I winced. “That would have added insult to injury.”
“Yeah.” Richard shook his head woefully. “Shows that you can’t trust anyone. Everyone’s just out to get you.”
“Squeezy hug.” Poppy wrapped her arms around him and smacked a kiss on his temple.
Sister Dawn appeared on the hill opposite, waving at us. “You can all come in now. The police have finished. We’ll have a meeting in the garden in an hour.”
“Where did she pop up from?” Cormack shoved his hands in his pockets. “Well, guess that’s us then. We can get out of this blessed sun. Ruining my delicate Irish complexion, it is.”
“Play you a game of pool,” said Richard. “And I’ll flay the pants off you again. Figuratively.”
Poppy yawned. “Didn’t catch a wink last night. I bet none of us did. Going to go have a nap.”
“I’m gonna stay and poke around the graves,” I said, staring out to the ocean. I didn’t want to go back to the monastery just yet, not if I could help it. Being out here in the open was a welcome reprieve.
“If you find out anything creepy, be sure to tell me.” Poppy winked at me just as she turned and stepped away with Richard and Cormack.
I pottered around the graveyard until they disappeared from view and then walked towards the ocean. On a high outcrop stood the crumbling chapel I’d seen the first night I’d arrived here. As if drawn to it, I headed up the incline. The chapel, made of stone, had survived the centuries, but none of the interior furnishings remained—if there’d ever been any. The windows were just open spaces, with no indication there’d ever been glass panels fitted. It seemed like somewhere just to kneel and pray and be alone. Wooden steps led up to a small stone altar. A long, fraying rope hung from a brass bell that had developed a greenish patina. I wondered if anyone ever used it.
Closing my eyes, I breathed the salt-tinged air, trying to make myself believe I was standing on the beach with Ben. My parents would be making lunch in the holiday house, the constant boom of the ocean like a brainwashing chant calling Ben and me to it.
A sudden voice behind me made me flinch. “What do we have here? A little lost goat on the mountaintop?”
Snapping out of my daydream, I wheeled around.
Ruth stood in the chapel doorway. “Wasn’t everyone told to go back?”
“I chose not to.” I wasn’t going to give her an explanation.
“Better take better care. You’ve seen what can happen to people who are alone and not where they’re supposed to be.”
Suddenly, I wished I hadn’t stayed out here. I hadn’t calculated being alone with Ruth on the edge of a mountain or trapped by her inside the chapel. She’d seemed different in the third challenge. But it had all been pretence.
Before I could answer, she shrugged and headed away, humming a tune.
38. Gray
LILLY LET OUT A BLOODCURDLING SCREAM. I took two stairs at a time up to her room to find out that Willow had hidden her dinosaur in retribution for Lilly throwing her iPad.
I was too strung out to apply any parenting methods, instead ordering each of them to bed. I hadn’t sent Willow to day care today because I didn’t want Princess Pout telling Willow any more nasty stories. I didn’t know if Marla knew the latest news about Evie, but I wasn’t going to risk it.
But now, I had both of the girls home twenty-four-seven. With Verity telling me I was doing it wrong at every opportunity. A physical therapist had taught Verity and me how to do postural drainage and percussion on Lilly’s back and chest—but naturally, Verity didn’t trust me to do it right. Truthfully, I didn’t trust myself. I didn’t ever want to see Lilly that sick ever again.
Collapsing onto my bed, I tried to grab a quick sleep. Lilly had woken three times last night with night terrors, and I felt waves of exhaustion moving through me. Lilly had always had night terrors, only it was usually Evie who got up with her during the night.
The ring tone of my phone sounded, muffled under the pillow. Twisting around, I fetched it.
Constance.
She was calling again? What did she want? Updates?
Well, I wasn’t interested in giving her updates.
I went to switch the phone off when a text message from her popped up. Gray, we need to talk! It’s urgent!
She was exaggerating—surely.
I spoke a guarded hello into the phone.
“Gray. It’s going to be difficult to talk where I am right now, but I need to tell you some things.”
“Okay?”