The Unburied Past (15 page)

‘How was Europe?' Nick asked as they settled at their table.

‘Brilliant; I can't imagine why I've left it so long. After all, I've been around quite a bit – Australia, South America, the Far East and so on, but this was a serious omission. Still, I've made a start now, and I'm intending to go back as often as I can while I'm over here.'

‘Excellent.' Nick leaned back with his glass of beer. ‘So what have you been up to since we last met?' Despite their best intentions, their contact had lapsed until Adam wrote of his impending arrival.

‘Nothing spectacular,' Adam replied. ‘And before I forget, several people sent their salaams, including Paul and Steve.'

‘I must email them,' Nick said. He grinned. ‘So you're not married yet?'

‘I am not.'

‘What about that girl who was always hanging around? Gina, was it?'

‘Still hanging,' Adam replied.

Nick laughed. ‘Hard-hearted bastard! How does she feel about you being away for a year?'

‘Not best pleased but there are no commitments, and to be frank I'm hoping it will die a natural death while I'm away.' He drank some beer. ‘How about you? Any wedding bells on the horizon?'

Nick unaccountably sobered, meeting Adam's questioning glance. ‘No, nothing like that, but there is something I should tell you.'

‘Well? Get on with it, then!'

‘I've … been seeing your sister,' he said.

Adam put down his glass. ‘You've
what
?'

‘Kirsty. I'd no idea you were connected – how could I have? Different surnames and so on, but—'

‘When you say
seeing
her …?'

‘We've been out a couple of times, that's all.'

‘She lives locally, then?'

‘Yes, just minutes away. Up one of the roads at the far end of the park.'

Just minutes away
. Adam had a long drink, his thoughts whirling. ‘Well,' he said steadily, ‘as far as I'm aware, it's not a capital offence.'

‘It's embarrassing, nonetheless, considering the two of you aren't exactly on the best of terms.'

‘She told you that?'

‘She hinted at it, but you told me in Toronto that your branch of the family are estranged from the English side. I don't remember any mention of a sister, though.'

‘What's she like?' Adam asked curiously. ‘I've not seen her for fifteen years.'

Nick hesitated. ‘Attractive, clever,
complicated
.'

‘Complicated?'

‘Charming one minute, prickly the next.'

‘Ah! Perhaps we've something in common, after all!'

Nick smiled briefly. ‘I'm not sure I'll be seeing her again.'

‘Don't stop on my account. I'll be seeing her myself soon.'

‘So you
are
going to make contact?'

‘Of course. It's not a daggers-drawn vendetta, you know.'

‘Actually, Adam, I
don't
know. Neither of you has been forthcoming on that point.' He smiled crookedly. ‘I did suggest you might be hoping for a reconciliation, but she seemed to think that unlikely.'

Adam raised an eyebrow. ‘What else did she say?'

‘That you were intending to research the family.'

‘Did she happen to explain why the Atlantic Ocean lies between us?'

‘Your parents died when you were young. You were adopted by different sides of the family, and yours emigrated to Canada.'

‘That's all?'

Nick frowned. ‘Yes. Why, is there more?'

‘Oh, a whole heap more, but it'll keep.' He paused. ‘You like her, though? Kirsty? Even though she can be prickly?'

‘Yes, I like her, but I've not been in touch since I learned you're her brother. Not only for that reason,' he added as Adam started to protest. ‘I've been in Scotland for the last month or so, first with my parents, then walking in the Highlands with an old school pal.'

‘Nonetheless, it's something else she can blame me for,' Adam said resignedly.

‘I doubt if she cares.'

‘Like me to find out?'

‘No, I should not!'

Adam held up a palm. ‘OK, OK, I only asked! Anyway, enough navel-gazing. Tell me more about the rules and regs of Westbourne College.'

And as their plates were set before them, Nick thankfully complied.

Adam waited a couple of days before phoning the Marriotts, setting himself out to be charming – the best way, he reckoned, to get the information he required.

‘Oh, Adam.' It was Janice who answered, her voice slightly strained. ‘We were wondering when we'd hear from you. When did you arrive?'

