Page 37

NOW

August 2023

Lily

Casa Rosa, Ronda, Spain

Lily reached over to grab her phone and hit the snooze button on the alarm. She’d forgotten to turn it off from her regular seven o’clock wake-up time. Her tongue felt like it was coated with sandpaper, and her head throbbed. How much had she and Zach put away the previous night? After their walk, they’d visited what felt like every bar in Ronda.

She jumped up, pulling on a T-shirt and jeans over her underwear, which she’d slept in the night before. Lily found Zach guzzling water from the tap in the kitchen. She appeared to be not the only one suffering.

‘Shove over,’ she said, nudging him. Then she filled a glass of water for herself and gulped it back in one satisfying go.

‘How’re you feeling?’ Zach asked, scratching his head.

‘I’m regretting my life choices,’ Lily said, collapsing into one of the chairs in the living room. ‘I mean, what was I thinking, saying yes to limoncello shots in that last bar?’

‘It’s the negroni I regret,’ Zach said, shaking his head sorrowfully. ‘I’ll make some coffee. Senora Alvarez always leaves the best ground roast for her guests. And treats too, with any luck.’ He opened a ceramic bread bin and whooped when he discovered a bag of pastries.

He began preparing their coffee in a stovetop moka pot. The rich, fragrant aroma of the coffee beans filled the air and with one espresso and a sweet, flaky almond pastry behind her, Lily began to feel more human.

‘Better?’ Zach asked, licking his fingertips.

‘I’ll live. But it’s a good job I’m only here for one night. My head and liver couldn’t survive another night like that!’

A big grin spread across Zach’s face. ‘It was fun, though, wasn’t it? You, little sis, are good company.’ He caught her eye and looked away as he finished. ‘It feels like I’ve known you my entire life.’

Lily understood what he was saying. She felt an ease with Zach that she rarely found with strangers.

‘When we get confirmation . . . that we are brother and sister . . . we can catch up on all those lost occasions,’ Zach said.

A shiver of unease ran down Lily’s spine – not because she didn’t want that, but because she was becoming increasingly worried about what might happen when the results came back. Zach appeared to have a simplistic view of their future, and assumed they could all become one big happy family.

‘Zach . , ,’ she started, then stopped, finding it difficult to break their happy mood.

‘Go on. You can say anything to me,’ Zach replied, a line creasing his forehead.

‘I believe that our DNA test will come back positive. It will be an incredible moment for my family. I can’t even begin to imagine how Dad and Mum will feel. But have you thought about what will happen to your family?’

His frown deepened, and Lily took no pleasure in upsetting him, but the truth had to be said.

‘Zach, your mother stole you. And put my family through decades of horrific loss. I’m not sure that those damages can ever be repaired . . .’ She paused as Zach’s eyes glistened.

‘My mother would never hurt anyone,’ Zach said, but his voice was uncertain. ‘She’s a good person. The best person I know.’

Lily picked up her iPad from the table. She opened YouTube and found a video that she wanted Zach to look at. She’d watched it hundreds of times over the years.

The screen filled with a close-up of Jason sitting beside Inspector Ortega, at their press conference in July 1983. Lily turned the sound up so Zach could hear the pain and anguish in Jason’s voice as he begged for information on their missing son.

‘Do you see?’ Lily asked. ‘Your mother will have to pay for what she did to my family. If she took you, there has to be accountability.’

‘Mom might be arrested,’ Zach said, his voice little more than a whisper.

‘I suspect so.’

‘She’d never survive prison.’ Zach hit the table with his fist, anger sparking from his eyes.

Lily closed her eyes in frustration at his reaction. ‘One could argue that my parents have been in their own prison for forty years. You’d be surprised what a body can survive.’

He pushed his seat back, and the sound of the chair scraping on the terracotta floor pierced the air.

‘What a bloody mess,’ Zach said.

‘I know. But it’s not our mess, Zach. You can’t take responsibility for your mother’s actions. You didn’t ask for any of this.’

‘I need to get out of here,’ Zach said, standing up abruptly. ‘I’m going for a walk, okay?’

