The Things You Didn't See(97)

Holly found that she was unsurprised by this. ‘Your dad seems . . . sad.’

‘He’s grieving for Mum. But look at how fortunate he is, living in a barn conversion with his family all around him. And look how close he still is with Ash. What more could he ask for?’

Despite herself, Holly shivered. ‘I think Hector probably believes that Ash deserves more.’

Cass narrowed her eyes. ‘He can only blame himself for what Ash got. If he felt so strongly about it, he should have acknowledged him, while Mum was alive.’

‘Cass, that’s so . . . ?’ Holly searched for the right word.

‘Cruel? What’s cruel is Dad having a child with Janet, and betraying my mum. I’ve treated Ash fairly, but he’s not my brother.’

‘But he is,’ Holly said simply. It had been obvious to her from the start, and now it was clear that this was an unspoken fact that everyone knew. ‘You just don’t want to give up your inheritance.’

Cassandra finished the tour herself, showing Holly the grounds where a spa bath was situated and a steam capsule amid the herb garden. ‘All of our treatments are organic,’ she told Holly. ‘As well as the cancer treatments, we specialise in sleep disorders. We got quite a lot of publicity after the court case, and that always helps with bookings.’

She was shown the rooms, where reiki and Bach flower treatments took place. This spa was meant to heal but Cassandra’s own healing came from a darker source, Holly was certain. She was thriving because Maya was dead.

Finally, they were done and there was nothing more to see.

Cassandra opened her arms for a final farewell. ‘Congratulations again!’ she cried, as Holly stepped into the woman’s embrace. She felt it then, like a jolt of electricity: she saw, in her mind’s eye, Daniel firing a rifle.

Holly pulled away and the question came from her mouth before she could censor it. ‘Why are you protecting him, Cass? He shot your mother.’

There was no one around, no one to hear.

The subject was her own mother’s death, but Cassandra answered coolly, ‘Mum had me locked up. She paid for my daughter to be kept away from me and she was about to expose Daniel as a fraud. She was going to destroy everything.’

Holly, her hands still on Cassandra’s forearms, saw it all. The struggle for the gun, Daniel pulling the trigger, Maya falling.

‘He murdered your mother.’

‘The case is closed, Holly. I was found not guilty because I was asleep. It’s been proven, thanks to you, beyond reasonable doubt.’

‘But all those suspicions you had. How can you trust him?’

‘Because I know his secret, and I took the blame.’

‘I’m going to the police,’ Holly said, backing away. ‘The case will be reopened.’

‘No, it won’t, Holly, not unless I appeal. Which I won’t. The case is solved, and nobody wants it reopened. Look at the life we have now. Look at how happy we all are.’





EPILOGUE

Holly

‘Are you okay in there? Remember, Holly, try not to move your head or swallow too much. Press the panic button if you need to.’

Holly knew she wasn’t a good patient, but Clive’s voice helped her relax as she was slid into the MRI machine. His tweedy tones of orange and grey comfort swaddled her, making her feel safe even as the gurney mechanically repositioned her within the scanner. She wouldn’t have done this if Leif hadn’t come with her – he was waiting in the hospital café. He’d convinced her it was better to know as much as possible about her synaesthesia, that she was helping the researchers as well as herself.

Holly stiffened as the machine began its whirrs and clicks. Inside the white plastic oesophagus, she listened to the bangs and ticks of the machine. She’d known for most of her life that she was different from other people, but now she knew she needed to embrace it. Leif had helped, and he was waiting for her now.

Returning to Innocence Lane had been the true tipping point. If she’d only trusted her senses all along, it would have ended differently. She’d mistrusted Hector’s confession from the start, had sensed that something was amiss, and she’d been focusing on Daniel. If only she hadn’t felt so guilty about the past, so keen to make amends to Cass, then he’d be behind bars.

‘Okay, Holly, you’re going to be shown a series of images. Just look at the picture and we’ll see which part of your brain lights up. Okay?’

Memories came to her, like scenes from a film, of children in dark woods and the screams of a ghost. All of the moments that had triggered her synaesthesia. She’d be stronger, she would no longer hide her trait: synaesthesia was a gift to a paramedic, it helped her make sense of things.

From now on, she wouldn’t fight her gift. She wouldn’t make the same error twice.

‘The test is over, Holly. You can relax now.’