Good Neighbours, page 16
It was a dry, still morning as they drove along the Military Road. The sea was sparkling and, from the comfort of the heated car, appeared as inviting as the Mediterranean. However, as she stepped out of the car at Compton Farm car park, Nia felt a chill that made her question why she’d come.
‘I thought we’d tackle the climb down from here,’ said Jade. ‘It’s even better swimming at this end of the beach than from Hanover Point. Just don’t forget anything. I’m not popping back up here to get your towel.’
They crossed the road, walked through a field of cows until they reached the wooden steps that led down the cliff to the beach below.
‘Every time I come more of the cliffs have been eroded. The National Trust work hard maintaining the steps but it’s not an easy climb down. Still, it’s worth it when you get to the bottom.’
Nia grabbed the wooden rail and carefully began to climb down, not made any easier by Romeo, who she kept on the lead. Occasionally she paused to take in the breathtaking views, and finally they reached the enormous expanse of empty sandy beach.
She was about to let Romeo off his lead, when Nia realised they were on part of the beach dogs were not allowed at that time of year.
‘Oh no,’ she exclaimed to Jade. ‘I shouldn’t have brought Romeo here.’
Jade looked down the empty beach. ‘You’re right, I’d forgotten. Look, it’s very early and we’re not upsetting anyone. I think we’re OK for a quick visit today, but we’ll make sure we go to the part dogs are allowed again next time.’
Nia let Romeo off his lead and his tail wagged frantically as he sniffed the seaweed and dug in the sand.
Jade grinned at Nia. ‘Come on, you can’t back out now.’
‘How come you look so awake? You drank a lot more than me last night.’
‘I was very restrained, I’ll have you know. I watered down my drinks.’ She sighed. ‘Gosh, I’m getting far too sensible for my age. It’s very worrying.’
They both had their swimming costumes on under their clothes and Nia was glad she didn’t have too long to think about getting into the water. She quickly took off her jeans and top, put her things in a heap with Jade’s and they ran down to meet the water.
Jade ran straight in, dived under and was swimming within seconds. ‘You need to take the plaster approach: tear it off all in one go,’ she shouted.
As the freezing water numbed her toes Nia hesitated. Romeo was close by her now and she knew he was nervous of this unfamiliar vast expanse of water.
‘I’m not going far,’ she reassured him, and waded in up to her waist. Fighting the desire to run back out of the sea, she leant down and managed to get her shoulders under. Slowly the sea began to work its magic and despite the cold there was comfort. Nia had read somewhere that people were hard-wired to love the sea, and for the first time she understood why. Out there was energy, life.
Jade surfed on the waves that took her closer to shore. Nia was standing but watching her constantly and she didn’t stay in too long.
Despite there being no one about, Nia found herself attempting that impossible task of getting dressed while preserving her modesty on the beach. Jade eventually came out of the water and joined her and was dressed far more quickly and with less fuss.
Nia laughed. ‘I don’t know how it’s possible but that managed to be agony and fabulous at the same time.’
‘It’s good for you! My mum always loved swimming in the sea. I used to come with her a lot.’
Once they were dressed, Jade produced a Thermos and they sat cuddling the small hot metal cups of steaming coffee. ‘So do you think we learned anything last night?’
Nia looked at her sideways. ‘You certainly stirred things up.’
Jade grinned. ‘Elvira got ever so het up when I suggested someone went down to the beach after you, didn’t she? She’s always on edge and it seems more than just pre-wedding nerves. That business of the dress is odd, isn’t it? I feel like I don’t trust her any more. To be honest, I wish her and Ethan weren’t getting married so quickly. I’m very fond of Ethan. I don’t want him getting hurt. Ruby said she thought they were rushing things.’
‘I get the feeling Ruby knew something about Elvira and was actively trying to find out more. Remember she went to see Elvira’s mother – Elvira wasn’t happy about that. Ethan said he thought Ruby was digging around for something.’
‘Maybe she was.’
