“Left at the end of the corridor dear, room 215,” he pointed ahead.
Inside his room, earnest stood up and smoothed his trousers and jacket.
“Sauvignon Blanc,” he held the bottle up.
“Just a small one for me,” Marney replied.
“Me too,” Lydia nodded.
“Let’s sit down ladies,” Earnest gestured towards the sofa, where he took a seat.
After a few minutes of silence had passed, Earnest leaned forward and looked at Marney.
“Did you love Dan?” he asked never taking his gaze from her.
“Of course,” she replied.
“He would never have left his wife; you do know that, don’t you?” he leaned back in his seat and his expression changed.
“Not at the time, but I know that now,” Marney choose her words carefully.
“Dan and Ellen’s deaths were devastating to me; I could understand one accidental death, but not two,” he took a sip of wine.
Lydia felt her heart rate increase and resisted the temptation to speak.
“It was very sad,” Marney replied quietly.
“Dan was a womaniser, the investigation concluded that he met his death after a confrontation with a jealous husband. He was lucky to keep his position at the College when it was discovered he was having a relationship with one of his students,” Marney spoke out.
“Maybe, maybe not,” Earnest refilled his glass.
A knock on the door disturbed the conversation as a nurse wheeled in a trolley.
“Your lunch Mr. Gerrity.”
“Leave it on the table,” he instructed.
As the nurse left the room Lydia spoke again.
“Ellen’s death was not the result of an accident, she took her own life,” she attempted to disguise the fear that was welling up inside her.
“Maybe, maybe not,” Earnest repeated his words.
“Why did you ask us to come here today?” Lydia asked the question.
“I think you know the answer to that question Lydia,” he addressed her by her name for the first time.
“We’ll leave you to enjoy your lunch; it’s been a pleasure meeting to you.”
Lydia was anxious to leave as the conversation was becoming disturbingly uncomfortable, but her sister was not ready to leave.
“Are you allowed to leave this place?” she asked.
“What do you mean?” Earnest asked.
“Can you visit friends for a few days, or have a weekend away?”
“Of course, but I have no one to visit,” he shrugged his shoulders.
“You have us, we’d love to have you stay with us for a weekend, you could meet Heidi, it would be much better than me bringing her here,” she beamed.
Lydia resisted the urge to grab her sister by the throat and shake some sense into her. Instead she replied.
“I don’t think we have the room sis,” she smiled.
“Of course we do; would you like to visit next weekend?” Marney beamed.
“I’d be delighted Marney, thank you,” he nodded a gesture of self-satisfaction rather than gratitude.
“We really should be going Marney,” Lydia avoided Earnest’s stare.
Rising to her feet, Marney stepped forward and kissed earnest on his cheek.
“It’s been a pleasure to meet you both. Thank you for coming, I look forward to next weekend,” he smiled.
“So do I,” Marney squeezed his hand.
Lydia strode ahead of her sister as she hurried to leave the home with Earnest Gerrity’s words spinning through her head.
“Lydia please wait for me,” Marney quickened her pace to catch up with her sister. As she did, Lydia stopped suddenly and spun around.
“What’s wrong with you?” her face was taut with anger.
“I don’t know what you mean Lyds,” Marney shrugged her shoulders.
“He suspects us,” she spoke through gritted teeth.
“No he doesn’t, he never said that.”
“He’s very cunning Marney.”
“He’s a lonely old man sis, and I felt sorry for him.”
“He’s playing on your weakness; and he thinks we had something to do with the deaths of The Gerrity’s,” Lydia repeated herself.
“No Lydia, he didn’t say that, he never suggested we were responsible. He said two accidents were hard to believe, or something like that.”
Lydia was thoughtful for a while as she realised that what Marney was saying was true.
“Let’s just get out of here,” Lydia turned and marched quickly along the corridor towards the exit. Hurrying towards the car, Lydia waited for her sister to catch up and then began to chastise her again.
“You’ll have make some excuse for next weekend Marney; he’s not coming to the house, I don’t trust him.” She folded her arms tightly across her chest.
“He wants to see Heidi,” she argued.
“You’ll have to bring her here; he’s not coming to our house.” Lydia was adamant. Marney resisted the urge to argue as Lydia unlocked the car and turned the key in the ignition. The journey continued in silence for five minutes before Marney attempted to elicit a conversation.
“What if he does suspect the Gerrity’s deaths weren’t accidents; the police case is closed, there’s no evidence against us.” She pointed out.
“The police do re-open cases Marney.”
“Not on the ramblings of an old man, they need fresh evidence.”
“I’m not taking any chances sis, I know I wasn’t directly responsible for Dan and Ellen’s deaths’, but I wasn’t completely honest. I don’t want Dan’s only living relative digging it all up again. I’m beginning to think he has no money, and this is a ruse to find out the truth.”
“Now you’re being ridiculous Lyds.” Marney raised her voice.
“Am I? We only have his word that he’s Dan’s uncle; he could be an undercover detective for all we know,” she glared in the mirror at her sister’s stunned expression.
“That’s not possible, he looks just like Dan, his eyes and even the way he speaks are the same,” she contradicted her.
