One good lie, p.14
One Good Lie, page 14
‘Because he was protecting me! We’d just said our final goodbyes to our mother. And with Charlotte Manning’s murder in the news, this was the last thing I needed.’
‘You don’t understand. There’s a lot more—’
‘Oh, but you see I do,’ Sophie cut in. ‘Ewan told me first thing this morning. We haven’t been to the farm. We’ve had all day to sort this out. Hours to talk about it. Plenty of time for him to go down to the station and give a correct account to the police. Unlike yours.’
‘What?’ Ruby was incredulous. How could he do this to her?
‘Yes, he’s been down there this afternoon, straightened everything out. You should be thanking him for getting you off the hook.’
Ruby opened her mouth and closed it again, clamping her teeth together, gagged by frustration. This was the moment she was supposed to fight for herself, to prove to her sister her sleazy boyfriend was lying, but she was so rankled now, she was fearful she’d say something she’d regret. Worried about upsetting her sister further, pushing her over the edge. Plus, the children were sleeping upstairs.
Sophie tossed her head from side to side. ‘How could you?’
Exasperation needled her. She couldn’t let him get away with this. ‘It’s not what you think. If you just listen, if you let me explain…’
‘Explain what? That you’re a tart who couldn’t keep your hands off your sister’s boyfriend? I hear it’s not the first time you’ve flirted with him either.’ Her nostrils flared. ‘Poor little Ruby. Everyone thinks you’re so capable, so organised, so kind. When really you’re just a conniving little bitch!’
What the hell had he said? Ruby shot Ewan a hard look. But he wouldn’t meet her gaze, his face puce. ‘You’ve got it all wrong,’ she said. ‘He’s filled your head with a pack of lies.’
‘I don’t think so.’ Sophie glanced askance at Ewan and then back to her sister. ‘Tom was right, you are a cold fish. Too high and mighty to talk about your own problems, instead you stick your nose into everyone else’s. Then you push people away. Well, this time I’m pushing you away.’ She took a step forward. ‘I don’t want to see you. I don’t want to hear from you.’ She flung open the door to the hallway. ‘Now, get out!’
Chapter 34
Sophie gripped the work surface with both hands as Ewan shut the front door on Ruby.
‘You okay?’ he said, re-joining her.
‘Could you check on the kids? I want to make sure they didn’t hear any of that.’
She pushed the kitchen door closed after him and sank into a chair. She needed to iron Alfie’s PE kit for tomorrow. Check Daisy’s homework was in her bag. All the usual chores that plagued her Sunday evenings. But the domesticity of life tumbled away, loose stones rolling down a mountain, as her world shifted afresh.
All day. All day she’d had to come to terms with what had happened between Ewan and Ruby. A day consumed by visits to the police station, taking the kids to McDonald’s to make up for missing their precious family day out. Talks, discussions, explanations. Yet only now, when the children were in bed and the house had quietened, did the reality of the situation dawn. Her sister, the person closest to her in the whole world, had betrayed her.
I can explain. Ruby’s words rang out in her head. Explain what? Ruby might have devoured the best part of two bottles of wine that day, but she was by no means paralytic. She knew exactly what she was doing and she also knew there was no excuse to justify her actions.
Good old Ruby. Who looked after people, who could always be relied upon to do the right thing. Only this time she hadn’t. She’d looked lost this evening, a fish out of water, fumbling to find the words to talk her way out of things.
Sophie glanced at the clock. The same clock that had been there this morning when they were preparing for their day out. The kids were so excited about going to the farm. Alfie was up at the crack of dawn, climbing into her bed, wriggling around until she agreed to google animals with him on her phone. Ewan went downstairs to cook pancakes with maple syrup, a special treat, before they left. The sun was shining when she opened the curtains, the sky pale blue and clear of clouds. It had all the makings of the perfect family day…
She’d thought Ewan was joking when the kids and she traipsed downstairs for breakfast and he’d taken her into the front room to speak to her, alone. Thought it trivial, like a chocolate treat he wanted to sneak into their lunchbox, a surprise for the kids later. Ewan was good at surprises. But his face was grave, and when he asked her to sit, she experienced a touch of déjà vu. She’d been asked to sit on a sofa four years ago when Greg announced he was leaving. She recalled pressing her hand to her chest, lowering herself onto the seat, desperately wondering what could have happened. Though she couldn’t have guessed, not in a million years. Ruby was her older sister. The one person she looked up to and trusted implicitly.
