afterwards wearing wet clothes. Dragging Rosa’s body to the edge of the lake, Danny was astonished at how heavy she now was. He hoped that same weight would help him to get her to the bottom of the lake as quickly as possible. He was shivering from the cold, and terrified that someone would walk by and see him with Rosa’s body, or spot her rucksack, which he’d hidden in the bushes.
Danny gasped as he jumped in, hauling Rosa’s body in after him. The cold seared through him like a knife. Dragging the body down after him, he fought his way through the weeds and debris, hoping his sense of direction was correct. Relief flooded through him when he spotted the outline of the car ahead. As he reached it, he desperately needed more air, so he abandoned the body briefly and surfaced, hoping it wouldn’t surface as well. Filling his lungs, he returned to the car below, relieved that Rosa’s body hadn’t moved very far and that the passenger window was open – presumably that had been Ivy’s escape route.
Freezing and frightened, Danny pushed, dragged and manoeuvred, and eventually he got Rosa’s body into the passenger seat. The weight of the water made it almost impossible, but he managed it at last.
As he tried to attach her seatbelt, he did his best not to look at his brother. But his eyes were inexorably drawn towards the driver’s seat – oh no! He could see Joe, although he didn’t look anything like the brother he remembered. Tufts of his fair hair were weaving in the current, and his face seemed to be melting away. As he struggled to wind up the passenger window, so that Rosa’s body would stay propped against it, Danny had to suppress the urge to scream.
Looking into the back of the car, Danny spotted Ivy’s weekend case and handbag. He pulled the case out but it broke apart, while the items of clothing inside fell out and floated to the bottom of the lake where he hoped they would rot away over time. He felt relief – no one would ever know they’d been Ivy’s. He grabbed her handbag and carried it to the surface. Since Ivy was going to be his wife one day soon, he intended to protect her.
Danny left Joe and Rosa in their underwater tomb and swam to the surface. He was never going down there again! As he climbed out of the water, he vomited all over the ground. Then he looked back at the lake, but the water was calm, giving no indication of what lay beneath its smooth surface.
Using his underpants to dry himself, Danny did his best to get dressed. But his clothing kept sticking to his damp body, and he panicked as he struggled to get into it. At one point he felt close to breaking down, because his fingers were trembling so much that he couldn’t even tie his shoelaces.
At last, he managed to get dressed. Stuffing his damp underpants into his pocket, he collected Rosa’s rucksack and Ivy’s handbag, and hid them in the drapes of his jacket, which he then carried in one hand, while doing his best to look as casual as possible.
Crossing the fields behind the village, Danny arrived back home without incident, and went straight to his room. Relief flooded through him as he dumped the rucksack and handbag on his bed. He’d made a drastic mistake, but he’d managed to extricate himself by staying cool and thinking things through.
Opening Rosa’s rucksack, he found several hundred pounds in
one of the pockets. He felt a pang of remorse – it was almost like being rewarded for what he’d done. He presumed Hannah had given the money to her daughter, but he could hardly return it, could he? And it would be useful when he and Ivy eventually left Willow Haven to set up home in London. He placed the notes in a drawer beneath his clean socks. Eventually, he’d have to get rid of the rucksack, but for now he’d hide it beneath his bed.
In Ivy’s handbag he found a plastic wallet containing her passport and the remains of her birth and exam certificates, but the print still clear enough to be identified as hers. He’d destroy them. Ivy could always apply for new documents.
Danny took a deep breath. What had initially been a disaster had actually turned into a golden opportunity, enabling him to protect Ivy from any connection to the bodies in the lake. Now all he had to do was make her fall in love with him.
At school the following day at lunchtime, news of Rosa’s departure for London was the main topic of conversation. Rosa’s mother had told Fred Heartley, who’d told his daughter Peggy, who told her friends … and before long, both the girls’ and boys’ schools knew all about it.
As Clara Bellingham passed Danny in the street later that afternoon, she made a snide remark about him dumping her. “She’s only gone to London because of you!” Clara said venomously, and she was surprised when Danny apologised profusely.
“I never meant to upset her,” he told Clara, looking sad. “But I want to be with Ivy. I really hope things work out for Rosa in London.”
As he moved off, he couldn’t resist a little smile, since he was suddenly filled with a tremendous sense of relief. The fates had conspired to save him! No one would miss Rosa because they thought she’d gone to London. It would be months, maybe years, before anyone –
Still Waters Page 27
