Page 28 of No Safe Place

Thursday | Morning

Lily

Lily wanted to stay in bed, hiding from the hangover and her nausea under Scott’s Egyptian cotton sheets.

The argument played on a loop inside her head, Cal telling her to move out.

She had nowhere else to go – it was Scott’s or nowhere – but the thought of actually moving into this flat, being with him every day, made her feel profoundly lonely.

Scott had made her promise they’d do something nice with his day off, so she dragged herself into the shower.

Lily pressed her aching forehead against the tiled wall and let the water run down her back. The sickness was worse than yesterday – no surprise given how much she’d drunk last night.

It was a while before she realised the faint banging noise wasn’t in her own head.

She turned the water off.

‘Babe?’ Scott called, voice strained. ‘The police are here to see you.’

Lily stepped out of the shower, pulling a towel round her. The drop in temperature made her head swim, and she had to sit on the toilet.

Something has happened to Callum.

She struggled to untangle the twisted legs of her tracksuit bottoms and grabbed Scott’s jumper from the laundry hamper, so she could get away without a bra.

Scott’s hallway was bright white, immaculate. A dish for his keys on the radiator cover, a special cupboard for his trainers. The detective was slipping her shoes off.

‘DS Wilson,’ she said, smartly, holding up a police ID in a wallet. She was probably around Lily’s age, with big, dark eyes and her hair back in a ponytail.

Lily pretended to peer at it, then Scott waved them into the living room.

‘How can we help?’ he said, taking the seat next to Lily on the sofa.

‘What’s happened?’ Lily asked, her voice a croak. She crossed her arms over her chest.

Wilson hesitated.

Callum.

Had her worst fear finally come to life? The intrusive images of finding Callum dead, or having hurt himself, were so frequent they were routine. And yet, a police detective knocks on the door the night after she and Cal have a big argument—

Her heart was in her throat as the detective began to speak.

‘Last night there was an incident on Conway Road – outside the house you share with Callum Mulligan.’

Outside? A bubble of hope – that this couldn’t be about Cal.

‘Lily, do you know Samantha Hughes? She’s a—’ The detective hesitated. ‘She’s a friend of Callum’s.’

It took a moment to register what DS Wilson had said, because it was so unexpected. Her hangover throbbed behind her temples.

‘Yeah, I know Sam,’ Lily said slowly. ‘Why?’

Scott’s head was on a swivel, looking between them.

‘I’m afraid that last night Samantha was attacked outside your house.’

‘What?’ Lily jerked upwards in surprise and her headache worsened.

For something to do, she gulped from a cold cup of tea Scott had made her earlier, and winced at the taste. He never remembered she didn’t take sugar.

‘Samantha was stabbed,’ Wilson said. She was examining Lily now, scrutinising her. ‘Unfortunately, she passed away at the scene.’

‘Shit.’ The mug slipped in her hand, cold tea slopping over the side. Scott let out a gasp, but Lily managed to catch it, and only spilt it on herself.

‘Sorry. Sorry,’ Lily said, weakly. She put the mug down and turned back to Wilson. ‘She was outside our house?’

‘Unfortunately yes. It was Callum who found her.’

‘Oh God.’ The fear was back and Lily rose from the sofa. ‘Is he okay? Is Cal all right?’

Wilson hesitated and every muscle in Lily’s body braced for bad news, the worst news.

‘Callum wasn’t injured,’ Wilson said finally. ‘But after the ordeal it was necessary to take him to a secure unit for his own—’

‘You sectioned him?’ Lily cut across her.

It had been over ten years since Callum was last in hospital. Only a short stay, a relapse – after the news about Paige. The accident.

‘I need to see him,’ Lily said, getting to her feet. Her stomach twisted painfully but her head had stopped pounding.

She looked about for her phone, her keys. It probably wasn’t safe for her to drive. She felt like shit. Scott would take her.

‘Please, Lily. Sit down,’ Wilson said.

Scott put a hand on her arm and pulled her back down.

‘I understand that you want to see Callum, but you should also know—’ The detective took a breath and Lily braced herself. ‘In the early hours of Wednesday morning, there was another attack in the area. Dr David Moore—’

‘Is David dead?’ Lily breathed.

‘No, Lily. He’s in hospital. I understand he’s Callum’s therapist, and I do have some questions about that, but first—’

‘I need to see Callum,’ she said again.

Why wasn’t this woman listening to her?

Scott was on his feet, moving purposefully towards the door.

Sam. David. Callum.

Her head was swimming.

‘Lily, before you go, I need to ask.’ Wilson’s voice was urgent. ‘Where were you, early this morning? Who were you with?’