The confusion as he showed her the fresh appeal and the dashcam image on his phone. It wasn’t until he enlarged it that she noticed her mother’s bag, the one she’d given to Ruby on Tuesday evening. Still, she didn’t understand. Who was Ruby with? Then he’d flicked back to the description of the couple at the garages and suddenly she saw the resemblance. It wasn’t obvious at first, but when he put the description and the image together, side by side, it was as clear as glass. Ewan and Ruby together. In West Way of all places!
The explanation of him out jogging jarred her. Him out on the night of her mother’s wake, when she believed he was lying in bed beside her. That’s why he was dressed when she found him in the back garden. But… it was a day of twisted emotions. Of celebrating a life and also saying their final goodbyes. They’d all been cocooned by grief for so long, a part of her could understand him wanting to feel the air in his lungs, to flush out the cobwebs. A chance meeting with her sister walking home through the town centre didn’t sound unreasonable either.
So why keep it secret?
Then his face had twisted and he’d started saying things like, ‘please don’t judge me’, ‘it wasn’t my fault’ and ‘I was only trying to protect you’ and her heart had plummeted to the floor. It sounded serious. And it was serious. Ruby had made a pass at her man when he’d kindly offered to walk her home. Pushing him against the garages, sticking her tongue in his mouth, becoming angry with him when he rejected her.
How dare she? Sophie pictured Ruby sitting at the table eating dinner with them the next day. She’d showed her the appeal for the couple in West Way that evening too, and all the time Ruby knew it was her and Ewan, yet she never said.
When Ewan went on to say Ruby had been flirting with him for a while, making suggestive comments, she’d been gobsmacked. How could Ruby do this to her? Her sister. Her one constant.
The door swung back and Ewan entered. ‘They’re both out for the count,’ he said. He moved to her side. ‘I’m so sorry. You can see why I didn’t tell you now. The last thing I wanted was to come between you and your sister.’ He pulled a chair close to hers, sat and wrapped his arms around her.
Sophie wanted to weep. She wanted to howl hard tears, feel the relief of them as she cried it all out until she was empty, spent. But her insides were so tightly wound the tears wouldn’t come.
‘Why don’t I stay over tonight?’ he said, rubbing her back, touching his forehead to hers. ‘We can put our coats on, sit on the patio, have a glass of wine under the stars. Take your mind off things.’
It was a tempting offer. Anything to numb the gloom simmering within. Her head hurt and her throat was raw. She’d lost her mother and now it felt like she’d lost her sister too.
She pulled away, sniffed. About to answer, when a nasty thought elbowed her. The same nasty thought that had been bothering her all day. Why, oh why, hadn’t he told her he’d been out on Tuesday? Yes, she knew he liked to jog of an evening, but he usually announced it before he left. That night, they’d waited for everyone to leave and gone up to bed together. The very notion he’d dressed and slipped out when he was supposed to be lying beside her, and then returned without saying anything, was staggering. Had he done this before?
Again, Ruby’s stricken face nudged her. Was she shocked because all had been revealed, or was she wondering exactly how much Sophie knew?
She would have known if there was anything more to it, if something had been going on between them for longer, wouldn’t she? There would have been signs. He’d smell different. Of the sweet fabric conditioner Ruby insisted on using, or the bohemian-scented sticks she burnt at home.
Though she hadn’t noticed with Greg.
But things were different now, weren’t they? She was different. With Greg, the children had been young. Alfie suffered with separation anxiety and wouldn’t leave her side, even sleeping in their bed. They were rarely alone and when they were, they were worn out. She was more independent now. She made time for Ewan; she’d made sure of that from the start. He was less detached too, more intense. Telling her he loved her at every opportunity, saying they were special. It wasn’t possible to feign those feelings, was it?
