Getting Lost Page 22

  Simon glanced from Stella to Phoebe and back again. “She told you I did it, right?”

  “I know you did it!”

  “No.” Simon became serious. “You want to believe I did it. You need to believe I did it, because if I didn’t”—he flippantly pointed toward Phoebe—“she did. And you can’t possibly be in love with a murderer, can you?” Simon was a showman with a captive audience. “Well, I suggest you learn to watch your back, young lady. One day you just might find yourself with a kitchen knife firmly lodged in it.”

  “Are you still spinning that line, Simon?” Phoebe’s tone was venomous, and Stella was proud of her composure.

  Simon ignored Phoebe, addressing Stella again. “You’ve got a fiery lover on your hands there. I warn you not to provoke suspicion in your relationship. My darling Rebecca’s death was a consequence of her mistrust.”

  Stella noticed Phoebe flinch at Simon’s term of endearment, but she pressed on regardless. “Phoebe mistrusted Rebecca, so she killed her? Hardly makes sense.”

  “I thought you’d be a better liar, Simon. You aren’t really what I expected.” Stella had gained confidence from Phoebe’s strength. “First you tell the police an intruder killed Rebecca, and now you’re adamant it was Phoebe.”

  Simon shrugged. His indifference grated Stella, and she hated him even more.

  “Seems everyone did it but you. How convenient. But then, you were cooking the books, weren’t you?”

  Simon laughed. “Have you been telling little tales, Phoebe? Tut, tut, tut.” The smug grin appeared again. “If I gave a fuck, I’d invite you to check the books for yourself. You’ll find nothing to substantiate your hollow claim.” He was becoming impatient and eyed Phoebe. “I think this little charade of yours has gone on long enough. Perhaps you should consider yourself lucky to be a free woman and be grateful you appear to have committed the perfect murder.”

  Stella couldn’t let it go. “Do you really expect me to believe she just walked up and stabbed Rebecca?”

  “Oh shut up, you insidious idiot. The truth won’t make you feel better about fucking a murderer.” Simon lowered his voice. “You lick the pussy of a cold-blooded killer. Deal with it.”

  “Enough!” Phoebe had turned deathly pale. She took Stella’s hand. “I have something to tell you.”

  Stella’s heart sank. She wasn’t expecting this. A movie, played in fast forward, recounting the last few weeks, streamed across her eyes. She didn’t want to hear this. “It’s okay. I believe you.” Stella thought if she said it aloud it would be true. “You already explained it to me, didn’t you? You told me the truth, right?”

  “Please, just listen to me.”

  Stella nodded, dread filled her.

  “I heard them arguing in the kitchen. I’d been watching a movie, but I’d stopped it to take a call. When the call was over I went to the toilet, and that’s when I heard them arguing.”

  “Do you really think she’s going to believe you?” interrupted Simon.

  Phoebe pushed on. “Suddenly, I found myself standing between Simon and Rebecca. We were all screaming at each other. Simon brought up the crap about Oscar wanting Rebecca to marry him. He said I was just a useless dyke who needed a good fucking by a real man. I couldn’t control my anger and I told him he’d have to pay for sex for the rest of his life, just like he’d done for years. It was stupid and childish to goad him. I infuriated him. I disgusted him and he picked up a knife.”

  Stella looked toward Simon.

  He laughed. “Oh, I’m as intrigued as you are to hear this little tale of shite.”

  Stella returned her attention to Phoebe who continued. “Rebecca began screaming at him to put it down. I was screaming at her to get out, and screaming at him for threatening her and especially with a knife. Simon was screaming at us both. Then, it happened so quickly I can barely recall it. Simon came at me, red with rage, the knife raised. He looked me in the eye, and I knew he’d gone completely mad.”

  Simon lunged for Phoebe, grabbing her by the throat. “You be careful what you say next, you little bitch.”

  “Get off her!” Stella launched herself on his back and he released his grip. She doubted her actions caused him to let go, more that Oscar was probably only minutes away.