“You went there expecting to see someone who looked like Dan; I couldn’t see any similarities at all.” Marney decided not to continue the altercation, as she knew her sister was right. With no answer to Lydia’s remark, the journey once again continued in silence until Marney drew into the drive outside their home, where Lydia turned to her and spoke.
“I’m opening the cafe tomorrow; if you’re ready to return to work I’d appreciate some help.”
Without waiting for a reply, Lydia opened the car door and walked towards the front door. As she turned the key in the lock, Marney appeared by her side with Heidi asleep in her arms.
“I’ll come and help,” she replied taking Heidi upstairs to her cot.
The rest of the day passed by with an air of hostility still evident between the two sisters. Heidi had woken from her nap and was playing contentedly in her play pen. On several occasions, Marney had been on the verge of breaking the ice but the expression on her sister’s face was still stern and unwelcoming.
After a brief conversation with their mother concerning Heidi’s childcare whilst she was at the café, Marney summoned up the courage to speak to Lydia.
“Have you heard anything from Jake?” she asked cautiously.
Lydia looked up from paper-work she was perusing.
“No, and I don’t expect to. To be honest, I was just thinking about the money he loaned us. I have enough to pay the caterers and place a new order. I was planning on introducing some changes to the menu. What do you think of having a dish of the day at lunch time at a reduced price?”
“Sounds like a good idea as long as we keep it simple,” Marney nodded.
“O.K., we’ll start tomorrow, what do you think of meat and potato pie and veg?”
“Why not; I’ll make a flyer to put in the window.” Marney jumped up and switched on the laptop.
“Do
you fancy spaghetti Bolognese later?” Lydia asked.
“Please, but no garlic for Heidi, it upsets her stomach,” Marney called over her shoulder.
What about the onions sis?”
“No, they still make her trump,” Marney shook her head.
Lydia took a catering pack of steak from the freezer and turned on the slow cooker. After peeling the potatoes and preparing the pastry, she turned her attention to the pasta Bolognese. A pan of pasta was boiling on the range as she began to peel the onions. Wiping her hands on her apron, she opened the fridge door as her mobile rang. Annoyed at the intrusion, she snatched the phone without looking at the caller’s identity. When she heard Jakes’s voice she froze.
“What do you what?” she asked frostily.
“Have you seen the news on the T.V.?”
“The news; what do you mean Jake?”
“Ewan Phillips has been arrested, he attacked a girl last night and killed her.”
Lydia sank down on a chair.
“Did you hear me Lydia?”
“I heard you; I just can’t take it in. That could have been Marney,” her voice quivered. Hearing her name mentioned, Marney looked up from her laptop.
“What’s wrong sis?” she asked.
Ignoring the question, Lydia continued to question Jake.
“I don’t know any more details, I just caught the end of it on the news. Do you want me to come around?”
After a brief silence, Lydia replied.
“As long as you don’t mention Tom Anderson,” she warned.
“I won’t, I’ve thought about it a lot and I think I understand the circumstances now. I was shocked and jealous that you’d slept with another man especially after what he’d done,” he replied quietly.
“You mentioned a lot there Jake.”
“I’ll see you soon Lyds.” He ended the call and Lydia looked up at her sister’s concerned expression.
“What’s wrong?” she asked for the second time.
“That was Jake,” she began.
“I gathered that sis; what did he want?” she raised her eyebrows.
“He told me Ewan Phillips has been arrested,” she began.
“What’s he done now, the scumbag,” she grimaced.
“He attacked and killed a girl,” Lydia breathed deeply and flared her nostrils.
“Oh my god,” Marney grabbed the edge of the table to steady herself.
*********************************
Tom Anderson and four other prisoners were led to an awaiting prison van and driven the thirty-five-mile trip to Ash Hall Open Prison. This was the beginning of his journey to freedom and he did not intend to do anything to jeopardise it. To make the process easier, he had enrolled on a training course to assist with his re-settlement into the community. The subject of the course was immaterial and unnecessary, but it was his ticket to an overnight release licence. He would be allowed the privilege of staying in his own home for a night and he planned to go visiting. Being in Prison had been very hard for him but the photograph of Lydia he had secreted on his person, had helped him through the bad times. Although Lydia was unresponsive towards him, he had not given up hope of a reconciliation. He just needed to see her and convince her that they could still have a happy future together.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Jake arrived fifteen minutes later and waited anxiously on the doorstep. Lydia opened the door and stared at him. Her heart raced at the sight of him dressed in jeans and an open neck T-shirt. Without thinking, she threw her arms around him and kissed him tenderly.
“Can I come in?” he smiled as he gently moved her arms from his neck.
“Of course, I’m sorry,” she stood back and allowed him to enter.
In the kitchen, Marney was sitting at the table sipping a cup of tea and looked up as Jake entered the room.
“Hi Marney,” he took a seat next to her.
“Hi,” she mumbled staring straight ahead.
“Do you want a drink Jake,” Lydia asked.
“Tea would be nice, thanks.”
“Tell me what’s he’s done Jake,” Marney turned to him.
