F Paul Wilson - Novel 05 (36 page)

 
          
When
she stood she could see only the sea, none of the rocks below, or
Alma
's terribly twisted body.
She stood there until her breath sounded normal.

 
          
Alma
had said, "I'm getting
bits and pieces...."

 
          
And
now she was gone. Like Sam, only more permanently.

 
          
Julie
turned onto the path and broke into a stumbling run back to Oakwood.

2

 
          
The
police inspector from
Whitby
, a man named Stephens,
looked as if he had seen too many detective shows. He wore his trench coat with
the collar up, and he kept nodding
to
himself as Julie spoke.

 
          
Eathan
sat beside her on the living-room couch. She'd called him at
Edinburgh
and he'd rushed back.
Usually an oak, unflappable, he now appeared distracted, almost disoriented,
and his eyes looked puffy. Had he been crying? She knew that he and Alma had
more than a professional relationship. Of course, Eathan would never say
anything about that.

 
          
Now
Stephens pointed a pencil at her. "I'm sorry, miss. Excuse me, I may have
forgotten ... but you said you went up there to
—
?"

 
          
"I
just wanted to walk ... get some air."

 
          
The
inspector rubbed his jaw. This was potentially a big case for him, a moment in
the sun.

 
          
"But
you didn't know, then, that Dr. Evans had gone up there?"

 
          
"No,
I didn't."

 
          
A
uniformed policeman came into the room, leaned over and whispered something to
the inspector, who nodded, listening, looking at Eathan and Julie.

 
          
As
the policeman left, Stephens said, "And tell me about your sister."

 
          
Eathan
briefly explained Sam's mysterious coma.

 
          
The
inspector scribbled more notes. "And you suspect... foul play, eh?"

 
          
"We
don't know," Eathan said.

 
          
Stephens
stood up. "Right, then. I'll tell you what we're going to do here. I'm
going to walk back to the cliff, make sure my blokes aren't missing anything.
And while I'm doing that, perhaps you want to think about any enemies that Dr.
Evans
—
"

 
          
Julie
glanced at Eathan, with his red eyes and his drained took. And now
—
he had to listen to what Julie was going to say.

           
But how do I say this? And what
don't
I
say?

 
          
"Th-there's
something I have to tell you."

 
          
Stephens
had already taken a step to the door. He turned, eyebrows lifted.

 
          
"Oh?
And what's that?"

 
          
Already
Alma
had been recovered from the
rocks below. Already the body was in the undertaker's van heading into town.

 
          
"There's
been somebody here, somebody who may have
—
"

 
          
She
felt Eathan turning, looking at her.

 
          
"There's
a man
—
I believe"
—
she hazarded a look at Eathan
—
"I
believe he's wanted. His name is Liam O'Donnell."

 
          
She
felt Eathan's eyes locked on her, boring into her.

 
          
The
inspector nodded. Leaving it to Eathan to speak.

 
          
"Julie,
what on earth do you mean?"

 
          
Now,
slowly, she turned to meet his gaze. When secrets are revealed, there's pain,
she thought.

 
          
"He
was here. Two nights ago he showed up. He surprised me outside.... He told me
how much he loved Sam."

 
          
Was
it Julie's imagination, or were Eathan's lips curling in disgust?

 
          
"O'Donnell
was
here?
At Oakwood?"

 
          
Julie
nodded. "He asked me to tell no one.... He told me he loved Sam, that he
didn't
—
"

 
          
Eathan
stood up. He walked away from the couch, rubbing his beard.

 
          
Julie
turned back to the inspector, who called over one
of
his men and handed
him a slip of paper.

 
          
"We'll
check on him, miss. But what is your sister's connection to this man?"

 
          
Eathan
spoke before Julie could answer. His voice sounded hollow as he filled the
inspector in on Sam's relationship with O'Donnell... and his suspicions. And
Julie couldn't feel more stupid, less worthy of trust. What could she have been
thinking?

 
          
Stephens
scribbled more notes furiously.