  “What are you afraid of, Simon?” said Phoebe. “The truth or something? There’s no one here to dispute either of our stories. Just let me finish.” She turned to Stella again. “The moment Simon came at me, I made the biggest mistake of my life. A fatal mistake that I must suffer from until the day I die.” Phoebe swallowed hard. “I moved. One step. One lousy step to the right, and the knife that was meant for me stabbed Rebecca in the heart.”

  Simon slapped Phoebe hard around the head. “Shut your fucking mouth.”

  Phoebe used the wall to maintain her balance.

  “Leave her alone!” Stella wiggled her way between them ignoring Simon. She felt aghast but relieved at the same time. Then she felt ill. Phoebe looked like she wanted to die. “It was a reflex action. Anyone would have done the same thing. Oh, baby, you poor thing.”

  Phoebe shook her head. “It was the wrong reflex action, Stella. My first priority should have been Rebecca, not myself. I had one defining moment in my life. I failed. She died because of me.” Phoebe fell to her knees, crying.

  “Oh, come now, Phoebe. You always were so bloody theatrical. The little slut had it coming one way or the other,” Simon spat on Phoebe’s hair.

  “Fuck you, Simon. Rebecca is dead. How is that melodramatic?”

  “Then perhaps you shouldn’t have stepped aside,” he said.

  Stella glared at him. “You spineless asshole!”

  He bent low and spoke in Phoebe’s ear. “You’re nothing but the filthy dyke who could have killed Rebecca Dean.” His foul breath was forced up her nose with the vehemence of his words.

  “Except you did it,” said Stella.

  Simon straightened. “Yeah, well, shit happens, doesn’t it? You heard her say it. She as good as killed her, so who cares?”

  Shakily, Phoebe stood. “I care, you filthy fucking liar.”

  “And so do I.” The voice was deep and came from around the corner.

  Suddenly, as if the cloud of madness and lies surrounding them vanished, Oscar Dean and four thickset men entered the small, secluded alleyway.

  “You disappoint me, Simon,” Oscar said, placing his hands squarely in his tailored trouser pockets.

  Oscar gave the slightest of nods and the men advanced toward Simon, efficiently manhandling him against the wall, swift jab punches ensuring his compliance.

  “No, wait, Oscar. I’m just playing with these stupid girls.” He pointed to Phoebe. “She killed Rebecca, I swear.”

  “Don’t you mean that little slut?” Oscar tilted his head as if waiting for an answer. “That was what you referred to my daughter as, wasn’t it?”

  Oscar turned to Phoebe. “Well, this is a little messy, now, isn’t it?”

  “Only you would find this scenario messy, Oscar. The rest of the world would be horrified.” Phoebe stood firm.

  Oscar looked to his men. “Get him out of my sight.”

  Stella realised she had been standing motionless since Oscar arrived. Her legs felt as heavy as lead, especially after running from Simon. “He’s been tormenting us for nearly a month now.”

  Oscar looked toward her, poised to answer, but Phoebe interrupted with a more pressing issue. “You heard him say it, Oscar. I didn’t murder Rebecca.”

  “No, but you could have saved her.” He shook his head.

  “And don’t you think I’ll live with that guilt, that torture, for the rest of my life?”

  Oscar thought for a moment then nodded. “Yes, I think perhaps you will. You should have told me it was Simon. The outcome might have been different.”

  Stella finally found the courage to move close to Phoebe. It was all the support she dared show in the circumstances.

  “I gave Sebastian to yo
u because I was frightened I was going to jail, I was frightened of you, and I felt guilt so immense I couldn’t even think straight. You wouldn’t have believed it was Simon, and I’d have been worse off than I already was.”

  “You gave me my grandson because it was the right thing to do.”

  “And now the right thing for you to do is let me see him.”

  Oscar laughed.

  “I loved Rebecca with all my heart, and the only thing I have left of us, and her, is Sebastian. Please, Oscar, can we come to some compromise on this? For God’s sake, he’s my son!”

