Ellie made her way across to Victoria, meeting her in the middle of the drive just as two doors slammed behind her. She winced, wondering what Vic and Liam would say, but they didn’t seem to have noticed. They were too busy staring at each other. Vic with confusion, Liam with guilt.
“What are you doing here, Lee?” Vic asked.
Ellie stopped, frozen by the words. “You know Liam.” It wasn’t a question. “You straight-up told me he didn’t exist.”
Victoria brushed her hands down her skirt, trying—and failing—to smooth the wrinkles. “Not Liam.Lee.He’s—” She blanched. “He’s one of Warren’s friends.”
Liam stepped up beside her. “It’s Liam,” he admitted. “A bunch of the football lads shortened it to Lee, and it stuck.”
“And you’ve met before?” Ellie asked.
Vic shook her head, mouth opening and closing as if she had no idea what to say.
“A few times,” Liam answered for them both. “I think I’ve been to at least four parties at Victoria’s house over the last few months. Everyone was there.”
It was worse than a slap. All those times she’d invited Vic to get together and she’d been too tired or working late. All those missed calls.
Victoria grimaced. “I?—”
“How many times did you fob me off and push me away?” Ellie whispered as Josh came up beside her, his expression going back to a deathly glower. “Why, Vic?”
“I just thought… maybe if we had some time apart, you would get over your… jealousy.” Victoria had the grace to look ashamed as she said it. But then she lifted her chin, a gleam of stubbornness returning. “I didn’t want to fight. I wanted to keep my job. And Iwasbusy. Warren had a lot of entertaining. He tried to protect me from you…” Her voice trailed away.
“I hate Warren!” Ellie spluttered. “I detest him. But I have only ever tried to look after you.”
“He said?—”
Ellie cut her off. “I don’t want to hear what Warren said.” Her eyes felt hot, and her cheeks were burning. She had never been so angry in her life. And she had the horrible feeling she was going to cry—not because she was sad, but because she was so furious.
Josh took one look at her and wrapped his arm around her. He pulled her close into his side and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “I’ve got you,” he said softly.
He was warm and safe, and he felt more like home than anywhere she’d ever lived—even her cottage. She let him hold her, no longer caring what it looked like to anyone else.
A part of her wanted to rage at her friend, but she couldn’t, not when Victoria looked so fragile. “Why are you here, Vic?” she asked instead.
“After I spoke to you, I wanted to prove you wrong. I wanted—” Vic shook her head as if clearing a disagreeable thought. “I remembered that Warren borrowed my car on the day of your accident. I wanted to show you that he was far away from you.” She bit her lip. “I wanted to prove that everything you said was a lie, so it could just be over.”
Victoria rubbed her wrist distractedly. “I checked the satnav for recent destinations. I probably wouldn’t have thought anything of it, but the SUV that hit you was stolen from Duncton. It stuck in my mind.Duncton Woodwas one of my granny’s favorite books and—” She swallowed heavily. “None of that matters. The point is, Warren borrowed my car to go to a meeting in Guildford. That’s where I thought he was on the day you were hit.” Her voice dropped to a rough whisper. “But he actually went to Duncton.”
Chapter Thirty-Two
Dinner was awkward.So awkward that even Ellie’s best cottage pie couldn’t save it.
After the shock of Victoria’s revelations, Ellie had herded them all into the house and made tea. It had seemed like the most sensible next step while they figured out how to deal with Liam’s misery and Vic’s silent, mechanical behavior.
Ellie had taken them through to the living room and pretended that it was normal to tell her guests they couldn’t sit on the armchair—which she left free for Josh—and then for them to perch as far away from each other as humanly possible while sharing a sofa.
She’d made everyone hot drinks and tried to smile reassuringly at Josh, even though no one could see or hear him—except for Nissy, who decided to lie stretched out on the back of his chair, one paw on his shoulder, purring loudly. And then she’d called Constable Harrison, who thankfully was still on duty.
The constable listened carefully as she took Ellie’s statement—that Warren had been pushing for her to sell her game, that he had grown angry when she hadn’t, that he’d known she would becycling that day, and that he had been in the village where the SUV was stolen—taking notes and asking questions.
It was exhausting, watching every word she said. Trying to ensure that her claims about Warren were taken seriously, but that she didn’t involve Vic any more than she had to, or incriminate Liam. Both of them looked withdrawn and ashamed enough without making it worse.
Josh had other ideas. He’d stood up and stalked over to hover beside Liam, glaring, while stridently suggesting fifty years of community service, and once she thought he might have muttered something about haunting his brother until the end of time.
Liam must have felt something uneasy in the air, because he looked behind himself more than once and eventually asked Vic to swap places with him.
And after all that, their evidence wasn’t anywhere near enough to arrest Warren. It was circumstantial at best. But Constable Harrison promised to get a detective involved immediately, and reminded Ellie that she could call her anytime.