 
          
"If
he's around, if he's still here, we'll pick him up." He looked at Julie.
"Though I don't know why you didn't tell someone, miss."

           
Neither do I, Julie thought.

 
          
She
kept picturing Alma Evans's body flopping around in the tidal tumult.

 
          
Eathan
seemed to be keeping his distance from Julie, standing apart.

 
          
God,
I should leave, Julie thought. Get on a plane and get the hell out of here, for
all the good I'm doing. Someone's dead, maybe because I was stupid.

 
          
And
befuddled. What sort of spell had Liam cast over her?

 
          
She
guessed that somehow
—
via Sam
—
he'd touched her. He'd made her feel... something she'd
never experienced before, and that had compromised her judgment, left her vulnerable.

 
          
But
why
couldn't it
have been a simple accident, just like what
almost
happened to
me?

 
          
The
inspector shut his notebook. "Well, we have some work to do here, eh?
We'll keep you posted."

 
          
Eathan
nodded absently as Stephens put a hand to his brow, and then turned and left
the room.

 
          
Julie
stood there in the lengthening silence, keeping her eyes on the door, not daring
to look at Eathan. She wished he'd shout, scream, throw something, for God's
sake. This silence was killing her.

 
          
Eathan
could get mad, she knew. But she feared his disappointment more. Julie never
wanted to disappoint him. He'd had more than enough of that from Sam.

 
          
She
heard steps. Eathan leaving or
—

 
          
And
then he was close to her. She set her jaw.

 
          
Here
it
comes.

 
          
"Why,
Julia?" His voice was low, thick, filled with pain. Worse than a shout.
Much worse. "Why didn't you tell me about O'Donnell?"

 
          
"I
—
I wish I had an answer," she said, her voice as low as
his.

 
          
"Why
on earth would you keep something like that from me? A known terrorist, a
threat to my niece, your sister, on my property." His voice rose.
"What were you thinking?"

 
          
"I
wasn't thinking. So stupid not to tell you, I
—
"

 
          
"What
else haven't you told me?"

 
          
More
secrets. Should she come clean? Admit she'd been digging in Eathan's secrets,
that Sam wanted those secrets, had even asked Liam to
—
?

 
          
She
turned to him and opened her mouth. "I
—
"

 
          
No.
She couldn't. Not with that wounded look in his eyes. He'd been battered enough
today.

 
          
Or
was she rationalizing again?

 
          
"If
only I'd seen the things we saw yesterday sooner, I'd have turned him in
immediately. But Sam seemed to trust him and
—
"

 
          
Eathan
stiffened. "Do you think he knew what we saw yesterday."

 
          
"I
don't see how."

 
          
"Did
you
tell
him?"

 
          
"No!
Of course not!"

 
          
"Then
why is
Alma
dead?"

 
          
Oh,
God, I
wish
I
knew.
She groped for an answer.

 
          
"It
could have been an accident. The cliffs are treacherous
—
you said so countless times as we were growing up."

 
          
"Yes,
it could be, but it seems a little too convenient." He swiveled toward the
door. "I wonder ..."

 
          
Suddenly
he was out in the foyer and heading for the family room. Julie followed.

 
          
When
she got there he was rummaging through the stack of videocassettes.

 
          
"What
are you doing?"

 
          
"Looking
for the tape of that last session
—
the
one where we saw him in
London
at the time of the Branham
Bank fire. Where is it?"

 
          
"It
should be right here.
Alma
had it
—
"

 
          
Eathan
threw a cassette across the room. "It's gone! Not only has he been on my
grounds, he's been in my
house!
Damn him!" He swung around and
jabbed a finger at her.
"You'll
have to live with this!"

 
          
He
stalked back out to the foyer. Julie followed, feeling as if she were on a
leash.

 
          
"Where
are you going?"

 
          
"I
have to go into Bay and arrange for the body, for"
—
his words stumbled, revealing a glimpse of his pain
—
"
Alma
to be taken care of. She has a son in
London
. I'll have to contact him.
I don't know when I'll be back."

           
Julie had never seen him so angry.