The Retreat(87)

She stormed from the room, leaving me alone with the cops. My brain was whirring. There were still so many questions – but answers were beginning to form, like silhouettes in the mist.

‘We will get to the truth,’ DC Hawkins said, picking up her jacket.

I was lost in thought, her voice coming to me as if from a great distance. When I looked up, they were gone.





Chapter 43

I knocked on Julia’s bedroom door. ‘It’s me,’ I said.

After a long pause she told me to come in. It was the first time I’d been in here. She was sitting on the double bed, her eyes pink from the tears she’d cried; pink from exhaustion too. I sat beside her and put my arms out. She allowed me to hold her against my chest and I looked around the room. It was full of pictures of Lily – on the walls, on the dresser, frames on every surface. There were photos of Julia with Michael too. On their wedding day. With Lily when she was a toddler. A photo of Michael holding the newborn Lily took pride of place on the dressing table.

I wanted to be able to help her break free of the past, to move on. I knew that if Lily was dead, Julia would never get over that. How could she? But she could still have a life. A good life. Last night, in the woods, she had threatened suicide if she discovered Lily was dead. I was going to do everything in my power to show her that wasn’t the right decision.

But first, we had to get to the truth.

‘Are you okay to talk?’ I asked.

She extricated herself from my grasp, found a tissue and blew her nose. ‘Go ahead.’

‘Okay. So. There are two things. Last night, at the chapel, we heard a shout, scuffling, like Heledd was fighting with someone. Unless she’s completely mad and was fighting with herself, there was someone else there.’

‘She said it was the Widow.’

‘Yes. Except we don’t believe in centuries-old witches, do we?’

Belief. That’s what this whole screwed-up situation came down to. The power of stories, of superstition and fear.

‘So who was it?’ I went on.

Julia shook her head.

‘Let’s look at the second question,’ I said. ‘Ursula and her map. I believe in spirit guides about as much as I believe in witches. I still think Ursula found Little Cat in that hut and took it to the chapel, with the ultimate plan of getting you to pay her to talk to Lily. Heledd seemed genuine when she said she didn’t know Ursula, so I don’t think they were working together. There’s something else going on here.’

‘Like what?’

I got up and crossed to the window, looking out towards the woods. The sky was colourless, the world bleak and grey. Below me, Chesney the cat slunk across the lawn.

‘Let’s think it through. Heledd came to the chapel to destroy Malcolm’s journal because there’s something in there she didn’t want anyone to see. She was probably planning to move Zara’s body too. My guess is that she got a shock when she discovered us there, which is why she pushed you down the stairs and wedged the door shut. She panicked, was trying to work out what to do. Set the chapel on fire, maybe? But then someone came along and caused her to freak out.’

‘Ursula?’

I shook my head. ‘Surely not. Ursula’s too old. Heledd could overpower her easily. And how would Ursula make Heledd think she was the Widow?’

Julia got up and headed to the door.

‘What are you doing?’

‘Ursula’s in the cottage. I’m going to talk to her.’



We entered the cottage. Ursula was at the desk in the Bertrand Russell Room, staring into space, her laptop open but untouched before her. It seemed so long ago since I’d first come here and found Karen writing. Back before the mayhem began.

Ursula jumped up as soon as we entered. ‘Have the police gone? What happened? What did you find in the woods?’

‘Come off it, Ursula,’ Julia said. ‘We know you planted Lily’s toy cat there.’

She gave us a blank look. It was convincing, I’d give her that. ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about. Was that what you found? Lily’s toy? Oh, Julia, I’m so sorry. I hoped Phoebe was wrong . . .’

Julia erupted, sweeping Ursula’s laptop off the table. It crashed to the floor.

Ursula’s mouth opened, a look of absolute shock. ‘Julia, what—’

‘Stop lying!’ Julia shouted. ‘You found that cat and took it there. Lucas saw you, out in the woods.’

Ursula’s attention snapped towards me. ‘What? He’s mistaken.’

‘It was two days after you arrived here,’ I said. ‘I know it was you. You were wearing that red coat.’

Ursula stared at me, then at Julia. ‘Don’t you remember, Julia? The day after I got here, I told you I’d mislaid my coat. I wore it that morning, took it off when I came inside and couldn’t find it later. We searched the house for it – and I still haven’t found it.’

‘Oh, stop it,’ I said. ‘You’re just making it—’

‘She’s right.’

I stopped talking.

Julia repeated it. ‘She’s right. I remember now. We looked for it for ages.’

‘You’re saying someone took it? That they wore it into the woods? Who? Why?’