Page 20 of The Sunken Truth (Lily Larkin Mysteries #5)

Chapter Twenty

As it all clicked into place in Lily’s head, it seemed suddenly obvious. She didn’t have any strong memories of her dad. The only father figure she remembered was her uncle.

“It was Uncle Derek?”

“Yes.”

“He brought me here after my parents died? That’s why I was sad?”

“Yes.” Maria’s lower lip twitched. “You missed your parents so much. It was heartbreaking.”

“How did you know Uncle Derek?” Lily asked in a rush. “You must have known my parents too?”

She shook her head. “I met your parents. They brought you here for a holiday on a recommendation from Derek. The three of you came into the shop for an ice cream and I showed you around. I sat and chatted with your parents for a while, but that was the only time I met them.”

“How did you know Uncle Derek?”

Maria smiled gently. “We went way back.”

“Tell me,” Lily asked, her voice tinged with desperation. “Please. ”

“I met him when I was twenty at a bar in Madrid. He was spending a year there, learning Spanish. I was travelling with friends. Except I didn’t continue with my friends.

Derek wanted to show me all his favourite places in Madrid, so I told my friends I’d catch up with them in a few days.

I didn’t though. I stayed with Derek in his tiny flat until it was time for me to go back for my final year at university. ”

“And he stayed on in Madrid?”

“Yes.” She sighed. “We kept in touch. Our paths crossed every now and again over the following years, but our timing was always a little off. He’d get a great job offer somewhere far from where I was, or the other way around.

I adored him, but I also got sick of pining for him quickly. We agreed we’d just be friends.”

Her eyes brightened. “I could go for years without hearing from him and then I’d get an email with a picture or an anecdote of something that had reminded him of me. We’d reignite our connection for a while, but inevitably we’d drift apart again.”

“That sounds horrible,” Lily said.

“It was pretty heart-wrenching,” she agreed lightly.

“When I moved to Scilly, he thought it was hilarious that I was opening an ice cream shop. I suspect he wondered if I was joking. He turned up about six months after I’d arrived here.

As usual, he only had a few days, and as always, the time with him was bittersweet.

Apparently, he went and raved about the Scillies to his brother, and they booked a holiday here.

That was when I met you for the first time.

Only for an hour, but you were a little ray of sunshine. ”

“And my parents?” Lily asked. “Were they happy?”

“Seemed to be. They loved Scilly. Said it was the perfect place to holiday with a child. ”

“But did they seem happy together? Were they happily married?”

“I only met them for an hour,” Maria said, brow wrinkled.

Lily nodded. “I always imagined us being a happy family, but in the last few weeks I was convinced my dad was having an affair and the photo I have of us at the ice cream shop is a lie.”

“As far as I’m aware, no one was having an affair. They seemed happy to me.”

Relief brought tears to her eyes, but she blinked them away. “What happened after that? Did you stay in touch with Derek more regularly?”

“The next time I saw him was when he turned up with you and he told me what had happened to your parents. It was probably a month after they’d died. You and Derek were both so broken.”

Lily swallowed hard. “We stayed with you in the flat?”

“Yes. Just for a few days. It was school holidays and I think the lack of routine was a struggle for you both. While he was here, he got an email to say he’d got a job he’d applied for in Italy. He took you back to Truro to pack everything up. He thought a fresh start would be good for you.”

Lily frowned. “Did you see him again?”

“A few weeks later, right at the end of the school holidays, he brought you back. He asked me to go with him to Italy. I think your parents’ death put things into perspective for him. He said he wanted us to be together. He wanted the three of us to be a family.”

“You didn’t want that?” Lily asked.

“I didn’t know what I wanted. But I was finally feeling settled.

I loved running the ice cream shop, and then he turned up, asking me to give it up for something unknown.

I didn’t know what I’d do in Italy. I wouldn’t be able to speak the language, so getting a job wouldn’t be easy.

And part of me was worried that Derek was asking because he wanted someone to help with you.

It’ll sound awful, but deciding whether to take on a grieving child wasn’t a simple decision. ”

Lily tried not to wonder how her life would have been if Maria had made a different choice. Having a mother figure would have made an enormous difference. Uncle Derek would probably have been different too if he’d had someone else in his life.