Lily understood. He had a lot on his mind, and the fresh air would do him good. She hated that her words had caused Zach pain, but she wasn’t sorry that she had stressed what the repercussions of his reappearance might be.

Once he’d left, her eyes moved to Inspector Ortega, frozen on the screen beside her father. Her parents hadn’t said much about the formal investigation at that time, but it was evident that her dad in particular had little love for the inspector, going by the scathing tone he used whenever his name came up.

She googled ‘Inspector Ortega’ and dozens of online news reports came up. Using the translate button, Lily scrolled through several articles until she came to the most recent one in 2022. She paused when she saw a photograph of Inspector Ortega standing in front of an imposing building. From what she could garner, he had received a distinguished service medal. The auto-translate was tricky to understand, but Lily got the gist.

The inspector had retired from active service. This made sense, because he must be in his seventies now. She did a double take when she came to the final line, which stated that Ortega had retired to the coastal town of Marbella, which they’d passed by on their way to Ronda.

Zach returned within half an hour, but the walk didn’t appear to have resolved anything for him. His face was drawn, and his jaw clenched in the way she’d begun to notice was his when he was upset.

‘You okay?’ she asked tentatively.

He shook his head. ‘I’ve been so busy worrying about myself I forgot to think about my family.’

‘I think you can be forgiven for being a little preoccupied. I’m not sure I’ve won mother or wife of the year these past few days,’ Lily replied, feeling a stab of guilt as she thought about her two boys at home.

‘Maybe I should call my sisters,’ Zach said, almost to himself.

‘Before you call your mom?’ Lily asked, wondering if that was the right move. ‘Would it be better to have all the facts first of all? Only call them when you have proof that you are Robert?’

‘Maybe. I don’t know.’

‘Out of the three girls, who are you closest to?’

He sat down opposite Lily again. ‘I’d say Issy because I’ve seen more of her over the past few years, as she’s in London. Ally and Jenny are busy with their own families.’

Lily rubbed her temples as she considered possible scenarios for Zach. ‘After the results, call Issy. Or fly over to see her. That gives you some support too, when you confront your mom.’

‘Do you think your parents will give me the time to visit my mom before they call the authorities?’ Zach’s lip trembled.

‘I’ll make sure they do. They will want this to be as easy on you as possible. They love Robert . . . love you . . .’ Lily paused, flustered again as she tried to navigate the complications of how to refer to her possible missing sibling.

Zach looked at her sadly, whispering, ‘For the first time today, I wished I’d never seen your dad’s interview.’

And Lily realised a truth for her, answering, ‘Well, for the first time today, I’m glad you did see it, because I’ve found you again. And I know it’s an unholy mess, but we’ll figure it out. Together.’ She reached over and clasped his hand.

‘Thanks,’ he whispered back to her. His eyes drifted down to the iPad screen.

‘You will not believe where Inspector Ortega lives. Only in Marbella! Isn’t that mad?’

‘Wild! Let’s see if I can find out where in Marbella.’ Zach picked up his own phone and began typing away.

Lily tidied up their cups and dishes, but hadn’t even begun drying them when Zach shouted out, ‘Got him!’ as he raised his fist in triumph.

‘How on earth did you manage that so quickly?’

‘Honestly, you’d be surprised what people put up on the internet. I found his wife’s personal Facebook page, and she has no security.’ He turned his phone to show Lily, but as it was all in Spanish, it meant little to her. ‘She is a member of the resident’s society for a square in old Marbella called Plaza de los Naranjos. I know it. We can swing by there on the way to the airport if you like. We’ve got a few hours to kill before returning the car.’

Lily looked at Zach in surprise.

He shrugged. ‘Look, sometimes you have to grab the bull by the horns, so to speak. I did when I booked an appointment with you. Look where that has led us.’

Lily couldn’t disagree. Every day they learned another clue, which she believed was bringing them closer to solving this mystery. Within thirty minutes, they had packed up, said their goodbyes to the Alvarezes and made their way back down the twisting road towards the coast.