One good lie, p.22
One Good Lie, page 22
Ruby’s phone buzzed. She watched her sister go, then checked the message. It was Lewis.
Free for a coffee? I could meet you at Croft’s.
She’d left him a note earlier, saying she’d gone to work and to let himself out when he was ready. He wouldn’t know she was with Sophie.
She quickly typed back. Can’t today, sorry. At Sophie’s atm. Will message you later.
He replied within seconds. Everything okay?
Yes, don’t worry. Will fill you in later. She fired off the text and placed her phone down.
It was time to be honest with her sister. To tell her about her meeting with Isla, pass along her concerns. It was only right she had all the information. And they were finally alone. This might be her only chance.
She moved into the hall. All was quiet. Had Sophie gone upstairs? She was just thinking about following her when she heard a crackle. It was coming from the kitchen. She pushed open the door.
Sophie was standing beside the table, her handbag open in front of her. Unwrapping a piece of foil. As soon as she spotted Ruby, Sophie pushed the foil into the open bag.
‘What’s that?’ Ruby asked.
‘Nothing.’ Sophie made to slide the bag off the table. As she did so, the foil slipped out and three tiny blue tablets tumbled to the floor.
Sophie bent down to grab the pills, but Ruby was too quick for her. She fought off her sister as she gathered the tablets into the palm of her hand.
‘It’s not what you think,’ Sophie said.
Ruby bristled. ‘How long?’
‘What?’
‘How long have you been taking these?’
Sophie’s nostrils flared. ‘I don’t have to explain myself to you.’
‘No, you don’t. What about the police then? You could tell them where you got these.’
‘How do you know they’re not legitimate?’
‘Oh, come on, Sophie. There’s no blister pack. I wasn’t born yesterday.’
‘It’s none of their business, and it’s certainly none of yours.’
‘It’s exactly my business. You’re my sister. You care for my niece and nephew.’
‘I’m a good mother!’ she snapped.
‘I’m not saying you’re not. But if you need help you should go to your doctor.’
‘If I need help?’ She snorted. ‘There you go again.’
‘Well, you clearly do, otherwise why would you be taking Valium.’
‘How do you know they’re Valium?’
Ruby sidestepped the question. It was true, there was nothing on the pills to indicate what they were. They could be anything. Something stronger even… ‘Is Ewan getting these for you?’
‘It has to be about Ewan, doesn’t it?’
‘Well, excuse me. He’s the one that’s been arrested for drugs.’
Sophie’s face fell. She dropped into a seat at the table. ‘I just… I need them right now, okay? Since we lost Mum, I’ve needed a little help to keep going. It was my decision to take them. No one’s forcing it on me. I checked my weight and organised the dosage online and I’m being careful.’
Ruby’s heart wrenched. Since we lost Mum… She’d been on them a while then. Was there anything else she was taking? She was about to ask when Sophie pushed her hair out of her face, the cuff of her top sliding back to expose the welt on her wrist. It had faded in the last few days to a dusky pink. She noticed Ruby looking at it and pulled her sleeve down.
‘Ewan was rough with me too, you know,’ Ruby said quietly.
‘What, when you kissed him?’ Sophie’s face contorted. ‘Of course he was rough, he was trying to get you off him!’
‘That’s not true.’ This wasn’t how she wanted the conversation to unfold. But the cat was out of the bag now. Out of the bag and scrambling all over the room. ‘It was Ewan who came onto me.’
‘I don’t believe I’m hearing this. How could you? And now, of all times, when he’s locked in a police cell. When I need your support. I should never have called you.’
‘If he’s hurting you—’
‘It’s not what you think.’
‘It’s nothing to be ashamed of. We can get help.’
Sophie huffed. ‘You’ve got it all wrong, as usual.’
‘Then, what? Come on, Soph, tell me. I’m dying to hear it.’ She leant back, folded her arms across her chest.
‘Do I need to spell it out for you?’
Ruby stayed silent. She could feel Sophie’s eyes boring holes into her. Hard, angry eyes.
