‘Olly, d-d-didn’t you take Iris’s c-car in?’ I stutter. I want to stand up, run to my son, but I can’t feel my legs and don’t trust them to take me the short distance to him.
‘No, sorry. I completely forgot,’ Olly says, looking sheepish. He clearly hasn’t picked up on the funereal vibes in the room. ‘We had to do shopping and stuff for Liv’s gran.’
Liv is more perceptive. ‘Are you OK, Carla?’ she asks. ‘Wh-what’s wrong?’
Some of the feeling comes back into my legs and I feel less dizzy, as if the haze that had descended on my brain is lifting. As I stand up, there’s a rush of tiny stars to my head, but Ash has stood, too, and stops me from falling. Together, we make our way over to Iris and Olly, who has barely stepped over the threshold into the living room. The four of us hug and I never want to let go.
‘What’s going on, Mum? Dad?’
Ian is the one who explains. ‘There’s been a car accident,’ he says. ‘A fatal one. We thought you … we thought you were …’
My brain kicks into gear. Was it a coincidence? Jo didn’t even know the make or model of Yvonne’s car. Maybe she got it wrong for Iris’s car, too. But then I remember Iris’s car isn’t in the driveway. And didn’t Ian say something about the registration number being a match? I get there at the same time as Olly spells it out for me.
‘Daniel sent me a text to say he would take the car to the garage. ’Cos I’d obviously forgotten.’ And then it dawns on him, too. ‘Oh, shit. Oh, no.’
Iris breaks the ensuing silence. ‘Where’s Margo?’ she asks.
I find myself flanked by Jo and Ash, who take an elbow each and sit me back down on the sofa again. I’m still so relieved that Olly is here, alive, that I haven’t computed the fact I’ve lost Daniel yet. ‘She’s at Ellie’s Hallowe’en party.’ I pick up my mobile from the coffee table and check the time. ‘I should have picked her up half an hour ago.’
‘I’ll go,’ Olly offers.
‘No!’ Ash and I shout at the same time.
‘I’ll go. My car’s parked in the driveway.’ It’s Iris’s friend. Tom Fischer. His name comes back to me now.
‘I’ll come with you,’ Iris says.
‘No, you stay with your mum,’ Ash says. ‘I’ll—’
‘I’ll go with Tom in my car,’ Jo says firmly. I think she must know Tom from school. Perhaps he was one of her pupils. ‘Carla needs you both here. Brayworthy, right?’
‘Coombe Farm,’ Ian says.
I look up, surprised. Then I remember how he knows that. Margo was supposed to be at her friend Ellie’s house when Daniel and I reported her missing. And suddenly, I feel overwhelmed. Iris’s video. Joshua’s murder. Margo’s disappearance. My partner’s … I can’t even say it in my head. I can’t take any more.
Chapter 45
Ash
NOW
Daniel’s dead. The police have been and gone. Carla will probably have to formally identify Daniel’s body, of course, but Daniel had ID on him and, this time, there’s no doubt. Time has trundled by and it’s late now. The evening’s stress and shocks have been enervating for everyone. Tom and Liv have both left, promising to check in the following morning. Jo has put a tearful Margo to bed, in Carla’s bed – Margo insisted. Jo’s still upstairs. She promised Margo she’d stay with her until Carla came up. Ash doesn’t know whether Carla will go to bed tonight. She has barely moved from the sofa for hours. He’ll stay here either way. He’ll stay up with Carla if she doesn’t turn in and he’ll sleep on the sofa if she does.
Roly has been here all this time, except for a few minutes, when he popped to the Grove to buy a packet of cigarettes. He and Ash are standing in the porch, sheltering from the rain. Roly is on his second cigarette. Ash bums one off him, but after two or three puffs, it makes him feel sick, so he stops smoking, letting the cigarette burn down to the butt.
‘I keep thinking about Yvonne’s role in all of this,’ Ash says. ‘What if she thought Iris was driving? She’s convinced Iris killed Josh. Maybe Yvonne wanted to scare Iris.’ Ash pictures Yvonne driving too close to Iris’s car, or overtaking and cutting in, causing Daniel to brake and swerve off the road.
‘It’s possible,’ Roly says. ‘The police will check it out. There will be witnesses, for sure – people who were on the link road and saw more than Jo did. I can call in a few favours and keep you updated. OK?’
‘Thanks. I appreciate it.’
‘Now’s probably not the right time, mate,’ Roly says, his tone indicating he’s keen to change the subject, ‘but you left me a message earlier. What was it you wanted to discuss?’
It takes Ash a moment to work out what Roly’s referring to. Olly wanted Ash to ask Roly – hypothetically – what would happen to him if he confessed to murdering Joshua Knoll. ‘Oh, it was nothing. Really.’ Ash makes a dismissive gesture with his hand. ‘Nothing important.’
As Roly stubs out his cigarette, he hands the packet to Ash. ‘Keep that. Or throw it out. I was doing well, you know. Temporary blip. I’ll carry on giving up now.’
‘Good for you,’ Ash says.