“It was always just me and him,” Lily murmured. “And I’m not sure that was a good thing. Sorry,” she added quickly. “I’m not trying to make you feel guilty. I think I had a pretty good childhood, but he was overprotective. He worried a lot.”

“I saw that,” Maria said wistfully. “It was part of what made me hesitate to go with him.”

Lily gave an encouraging nod, willing her to go on. Now that she was finally getting some answers, she wanted every bit of information she could get.

“He was different after your parents died. Which makes sense. He was grieving for his brother and his sister-in-law, and he was suddenly guardian to a five-year-old. He’d always been so carefree, and then he had all this responsibility.

It seemed as though he poured all his energy into you.

Which was admirable, but suddenly he saw danger in everything.

He was in a constant state of panic about something happening to you. When you were staying with me…”

She trailed off and looked as though she’d lost her train of thought for a moment.

“I remember one morning – Derek was in the shower and you were at the window watching the sandpipers hop along the beach. You asked if we could go down and look at them. It was practically the only time you asked me for anything. You were so subdued, you barely spoke, so of course I told you we could go down to the beach. Ten minutes later, Derek came down and screamed at me for letting you walk on the beach without holding your hand.”

“On Porthcressa Beach?” Lily said, lifting an eyebrow. “What did he think was going to happen?”

“Who knows,” Maria said with a shrug. “He wasn’t himself.

But it occurred to me that perhaps I didn’t know him as well as I thought.

All the time we’d spent together had been so intense.

It had only ever been a weekend here and there.

The few weeks we’d spent in Madrid were the most we’d ever spent together, and we’d both been so young.

Moving to Italy with him felt like such a huge leap. ”

“So you said no?”

“I told him I needed to think about it. I couldn’t just walk away from the ice cream shop, anyway.

So I suggested the two of you go ahead and I’d come later, maybe for a few visits before we made any long-term decisions.

” Her shoulders rose as she inhaled. “He didn’t like that idea.

Said it would be confusing for you and that you needed stability. ”

“That’s a little ironic, given the way things played out.”

Maria looked at her questioningly.

“We never stayed in one place for very long,” Lily explained. “We always moved on after a couple of years, so I’m not sure it was the most stable of childhoods.”

“I’m sure he did his best,” Maria said. “All he wanted was for you to be safe and happy.”

“I know,” Lily said, her chest tightening at the thought of her uncle. He might not have always got it right, but she never doubted he’d always wanted the best for her.

“I didn’t hear from him again for years after that. I sent emails every now and again, but he didn’t reply.”

“When did you leave Scilly?” Lily asked.

“A month or so after he took you to Italy. I didn’t intend to leave for good, but I knew I’d go crazy here over the winter.

With nothing to do, I knew I wouldn’t be able to stop thinking about Derek, and wondering how you and he were getting on.

So I went back to Bristol for the winter, and then I couldn’t face coming back.

I don’t really know why. I think I was worried the memories of having Derek and you there with me would haunt me. ”

“What about the fire?” Lily asked.

Her eyebrows rose. “What fire?”

“The one at the shop. It wasn’t long after my parents died in a fire. That’s a weird coincidence, isn’t it?”

“Yes, I suppose it was. The fire at the shop wasn’t a big deal, though. The smoke alarms went off and it was put out before it could do much damage.”

“Was that part of why you left?”

“Not really. There was only superficial damage and only in the shop itself. A fresh coat of paint and some new furnishings and it was all good again.”

“Was that after Uncle Derek and I had left?”

“Yes, must have been.”

“Why didn’t you tell me any of this before?” Lily asked. “Why were you so guarded?”

“Guilt, I suppose.”

“Over what?”

“That I didn’t go with you. Back then, I worried Derek wasn’t fit to look after you, but I did nothing about it. I could have gone for your sake. Made sure you were okay.”

“I wasn’t your responsibility,” Lily said. “You hardly knew me.”

“I knew you were a sad little girl desperate for a mother. You looked at me sometimes with your big sad eyes. You wouldn’t speak, but I’d swear you were begging me to help you.”