‘Look, we like to play about in the bedroom sometimes. There’s no crime in that.’
Was she seriously trying to explain those marks through sex games? ‘You shouldn’t be ending up with bruises.’
‘Oh, come on, Rubes. Don’t go all prudish on me. You can’t tell me you’ve never experimented.’
Ruby was taken aback. She was serious. Yes, she’d experimented. Moving into her first house with Tom was liberating. They wanted to make the most of the space, having room after room to themselves. She remembered asking Tom to tie her wrists to the bed knobs and place a blindfold over her eyes, but she’d found it hard to relax when she couldn’t move and they both ended up giggling. ‘Not to the extent that someone’s in pain. No.’
Sophie sucked her teeth, as if she didn’t believe her.
‘He’s done it before,’ Ruby said, unable to stop herself.
‘What?’
‘Hurt people.’ She wasn’t technically telling an untruth, although the words did wedge themselves uncomfortably in her throat.
‘What are you talking about?’
She was going out on a limb here, she had no firm evidence. But the need to convince Sophie, at least to get her to stop and think, was overriding any sense of normality. ‘He hurt his wife.’
Sophie froze. ‘What did you say?’
She doesn’t know. ‘Ewan left a wife and kids in Glasgow when he moved here.’
‘You’re lying!’
‘I’m not, Soph. I spoke with his sister.’
‘You did what?’
‘I was worried about you. Worried about what was happening here. Between us.’
Sophie looked horrified. ‘When did you speak with her?’
‘Yesterday. We met in London.’
‘I don’t believe I’m hearing this.’ She was shaking her head now, her eyes wide. ‘You met with Ewan’s sister behind my back?’
‘There’s a lot you don’t know.’
‘Get out!’
‘Please, Soph. You need to stop seeing him. He manipulates people…’
‘Ewan was right. You are jealous.’
Ruby swallowed. She didn’t want to leave like this. ‘I could never be jealous of you, Soph. You’re my baby sister.’ She reached out, but Sophie rose, and batted her away.
‘Get out!’ The shrill sound of her voice pierced the air. She herded her sister out of the door.
For the second time in less than a week Ruby found herself stumbling up her sister’s driveway, a knot the size of a football in her chest. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and messaged Lewis. On my way home. Meet you there? She had to find a way to make Sophie listen to her. And soon.
Chapter 54
Ruby was so relieved to find Lewis standing on her doorstep when she arrived home, she flung her arms around him, enveloping him in a tight hug. The argument with her sister coupled with the itching sense of someone watching her, of another presence in her home over the past few days, was really starting to get to her and the sight of his welcoming face couldn’t have been more comforting.
‘Hey,’ he said, pulling back. ‘I came as soon as I got your text. What’s happened?’
‘Ewan was arrested this morning, possession with intent to supply cocaine. Sophie’s in pieces.’
‘Oh.’ His jaw dropped.
She let them both into the house. ‘I spent most of the day with her,’ Ruby said, shrugging off her jacket. ‘Really thought I was starting to get through.’ She told him about catching Sophie with the tablets in the kitchen, the argument.
‘I’m sorry,’ he said. ‘But she did need to know about Isla.’
‘Not like this. An argument with her sister when she’s already in a bad place. And now she’s on her own. I’m frightened for her.’
Lewis checked his watch. ‘It’s almost time for the school run. She won’t do anything silly. Not now. She adores those kids.’
Ruby wasn’t so sure. ‘I’m going to ring Kat. Get her to pop in, make sure she’s okay. I’m sure she can make up some excuse.’
She grabbed her phone. Kat was with a client, but Ruby managed to give her a quick overview of the situation and Kat agreed to call by when she had finished her appointment, saying she was in the area and pretending not to know about Ewan’s arrest. Ruby heaved a sigh of relief. It was good to think someone was checking on her.
Lewis emerged from the kitchen with two coffees. ‘Thought you needed this,’ he said, handing one over.
