It felt like a long time that Liv stood there with everyone staring at her. She could feel herself sweating and the kitchen wasn’t even that hot. This was why she shied away from confrontation. It was horrible.
‘Can’t you see we’re busy?’ said Fraser.
‘Er yes but I have some things I want to say before I leave.’ She held her chin high and ignored the wobble in her voice.
‘Please don’t,’ said Effie, looking pleadingly at her.
Liv glanced around. Donald looked embarrassed; Winnie was agog. There was no benefit in doing this in front of everyone. The important thing was that she told Fraser what she thought of him; she wasn’t like Lizzie and out for revenge. ‘Can we talk in the hallway?’ she asked, reversing out of the kitchen.
Fraser slammed down the knife, which she was grateful for. No point in toying with an angry man wielding a weapon. He followed her out of the kitchen, as did Effie.
She looked at the two of them. She’d only known them five days but it felt like so much longer. Then she corrected herself. It was longer with Fraser but she’d really got to know the real him since she’d been in Scotland, both the good and the bad. And this was the end.
‘Firstly,’ said Liv, ‘Effie, there’s no shame in being the victim of a con man. These people are professionals.’ Effie was shaking her head. Liv handed her her mobile. ‘These are pictures of John. But here he is also known as Rick.’ She flicked to the next exact same photograph as the one Effie had shown her. ‘And Paul, Kyle, Christopher, Rocco and TJ.’ All the pictures were identical.
‘How have they got John’s photograph?’ Effie sounded bewildered.
‘I’m sorry, Effie. His real name is Zach Rodriguez and his identity has been duplicated multiple times by con men, most notably those undertaking romance scams. John is just a name used by some chancer trying to wheedle money out of women. He’s the worst.’
Tears welled in Effie’s eyes. ‘No, you’re lying.’
‘What are you doing?’ asked Fraser.
‘I’m stopping your cousin from sending money to a confidence trickster who claims to be a US army veteran taking a sabbatical to help people in Burkina Faso.’
At least it raised a derisory snort from Fraser. ‘She’d not fall for a…’ He ran out of words when he saw the look Effie was giving him. ‘Effie, you haven’t—’
‘You’re siding with her without even hearing what I’ve got to say? Or what John might have to say?’ Effie swallowed hard at the end of the sentence. Liv hated to see her hurting.
‘Go on then,’ said Fraser.
‘I met John online. We’ve been messaging. He’s real and he’s genuine and—’
‘But, Effie, John clearly doesn’t exist,’ said Fraser. ‘Liv’s just shown you his real identity.’
Tears slid down Effie’s face and Liv reached to comfort her but she shoved her away. ‘I hate you both,’ she said, pushing past Liv and running up the hall.
They both watched her go. It was horrible to see her so upset. Fraser turned. ‘Right. I suppose I should thank you for sorting that out.’
‘And apologise for blaming me for upsetting Effie.’ Liv folded her arms and stared him down.
Fraser lifted his head as realisation dawned. ‘That’s what you said to her that upset her? I assumed you’d insulted her.’
‘No!’ Liv was wounded. ‘Come on, what do you take me for?’ His eyebrow twitched. ‘Don’t answer that. I might have implied that con men preyed on lonely people but it was me outing John as a no-good crook that upset her.’
‘Then I’m sorry.’ He held her gaze a fraction longer than she was comfortable with.
‘Apology accepted.’ Awkward glances darted between them. ‘What do we do now?’ asked Liv.
Fraser twitched a shoulder. ‘I dunno. I guess there’s no need for you to leave anymore. Service in twenty minutes?’
Fury erupted inside her. The cheek of him! ‘Seriously. You think I’m going to stay and help you after this?’ His expression gave him away. ‘You’re bloody unbelievable.’ Liv was actually grateful for his attitude because it made what she was about to say, so much easier.
‘I thought you were treating Effie how Lizzie had, and I couldn’t let that happen again. But I really don’t have time to grovel and keep apologising.’ He pointed over his shoulder towards the kitchen.
‘Tough,’ said Liv staring him down.
‘What?’ He almost choked on the word.
‘You heard me. Tough because I’ve got something else to say and you’re going to listen.’ Liv pulled back her shoulders. ‘Have you ever had an online dating profile?’ she asked.
