sure how I would deal with it all myself. It was only after we talked and it all came out that we both agreed I should tell the police, so I called them on Thursday evening and went down to the police station. It seems I was a few hours too late, though. I understand by then that Sean’s body had already been found. I’m so sorry - both of you. I could have prevented so much of this.’
‘No, Charles,’ Fiona said, pulling his clasped hand closer and enclosing it in her other hand. ‘You mustn’t take all the blame. I knew which way Gary would probably have gone home, given the amount he’d been drinking. And I knew he was lying when he said on Saturday night that he’d had the Porsche for a few days. I honestly didn’t put two and two together. Of course, he was driving his BMW on Friday night, but just in case he’d been seen he wanted to put people off the scent.’
Ellie frowned. ‘Oh my God. It must have been Gary’s car that I passed that night. He would have recognised me, and I couldn’t think for the life of me why the person that passed me hadn’t reported seeing my car, because it’s so distinctive.’
‘Didn’t you recognise him?’ Leo asked.
‘No - that’s the stupid thing. I’d forgotten that I’d passed anybody until Thursday, and then I only remembered it was a dark saloon car. If I’d realised it was a BMW, I might have figured it out - but then Gary turned up in a red Porsche saying that he’d had it for a couple of days, so I’d probably have ruled him out. A waste of effort on his part, because I completely forgot.’
‘All irrelevant now. There was no evidence at the scene, but there were minute traces of Abbie’s clothes caught on the grill of his BMW, so he can’t talk his way out of that one. It doesn’t alter the fact that I really should have done something sooner.’ Charles was gazing down at the ground again, looking as if he wished it would open up and swallow him whole.
Leo was keen to move away from the blame game. They’d all made mistakes.
‘Thanks for explaining it to us Charles. It’s one more mystery solved. I’ll go and make us all some coffee, if you’d like a cup.’
Ellie started to get up.
‘No, Ellie,’ Leo said. ‘I’ll go. With that machine, even I can manage.’
Leo had to escape. If only she’d realised that Gary had been lying about his car, she might have put all the pieces together. She’d kept quiet about him being out on Friday night too, in a foolish attempt to protect Ellie since she believed Gary was the person Ellie had gone out to meet. So she was every bit as guilty as Charles.
53
Fiona and Charles hadn’t seemed in the mood to leave, but after they had finished their coffee Ellie had excused herself, saying she wanted to bath the twins with Max. She didn’t like them being out of her sight for more than five minutes at the moment, and was glad that they were going on holiday very soon. She could have all three of them to herself.
Leo had looked rather alarmed at the idea of being left with Fiona and Charles, and Ellie was relieved to see that that they had gone when she returned to the kitchen.
She could see her sister through the window, sitting on the garden bench, and she was sorry to see how dejected she seemed. She heard a sound behind her, and realised that Max was looking too. He pulled Ellie’s back tight against his chest and wrapped his arms round her, resting his head on her shoulder as they watched Leo.
‘She’ll be okay, Ellie. She had a terrifying experience, and she’s struggling with what she did, but she’s a tough cookie.’
‘No she’s not. You know that. She talks a good fight. I don’t like leaving her, Max.’
‘Then she can come with us,’ Max said. Ellie smiled at his thoughtfulness. She knew that wasn’t what he really wanted.
‘She won’t do that.’
‘Why don’t you pour the two of you a glass of wine each, and I’ll join you in a while? I’ve got a job to do first.’
Ellie grabbed a cold bottle from the fridge and a couple of glasses and made her way into the garden just as Max appeared from the shed carrying a pump sprayer.