‘Thanks.’ They wandered into the front room and sat on the sofa. Ruby cupped the mug in her hands, relishing the warmth of the fluid trickling through her insides, inducing a moment of calm. She placed the mug down and inadvertently placed her hand in her fleece pocket. Two… no, three tiny pips slipped through her fingers. Sophie’s tablets. She must have shoved them in there on the way out. ‘Ewan must have been under the police radar for a while,’ she said. ‘Either that or they had some other evidence.’
‘Possibly. I take it you had no night caller yesterday?’ Lewis asked, changing the subject.
She shook her head. ‘Nothing to do with Ewan’s arrest though, the police only called on him this morning. And I haven’t heard anything from Hitesh.’
‘Ah, well. At least he’s in custody. He can’t hurt her while he’s there.’
She told him Sophie’s explanation for the bruises.
‘Wow,’ he said, raising a brow.
‘Even if she is telling the truth and it’s all consensual, Isla’s comments yesterday are still worrying. I mean, he did lie about what happened with me. And he has been seeing other women— Oh, God, I didn’t have a chance to tell her that.’
‘A hundred grams of cocaine is pretty substantial. You’re probably talking £5,000 in terms of street value,’ Lewis said. ‘If the police charge, they might consider him a flight risk and keep him in custody.’
‘I hope so.’ She was just taking another sip of coffee when his last sentence jarred her. ‘How did you know how much they found?’
‘Pardon?’
‘A hundred grams, you said.’
‘You told me.’
‘I didn’t. I mentioned cocaine and said he was arrested for possession with intent to supply.’ She rounded on him. ‘What’s going on, Lewis? I checked the news reports at Sophie’s. They only featured the arrest. They haven’t even given out names, let alone specific details.’
He closed his eyes a second. ‘Look, hear me out on this one.’
She didn’t like the sound of this.
‘The other day at the park when you told me about Sophie… I know Valium isn’t illegal, but she’s been obtaining it illegally. I was worried. I asked around.’
‘To whom?’
‘Associates. People who occasionally use or are involved with drugs.’
‘Lewis!’
‘There are loads of people who dabble in my line of work, it’s not difficult. More often cocaine and amphet than stuff like Valium or diazepam as most people call it now. Dealers have access to all sorts. I didn’t mention any names. I didn’t need to. I was told there was activity at Ewan’s address.’
‘Why didn’t you say anything?’
‘Because this goes on all the time, Rubes. It’s nothing new. And I wasn’t completely sure. Last night, you were so worried about Sophie, I-I mentioned it to Hitesh on the way out.’
‘It was you that alerted the police.’
‘I dare say they had other intelligence. It was probably the push they needed.’
‘I can’t believe you did that.’
His face was pained, affronted. ‘I just mentioned I’d heard coke was being stored at Ewan’s address and there was some activity there.’
‘How could you?’
‘I thought this was what you wanted. What we all wanted. Ewan’s out of the way, at least for a while. Sophie’s safe.’
‘For how long?’
‘That depends on what they’ve got. It might encourage Sophie to view things differently—’
‘It won’t! She’s still taking the tablets. Chances are, it’s probably him or one of his cronies supplying her. So, having him arrested for drugs isn’t going to help the situation one bit.’
His face fell, contrite. ‘I’m sorry, Rubes. I thought I was helping.’
She placed her head in her hands. ‘I think you’d better go.’ She’d called him because she hadn’t wanted to come into the house alone, but now that she was here, that she knew it was safe, she was beginning to wonder at herself. This was her home.
‘That’s not fair.’
‘Fair? Fair would have been to ask me or check with me first before you involve yourself in my family’s business. Do you even realise what you’ve done? If she finds out this whole arrest came from me or someone close to me, she’ll never speak to me again.’
‘You’re overreacting.’
‘Believe me. Overreacting doesn’t come close.’ She stood.
‘You’re not serious?’
‘I am. I want you to go. I need time to think. Alone.’