  “I have no obligation to do anything for you.”

  “I know that,” said Phoebe, sad resignation littered her words. “But he deserves to know the truth eventually. He deserves to have his mother in his life, and he deserves to know who his other mother was, who Rebecca was.”

  “He’s a happy and contented little boy. He doesn’t need disruption in his life.”

  “Of course not. I understand that. But having me in his life doesn’t have to be a disruption.” Phoebe was begging. “Please, he spends his days with a nanny, someone paid to love him—”

  “Money is not the issue here. I can pay ten more nannies to love him if need be.”

  “But my point is you don’t have to. I love him because he’s my son. I would protect him with my life—”

  “Just like you protected Rebecca?”

  Phoebe burst into tears, and Stella lightly touched her hand before pulling away, not wanting to spook Oscar with an inappropriate display of affection that might sway him against even considering the prospect of Phoebe being in Sebastian’s life.

  Through sobs, Phoebe managed to say, “I failed once. Please give me a chance to make it up to you and Sebastian.”

  Oscar paced back and forth.

  Phoebe continued. “I know you disagree with my lifestyle—”

  “I thought Rebecca was with you just to spite me.” Oscar stared Phoebe squarely in the eyes.

  “She used to say how you took her to every hockey game, never missed a play or musical, how you attended her presentation evenings and how you supported every decision she made, stupid or otherwise.” Oscar smiled briefly. “But the one decision she struggled with, the one thing she really needed support with was her sexuality, and you just turned your back on her.”

  Oscar’s gaze fell to the ground.

  “She never stopped being your little girl. In her eyes, you stopped being her dad.”

  “I’ve heard enough.” Oscar turned to leave. “I’m disappointed you went behind my back to see Sebastian. I trust it won’t happen again.”

  “Please, Oscar. Please just—”

  He held his hand aloft and faced her for the last time. “Next time you want to see him, call me first. I won’t tolerate this sneaking around. We’ll be back in Australia for the summer. I expect I’ll hear from you then.”

  Phoebe’s eyes lit up. “What? Really?”

  “You heard me. I won’t repeat the offer.”

  Phoebe rushed toward him but pulled up short of actual contact. “Thank you so much. I promise you won’t regret it.”

  Stella had one last question for him. “What will you do with Simon?”

  Oscar looked impatient, but he stopped long enough to answer the question. “I’ll call the authorities and I presume he’ll be extradited and tried in Australia.”

  Phoebe looked shocked. “You won’t deal with it yourself?”

  Oscar laughed. “It’s not the nineties anymore, my dear. Those days are long gone.” He turned the corner and left without looking at them again.

  Chapter Twenty-nine

  Stella couldn’t believe what just happened, and neither could Phoebe by the gobsmacked expression on her face. Tenderly, she touched Phoebe’s cheek. “Are you okay?”

  Phoebe simply nodded as tears flowed freely.

  Stella slumped against the wall and Phoebe followed. “However I expected today to turn out, I certainly wouldn’t have predicted this in a million years.”

  Phoebe closed her eyes for a long moment. Stella presumed thoughts of Rebecca consumed her at this time. For a long while, neither of them spoke.

  “I should kick your ass. You put yourself in extraordinary danger today, Stella.”

  Stella knew it had all been worth it. After hearing Simon’s confession and Oscar’s offer, she was overwhelmed by relief.

  “Thank you for believing in me,” said Phoebe, her tears showing no sign of abating. “And although I wish you hadn’t become involved, I’m glad you were here.”

  “I gave up even considering you killed Rebecca a long time ago,” said Stella.

  “At least there’s no glimmer of doubt in your mind now.”

  “Honestly, there was never any doubt.”

  A smile crept across Phoebe’s face. “I’m so very relieved that the person I care about the most now knows the whole truth.”