“I don’t know the full details, he attacked a girl last night. There was a struggle and she fell onto the corner of a pavement and hit her head. She died in hospital a few hours later.”
Lydia came to the table with two mugs of tea and passed one to Jake.
“Thanks love,” he smiled.
Taking her seat, she asked.
“How did they know it was Phillips?”
“D.N.A. I suppose, it would have been at the scene and on the poor victim,” Jake took a sip of tea.
“I should have pressed charges. I let him get away with it and now he’s taken someone’s life,” Marney began to cry.
Lydia stood up and put an arm around her shoulders.
“Don’t blame yourself sis, he was always going to do this. He’s dangerous and belongs in prison for the rest of his life.”
“Oh my God,” Marney sat upright.
“What’s wrong,” Jake asked seeing the look of terror in her eyes.
“What if he’s Heidi’s father, how am I going to live with that?”
“We’ll deal with that if it happens Marney, but you put Dan’s name on the birth certificate, remember?” Lydia reminded her.
“She’ll have his genes and murderous streak; she’ll be a monster,” she ran her fingers through her hair and breathed deeply.
“We don’t know that he’s Heidi’s father, you need to do the paternity test as soon as possible.” Lydia gently squeezed her hand.
“We’ll take Heidi to the nursing home, I don’t want Earnest here,” Marney sat up and dabbed her blood shot eyes. Unsure of her change of heart, Lydia just nodded.
“I’ll phone in the morning,” Lydia assured her.
“What about the café; we’re supposed to be re-opening in the morning?”
“We can delay it for another week, some things are more important,” Lydia stood up and took a bottle of wine from the rack. Without asking, she poured three glasses and passed them around the table.
“That could have been me Lyds; Phillips could have killed me,” she dabbed her eyes and took a sip of wine.
“But it wasn’t,” she gently squeezed her hand.
“He should never have been released,” Jake spoke up.
“That makes me feel ever worse, thanks for that Jake,” Marney glared at him.
“I’m sorry Marney, I didn’t mean it that way.”
Jake felt uncomfortable, Marney was clearly distressed and understandably so, but he hadn’t meant to be insensitive. She had suffered an appalling experience as a rape victim and then her daughter had gone missing. Personally, he thought she should have pressed charges against Phillips, but he did not intend to voice his controversial opinion.
“We went to the nursing home to see Dan’s uncle today,” Lydia changed the subject to prevent further confrontation.
“Oh, you never said,” Jake looked cross the table at her.
“We’ve not exactly been on speaking terms, have we,” she replied.
“How did you get on?” he ignored Lydia’s remark.
“Not very well,” Marney spoke up. “He kept on about the Gerrity’s deaths,” she added.
“What about it?” Jake was curious.
“It was if he thought the accidents were suspicious; Lydia thinks he’s an imposter,” she raised her eyebrows and peered at her sister.
“What are you talking about Marney?” he took a long sip of wine.
“She’s exaggerating, as usual,” Lydia threw her sister a warning glance.
“It was you who said it,” she argued.
“Marney invited him to stay at our house next weekend, I merely pointed out that he was a stranger who we knew nothing about,” she spoke calmly.
“That’s true,” Jake poured another drink and held the bottle up.
“Anyone for a top-up?”
“Please,” L
ydia replied, “I’ll get another bottle.”
When she returned to the table, Jake continued to question her.
“Why would he be suspicious, the police concluded they both died accidentally?”
“Because there are things you don’t know,” Marney continued.
“Ignore her, she’s had too much to drink,” Lydia attempted to halt the awkward conversation.
“I’ve only had one glass, but I’ll have another please Jake,” she pushed her glass across the table.
“Tell me things I don’t know; did your sister kill them?” he smirked.
“Don’t be ridiculous Jake; I’ve heard enough of this nonsense Marney. Heidi will want her tea,” she turned to look at the little girl who had fallen asleep in her play pen.”
“I’ll feed her when she wakes,” Marney smiled lovingly at her daughter.
“I’m not going to stop asking until you tell me,” he teased.
“There’s nothing to tell, I just didn’t quite tell the truth about where I was when Dan died, and neither did you Marney,” she glared at her.
“Why didn’t you tell the truth?” Jake continued to prise the details out of her.
Lydia let out a sigh of frustration, then jumped to her feet.
“Because I was with him Jake, that’s why.”
“With him in what sense?” his expression changed.
“Not in that way Jake.”
“She was with him when he died,” Marney butted in.
“It’s complicated. He was cheating on Marney with one of his students, I challenged him with evidence. I had photos on my phone, he tried to snatch my bag and I might have pushed him away. He stumbled down the stairs of a disused warehouse where we met,” she hung her head to avoid his stare.
“So, if it was an accident, why didn’t you tell the police?”
“I don’t know, I just panicked and then phoned them anonymously later that evening. It was too late then. Marney gave me an alibi and we stuck to it,” she looked up and searched his face for a hint of understanding. His expression was fixed, and it was difficult for Lydia to ascertain his reaction.
“What about Ellen?” Marney would not relent.
“You’re just as guilty as me, you gave me an alibi,” Lydia answered back.
The Truth: sequel to I Will Find You Page 12