Chapter 55
Sophie placed the last of the cutlery in the dishwasher and snapped the door shut. The kids were bickering in the front room. Shrill, high-pitched voices digging at one another. They’d been hyper since Louise dropped them home from school, constantly asking where Ewan was because it was Wednesday and he usually came for dinner on a Wednesday. She’d had to make up some excuse about him working extra hours and get rid of Louise quickly – she didn’t want anyone else to know about the arrest until they knew what they were dealing with. She could only imagine the fuss Greg would make at a man close to his kids involved with drugs. That was the last thing she needed. She’d baked cakes with the children to take their minds off things, yet they still wouldn’t settle.
There had been no word from Ewan or the police since the call at lunchtime. No update. No news. And now it was almost 6:30 p.m. Were they still interviewing him?
She opened the door to the cupboard under the stairs, reached for her handbag and dug her hand inside, moving aside her purse, a packet of tissues, searching for the wrap of foil, when she suddenly remembered. And her heart sank. Her pills weren’t there. Ruby had taken them.
She closed her eyes, shoved the bag away, was cursing her sister afresh when she heard a key in the front door.
Ewan.
Before she could reach him, Daisy and Alfie ran out into the hall and flung themselves on him. ‘You came! See, Mum, he said he would!’ her daughter exclaimed.
Sophie did her best to pull a smile. ‘It seems you were right.’
Ewan took his time hugging the children, his blue work overalls crackling as he twirled them around. It was a while before he looked across at Sophie and she spotted the face behind the smile, the dark shadows under his eyes, the pasty white skin.
‘I’m sure he’s had a busy day,’ Sophie said, peeling her children off him. ‘Let’s get him a drink and something to eat.’
‘Can you read my bedtime story tonight?’ Alfie asked.
Ewan ruffled his hair. ‘Course I can, mate.’
Sophie steered the kids back into the front room and moved into the kitchen. She needed to speak with Ewan alone. All afternoon the idea of him in a marriage with children had tumbled around her insides, making her nauseous. A marriage he’d left, kids he’d deserted. Was it true?
‘Why didn’t you call when they let you out?’ she said, closing the kitchen door behind him. ‘I’ve been worried.’
‘My phone’s dead. I came straight here.’ He pulled her into a tight embrace, stroked her hair. ‘I’m sorry I worried you.’
‘What exactly happened?’ she said, releasing herself as soon as she was able and flicking the switch on the kettle.
‘Oh, don’t let’s go into it now.’
‘No, I want to. I need to know.’
He stared up at the ceiling, paused a moment. ‘Okay. The police called at 6 a.m. I was still in bed. Ged let them in. Apparently, someone had tipped them off about a drugs den. Hardly what we were, they’d have seen that as soon as they crossed the threshold, but it didn’t stop them riffling through drawers and emptying every cupboard.’
A sour taste popped at the back of Sophie’s throat. ‘It must have been awful.’
‘It was. Ged and I were ordered to get dressed and sit in the kitchen.’ His face turned stern. ‘They found a bag of cocaine in the toilet cistern – Ged’s private stash. The officer looked triumphant when he walked in with it, holding it up in one of those clear plastic bags as if it was a winning lottery ticket. We both said we had no idea how it got there, so we were taken to the police station, questioned for hours on end, then released under investigation.’ He pulled a face. ‘Worst thing about it all was the food. It was like pulp.’
‘Why didn’t Ged own up if it belonged to him?’
‘Because he’s already got a record. Even if they manage to stick a charge on him, he’ll plead not guilty, say the stash was planted. There are always people coming and going at the flat.’
‘What about you?’
‘I’ll do the same, if needs be.’
‘That’s not fair, Ewan, you’ll get a record.’
‘He’s been good to me, Soph. I pay him mates’ rates for the room I have there. And he gets me your V for next to nothing.’
Sophie flinched at the mention of her pills. Did that make her an accessory?
‘I don’t think anything will come of it,’ Ewan said. ‘Ged’s pretty sure he can find a way out.’
The kettle switched itself off. Sophie toyed with whether to make drinks, but the next question was searing like a flame through her chest. ‘There’s something else I need to talk to you about. It’s important.’ She leaned against the kitchen side, the overwhelming desire to see his reaction dulling any consideration for the fatigue gripping them both. ‘Ruby was here today.’