‘I was learning all about her ex, Hugo, last night. It’s funny, I saw him coming over to the island the day Ruby took me to the Red Jet. She didn’t speak to him, but I saw she wasn’t pleased to see him.’
‘Ruby couldn’t stand him. I think that was when her friendship with Elvira started to break up. Ruby made no secret she didn’t approve of him and, to be fair, I think she was right. He’s a leech, and all he cares about is making money.’
‘Petunia seemed keen enough.’
‘That’s because she is as superficial as him. Elvira has done well to get away from that lot. She is much better off over here with Ethan.’
‘I’ve been on a few early morning walks with him. He is a really nice man, isn’t he?’
‘He is, and amazing with animals. They seem to instinctively trust him.’
Nia sensed this was a good moment to ask. ‘I was wondering if I could come to the rescue centre with you this evening? I’d love to see the work you do there.’
‘Of course, they can always do with a hand.’
‘I’ll take my own car; I don’t like to leave Romeo too long.’
‘I was going to suggest we went separately. Ethan and I do – it means we can all leave when we want. I tend to stay very late, in fact all night sometimes if they need me.’
‘Really?’
‘Oh, yes.’
‘Elvira said Ethan was home very late that night.’
Jade frowned. ‘Yes, but he’s not at the centre. He goes on to the other surgery.’
Nia frowned. ‘That’s odd. Elvira thinks he is at the centre with you all night.’
Jade shrugged. ‘Maybe she’d not be happy with him doing more work at the surgery.’
Nia wasn’t so sure but didn’t comment. Instead, she said, ‘What about you? How do you cope with Mondays after a late night at the centre?’
‘Ruby and I agreed on shutting the salon on a Monday as she was also all night at the charity helpline.’ She stood up. ‘Right, I think it’s time for home – bacon rolls on Sunday.’
Once they reached the steps Nia put Romeo on the lead; she didn’t want him wandering onto the crumbling cliffs. The climb was steep, and she was glad to get to the top. Once there she paused and looked out at the view. It was stunning, with long stretches of the coast in front of her.
‘It’s fabulous here, isn’t it?’ she said.
‘I know, we’re so lucky. By the way, I’ve been thinking about Lucy. There is no delicate way to put this, but do you think Lucy could have a problem with drink?’
Nia blinked. ‘I confess that has never crossed my mind. I’ve seen her stumble a few times, but I’ve not given it a lot of thought. Why? Do you think she has?’
‘Ages ago Ian had mentioned that she’d had problems with drink in the past, but she has been dry for years now. It crossed my mind that maybe it was becoming a problem for her again.’
‘But she told you herself that she’d not been drinking last night.’
‘I know, but she went off to the bathroom quite a lot. I wondered if she was drinking on the sly. I noticed her stumble at her front door, and it’s not the first time she’s done that lately.’
‘I suppose I saw her nearly fall when I went for lunch and she was a bit unsure on her feet a few times at the salon. I didn’t give it a lot of thought though.’
‘I could be wrong, but I have a feeling Ruby knew something. I tried to talk to her about it, but all she said was that she was very sorry for Lucy. She did hint, however, that Lucy should “come clean”, as she put it, if she was going to be writing a book or going on TV to talk about healthy living in later years. It’s not that she thought they shouldn’t do it, but just that she should be honest – a typical Ruby stance.’
‘That’s interesting. I have been trying to understand Lucy’s thinly veiled animosity towards Ruby, and assumed it was something to do with Ian’s accident. However, it could be explained if she thought Ruby was going to expose some problem, upset her and Ian’s plans. She is one of the people Ruby suggested may have sent her the voodoo doll.’
‘And she has no alibi for the night Ruby died.’
Nia gasped. ‘You don’t think she really went down to the beach and killed Ruby just to keep her reputation?’
Jade shrugged. ‘It’s possible. Of course, the same motive goes for Ian.’
‘But he says he was swimming with Richie.’
‘That’s true.’
