Page 75 of Meet Me at Sunset

‘A couple of years ago now, I went through Stuart’s medical records,’ Isobel admitted, looking ashamed. ‘I found Lucas’s file. It was stupid, and I never should have done it, but at the time I felt so powerless and I … I was curious, really, but I found something I hadn’t been expecting.’

‘About the transfusion?’ Camille asked, as Isobel nodded.

‘All of the notes from the accident were there. They outlined that Lucas’s blood group was rare, and that an M. Martin had been found who was able to donate. It didn’t take a maths genius to add two and two together …’

‘And then I had everything I needed,’ Paulo said gleefully.

Camille regarded him for a long moment, narrowing her eyes. ‘Why do you hate me and my family so much? We’ve been nothing but welcoming to you. We took you on family holidays, Lucas gave you a role in his business …’

‘Can’t you hear how patronizing you sound, Camille? That’s all you’ve done for years – treated me like the poor kid, made me feel I should be grateful for the crumbs from your table. You made it clear from the start that I was never good enough to be friends with your precious son. And you wanted to control everything – Lucas, the restaurant … Why should I bow down to you and do everything you tell me? Because you have more money than me? I worked my ass off trying to keep up and then I thought, why the hell should I? You owe me, Camille. And you can afford it. I’ve been keeping your secrets all these years – that Lucas was the one driving, that he killed Andre – and you never appreciated it. Not to mention saving your son’s life by calling the ambulance after the crash.

‘So now it’s time for me to get what I’m due. It’s your choice, Camille – pay me the money and you’ll never see me again. If not, there are a dozen journalists out there who’d be very interested in the conversation we’ve just had.’

‘Wait!’ Lucas said sharply. ‘There is something else that I remember, just before the crash.’ He rounded on Paulo. ‘You pushed us off the road.’

Paulo’s eyes flashed with anger, ‘Liar!’

‘It’s not a lie, I remember very well now, you pushed us off the road and then you left us there to die.’

‘You deserved it!’ Paulo seethed. ‘You and that precious father of yours thought that you were better than everyone else, you were a spoilt little rich boy then and you are a spoilt little rich boy now. I’m not sorry I drove you off the road, I’m just sorry you pulled through.’

The two men squared up to each other, but before their fists could meet, there was a sharp bang on the door, and everyone turned as it flew open and half a dozen police officers surged in.

‘Paulo Torres,’ one of them said, as they spotted him. ‘We’ve had our eye on you for some time now. Dealing, fraud, embezzlement … I reckon we’ve got enough to put you away for a very long time.’

Two of the policemen grabbed his arms to restrain him, pinning them behind his back as they handcuffed him. Paulo kicked and yelled as he was dragged from the room, and Camille had the distant thought that she hoped no VIPs or journalists would witness the commotion.

Lucas looked broken as he sank down onto a chair, and Stephanie put her arms around him. Camille glanced across at Nicolas. She longed to do the same – to fall into his embrace and be comforted by him, to have him fix everything as he always did. But she feared that, this time, the situation might be broken beyond repair.

Camille’s shoulders sagged and she felt utterly drained. She wanted to go back to her room and sleep for a week, hoping that when she woke up again, today would all have been some terrible dream. But as she turned to look for Nicolas, a female police officer approached her.

‘Señora Fontaine? I’m afraid we’re going to need to ask you some questions.’

Camille nodded wearily. ‘Yes, I understand. I’ll make a full statement.’

Chapter 34

Yorkshire, July 2001

In the back of the chauffeur-driven Range Rover, Lucas turned to Stephanie and smiled, reaching across to take her hand. They had just left the cosy little cottage which the production company had rented for Stephanie, and now they were being driven across the North York Moors to the set where she would resume filming Fields of Barley.

Lucas stifled a yawn. It was shortly after five a.m. and the sun had just risen, bright golden light spilling over the landscape. It was going to be a perfect day. Despite the early start, Lucas was mesmerized by the view – miles of desolate, craggy moorland stretching as far as the eye could see, with gently rolling hills and freshly shorn sheep cropping at the long grass.

Lucas’s eyes fell on Stephanie beside him. She looked youthful and fresh, with no make-up, and her long copper hair hanging loose, but Lucas could tell that she was nervous.

After Catherine had given her the time and space she needed in Mallorca, Stephanie’s confidence had gradually been rebuilt, her ambition reignited. She had finally called her agent, and Victoria had managed to smooth things over with the director, who was only too happy to have her back and resume their schedule.

Lucas liked to think that he, too, had played a role in Stephanie’s renewed self-assurance. If recent events had taught him anything, it was that life was too short, and you had to seize every opportunity that came your way.

Both he and Stephanie had been through so much in the past couple of months. The revelations about Paulo had been shocking. He’d been Lucas’s friend for so many years, and though Lucas had sensed in recent months that something was amiss, he could never have imagined the truth. He’d been devastated to realize how much Paulo hated him, the jealousy and resentment he’d been secretly harbouring over the years that had finally reached boiling point. But to have been blackmailing Camille, terrifying her with notes and threats when she’d welcomed him into the heart of the family … It was almost beyond Lucas’s comprehension.

The Spanish police had arrested Paulo after the show. It turned out that they had been watching him for months, trying to gather enough evidence to compile a case against him. He had developed a lucrative sideline as one of the biggest drug dealers on their island, using the boats from his parents’ hire company to receive drop-offs, which were then distributed amongst his network in Palma. As well as local contacts, their targets were the groups of young tourists who came to the island looking to party. It explained why Paulo had been spending so much time in the capital, as well as where his recent influx of cash had come from, which he’d been spending liberally on designer labels and renting flash cars.

In recent months, Paulo had overextended himself, finding himself in debt to some extremely shady characters, who didn’t like to wait for their money. It was then that he’d started siphoning funds from Il Paradiso, embezzling the restaurant’s income and hiding debt letters from Lucas. Paulo’s trial date was approaching and, unless his lawyer could work miracles, he was looking at a considerable stint behind bars.

The blackmail matter was more complicated. Whilst Camille had initially wanted to press charges, she knew that the truth about the accident would be revealed. It seemed that the police had put the accident down to poor driving in icy conditions and drink and drugs found in Andre’s system. There were no suspicious circumstances as far as they were concerned, and no one had ever made the connection between Lucas’s injuries and his position in the driving seat.

The knowledge that Lucas had been at the wheel during the accident that had killed Andre still tormented him. His judgement was undoubtedly impaired, but Andre should never have let his son drive in the first place.