She looked across at Ewan. ‘I think I need some time on my own.’
‘Don’t do this, Soph.’
‘I’m not doing anything. I’m tired. I need some time. You go home, you’re on an early shift. We’ll talk tomorrow.’
Chapter 35
Ruby marched up Sophie’s driveway, thoughts whizzing around her head like a racing car on a Formula One track. Did that really just happen?
When she reached the pavement, she turned back and checked over her shoulder, just in time to catch Ewan’s pointy face at Daisy’s window. He disappeared around the edge of the curtain as soon as he met her gaze.
What on earth was going on? She’d prepared herself for telling Sophie about their chance meeting in town the other night. Walking back together. Playing down the scene beside the garages as some kind of silly quarrel or a bit of banter, smoothing things over – they hadn’t said anything at the time because it was an important day and they didn’t want to upset her. The main issue was to admit it was them in the photo and to convince Sophie it was an innocent encounter. Why would Ewan tell her about their kiss? What good would that do? And how dare he say that she’d come on to him, and that this wasn’t the first time she’d flirted with him? What the hell was he playing at?
She was tempted to go back, confront him. But the children were upstairs and with Sophie there…
Ruby turned into Templeton Road. She needed space. To think. To work out exactly what had happened back there. Why, oh why, hadn’t she brought the car nearer to Sophie’s?
Cars were still piled back, lining the kerb on the way into town. Bored drivers lowered their windows, leaning out elbows. Others were searching their phones. Some had even left their cars and stood chatting on the pavement together. The earlier collision was still blocking the road into town and nothing was moving any time soon, apart from those squeezing out to do a U-turn.
Brockleton Park was on her left, edged by a long line of ancient oaks. Halfway down was a children’s play area, enclosed by yellow picket fencing to keep out dogs. Her eyes fell on the empty area. It would be good to take a moment, to order her thoughts.
Ruby stepped out into the road. And jumped back as a motorcyclist missed her by millimetres. She’d zoned out, hadn’t looked, hadn’t considered the traffic coming out of town. Clearly that side of the road wasn’t so affected by the blockage. She took a couple more steps back and waited for a clear gap, then crossed.
The play area was quiet, the roundabout squeaking gently as it turned in the soft breeze. She entered at the little gate, wandered past the climbing frame and the slide. The swing chains juddered as she sat on the plastic seat and rested her feet on the ground.
They’d agreed to keep things secret. Now Ewan had turned everything upside down, told the whole story, embellishing it and placing the blame firmly on her. Why?
She was reminded of Sophie’s bruises. How many more were there, lingering beneath her clothing? Perhaps Sophie had told him she’d noticed them and been asking questions. If they were down to him, if he was of a controlling nature, if he did have violent tendencies, it would make sense to want Ruby out of the way.
The notion began to fester in her mind. Was her sister in danger?
Violent tendencies… She couldn’t help but think of Charlotte Manning’s lacerated body, left for dead in a dark alley. Ewan had gone to great lengths to cover up being out on the evening of her murder. Though he’d been to the police now. If they placed him in the vicinity, they’d look at him further, wouldn’t they? Ewan claimed he didn’t know Charlotte. Unless of course he’d lied.
The urge to find out more about this man pressed on her. She needed to delve into his life in Glasgow, find out why he was estranged from his family and whether he’d been acquainted with Charlotte Manning.
She grabbed her phone, pulled up Facebook Messenger. Isla Wilson’s note sat at the top. Whatever happened now, Ruby needed to find some way of persuading the woman to talk. Because if her gut feeling was right, Isla knew something. Something that she could use as ammunition to fight for her sister.
Ruby typed out a quick message: Thanks for coming back to me. I’m sorry, I had no idea you were estranged. I still need to speak with you, it’s an emergency. Would you be available to talk to me tomorrow? Please. I’d be so grateful if you’d help out. She read it through, backtracked and added, Everything you say will be treated in the strictest confidence. Then pressed send.
Chapter 36
The gate to the play area squealed on its hinges as it opened. ‘Ruby, is that you?’
Ruby’s hand flew to her stomach. She’d been so consumed with her phone, she hadn’t seen anyone approach.
