Page 73 of The Mother-in-Law

‘Ollie? Is that you?’

I hear keys drop into the bowl and then he appears in the living room. He flops onto the sofa, rests his head back onto the cushion and closes his eyes.

‘What happened?’ I ask.

He keeps his eyes closed. ‘They questioned me.’

‘About what?’

‘Everything.’

‘Ollie—’

He opens his eyes. ‘Honestly, they questioned me abouteverything. What I was doing the day Mum died, my relationship with her. They asked about my relationship with Nettie, my relationship with you. My business—’

I frown. ‘Yourbusiness? Why do they care about that?’

He opens his eyes. ‘Well, clearly they know things aren’t going so well. They had all our profit and loss statements. Debt is a pretty big motivation to kill someone.’

‘But you didn’t profit from her death!’

‘But I didn’tknowI wouldn’t profit . . . this is something Jones kindly pointed out.’

‘She was going to tell you.’

He looks over at me. ‘What?’

‘I mean . . . she must have been. Surely Diana would tell you something like that.’

Ollie shrugs. ‘I honestly have no idea.’ A frown touches his forehead. ‘I saw Eamon while I was there. He was being questioned too.’

‘About your mother’s death?’

‘I guess so. Who bloody knows?’ Ollie sinks back against the couch, defeated.

‘Lucy, can I ask you something?’

‘Yes.’

‘Do you think I killed Mum?’

I look at him, every part of him so achingly familiar—the angles of his face, his devoted brown eyes, the curve of his chest. ‘No. But I do think you are lying about something. And I want you to tell me what it is.’

45

LUCY

The past . . .

I‘ve never been one to believe in fate, or ‘having a feeling’, but as I drive along Beach Road I have a sudden urge to call in on Diana. In fact, I make the decision so quickly I nearly take out a cyclist on the inside lane and end up waving profusely as he shakes his fist at me.

‘Sorry,’ I mouth, and he gives me the finger.

I turn into Diana’s driveway. She won’t like me turning up unannounced like this, but ever since Tom’s funeral I can’t seem to stop thinking about her. She must be lonely in this big house, all by herself. I asked Ollie to call her a couple of times and he did. ‘She sounded all right,’ he reported each time. ‘A bit flat maybe, but that’s to be expected.’

And it was to be expected. That didn’t mean she couldn’t use a friend. If that’s even what I am.

I press the doorbell. When there’s no movement inside I try the door and find it open. ‘Hello?’ I call out. ‘Diana? It’s Lucy.’