Dangerous Secrets

by Chrissie Loveday

  Though he was pretty easy on her, she always did her best to be on time and give him no call for complaint. She made coffee her priority when she arrives in the office. With a disturbed night and little sleep anyway, she was not at the top of her game.

  ‘Good weekend?’ Bryce asked cheerfully when he came in five minutes after her.

  ‘Not bad.’

  ‘How were the lovebirds?’

  ‘Oh, not exactly love’s young dream. Coffee?’

  ‘Bit early isn’t it?’

  ‘I had a disturbed night. A fox got in somehow and caused havoc.’

  ‘A fox? Enterprising of it.’

  ‘I don’t think it was by accident.’

  Bryce smiled. ‘You mean someone gave it a key?’

  ‘I suspect my tormentor is back in business. Enlisted the help of a four-legged friend. I’ll just sort through the post and bring it in. Did you want coffee or not?’

  As she went into his office he was finishing a phone call. She overheard the words “That’s an unexpected turn of events” and “Initiative”. He put the phone down quickly as she approached.

  ‘So,’ he said, ‘you were lonely after your brother left?’

  ‘Not particularly,’ she replied suspiciously. He didn’t usually make such comments.

  ‘I just wondered. It’s always a bit flat when you’ve had company.’

  ‘I don’t mind being on my own.’

  ‘Don’t forget my offer of somewhere to stay still stands.’

  ‘I’m vaguely thinking of taking in a lodger.’

  ‘You wouldn’t like that, surely? Very restricting, I know from experience.’

  ‘Really? But you’re still offering me a room at your place?’

  ‘That’s different. I feel we might have a future … might be more companionable, I should say. Unless there’s someone in your life already that I don’t know about?’

  ‘Bryce … I’m your employee. Let’s not muddy the waters. Now I need to get back to my work.’

  ‘Julia …’ He stopped speaking and she left the room.

  Who was he speaking to on the phone? Was it really him behind this whole vandalism business? Did he have someone working for him causing havoc? Somehow, she needed to access his private files and see what was going on. She didn’t want to believe at all. It seemed almost too ridiculous for such a successful businessman to stoop to such basic scare tactics.

  So, you’ve got a new companion have you?

  I nearly blew it last night.

  Wasn’t till I saw the male trainers lying on the floor I stopped myself. Meant I couldn’t do all I had intended. Could have been your brother’s, I suppose, but I wasn’t taking risks like that. Besides, he left early didn’t he? His car wasn’t parked outside, so I was a bit thrown.

  That was not the right thing to do. I thought better of you. But it did mean you kindly left the alarm switched off. I was all set to disable it too. Lucky I brought my little friend with me to help out with my scare tactics. Didn’t know I had a friend like that, did you? Poor foxes have a terrible reputation but I love them.

  So, I’ll have to watch my step if you’re starting to bring friends home. Lucky he didn’t spot me hiding in the garden. I wouldn’t fancy a tussle with him. He looked as if he could take care of himself. Not my style to fight anyone like that.

  I’ll be back later tonight. And take my advice, get some beauty sleep … on your own. You’ll be needing it over the next few days. I’ve had my orders . Do something more drastic to make sure you leave the place.

  Not sure what that will be yet but just watch out.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Ryan had his hand on the phone ready to call Julia. He hesitated several times. He really wanted to talk to her but knew she would be at work. He’d been too upset the previous evening to leave more than a short message. With that woman hovering around the place, he shut himself away in his room. Was this how it was going to be from now on? His father had offered to buy him a place of his own. That appealed to some extent but it meant he would be relinquishing his last contact with his old home and leaving it open for someone else to take over. He called her mobile.

  ‘Can you talk?’ he asked immediately.

  ‘For a bit.’

  ‘Anyone listening?’

  ‘Not impossible,’ she said cautiously. ‘Is everything all right?’

