Maggie, clutching Isla, stood in the bay window of the drawing room and watched Michael’s Land Rover roll to a halt. The passenger door flew open, and Nick jumped down and went striding to where Duncan stood, giving it, ‘How could you do it, Dad? How could you shop me to the cops? When I’ve done nothing wrong?’
No.
Oh, no. This wasn’t happening. She wasn’t going to let him get in Duncan’s head, plant a seed of doubt, make Duncan start to think he’d got it all wrong after all.
She hurried outside.
‘She left Isla alone!’ Nick was raging. He pointed a shaking finger at Maggie. ‘Oh yes, I put the cops straight about what happened. I told them all about you, Mags. All about how you’ve had the baby blues and haven’t been coping. You left her alone –’
‘Because you triggered the fire alarm by leaving a pan on the hob and I had to stop the fucking house burning down! I wasn’t going to take Isla into a fucking inferno, was I?’
‘I didn’t leave anything on the hob! Really, Dad, I didn’t! I found Isla all alone, and she was crying, so I pushed her round the house in the pram, talking to her, trying to get her to calm down. Then on the drive, I tripped . . . I let go the pram . . .’ His lips wobbled as he stared at his father. ‘I let go the pram! I feel terrible about it, but it was an accident! I can’t understand how you could think I would do it deliberately! I love Isla! I would never hurt her! She’s my little sister!’
‘Of course it was deliberate!’ Maggie growled, pulling at the soft yellow blanket to shield Isla’s face. She didn’t even want him looking at her.
‘The cops believe me, so why can’t you?’ Nick was crying now, arms dangling, not trying to stop the tears, standing pathetically in front of Duncan like he was waiting to be hugged.
Duncan didn’t move towards him. ‘Because I saw you do it. I saw you push the pram. That was no accident.’
‘It was!’ Nick clutched at Duncan’s arm, but Duncan shook him off.
‘Tell the truth for once!’ Duncan suddenly shouted at him.
Nick covered his face with his hands, and the three of them stood like they were frozen there, with Michael in the background skulking by the Land Rover, obviously not wanting to intrude but not feeling he could just leave either.
Then Nick raised his head and whispered, ‘I didn’t mean her any harm. That is the truth.’ He was staring at Duncan like he was drowning and Duncan was the only one who could save him. ‘I just thought it would be a laugh to push the pram down the drive. I didn’t think! I’m so sorry! I didn’t know there was a lorry coming! I didn’t even think about the road!’
‘Yes, you did.’ Duncan’s face was blank. ‘You knew those lorries were coming. That’s why you pushed the pram.’
21
Lulu - June 2019
After searching the forest all afternoon and into the evening, Lulu suggested that she and Nick accompany Michael back to the farmhouse. ‘This isn’t maybe a very attractive offer, but we could cook for you. You probably don’t feel much like bothering.’
He looked from her to Nick. ‘Thanks, Lulu. That would be great.’
The big farmhouse kitchen into which Michael ushered them was as spick and span as Lulu had expected, but cosy and obviously the heart of the home, with a long pine table and an Aga, in front of which were two dog beds, one plain red and one white with black bones printed all over it. The two collies ignored these, though, and positioned themselves in front of a cupboard, sitting staring at it until Michael, with a smile, opened the cupboard door to reveal tins and bags of dog food.
He opened a tin and combined the foul-smelling contents with dry mix in two bowls. Then he pressed a button on the phone and a recorded voice filled the kitchen. ‘Hi, Michael, just wondering if there’s any news on Yvonne. I’ve got the kids to put her all over social media, and they’re getting their pals to do the same.’ The voice cracked. ‘Anyway, we’re thinking about you. Let us know if there’s anything more we can do.’ The next message was similar. Michael cut it off and glanced at Lulu.
‘People are being very kind.’ He sighed, watching the dogs inhale their food. ‘You don’t realise, do you, how much a person is valued until something like this happens.’ He collapsed onto a chair. ‘Yvonne’s done a hell of a lot for people in this community.’
‘It’s obvious she’s very well liked.’ Lulu had been realising this from talking to the other searchers. It seemed Yvonne’s gruff exterior concealed a very good heart.
‘Larder’s through here,’ said Nick, and when they were alone in there, picking out a packet of pasta and tins of tomatoes and tuna, he hissed, ‘God, Saint Yvonne!’
‘Well, people do seem to be rallying round –’
‘Because they’re a load of ghouls, not because they liked her!’
‘I don’t think that’s true, Nick.’
When they returned to the kitchen, Lulu asked Michael what veg he had, and Michael straightened from petting the dogs. ‘We’ve a vegetable plot round the side of the steading.’
‘This is the girl from Leonora you’re talking to,’ said Nick. ‘Lulu doesn’t know what a steading is.’
‘Big old stone farm building,’ Michael translated. ‘Come and I’ll show you, Lulu.’
While Nick made a start on the meal, Lulu went with Michael through the farmyard to the neat vegetable patch. There was a grid system of gravel paths between the beds and netting draped over posts shrouding the strawberry plants and raspberry canes.
‘I grew up on a farm in Western Australia,’ Lulu told him. ‘Mum has a veggie plot, but she fights a losing battle with the drought.’
‘Not a problem we have here.’
As they picked some spinach leaves, he suddenly said, ‘Lulu, you need to know . . . I’ve been to the police. I’ve told them I think Nick might have . . . done something to Yvonne.’
Lulu froze.
‘What?’