  “I won’t lie,” said Stella. “Today has been the most remarkable and terrifying day I have ever experienced. But I hope this is the beginning of something truly special between us.” She moved in to gently kiss Phoebe. “Something special between the three of us, when Sebastian is in your life.” For the first time since laying eyes on the mysterious Phoebe Lancaster, Stella allowed herself to envisage a long and fulfilling future together.

  “That would make us a family.”

  Stella nodded. “Well deduced.”

  “Are you ready for that?” Phoebe appeared only the slightest bit concerned about the answer.

  “I don’t think I’ve ever been more ready.”

  They kissed again, this time with more urgency.

  “Why, Little Miss Tour Manager,” said Phoebe. “Are you falling for the girl with the shady past?

  Stella laughed, knowing it was far too late for that. Wincing as her legs cramped, she pushed away from the wall, pulling Phoebe with her. “Come on, old girl. Take me home and fix me a hot bath. The way I feel now, I’ll never be able to run again.”

  Phoebe straightened and stretched her back. “I’m surprised your little legs moved so fast, to be honest.” She grinned.

  “Really? Well, how about you take me back to the hotel and take full advantage of my need to be horizontal?”

  “Don’t you have a coach load of clients who need organising this evening?”

  Stella took out her phone and called Russo. She explained she felt unwell and was returning to the hotel to sleep it off. He seemed happy to take charge. Finally, they trudged to the main road, looked up to the street sign and called a taxi.

  Phoebe took Stella in her arms. “Looks like you’re stuck with me now.”

  “Looks like it.” She buried her head in Phoebe’s shoulder. “You know? Somehow I think I’ll cope just fine.”

  “You were incredibly brave back there.”

  “Me? The way you handled Simon was amazing. And Oscar. All the stuff I’ve researched about Oscar, I really thought he would have been far more formidable.”

  “Researched?” She looked Stella up and down. “And what exactly are you wearing?”

  “You’re not a fan of my new look?”

  “No. And less of a fan of being seen holding hands with someone pretending to be a teenage boy,” said Phoebe.

  “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe this is where I’ve been going wrong.”

  “Who says you’ve been going wrong? But let’s not change the subject. You followed me?”

  Stella shrugged. “What was I supposed to do?”

  “And you researched Oscar?”

  Stella laughed and pulled her notepad from her backpack. “I researched everyone.”

  Phoebe flicked through the book. “Jesus, Stella, this is comprehensive. When did you decide to follow me?”

  “Krems.”

  Phoebe rolled her eyes and smiled, seemingly outsmarted by an amateur.

  Krems seemed so long ago. Stella’s memory of Krems was filled with passion in the back of a limousine.

>   “I remember you offered me an extra pair of ears and eyes. You probably saved my life today, Stella.” Phoebe suddenly saddened. “And I’ve put your life in danger the entire tour. I’m so sorry, baby.”

  “It wasn’t your fault. Simon was playing a little game. How were we to know?”

  “A little game that saw you black-and-blue from his cowardly beating. He deserves to rot in jail for the rest of his life.”

  “I won’t argue with that. But you deserve to forgive yourself for what happened to Rebecca.”

  Phoebe shook her head.

  “Listen to me.” Stella eyed her squarely. “You made a mistake. You aren’t a bad person and you weren’t holding the knife. Simon made choices that day, and while I know you’ll never forget what happened, and you’ll always blame yourself, you have to begin the process of forgiveness. You’ve punished yourself long enough.”

  Stella watched Phoebe take herself back to the past. “I don’t know how it all went so wrong. I don’t know how it escalated into something physically violent so quickly. It was a stupid argument about stupid money and I wound him up, I know I did. He was ready to go off and I pushed him, I backed him into a corner and he went mental. I pushed him too far, and he and I will pay for that for the rest of our lives.”

  *

  The four walls of the hotel provided the refuge they both needed after such an emotional and dramatic day. For the time being, neither wanted to be interrupted by the rest of the world. When Oscar handed Simon over to the police, they knew they’d be required for statements, but until then, they basked in the fact that Sebastian would no longer be a stranger, and that Phoebe’s name would be cleared once and for all.