Shadows to Ashes Read online

  ‘Or course,’ he muttered out loud. His head had been so unruly throughout the flight that he hadn't considered the obvious: it was Naomi's birthday. Something registered for the first time: she’d planned to get married on her 21st birthday.

  In gold lettering, the front of the card said, Happy birthday to my darling wife. Solomon’s hands began to tremble. He closed his eyes to calm himself and moved his head in a slow circle, unlocking the muscles in his neck. His breathing quickened. He forced himself to open his eyes and look inside. It said:

  Naomi. I almost didn’t buy this card because I didn’t want to tempt fate! If only we were untouchable and unreachable like our stars. Here’s hoping that today is your best ever birthday. Ironic that you'll be giving me the best gift! Beside this was a smiley face which twisted Solomon’s gut. See you at the beach, after which, I'm stealing you away and chaining you to the bed (again) for ever. A man can dream! I’ll always love you.

  Dan xx

  Vincent breathed a few quiet breaths, drunk the air, put the card down. ‘Keep dreaming, Daniel. Dreams are all you’ll ever have now.’

  Vincent closed his eyes. His headache was worsening. He constructed a picture quickly from the skeletal details he was finding and from the report he’d had from Charlie. Naomi and Dan had arrived here one day previously and had spent an afternoon together, most of it outside. No time for physical contact, so Charlie had said. OK, good. They’d met up for dinner with Annabel and Joel and separated for the night. They hadn’t seen each other all day until the wedding, which had been stopped in time.

  You'll be giving me the best gift. A private message. What would a man want who’d waited two years to get his hands on someone? He’d want her! Nothing else. The best gift. He was getting her anyway because he was marrying her. Her gift was her virginity, Solomon was sure. The gift. A gift she’d reserved for him. Solomon’s teeth were crunched together, and while he chewed over those unpalatable words, he heard footsteps approaching the front door.

  2

  Solomon slipped into the second bedroom which had its own shower room. He was considering a move to the bathroom when the front door opened and he heard a single sigh. It was enough. He knew who it was. He stood and listened to the sounds of doors being opened and closed, drawers being searched. A suitcase being unzipped.

  Solomon waited patiently until he was sure that his brother was alone, then stepped into visibility. Joel swore. Solomon glared at him, hands in pockets. He’d have been amused if he hadn’t been so appallingly knackered and furious. Joel had one of Naomi’s short nightdresses in his hand.

  ‘What the hell are you doing here?’ Joel asked. ‘You almost gave me a heart attack.’

  ‘I must do better next time.’

  ‘I might have known you were behind this. When did you arrive? How did you even get inside the house?’ Solomon cocked an eyebrow and pierced Joel with a long cold stare.

  When he said nothing, Joel said, ‘Look, Vincent, we had an agreement, right? You broke it. I did tell you what would happen if you didn’t get Charlie off my back. I'm not having my sister following me around and filing reports to my brother. It’s crazy.’ He paused to rake his fingers through his hair. Vincent was silent, still. Joel was agitated. ‘I don’t have to tolerate crap like that.’

  ‘We’re your blood, Charlie and me. And you betrayed us.’

  ‘What, by leaving Naomi to decide who she wants to marry? Dan’s a decent guy. I have no quarrel with Dan. You’re trying to drag me into your own agenda, which has nothing to do with me, or with Dad’s wishes.’

  ‘We’re helping ourselves to Henry Hamilton’s daughters. I’m sure our father would approve.’

  ‘No, you’re living in dreamland, Vincent. I was set to marry Annabel tomorrow. That’s always been the long term plan. I was this close,’ Joel said, holding up a finger and thumb a centimetre apart. ‘What just happened has ruined all that. She’s carrying my child, OK?’

  Solomon stared at Joel for a dozen heartbeats. ‘You want my congratulations?’

  ‘I want you to leave us alone. Stop interfering. You have no hope with Naomi. Separating her from Dan won't change that fact, it will only seal it. Look, do yourself a favour. Let things rest. You’ve spied on Henry Hamilton through Lorie for years now. You’ve screwed him out of money, cars and a ton of other stuff. Charlie has put him on the ropes and made him sweat. He’s living in fear and hanging on to his marriage by a thread and he can’t even talk to his wife about what’s happening. Isn’t that enough?’

