I clutched onto Will’s arm, tears pooling in my eyes. ‘Is she…?’
‘She’s long gone.’
‘A fall?’ I asked.
‘She’s lying on the bed on top of the covers holding a doll in a red dress.’
Scarlett Skye. Tears burned my eyes and my throat tightened. When I spoke, my voice sounded distant. ‘Can you call an ambulance? Or would it be the police? I don’t know what you do when… Do you mind? Is that?—’
‘Don’t worry. I’ll make the call. I know what to do.’
‘I’ll be there as soon as I can.’
‘I’ll drive,’ Will said as I hung up.
‘I can’t expect you to?—’
‘You’ve had a shock and I want to.’
I nodded, tears spilling down my cheeks. Will drew me to his chest and held me.
‘I don’t know why I’m crying. We weren’t close. She hated me.’
Will knew how difficult things had been between us. I’d told him a little about Marianne the weekend we met but I’d told him a lot more during our walk earlier, including my difficult decision to stop contacting her.
Will tightened his hold. ‘She was still your sister, though, and you cared about her even if she didn’t act as though she cared about you.’
‘I should have pushed her more. I knew she had to be ill but I backed off.’
‘Because she wanted you to back off. You can’t keep pushing against a closed door. You did more than most people in your position would do.’
He was right, but it didn’t stop me feeling guilty.
* * *
There was a police car outside 4 Hayscroft Lane but Amelia had clearly been watching out for me as she came rushing out of her cottage.
‘The police are with me,’ she said. ‘There was nowhere to sit next door. I’m so sorry, Yvonne.’
‘I’m sorry you had to find her. That must have been difficult.’
‘It’s okay. I’m a nurse so it’s not the first time.’
The next couple of hours passed in a blur as I gathered information and made arrangements. Marianne’s death was not unexpected. A doctor confirmed she’d had stage four bowel cancer but had signed an advance decision document refusing treatment, carers, hospital or a hospice, adamant that she wanted to die on her own terms at home. It was heartbreaking to think that she’d died alone and presumably in pain, but she’d spent her whole life choosing to be alone so it made sense that she wouldn’t want people around her in her final days.
I rang Paulette to see if she had any recommendations for funeral directors in the area and she gave me the details of a company she highly recommended so I arranged for them to attend. She’d swapped her Sunday shift with me to give me today off and kindly offered to work tomorrow too but I told her I’d be fine and would appreciate the distraction of the shop.
Will cleared all the bags from the stairs so that the funeral directors could remove Marianne’s body safely. In the meantime, Amelia’s husband had arrived home from work and boarded up the broken window so at least the building was secure until I could sort out a glazer.
With the police and funeral directors gone, Amelia asked if there was anything else we needed and I thanked her profusely for being so helpful today and for being a friend to my sister.
Returning to my former bedroom with Will, I picked up Scarlett Skye.
‘I’m so confused,’ I said. ‘Why was Marianne inmybedroom holdingmydoll?’
‘Probably because shedidcare about you after all.’
I shrugged. ‘Maybe. I guess I’ll never know now.’