‘Wednesday afternoon. I've been acclimatizing myself with the town, which, of course, I don't remember at all.'

‘Did you enjoy your trip to Europe?' She was walking on eggshells, Adam thought.

‘Very much, thanks. Ridiculous to have reached this age without ever setting foot there, but I made up for lost time.'

‘I'm sure you did.' A pause. ‘And when are we going to see you?'

He took a deep breath. ‘Well, I was wondering if you and your husband would have dinner with me? I hear there are some good restaurants in Westbourne.'

‘That's kind, but it would be much better if you came to us. For one thing, my mother is very anxious to see you, and of course Kirsty will be here.'

Bingo! ‘I don't want to put you to any trouble.'

‘It will be a pleasure. How about this weekend? Sunday lunch?'

The traditional family get-together, he thought sourly. ‘Thank you, I'd enjoy that.'

‘Shall I get Roy to email you directions?'

‘Don't worry – the car has sat nav and I know your post code. I'll find you all right.'

‘Till Sunday, then.'

‘Till Sunday,' he repeated.
Fait accompli
. It would be interesting to see what developed.

He had dressed with care for the occasion, opting for a cream shirt, cream linen jacket and light blue trousers and tie. The pale colours accentuated his dark hair and the tan acquired on his travels, and he hoped they'd give a good first impression.

As he drew up at the gate he saw that two other cars were already parked there. Belonging to neighbours, or members of his family? The gathering of the clans, he thought, and most probably all arrayed against him.

Janice opened the front door as he reached it and for a moment hesitated, as though unsure how to greet him. He stepped forward quickly to kiss her cheek and she gave him a nervous smile.

‘Adam – how good to see you after all this time! Do come in.'

And he was suddenly in the midst of them – Grandma Louise, as thin and chic as he remembered, though there was more silver than blonde in her hair; Roy, blustering in his initial embarrassment, and Kirsty: Kirsty, who was the biggest surprise of all, though Nick's description should have prepared him. His own height, she had stood back as the others hurried to greet him, her grey eyes guarded, but as he moved forward to kiss her, the spicy tang of her scent tickling his nostrils, he admitted to himself with grim irony that she was exactly the kind of girl who most appealed to him.

‘God, you're like Mark!' Roy exclaimed involuntarily, then flushed. No doubt he'd been primed not to mention his parents. Louise, however, smoothed over the gaffe.

‘Roy, get this young man a drink while I quiz him about Florence.' Her ice-blue eyes met Adam's. ‘You did get to Florence, I trust? It was where your grandfather and I spent our honeymoon.'

‘Certainly, it was on my list of places not to be missed.'

The initial awkwardness overcome, everyone relaxed, though Adam noted that Kirsty remained at the far side of the room. Complicated, Nick had called her; he could believe that.

Talk settled into an easy rhythm – questions on the European holiday, enquiries after the family in Canada and a reprise of the successful Olympic Games. More immediately, he learned of Kirsty's home-made cake company, that Roy had had a hip replacement, and – to his considerable surprise – that there'd been a series of attacks in the area, one of which took place in Lacy Park just opposite the college. It seemed that Westbourne wasn't the placid and elegant place he'd supposed. At one point he intercepted a ‘so far, so good' look passing between Janice and Roy, and smiled to himself. They needn't think they'd escape so easily.

Lunch was roast chicken with all the trimmings followed by apple pie and cream, and it was as they were sitting over coffee that Adam said casually, ‘By the way, I'd be grateful if you could give me Graham Yates's address; there are some points I think he could help me with.'

There was instant silence while everyone avoided each other's eyes. ‘He's my godfather,' Adam added blandly. ‘He sent cheques on my birthday till I was eighteen, but I've since lost his address and forgot to ask Lynne before I left.'

Roy cleared his throat. ‘Yes, of course. I'm sure we must have it somewhere. I'll find it for you.'

‘You're not in touch with him, then?'

‘No; he was your father's friend rather than ours.'

‘Which, of course, is why I want to see him.'

Louise laid down her coffee cup with a little click. ‘Adam, I know you must have a lot of questions, but I do hope you're not going ahead with this foolish idea of looking into your parents' deaths.'