  ‘You pity him?’

  Joel sighed. ‘I pity his girls and so should you. And I think the situation is out of hand. It isn’t about pity anymore, it’s about justice and common sense. If this was about hurting Henry I’d say you've done a brilliant job. Now quit the obsession and let it go. Our issues with Henry have nothing to do with Camilla or his girls. Nothing to do with the Stone brothers. Yet Nathan’s dead, the other has just been arrested and dragged away. Lorie’s disappeared. Simon Wilde’s been murdered. Need I go on?’

  ‘Everything’s under control.’

  ‘You sure about that? I’m getting the opposite impression. You have the opportunity to walk away now and stop obsessively trying to obtain the unobtainable.’

  ‘Finished?’

  Joel put the nightdress down and shifted around uneasily before dropping into a nearby chair. He shrugged his shoulders.

  ‘What are you doing with Naomi’s nightdress?’

  ‘I was about to pack a few things for her. She doesn’t want to be here without Dan, obviously. I felt like a spare part. The girls are better off by themselves for now without me hanging around. Naomi’s devastated. What do you expect?’

  Solomon considered those words. ‘Well, aren’t you the good guy? I wonder how Annabel would feel if she knew who you really were.’

  The atmosphere crisped and Joel swallowed. ‘You wouldn’t –’

  ‘Wouldn’t I?’

  ‘And you say I've betrayed you? It’s the other way round. You’re rewriting everything. You and Naomi, that was never in the plan –’

  ‘Plans change.’

  ‘People don’t. Naomi will never want you. Accept it. Quit dreaming, OK. It's over.’

  ‘It's far from over,’ Solomon said, stepping forward.

  Joel finger-combed his hair again. ‘And how do you think Naomi is going to react when she realises you’re behind all this?’

  ‘Oh she’s going to come after me big time, and quite honestly, Joel, I can hardly wait. I’ve seen how she responds to injustice. And I want to see it again and again. It teaches me things. I only hope I’m a match for her.’

  ‘You’re mad,’ Joel said quietly.

  ‘It’s possible. You know the thrill of the gamble entices me every time.’

  ‘Because you never think you’ll lose.’

  ‘Correct.’

  Joel looked at the floor and shook his head. Eventually, he said, ‘Whatever you’ve got planned, I can’t have you coming between Annabel and me. So what’s your silence going to cost me?’

  ‘Well, the stakes are very high. It’d be tragic if Annabel terminated her pregnancy because she learned the truth. Wouldn’t it?’

  Joel couldn’t speak.

  Solomon continued, ‘Maybe worse still, she’d keep the baby and never allow you to see it. She’s an attractive girl. She wouldn’t be single for long, and then someone else would raise your child, think of that.’

  ‘Enough,’ Joel shouted. ‘You're angry, I get it. What do you want from me?’

  ‘Well, you’re a loser, Joel, like your mother. You have almost nothing that I want.’

  A droplet of sweat oozed out of Joel’s forehead.

  Solomon continued in a small voice, ‘I wanted you to keep me informed. That’s all I asked. A tiny thing and you failed. Did you think I was just going to overlook it and continue to call you my brother?’

  ‘You asked the impossible. I have some loyalty to Annabel, you
know.’

  ‘Which is why you’ll never be one of life’s major players. You’re too easily swayed. Too lazy, too weak and unintelligent. You’re an insult to the family. In short, you are . . . peripheral.’ He paused for emphasis. ‘Which is why I couldn’t trust you and why Charlie filed her reports, as you put it. I do regret that it was necessary.’

  ‘Cut to it, Vincent. We’ve never liked each other, that's old news. Almost nothing means there is something that you want. What is it?’

  Solomon strode to the front door. ‘Answer this question and it had better be the truth. Have Naomi and Dan slept together?’

  Joel didn’t hesitate. ‘No.’

  ‘Evidence?’

  ‘I stayed here with him last night. What do you think he talked about the night before his wedding? Must have nearly killed the guy, but he hasn’t touched her, I swear.’

