‘We’re staying in Whitby for now. I’ll have Wi-Fi too, so I’ll be able to call you.’
‘Great. How would you like to go to the arcade one day, when your mum is better, obvs?’
I bite my bottom lip. ‘I’d love that.’ I frown. ‘What about James?’
He shrugs. ‘I’m done with worrying about him. I’ll face whatever comes.’ He raises his brows, ‘and I’ll deal with him myself, okay, Morgan?’
‘Okay.’
We hurry back to ward seven, and Harry leads the way to Quinn’s room. She smiles as we both enter, and Mum leans back in the wheelchair.
‘Detective Morgan and Detective Harry,’ Quinn says with a smile, although I feel for her. She looks so weak and is awkwardly hunched up with pillows.
Harry takes the chocolates out, giving a box to my mum and a box to his mum.
‘Who are these off?’ Quinn asks.
‘The neighbours. Ray said to get well soon.’
Quinn looks at my mum and they both raise their brows. She grabs the card on the box and reads it out. ‘“Quinn, we are sad to hear what happened to you. Please get better soon. Sending all our love, Tessa, Ray, Ruby and families.”’
Mum reads hers. ‘“Gemma, please can we start again? We’re saddened to hear what happened and we’re sorry for thinking you could have done all those things we accused you of. Please get well soon. Take care. Tessa, Ray, Ruby and families.”’
These people fed into what Zoe was doing, they fuelled the paranoia until it became an inferno and Harry’s mum could have died.
Quinn throws her chocolates onto the bottom of the bed, and Mum throws hers on top. Quinn throws the little card in the bin, and Mum does the same.
Mum raises her brows. ‘I don’t think we need them in our lives and they can shove their chocolates where the sun doesn’t shine.’
The nurse walks back in, and Quinn passes the chocolates to her and tells her to take them to the nurses’ station to share. Normally, I’d play my face at giving chocolate away, especially as I’ll be plagued by crappy marmalade and health food for months, but good riddance to those chocolates and Clover Lane. All the secrets are out there. There will be no more lies. One day, I’ll become a detective and all will be good with the world, and I’ll have a cool being-held-at-knifepoint story to tell Cora’s grandkids. I’m not having any kids. It’s over and I’m looking forward to our new start and, of course, Wi-Fi.
Epilogue
Gemma
It’s been a month now and spring has started to break. The caravan has been cosy but it’s time to move on. We’ve found a flat in Whitby on a short-term lease, so we’ll be staying here until Morgan breaks up for the summer. It has a bedroom for Ethan to use for the time being. I should be able to put Clover House up for sale soon. The police have lingered longer than I thought they would, but they’re nearly done. Ethan has been going back and forth, packing our belongings and taking them to a storage unit until we need them. I pull on my new top, the one with a little more room because Beanie is starting to show more now.
I lock the caravan up and get into the car. As we pass the office, I pop out and dash to reception. There is one letter addressed to me. The owners of the site have been kind enough to allow us to use their address. They also know what we’ve been through. The whole of Whitby does. We made the local news and got a mention on the national news.
I check my phone. I’m running late to meet Quinn at that café she told me about. I have to park, then I have a bit of a walk. I pop the letter in my bag and before I know it, I’m hurrying with Cora up that cobbled street. ‘Whose silly idea was it not to bring the pushchair?’ I say to her as she dawdles yet again and flashes me a smile showing her baby teeth.
‘Book,’ she says as she spots a book shop. Chegwin and his Magic Kangaroo adorns the front window. Aunt Dorette’s name hasn’t been released yet in connection with Jasmine’s murder, but I know it will be soon. Once that happens, I’m pretty sure I’ll never see any of her books in a shop window again. I check the time. We run into the shop and I purchase the book. I don’t know why I want it but I do. I pop it in my bag and hurry to the café.
Quinn waves at me. She’s sitting at a table by the window and already has a drink. I quickly order some marmalade on toast, milk for Cora and a mint tea for me before sitting opposite her. Cora happily accepts being placed in a high chair, and I put her drawing crayons and colouring book down to occupy her.
‘I’ve got a viewing tonight,’ Quinn says.
‘Congratulations, you’ll be moving out before you know it.’
She crosses her fingers. ‘How are you holding up in the caravan?’ She sips her coffee.
‘Better than I thought we would. I feel safe there. We’re close to the sea. I actually like it.’
‘Good.’ Quinn pauses. ‘I’ve enjoyed having you around. Do you think you and the kids might stay?’
I shake my head. ‘We’re going back to Bristol in the summer.’
‘I’ll be sad to see you go.’ She looks out of the window, then back at me. She beams a huge smile. ‘I’ve been dating someone and she’s really nice.’
