‘Thanks, Yolanda,’ Vee muttered to herself. ‘You’ve really excelled yourself this time.’
36
The journey home felt very long but was uneventful, on the whole. After their wild night out, the older members of the party were noticeably bleary. They ate their breakfast quietly, and after an emotional goodbye, tearful on Simone’s part, they were on their way. Yolanda came to wave them off but left abruptly. Vee could see her broad figure disappearing up the road even as they drove away.
Vee sat at the front with Rick, passing him humbugs or chewy sweets every now and again to keep him alert, but the others all dozed on and off, waking only for comfort stops and then nodding off again, propped against each other. Sid snored gently and Frank gave the odd snort, but otherwise all was peaceful in the back of the minibus. When they began to see signs for Chartres, Rick looked across at Vee.
‘How are you feeling, energy-wise?’ he said.
‘I’m okay, why?’
He looked over his shoulder at the others. ‘I’m guessing this lot are going to take some rousing if we stop here and they won’t be up for sightseeing today. Do you reckon we could just carry on? Simone gave us packed lunches. We could have a picnic stop and you could take over the wheel if you want to press on home?’
Vee thought about this. The idea of being in her own bed a day sooner was enticing and there were plenty of jobs around the house she’d like to get done before… her stomach lurched… before Finn arrived. ‘What about the ferry booking though?’ she asked, playing for time.
‘We can easily phone ahead and change it,’ Rick said. ‘I don’t feel like having another hotel stop, do you? Rummaging in my dirty laundry for something presentable enough to wear for dinner isn’t that tempting. Only if you’re up for it though. Are you tired?’
Vee was surprised to find she wasn’t. ‘Let’s do it. Should we rouse them to ask them what they think?’ she said, turning round to observe her fellow passengers. Frank gave a loud snort at this point and almost woke himself up but nobody else stirred.
‘On second thoughts, let’s just go for it,’ she said. ‘We’re all holidayed out. Calais, here we come!’
A couple of brief stops and many miles later saw the minibus rolling into the parking area of their homeward ferry. By now the others were awake and hungry. They all seemed delighted at the prospect of having a proper cup of tea in their own houses sooner rather than later and headed for the restaurant, happily discussing their favourite brands of teabags and biscuits.
The restaurant was busy and Vee and Rick had to sit at a table a short distance from the others. ‘Phew,’ said Rick, after they’d demolished their soup and rolls. ‘It’s nice to be on our own for a little while. I love them all, but I sometimes feel like a frazzled hen with a lot of chicks. Do you want to discuss teabags, or have you got something more pressing to say? I noticed you looking at me in a funny kind of way this morning. What’s up?’
Vee swallowed hard. Was this the moment of truth?
‘I was talking to Yolanda,’ she said. ‘Or rather, she was advising me to ask you a few more questions. I think she meant about the things that happened around the time of the fire and the school camping trip.’
‘Really?’ Rick busied himself with opening sugar sachets and stirring the contents into his coffee. ‘I don’t usually take sugar,’ he said. ‘But I think we need extra energy today.’
‘Don’t change the subject,’ said Vee. ‘Yolanda’s worried about Beryl. Nobody was ever clear about who set the fire going in the churchyard and I think Beryl has spent years secretly worrying that it was Patrick. Or worse still, actually knowing it was him. I’ve been getting the feeling for a while that she imagines I was part of some sort of conspiracy to be cruel to him.’
‘And were you?’
Vee hesitated. It was time to be completely honest. ‘We were all irritated by him and we weren’t always very patient, were we?’ she said at last. ‘Rhonda was the worst. I’m not trying to dodge the blame. I teased him too sometimes but he… wasn’t a kind boy.’
‘Patrick was a nasty piece of work, let’s not mince words,’ said Rick. ‘He was the kind of kid who liked to get everyone else into trouble. He was mean to the younger ones at school, and he was rude to the teachers. Beryl must know that, surely?’
‘She doesn’t want to know it,’ said Vee. ‘Rick, did you dare Patrick to torch that old shed? I was there earlier in the evening, but I left before it started. I know you were there too. I saw you.’
Rick drank some coffee and pulled a face. ‘Ah,that’swhy I don’t take sugar,’ he said. ‘Okay, sorry, I’m prevaricating again. I get that you want answers but how is this going to help Beryl? If you must know, it was Rhonda who dared Patrick to start the fire, and she got him the paraffin and matches from her grandad’s allotment. I tried to stop him, but he wasn’t listening. He had a kind of wild look in his eyes. I saw him drop the match on the trail of paraffin and I ran to phone the fire brigade. I didn’t give my name. Then I legged it home and climbed in the back window.’
Vee stared at Rick. ‘You didn’t go back to check everyone was out of the way of the fire? And you’ve never told anybody about this?’
‘No. I’m not proud of myself, but we were fifteen. Our brains were wired up differently then. And I’m not about to tell Beryl that it was her son who lit the match. What good will it do?’
They sat in silence for a while, as the babble of conversation around them reached a higher level of decibels than ever. A small child began to kick the back of Rick’s chair and another set up a loud wailing right next to Vee’s ear but neither of them reacted.
‘I could be wrong, but I’ve got a feeling there’s something else you’re not telling me,’ Vee said, when the pause in the conversation began to seem much too long.
Rick shrugged and looked away. Vee pressed on. ‘Come on, let’s have it. What are you afraid of?’
He sighed. ‘Okay, if you insist. I knew I’d have to tell you sometime. As for what I’m afraid of, that’s easy. You’ll think I’m a complete git.’
‘That’s a risk you’re going to have to take,’ said Vee. She mentally braced herself. How bad could this get?
‘I know I am. Oh, well, here goes. On that night on the school trip, just before we went out in the rain again… you know when I mean. The day after Patrick had caused all that fuss by falling into the lake.’
