‘May I visit while I’m here?’
‘Of course, my lovely. I’m sure old Archie would love a visit. He gets confused mind you, but that’s all part of ’is condition. Just come along, chat away and have a cuppa with him. He’d love that.’
I exhale, a sense of calmness coming over me. ‘Can I come later?’
‘Let me check what he has on. Ah, this afternoon and evening aren’t good. The chiropodist is coming today and we don’t have a time for his appointment. I wouldn’t want your visit to get cut short or for you to have to wait around. He’s got nothing on tomorrow. Would that be okay?’
‘Tomorrow morning, about ten?’
‘After breakfast. Perfect. What did you say your name is again? I’ll put it in the diary.’
‘Nadine Turner.’ I keep my own surname just in case I get forgetful.
‘We’ll see you tomorrow at ten, then?’
I end the call and hurry back to the cottage, my heart in my mouth, knowing that I’m going to have to tell Damien everything. As I approach, I knock. Damien took the key. All I have is a bunch of my own keys on me and not one of them will let me into the cottage. No one answers and the girls don’t peer through the nets. They’re not in. Pacing, I wonder if I can get in around the back so I hurry along the path, and when I get to our cottage, I try the back door, but it’s locked. I stand and sigh. A shiver runs down my spine as I hear footsteps that stop just around the corner. I’m alone on this path around the back and I can’t see who’s loitering. Taking one step at a time, feeling as though my heart is stuck in my windpipe, I turn the corner but there is no one there. I scan the car park and the entrance to the pub but I don’t see a soul. Then I hear an engine humming. There is a black, maybe navy-blue, car that is parked way back and all I see is a smeared peachy flesh colour where the driver’s face is.
Swallowing, I know I have to get away from here for awhile. This place is making me paranoid. I can’t even swear that I heard footsteps now. Will Wilcox could be anyone and he appears to know where I am all the time. A part of me wonders if I should walk right up to that car and see who’s in it but my legs have turned to jelly. But I have to do this, I owe it to Jess. As I stomp between a couple of cars, the car revs up and pulls away before I have the chance to even see what make it was.
I grip the keys in my pocket and head towards our car. There’s no time like the present to take a trip to Polperro and see Willy Wilcox’s cave for myself. That is where he wants me to go, so I will.
TWENTY-TWO
NATALIE
Natalie blew on her hands in an attempt to warm them up, her car still cold. She’d wanted to go back into the shop and open up but Kate had been there again, so she’d remained well back. She pulled her phone from her pocket and checked theRemembering Baby Jesspage but there had been no updates. Speaking to Archie had convinced her even more that what she had heard about Archie had been true, even though it pained her to admit that. Who else knew? She’d never look at anyone in the same way again. Her phone rang. She saw Laura’s name flashing. ‘You okay?’
‘Yes, I thought I’d see how you were. How’s the hangover?’
‘I’m a bit delicate.’ The curry and the two bottles of wine had gone down well, but this morning Natalie wished that she’d gone straight home to bed instead of drinking.
‘Just thought I’d check. You were wasted.’
Having her best friend back had helped. Maybe it was worth it. She’d told Laura most of what she knew and Laura had done the same. They’d laughed into the evening and it was great to feel like her old self again. ‘I’m fine, now. You know me. Just in my car about to go and get some shopping.’
‘I’m heading out myself. Got to grab some stock from Fowey. You haven’t seen Bethany around, have you? She’s meant to mind the shop. I’m going to have to close it for a bit.’
‘No, sorry. If I do see her, I’ll let you know.’
‘Thanks.’
‘Laura, err… about last night. I’m sorry for—’ She didn’t know how to say it.
‘It’s okay, Natalie. You’ve just lost your husband. You’re entitled to feel sad and you have a lot going on.’
As Natalie had walked along the streets in the dark to her home last night, her head had been whirring with thoughts of Mary and Alan. It had all become too much.
‘What are you going to do about Archie and what he said? I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it.’
‘Me neither and I don’t know. What can I do?’ She was no nearer to knowing the answer to that question and she still didn’t have proof of anything. She had a few partially heard words between two people and she only saw the one person. She also had an elderly man with dementia half-bleating on about hearing a baby crying at sea. Was it all the ramblings of a confused mind or was there more to it?
‘The things you said, about what you think Archie did, gave me the creeps. I couldn’t sleep for ages when you left. Listening to him talk about the crying baby at sea, it was weird. Why won’t you tell me who you saw that night, saying all those things? I feel like you’ve drawn me into something only to push me away. All I want to do is help.’
‘I will soon but I can’t yet.’
That was the truth. Lives would be blown apart but what would it achieve? She had to be sure before she let it all out. Nothing would bring Jessica back, therefore nothing could be gained by opening old wounds with very little evidence. Then there was the fact that Cody was her friend and he’d been a wonderful friend to Alan. Archie wasn’t a bad person. The poor old man had suffered enough. It was a tragedy, nothing more, but she also knew that Kate wouldn’t see it like that. The family had lived with this lie for too long.
‘Got to go or I’ll miss my collection slot.’ With that Laura hung up on her.