‘Lewis! What are you doing here?’ He was still wearing the same red hoody and denims from earlier, but his hair was wet, as if he’d just stepped out of the shower.
‘Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you. I’m staying here’ – he pointed at a grey pebbledash building overlooking the park – ‘with a mate.’
Ruby looked up at the block of flats, vaguely recalling him telling her something about moving out of his flat because of refurbishment. It all seemed like a long time ago now, as if days had passed, not hours. ‘Stephenson House?’
‘Yes. On the second floor. I spotted someone sitting alone in the children’s play area. You okay?’
Is that what she looked like? A forlorn figure hunched on the swing. In need of assistance. How many other people were watching her sitting there?
‘Yes,’ she said automatically. Although she wasn’t fine. Nothing was fine. Her world was crumbling around her and she had no idea how to fix it.
He hovered awkwardly. ‘I can go if you want, now I know it’s only you?’
‘No, please.’ She motioned to the swing beside her. Lewis oozed a calm stillness. Just the sort of influence she needed right now. ‘Stay.’
The chains jangled as he shuffled onto the seat. ‘How did your talk with Sophie go?’ he asked.
Ruby pictured her sister’s twisted face and felt a fresh stab of pain. Then, to her horror, she found her eyes filling. All the suppressed rage, the pent-up frustration at the situation she found herself in, turning to tears which now streamed down her face. She bowed her head, choking on the sobs that followed.
Lewis leapt off his swing and crouched in front of her. ‘Hey! I’m sure it can’t be that bad.’
But it was bad. It was very bad. They hadn’t argued, not properly, since their teenage years and this wasn’t some tiff over who was in charge of the remote control for the television, or a quarrel over borrowed and trashed clothes. This was raw and deep and she couldn’t see a pathway out of the darkness.
She cried and cried. Weeping until her face ached and her nose stung.
Eventually the sobs subsided. She wiped her face with the sleeve of her jacket, dragging it across her the skin. ‘I’m sorry.’ Her voice was barely a whimper.
‘No need to apologise.’ Lewis was still crouched in front of her, looking up at her, eyes like pools. He leaned sideways, reached into his pocket and passed her a tissue. ‘It’s clean, just a bit crumpled.’
She thanked him, wiped her face again and stared out into the half-light. An owl called to its mate. Another hooted back. An engine revved on the road nearby. Lights switched on in Stephenson House. Curtains were drawn, the residents of Market Deeton settling down for the evening.
Lewis moved back to the swing beside her.
‘So, have you rescued many dejected souls on swings since you’ve been staying here?’ she said.
‘Strangely, no.’ He scanned the children’s play area. ‘I doubt their mothers would appreciate it.’
She couldn’t help but laugh.
‘Seriously, I can’t ignore someone in trouble,’ he said. ‘I’ve been through hard times myself.’
It was unusual to hear him sombre, serious. He was normally so chirpy, one of those easy-going, convivial people who lit up a room when he walked in. ‘Sorry, I didn’t realise.’
‘Why would you? It was back when I lived in London.’
Another part of his life they rarely talked about. He’d taken her and Tom down to London last summer to a swanky restaurant and bowled Tom over by introducing him to some premier league footballer she couldn’t remember the name of. She recalled him saying he’d moved out of London for work – he was often going back to visit friends and family. But she’d never really given much thought to his life before he moved here. ‘You don’t need to tell me about it if you don’t want to,’ she said.
‘I don’t have a problem with it.’ He inhaled deeply. ‘A few years ago, I had a good job in events management, my own car, shared a flat with my girlfriend, Tonya – many of the things we’re supposed to aspire to. Then the company went into administration. I wasn’t bothered at the time. Was pretty sure I’d land another job easily. But the market had taken a downturn. None of the big companies were recruiting.’ He sniffed. ‘I wasn’t exactly good at being unemployed. Within weeks, I lost the car – couldn’t keep up the payments. Tonya and I split up a few months later and I left the flat. I stayed with friends for a while, moving around – sofa surfing. But you can’t exist on people’s goodwill forever.’