  ‘Not really. Dad wants this woman to move in. He’s offered to buy me a place of my own. I’d snap it up but it means I’ve nothing left at The Gates. I simply can’t bear the thought of someone else walking in and just taking it over.’

  ‘Oh, love. I’m sorry. But I suppose the break has to come at some point. You could always give up and move down here with me.’

  ‘But I can’t. You have to accept that.

  ‘But I really don’t understand, Ryan. You’re not happy and it seems obvious, the only way you might be happy is to leave him to get on with whatever he wants to do. What’s holding you back?’

  ‘Sorry. Gotta go. Someone’s coming in.’ He put the phone down and Julia was left worrying even more.

  Nobody had come in but Ryan knew that speaking to his sister about the one thing that was holding him back was impossible. Once she knew the truth, it would alienate her forever. He couldn’t live without his sister’s love and support. He sat his head in his hands wondering where on earth his life was going. His father had been surprisingly civil right up till the awful Charlotte had gone home. Then he had turned on his son.

  ‘Why the hell did you have to come back so early? You were supposed to be proving you’re a normal man this weekend. A lovely girl like Hermione, yours for the taking and you blew it.’

  ‘Unlike you, I don’t see anyone as being “mine for the taking”. Women aren’t a commodity to be used on some whim. You may see them as that but I have respect for them as human beings.’

  ‘I’m not some sort of monster, boy. I love women and cherish them. Your mother never had any complaints about the way she was treated.’

  ‘You think? You really think that? She was devastated when you used to take your various women away for weeks on end. She learned to control herself because she knew it was pointless to complain. Your guilty conscience gifts to her were just that and she knew it. And what’s happened to all those pieces of jewellery? Have you even offered them to Julia?’

  ‘Of course I haven’t. You don’t actually believe she deserves them, do you?’

  ‘It’s usual for a daughter to inherit her mother’s jewellery.’

  ‘Well, she knows what to do if she wants to claim anything. So I take it things are over between you and Hermione?’

  ‘We’re still friends, if that’s what you mean. But I doubt anything will ever go any further.’

  ‘That causes me even greater embarrassment with Jeremy. I can’t rely on you for anything, can I?’

  ‘I don’t know why you should think my love life, or lack of it, has anything to do with your business affairs. I’m going to bed. Goodnight.’

  ‘I haven’t finished yet.’

  ‘There’s nothing more to say. I’ll probably see you at work sometime tomorrow.’

  That had been the end of it but, after a sleepless night the future looked black in. He could see no way out of this present mess. Would it really help anything at all if he tried again with Hermione? If she would even be willing to consider him as a potential marriage partner or even just a friend, which he doubted. She had too much character to marry someone just because her father suggested it. He wondered if his mother had ever truly loved his father. Possibly she had when they were first married. The wedding photographs showed a happy looking couple and she had certainly been a wonderful mother to them both. It seemed more a case of quiet acceptance from her rather than raging battles. Once Gerard had found he could get away with doing what he wanted, she seemed to have given up and lived her life as best as she could.

  Both children had realised that their mother’s lar
ge collection of jewellery was probably compensation given as conscience gifts. How many of those gifts were already finding their way into some other woman’s jewellery box? He was tempted to try to open the safe in his parents’ bedroom and take some of the favourite pieces out to give to Julia.

  He sighed and got back to his work. Each time his office door was opened he looked up anxiously, expecting a visit from his father at any time. Julia called him several times during the morning but he refused to answer. He knew she’d be worried but he would find some sort of excuse about being in meetings or something. He needed to find a way of convincing her that staying here was his choice and his preference without explaining why. Not easy when it was all based on lies and guilt.

  Chapter Eighteen

  After several weeks, Julia was becoming bored with the daily routine of office work. She knuckled down and carried on the round of daily tasks. She needed the work to maintain even her current basic lifestyle and to prove she could hold down a job. Eventually, she needed to decide how she was going to spend the rest of her life.