Here we go. ‘Sorry, Grandma, but I'm afraid I am. It seems no one else has.'

Janice said on a high note, ‘That's not fair! The police did all they could, and opening it all up again would be … quite unbearable.'

Out of the corner of his eye, Adam saw Kirsty lay a quick hand over her aunt's. Closing ranks, he thought.

‘There's no need for any of you to get involved,' he said quietly, ‘though of course I was hoping for a little cooperation.'

‘Nothing you do will bring them back,' Janice said unsteadily. ‘If you want to research the family history, by all means go ahead. You might find something interesting. But please, please let your parents rest in peace.'

Despite himself, Adam felt his anger rising. ‘You really think they can, when their killers are still at large?'

‘They probably died long since,' Roy said.

Louise leaned across the table. ‘Adam, you and Kirsty were too young to be much affected by the trauma. I have always thanked God for that. But for the rest of us life was a living hell from which it took a long time to emerge. Please don't plunge us back into it.'

There was another silence, measured in heartbeats. Then Adam said evenly, ‘Very well. I shan't abuse your hospitality by mentioning it again, but for my own part, I must be free to proceed as I think fit.' He looked at Kirsty, who was watching him intently. ‘As must Kirsty,' he added.

Everyone instinctively turned to her, but she simply looked down, shaking her head. Not much help there, seemingly.

Somehow the conversation teetered back to normal, but Adam felt he'd outstayed his welcome. Soon afterwards he made his excuses and, having issued an invitation for everyone to join him soon for a meal in Westbourne, he took his leave, imagining the collective sigh of relief as the front door closed behind him.

That evening, having obtained her mobile number from Nick, Adam phoned Kirsty, hearing her intake of breath as he identified himself.

‘Have I been blacklisted?' he asked with grim humour.

‘Of course not.'

‘I meant what I said, you know.'

‘I don't doubt it.'

‘I have to know, Kirsty. Are you with me in this, or not?'

She hesitated. ‘It's different for me, Adam; in a sense I've been closer to it than you have. I can't just … turn against them.'

‘God forbid! That's the last thing I'd ask you to do!'

‘But going along with you and your enquiries … I don't know …'

‘We didn't get much chance to talk, did we? I rather think you saw to that. I know we didn't like each other as kids, but can't we move on, especially in view of what we've just learnt? We can't just ignore this … elephant in the room. At the very least we need to talk it through and see where we both stand.' He paused. ‘Do you know where Graham Yates lives?'

‘I'm afraid not. I don't think I've ever met him.'

‘I've probably burned my bridges as far as Roy's concerned.'

‘No,' she contradicted, ‘if he said he'd get it for you, he will.'

‘In the meantime, will you meet me for a drink? No one need ever know,' he added sardonically.

That stung her. ‘You might not think it, Adam, but I am my own person and I make my own decisions.'

‘Sorry,' he said meekly. ‘So … will you?'

A brief hesitation, then, ‘All right.'

‘I'm not well up in local rendezvous; can you suggest somewhere?'

‘There's the Orange Grove, about ten minutes out of town on the Bellington road.'

‘I'll find it. Tomorrow, about seven thirty?'

‘I'll be there,' she said, and rang off.

Adam drew a deep breath. The game, he thought whimsically, is afoot.

I
t was a cloudy, humid evening as Adam drove out on the Bellington road. It was not a route he knew – but then, as he reminded himself, he didn't know any of the neighbourhoods surrounding Westbourne. He'd have to acquaint himself with them, though, because high on his list of priorities was a drive out to the house where he was born and the district that'd been familiar to his parents – though on reflection it would probably have changed beyond recognition in the intervening years. Come to that, his old home might not even still exist. The possibility of its demolition disturbed him, as though some vital piece of the jigsaw might be missing.

Meantime, the meeting ahead of him was, he knew, crucially important. The success of his investigations might be determined by whether or not he and Kirsty could establish some sort of alliance, and he'd spent the day veering between being impatient to meet her and half-dreading the prospect. Would they even like each other? They hadn't in the past. Would she continue to resist him? If so, how could he win her round?