They started to walk back to the car, and then drove back to Yarmouth, and Nia went home for a well-earned breakfast.
She was thinking about Lucy. Could Jade be right about her drinking? Her mind went back to overhearing Ian admonishing Lucy for her criticism of Ruby, and then those words as they left the beach: ‘It’s over.’
There was something to be uncovered there. It could be a drink problem with Lucy. However, it had been the accident Ruby talked about when she’d mentioned the lies that had so upset her. Nia knew she couldn’t simply write the accident off; she had to find out more about it. Suddenly she had an idea – yes, that would be a very good place to start.
20
It took some time for Nia to find the article about the car accident, but eventually, by following references to Ian, she tracked down a brief article that had been in the local paper.
Local celebrity Ian Robson was involved in a minor accident on the main road out of Yarmouth on Saturday evening. No one was hurt, and parties involved were breathalysed and drink driving was ruled out. When asked about the incident Mr Robson said, ‘I’m afraid I lost concentration for a brief moment and swerved to the other side of the road. Fortunately, no one was hurt, and there was very little damage to either vehicle. I apologised unreservedly and will pay for any repairs needed.’
The article was accompanied by a photograph of the stretch of road taken the following day.
Nia hadn’t been sure what she expected to find, but this did feel a bit of an anti-climax. Maybe everyone was right, Ruby had overreacted.
That evening, Nia set off to Wight’s with a sense of purpose, determined to learn anything she could about Jade’s and Ethan’s movements on Sunday evenings.
As Nia walked up the close, she noticed that bunting had appeared as if by magic, giving the place a festive air. The poster on the window of Wight’s reminded her that this was part of the preparations for the Old Gaffers Festival the following weekend. Nia paused, looked around. All this seemed a million miles away from her life back in Cardiff. Sunday evening used to be one of the few evenings Chris, Safi and she would sit together for a family roast dinner. It had been her favourite moment of the week and they’d kept it up until Safi left on her travels. However, she now realised it had been a sham. For all his smiles, had Chris been secretly impatient for the meal to end so that he could go and speak to Sian under the pretext of working in his study? She remembered now the times he’d had to go and pick something up from school, had a phone call from a distraught teacher he’d had to go and see… Had all of those been lies to cover up a visit to Sian? Nia wiped away tears that had started to creep down her face. Chris had not just destroyed her plans for the future, he’d desecrated her most precious memories. Every precious jewel she now had to question – was it real, was it fake?
Nia took a deep breath. She wasn’t strong enough to face this, not yet. If she allowed herself to think too much it would be like falling off a cliff and she had no idea if she would survive. No, for now she must lose herself in her life here.
She continued to walk to Wight’s, but before she entered, she glanced at the group through the window. It was a sobering sight. They were sitting quietly, talking politely, like a family on their best behaviour. This was the first time they had met together since Ruby’s death, and no one looked too sure what to do or say.
As Nia approached them Ian jumped up, clearly relieved to have something to do, and offered to buy her a drink.
Nia sat down, smiled nervously, not knowing the right thing to say. Everything she thought felt either too flippant or too poignant. Any sentence she considered seemed loaded with meaning.
Ian returned with her glass of wine and fell naturally into the role of leader, asking considered but inoffensive questions.
‘I don’t know how you ladies are after your night’s drinking,’ he started. Elvira was drinking orange juice, taking small sips and looking very pale, and gave a weak smile. Lucy, despite not drinking, gave a knowing laugh, which came out too loud and forced.
Ian now turned to Nia. ‘How are you finding working at the salon, then?’
‘I’m really enjoying it.’ She shot a glance at Lucy. ‘My first client was a delight.’
‘Nia is coming with us to the rescue centre this evening,’ said Jade. ‘She’s becoming one of us!’
‘You didn’t tell me about that,’ said Ethan, frowning.
Jade’s eyebrows shot up. ‘I didn’t realise I had to ask permission.’
‘Of course not, it would have been good to have known, that’s all.’