  Rick had called her a couple of times and hinted most strongly that he wanted to move into the cottage. After they had slept together, she felt certain he wanted much more than a room to let. She was not ready for anything more than a casual relationship and put him off, still claiming that because the property was half Ryan’s, she couldn’t make a decision until he’d visited again. They had spent a few evenings together, mostly with the group of annual visitors but she had not allowed him to stay over again.

  Bryce had maintained the working relationship she had asked for and seemed to know or guess that she had been seen with Rick a few times. He had not given her the extra responsibilities he’d mentioned at her interview and she felt in need of something new to stimulate her. She decided she would ask about it at the next opportunity. The business seemed to be thriving with plenty of visitors asking for later bookings, presumably due to the economic squeeze. Foreign travel was less popular so the home market was benefiting.

  This week the weather had deteriorated and turned stormy. Huge waves were crashing onto the beaches and surfing was impossible for a few days. She had decided to stay in for the evening watching her new television. She listened to tiles rattling on the roof as the winds whipped in all directions. She made a mental note to check the wooden shingles that covered the cottage, once the winds dropped. The shingles were quite old and some of them may need replacing. That would certainly be expensive and she needed to discuss it with Ryan.

  When she went to bed, she plugged in her iPod, hoping music might drown the noisy storm. The sound of the sea crashing over rocks along with the roar of the winds did not induce sound sleep. She dozed fitfully, knowing the winds could always be violent at times and feeling secure that she had set the alarm. The various noises she could hear were simply nature making sure the population knew who or what was really in charge. Her imagination began to take over and she tried hard to convince herself that it was merely the wind making noises but she did not succeed. There was definitely something else going on. She peered out of the window but could see nothing.

  Should she dial the police and tell them someone was outside? It would take ages before anyone came so she went back to bed and tried once more to convince herself it was her imagination playing up again. More than once, she wished she had taken up Rick’s offer. She drifted into a light doze, constantly aware of the howling winds. She came to with a start and looked at the clock beside her bed.

  Three o’clock. The noises had changed. Tiles were still rattling but there was a new sound. A strange crackling sound with occasional loud bang. She got up and pulled on her jog pants. Slowly, she opened the door and looked down the stairs. Everything looked quiet and just as she had left it. She looked into her parent’s old room but that also seemed in order. It was then she began to smell smoke.

  She opened Ryan’s door and a rush of hot air practically sent her flying back. Thick acrid smoke and flames were pouring out of the room. How she hadn’t smelled the smoke before, she couldn’t say. Panicked, she rushed down the stairs as smoke and flames began to take hold of curtains and carpets. She grabbed the phone and rushed outside. She dialed the fire brigade and almost shouted into the handset as the burglar alarm began to sound. With the roaring of the fire and the alarm shrieking she felt she was living in a nightmare. People were coming out of their houses and calling out to her.

  ‘I’m sorry,’ she muttered in total shock. ‘I can’t switch the alarm off. Sorry.’

  ‘Are you all right?’

  ‘You’re not hurt, are you?’

  ‘Was it a lightning strike?’

  They stood in a helpless group and watched as the flames took hold in earnest. The alarm stopped as the wires were burnt through. Seemingly hours later, a fire engine was heard on the distance. The narrow lane meant progress was slow. Someone had draped a blanket round Julia’s shoulders but she was unaware of it and stood shivering. The firemen ushered them all away and work began to douse the flames. The roof collapsed in a shower of sparks and a new blaze arose the fire found more fuel to catch hold.

  Someone arrived with a tray of mugs of tea for anyone that wanted them. Julia sipped gratefully, feeling cold to the core despite the flames that were still rising from what she now saw would be merely the remains of her home. Questions rushed through her head. What would she do now? What would Ryan say? Worse still, would her father be even more insistent on her return to her old home? In fact was that her only option, at least short term? Was this a deliberate fire or an accident? In view of recent events, the former seemed most likely.