“No one would expect you to turn your life upside down for a kid you barely knew. And it sounds as though Uncle Derek wasn’t being very reasonable.”

“Even so, I wondered about you from time to time.”

“You don’t need to feel guilty,” Lily said. “I was okay. My childhood was unusual, but it wasn’t awful. I think I turned out okay.”

“I think you did too,” Maria said, a smile lifting her lips. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you everything from the start.”

“Is that why you gave me the lease for the ice cream shop?”

She nodded. “I was in touch with Derek again, years later. When you moved back to the UK. He emailed and told me all about you. We spoke on the phone a few times. He talked about how amazing you were.”

“Sounds like him. He liked to brag about me to anyone who’d listen.” As a wave of nostalgia washed over her, Lily felt suddenly exhausted.

They descended into silence and Lily felt torn between asking more questions and quitting while she was ahead. After getting far more out of Maria than she’d expected, she was conscious of pushing her too far and making her clam up again.

She definitely had more questions, though.

“Everything okay out here?” Glynis called, stepping out into the sunny garden. “Do you need more drinks? Or maybe a bite to eat?”

“No, thank you.” That seemed like Lily’s cue to leave things alone for now. “I should get back to the shop. I don’t like to leave Jessica for too long. Thank you for talking to me,” she said quietly to Maria.

“You’re welcome.” Maria put a hand on Lily’s arm when she went to pass her, stopping her in her tracks. She opened her mouth but didn’t speak. Her jaw worked as though she were trying to find the right words.

“I know you don’t want to be involved with the ice cream shop,” Lily said, filling the silence for her.

“But if you’d ever like to visit, I’d love to see you.

” She pressed her lips together. “It feels good to talk to someone who knew Uncle Derek. It sort of feels as though I’m still connected to him. ”

Looking as though she was struggling with her emotions, Maria nodded. “I’d like to visit sometime,” she whispered. “I should probably sample the ice cream. See if it’s up to scratch.”

Smiling, Lily said goodbye to both women and left with her thoughts spinning. Calling Flynn didn’t even feel like a conscious decision. One minute she was wandering along the road, the next she had her phone to her ear.

“Did you speak to her?” he asked immediately.

“Yes.” She launched straight into telling him all about it, and was back at the promenade by the time she’d filled him in.

“So you finally got your answers,” he said. “That’s good, isn’t it?”

“Yes.” She wandered down to the beach. “I think so.”

“It must be a relief that she wasn’t having an affair with your dad. Sad how things turned out for her and your uncle though.”

“Yeah.”

“What are you thinking?” Flynn asked.

“I think she didn’t tell me everything.” She pressed her lips together when she realised what she’d said.

“Why?”

She opened her mouth, then clamped it shut, not sure how to explain. Or mostly if she should explain. She could trust Flynn, though. If there was anyone in the world she could tell everything to, it was him .

“Lily?” he prompted when she remained silent for too long.

“Sorry.” She set off up the beach, all thoughts of spilling her guts dissolving in an instant. “I don’t know what I’m thinking. I probably need some time for it all to sink in.”

“That makes sense.”

As a thought occurred to her, Lily stopped dead. “She didn’t ask how he died.”

“Excuse me?”

“Maria didn’t ask how Uncle Derek died. Or when. Why wouldn’t she ask that?”

“Had you mentioned it before?”

“Maybe.” She squeezed her eyes shut. “I might have mentioned my uncle dying but I’ve never given her any details. You’d think she’d be interested in that, wouldn’t you?”

“I suppose.”

“The only reason she wouldn’t ask is if she already knew… but how could she have known? She said she was in touch with him after we moved back to the UK, but she’d have to know someone he knew to find out he was dead.” She paused, her mind whirring. “That’s weird, isn’t it?”

“A little. Maybe. I don’t know.”

Lily growled in frustration as she crossed the promenade.

“What are you doing this evening?” Flynn asked.

“Making ice cream.” Just the thought of it calmed her. While she mixed ingredients, she could chew over the events of the day and hopefully get things straight in her mind. “How did it go with Kurt, by the way? Did you track him down?”

“No. He wasn’t answering his door. Even though his landlady was convinced he was at home.”

“Weird.”

“Yeah. I’ll try again tomorrow.”