Page 44 of Someone in the Water
Lola
Lola fixes a new sparkly stud into her helix and tries to ignore the pounding in her chest. God, she hopes tonight is going to work.
It’s either a genius idea, or the stupidest thing she’s ever thought of.
She pulls on her favourite Urban Outfitters camo pants and a black sleeveless crop top, then pulls her bedroom door closed behind her and walks with purpose towards the hotel bar. Too quickly to back out.
She came up with the idea after she was introduced to Harriet, another one of her mum’s old work colleagues, who has shown up after hearing Mum was in town.
Because the more she considers it, the more Lola thinks that her mum was right in the first place; there was someone else in the water that night.
And with so many of the suspects now at the hotel, it was too good an opportunity to miss.
She would organise a dinner together. The perfect opportunity to grill them all – in front of her mum.
Raphael is her number-one suspect – the argument, his mafia and police links, him showing up in the water, it all makes sense. But Jack is a close second – grief can make people do crazy things.
And she’s not ruling the others out either – Dom didn’t like Izzy, and he was swimming too.
And if Anna was arguing with Raphael because she suspected an affair – Lola knows it’s just a guess, but why else do married couples argue about attractive single women?
– then Anna might have killed her. And there’s also Raphael’s dad, Salvo.
Patrick said he had a fishing boat, and his own brother was a gangster.
She doesn’t know that he even knew Izzy, but that’s why she needs this dinner. To uncover more info.
She invited Jack first. She thought he might refuse – he and her mum don’t exactly get on – but he just shrugged and said, ‘Sure, why not.’ Dom predictably jumped at the offer, and Harriet seemed to invite herself before Lola could get the words out.
Lola then asked Patrick to invite his parents on her behalf, using Harriet showing up as an excuse. And he messaged her an hour ago to say they would be there.
It’s like an episode of Death in Paradise , and she’s proud of herself for setting it up.
Although her strategy might be a little more basic than those tropical detectives.
She’s just going to ask questions about the night Izzy died and watch everyone’s faces for clues.
Twenty-one years is a long time to carry around that kind of guilt, and she’s hoping it will reveal itself if she prods hard enough.
She pauses to take a breath, fixes on a smile, and walks into the bar.
The first person she sees is Patrick serving drinks. He winks at her, and her stomach lurches. The second person is her mum, but she looks decidedly less happy.
‘Are you sure about this?’ she says quietly when Lola sidles up next to her. ‘I’d prefer it to just be the two of us having dinner tonight.’
Lola rouses her best smile. ‘I thought it would help you move on. A reminder that everyone else has got on with their life, so you can too.’
‘Hey, Lola. Frankie.’
Lola turns at the sound of Dom’s voice. ‘Thanks for coming, guys. Mum’s really pleased you could make it.’
Harriet smiles, but it’s nothing compared to Dom’s beam.
Lola guessed last night that Dom still has a thing about her mum, and it’s even more obvious now.
It’s a long time to hold on to those feelings – especially as it doesn’t seem like her mum returns them – so he must have fallen for her hard that summer. But is that relevant to Izzy’s death?
‘The table is ready,’ Raphael calls out from the bar entrance. ‘Shall we go?’
‘No need to be so rude,’ Anna tuts, but she turns towards the restaurant, beating him to the door.
There doesn’t seem to be much love lost between them – which might be a sign that something happened between Raphael and Izzy all those years ago – but why didn’t Anna leave him?
Was it about marriage values? Patrick? Or because Anna got her revenge in a different way?
Lola frowns as she follows the others. Maybe this is going to be harder than she thought.