  The tension in Vincent began to melt. He almost relaxed into a smile, but he wouldn’t allow Joel to read him. ‘As I thought,’ he said, coolly. ‘I'm going on a trip from here. I don’t know how long I’ll be gone. Charlie will be in touch with you. I want you to look out for Naomi while I’m away.’

  Joel looked confused. ‘Meaning?’

  ‘It’s going to get heated in Manchester, even as autumn sets in. Don’t take Annabel away. Naomi’s going to need her twin for the next few months, so don’t put yourself first.’

  Solomon put his hand on the door handle.

  ‘Is that it?’

  ‘For now. I need to catch a plane and then you’ll hear from me, and you’re going to fill me in on everything that’s happened over the last few months. Every sordid detail.’

  Joel nodded and sweat skidded down his forehead.

  Solomon’s parting comments were, ‘You’re not worthy to be called our father’s son. This is a business arrangement only. Clear?’

  Solomon opened the door to be met by blinding sunshine. He put on his sunglasses and stepped into warmth and noticed the grit of sand in his shoes. He glanced down and vowed to clean his feet and his shoes as soon as he arrived at the airport.

  3

  Dan was alone, perched on the edge of a blue plastic chair beside a white desk, his leg twitching up and down. It was a police station much like any other. Bland room without colour. No windows and just a fan on the ceiling hurtling round and round. An hour previously, through a haze of intense sunlight, he’d watched Naomi walking towards him on the beach. Now, surreally, he was here in this box-room with a table and three chairs, two of which were empty, away from Naomi and from the island where she was. Agitation was causing him to tap his fingers against the table, stand up, sit down. He didn’t know what to do with his hands.

  Was this Solomon’s doing? All the way out here? The only people who knew about the wedding were Annabel and Joel. Unless Annabel had let it slip to someone. It seemed impossible that Solomon could have found out, and yet . . .

  The door opened and then the chairs filled with two male officers, one of whom could speak English very well.

  He made some formal introductions that Dan didn’t take in and then produced Dan’s phone, which was inside a clear plastic wallet. He placed it on the table.

  ‘I’ve been looking for that,’ Dan said. ‘Where did you find it?’

  This brought a long stare. ‘Is this your property, Mr Stone?’

  Dan looked at his phone edged with a black case. A few grains of sand were on the screen and a thin line had gathered in the bottom of the bag. He reached a finger out and, through the cellophane, pressed the button on the front. The screen lit up. On it was a picture of Naomi that he’d taken the day before. She was sitting in a hammock suspended between two palm trees, one arm hanging over the side.

  ‘Yes it’s mine. Where did you find it?’

  ‘Can you tell us about your morning, Mr Stone, please?’

  ‘My morning?’ The morning flashed through his head. Waking up early, stomach unsettled with excitement. Taking a glorious stroll down the beach, alone, enjoying the unrivalled beauty and tranquillity of the place. Returning, waking Joel, wondering how Joel could sleep in such a place, going out for breakfast. Then filling the long hours before the wedding any way he could, devoting some time to looking for his phone. He regurgitated his thoughts out loud, in the order they popped into his head, then looked at the two men. ‘Where did you find my phone?’

  Again, they ignored the question. ‘Did you see anyone while you were out walking? Talk to anyone?’

  ‘It was early.’ They waited, still and patient. Dan cast his mind back, saw sun, sand, water. ‘Wait, a guy jogged past me on the beach. It’d be about 6:30, maybe. We nodded to each other. Why are you questioning me about this?’

  A long pause. ‘You’re sure you didn’t see or speak to anyone else?’

  ‘Of course I’m sure. There was nobody around, which is why I wanted to be out.’

  A pause. The guy who was talking consulted some notes he had in his hands. ‘There’s been an allegation made that you assaulted a woman and attempted to force yourself on her.’

  ‘What?’ Dan almost laughed. ‘That’s outrageous.’ He could feel a rush of temper, suddenly. ‘You stopped my wedding for that?’

  ‘We take assault very seriously here. These are peaceful islands. The crime rate is very low. Tourism accounts for –’

  ‘You’ve got it wrong.’