  ‘Why don’t you come inside with us?’ someone was saying. It was one of the holidaymakers staying in a nearby house. ‘There’s nothing you can do out here and you’re getting cold.’

  ‘I’m fine, thank you. I need to see they can the fire put out completely. Thanks, all of you. Please don’t feel you have to stay out here.’

  The wind was fanning the flames into new life and showers of sparks were cascading into the air like uncontrolled fireworks. ‘I know it’s terrible for you but it will certainly be the talking point of our holiday. Come in when you want to. You have to stay somewhere, don’t you, dear? We have a spare couch in the sitting room and I think there are plenty of blankets.’ The woman was most concerned for her.

  ‘Thank you. You’re very kind.’

  ‘Do you know how it started? Electrical was it?’

  ‘I’ve no idea. It began in my brother’s bedroom. He’s not here at present.’

  ‘Something left switched on, I expect,’ she said.

  ‘Possibly. Or maybe it was lightning? I didn’t notice any lightning or thunder though.’

  The firemen were drawing back as the flames were dying down. Apart from the walls, it seemed there would be very little of the cottage left. Julia felt tears welling as she realized the significance of the loss of the childhood memories and more importantly, her home. She needed to call Ryan as soon as possible … only her mobile phone, along with everything else was gone. The useless handset she was still clutching belonged to a system that was now destroyed.

  She looked down. She was wearing a pair of ancient flip-flops, a pair of jogging bottoms and her nightie, not forgetting someone’s blanket. She did have some more shoes in her car which seemed to have been far enough away to survive the blaze. Sadly, her keys had also been lost in the burned ruins so she had what she stood up in. But she was alive.

  ‘Have you got somewhere you can stay?’ the fireman asked.

  ‘She can stay with us,’ the neighbour said quickly.

  ‘Good. You need to go and try to rest a little now. We’ll maintain a presence here till daylight, damping down and making sure there’s nothing going to flare up again. We’ll start an investigation as to the cause at first light. If you wouldn’t mind just a couple of questions before you leave. Is that all right?’ Julia nodded.

  ‘I am right in confirming
you were alone in the property?’

  ‘Oh yes. Quite alone.’

  ‘And did you hear anything to raise your suspicions?’

  ‘The winds were howling and the roof tiles were rattling very loudly. I think the only real noises I heard were when the fire had taken hold. Crackling and a few bangs.’

  ‘That would probably be the plaster cracking. But you didn’t hear anyone around to raise your suspicions?’

  ‘I’m not sure. Not really.’

  ‘Only I’ve seen the reports of various acts of vandalism being carried out on your property. Just a thought. Don’t worry more than you have to. We’ll have a thorough search around in the morning.’

  ‘Thank you, officer.’

  ‘Don’t worry. We’ll get to the bottom of this.’

  In a daze, she followed the temporary neighbour into her holiday rental. It was one of Bryce’s places and she had in fact taken the booking. She remembered the house from many years ago when it was owned by a friend of her mother’s. The old furniture had been replaced by serviceable modern things more suited to the frequent changes of occupancy.

  ‘This sofa converts to a bed. We didn’t need the extra accommodation this time so it’s all ready for you. I think it works by this lever.’

  ‘Please don’t worry. I am not going to sleep. I’ll be fine just lying here as it is.’ She was shivering violently from shock.

  ‘You should give her a drop of brandy,’ the husband suggested.

  ‘My name’s Julia. Julia Renton.’

  ‘Madge and Tony.’

  ‘Thanks very much for taking me in.’

  ‘I’ll get some brandy and a hot drink. Tony, you get her one of your thick sweaters. We always bring warm things, knowing the Cornish weather. Now, is there someone you need to call? You can use my phone.’

  ‘I’ll wait a little while, thank you. It’s no point disturbing anyone at this time.’

  ‘It’s nearly six o’clock. Not worth any of us going to bed. I can’t believe the kids have slept through it all.’