‘OK for a swim this evening, Richie? Usual time, about ten?’ Ian asked.
Richie nodded but didn’t speak.
‘How are you? I saw your dad visit, didn’t I?’ Jade asked him.
‘He came but I didn’t want him to stay. I’m back to painting; it keeps me sane. The police are hoping the coroner will release Ruby’s body soon; we’ll be able to have the funeral then.’
‘That’s good,’ said Ian. ‘A funeral will give you and all of us a sense of closure.’
‘Where will the funeral be held?’ Lucy asked.
‘Dad wants it to be at The Hall.’
‘Oh no! Not there,’ interrupted Jade and added more gently, ‘I know your dad is not an easy man to stand up to. Me and you will have a chat sometime, see if we can reach a compromise.’
An hour later Nia left the others in Wight’s, walked Romeo before she left him again and started to follow Jade to the rescue centre.
Nia was used to turning left towards Newport when she left the town, but this evening they went right and crossed Yar Bridge, a swing bridge that opened when necessary to allow the taller yachts through.
They drove past the turning for Fort Victoria, towards Totland, and then turned down a country road that led to the rescue centre.
The place was smarter and larger than Nia expected, and she realised she was pretty nervous. She had bought Romeo from a breeder she knew and had never been inside a rescue centre in her life.
As it was late on a Sunday evening, there was no one on Reception, but Jade signed them both in. A young woman came to greet them and at that moment Ethan arrived, carrying his work bag ready to make a start on the list of animals needing his attention; he seemed familiar with a number of them.
‘Come on, I’ll show you around,’ Jade said to Nia.
The shelter was well designed, with separate housing areas for different animals. It was clean and light, the animals obviously very well cared for.
‘We have rooms down here where the visiting vets can see animals. I think Ethan is with one of the cats at the moment.’
Jade eased open a door, and she was right; Ethan was in there treating a tiny black cat, gently calming her, and Nia was struck by his patience and skill. He looked more at home here than anywhere else she’d seen. He saw them and nodded to Jade, who seemed to read his mind.
‘Give me a second,’ she said, and went to hold the cat while Ethan gave her an injection. They worked silently but in complete harmony.
As Jade settled the cat back down, Ethan thanked her, and a look flashed between them. Nia saw a closeness she’d not seen before. She remembered Jade’s protests on the beach about Elvira not being good enough for Ethan and she wondered if jealousy played any part in this.
They walked past a few rabbits, guinea pigs and birds until they reached the dogs. As soon as they entered a few started barking for attention.
Nia’s task was to walk individual dogs on a lead around an outside area that had lighting and she enjoyed it. She had to admit some walked a lot more politely than Romeo, but she felt very sorry for the nervous ones who’d clearly had little experience of walks and the outside world.
As she was walking, she met another volunteer and introduced herself.
‘It’s good to meet you,’ said the older man. ‘Jade is one of our best volunteers. She even sleeps here sometimes if a dog is particularly stressed out. She’s amazing. She never misses a Sunday, even through the terrible loss of her sister, she’s always here.’
‘Maybe the animals are a kind of comfort.’
‘You could be right; I’ve always said we get back double what we give the animals here and we are a close team. Jade was here when she heard the news about her sister. She’d been up most of the night with this poor dog who’d come in that day. She took him into our lounge and cuddled him all night.’
‘When did she hear the news about Ruby?’
‘The police called her on her mobile. The day shift was coming on, took over with the dog; he was so much better after a night with Jade. I’d kept popping in with a cuppa for her. She’d hardly slept.’
As Nia listened she realised that at least she could be sure Jade had an alibi for the night her sister died.
After walking the dogs who needed it, Nia was ready to leave. Jade thanked her, and Nia promised to come again.
As she left, she saw Ethan getting into his car. Nia was aware he’d given two different accounts of his Sunday evening. Elvira thought he was staying late at the rescue centre, Jade thought he went on to the other surgery.