  He glanced at his notes again. ‘She claims that she fought you and that you tried to hold her down. She has bruising all around her wrists.’ He held up both arms, palms forward, pointing in turn to his wrists, as if Dan didn’t know what wrists were. ‘And another large bruise inside her leg at the top.’

  Dan sat rigid. Shook his head. ‘I’ve told you, I didn’t see any woman on my walk. You’ve got the wrong guy.’

  ‘But the right phone?’ He let this question hang.

  ‘I don’t even remember taking my phone on my walk.’

  ‘Really? Apparently this dropped out of your pocket during the fight. She was left with some of your hair between her fingers which she says she pulled out during the struggle. We have that too.’

  It took a moment or two for this information to penetrate Dan’s brain. Dan scowled at him. ‘This is ridiculous. What woman? Where is she now?’ They stared at him. Dan looked down at the phone on the table. ‘Whoever it is, she’s stolen my phone. It’s her you ought to be questioning. I’m the one who should be pressing charges. I came out here to get married and you’ve managed to stop my wedding on false allegations.’ He stood up. ‘I have rights. I’m a British citizen. You can’t just detain me here without some proof that I did what she’s accusing me of. I should be with my fiancée. She should be my wife by now,’ he shouted.

  Dan spun away from them because he needed to stem the urge to grab one of them by the collar and punch his face.

  They let him cool off. Didn’t speak for a minute. Then a calm voice said, ‘Please sit down, Mr Stone.’

  Dan did. He turned, slumped down. ‘My fiancée will be wondering where I am.’

  The guy drew breath. Didn’t address Dan’s concern. Instead, said, ‘Are you known to the police in the UK?’ Dan didn’t like this question so he didn’t answer it. ‘Do you have a criminal record, Mr Stone?’

  For the first time, Dan was guarded and was certain it must be showing on his face. He wasn’t sure how to answer, which was only making him look exceedingly dodgy, he decided. ‘I was once questioned in connection with a case, but all the charges were dropped.’

  This got their attention. The one speaking sat up straighter and tucked his notes away in a pocket. ‘Was this because of insufficient evidence, or . . .?’

  ‘Because I’d done nothing wrong. They dropped the charges.’

  ‘I see. So, assuming you were under arrest by the police, what were you being questioned about?’

  Dan didn’t like this question either. Didn’t like where things were heading. The words no comment kept floating around in his mind,
but only guilty people refused to answer, didn’t they? He was very conscious of that too. And he wasn’t guilty. Did they have an international database where they could find out about past things? How the hell should he know? He weighed the options while the seconds ticked, and wished he had someone with him to offer some guidance. ‘Abduction.’

  The guy’s eyebrows flickered. The other guy never moved. Dan had no idea if he could understand or not. ‘Abduction of . . .?’

  ‘A girl,’ Dan jumped in this time. ‘My fiancée, the girl I’m supposed to be marrying because I was helping her. I saved her life, I didn’t hurt her.’

  ‘Wait a minute, there was a high-profile case . . . a guy who lost his wife at sea. Days of searching. Wasn’t his name Stone?’

  Dan closed his eyes, an attempt to escape a past that haunted him, even here. ‘That was my brother. He’s dead now.’

  ‘I’m sorry. I didn’t know that.’

  Dan didn’t respond. He closed his eyes and squeezed the bridge of his nose.

  ‘So remind me, the wife, did they find her?’

  ‘She was never lost. She was with me the whole time. My brother should have been charged with attempted murder, but he was let off too.’

  Too? Dan wondered why he’d said that. Didn’t sound good.

  Dan opened his eyes to find the guy looking thoroughly confused. ‘So how did your brother die? You say his widow is now your fiancée?’

  A sigh breezed past Dan’s lips. Widow? Hardly the word. ‘It’s very complicated. Is any of this even relevant? I did not assault a woman this morning and I’d like to make a phone call please. Surely I have the right to make a call.’

  ‘Would you like legal representation?’

  ‘I don’t need it,’ Dan raised his voice. ‘I need to call my girlfriend to let her know where I am. I need to get back to her. I shouldn’t be here.’

  But the questions continued, with breaks between, and when the time came for Dan to make his call, they wouldn’t let him use his phone, but led him to a phone on a desk in an office.