His cheek twitched and he moved his neck as if trying to make it crack. ‘Why?’
‘Simple question. Yes or no?’
‘Then yes. Who hasny had a bash at it? It’s about as much fun as chilli in your underwear but I—’
‘Deleted the account?’ suggested Liv, feeling her temper hitch up a notch.
‘Yeah.’ Boom. There it was – the admission she’d been after – but it still hurt her to hear it. Now was her opportunity to say her piece. She’d waited five days to say it. ‘I’m Olivia Bingham. You connected with me on a dating app. We communicated regularly, like all the time. We got… close. And then you ghosted me. And I am here to tell you that you are a prize shi—’
Fraser was waving his arms in front of her. ‘Stop. I have no idea what you are talking about.’
‘Don’t deny it. It’s ridiculous to deny it now. We…’ She rapidly pointed between the two of them. ‘We’re a match. On the app, not in any other sense. You’re rude and grumpy while I’m—’
‘Also rude and…’ He waggled his head. ‘Possibly not quite as grumpy.’
‘We are not the same,’ she snapped. ‘Although we do have some things in common. Like Mariah.’ He was frowning at her. ‘Anyway that’s irrelevant. The relevant part is that we both swiped the right way, we connected and then we contacted each other through the app.’
‘No, we didn’t. You’re deranged and I don’t have time for this.’ He turned around.
‘No!’ snapped Liv. She’d got this far and heaven knew it had taken her long enough to drag up the courage to confront him. She wasn’t going without telling him what she thought of him. He looked over his shoulder. Those icy blue eyes fixed on her and after everything they still managed to make something stir inside her. Ignore them, she told herself. She took a deep breath. ‘You’re the worst. You’re…’ Why had her brain gone blank? ‘You’re a shit,’ she said.
He shook his head and went through the swing door. Liv watched the door swing back and forth a couple of times. That didn’t go remotely how she’d imagined it in her mind. For a start she’d been a lot more colourful with the name-calling. A better phrase popped into her mind. She pushed open the kitchen door.
Fraser glared at her. ‘What now?’
‘Cock womble!’ And with that she made a hasty retreat.
By the time Liv had got to the car she’d come up with at least five better insults she could have thrown at Fraser. Why was that always the way? She’d also forgotten that she’d planned to shout them at him for maximum effect and empowerment. But at least she’d done it. She’d called out his bad behaviour and told him what she thought of him. Although it hadn’t gone exactly how she’d hoped and she certainly didn’t feel as she’d thought she might. She was hoping for empowerment on an epic female scale. Images of Beyoncé, Mary Earps and Michelle Obama swam into her mind – maybe she’d been aiming a tad too high.
And why had Fraser denied it? Could he not at least have let her have her moment? Say, ‘Yeah you got me, I’m a nasty bastard. And now I’ve lost you and that makes me an idiot.’ Although would he think the last bit? She doubted it. But she had confronted someone who had wronged her and that was definitely progress. She would cling on to that fact. Although her brain was still unsettled about it all. It still felt like there was something amiss.
Liv was shaking as she got out the car keys. She popped the boot open and had the fright of her life at the sight of deflated Stan lying there. She put her hand to her chest. ‘Bloody hell, Stan. You almost gave me heart failure.’ She hauled her bag in next to him. ‘Anyway, we’re heading home at last. You might as well stay there. You look comfortable.’
Someone cleared their throat and Liv almost jumped in the boot in shock. She spun around. ‘I’m glad I caught you,’ said Robbie.
‘Caught me? What am I meant to have done now? Because it wasn’t me. Whatever it is. I didn’t do it.’ She realised she was gabbling and it was only piquing Robbie’s interest. ‘I’m going to shut up now.’
Robbie’s eyes narrowed and she felt that uncomfortable sweaty sensation on her neck despite the cold. He couldn’t arrest her for calling someone names could he? ‘Does cock womble mean something different in Scottish?’ she asked, which intensified Robbie’s squint. ‘I’m pretty sure shit’s the same in both languages.’
Robbie opened his mouth but there was a long pause before he actually spoke. ‘How about shite?’ he asked. ‘Is that the same?’
‘I think so,’ said Liv. This was a very strange conversation.
‘Like in – the food’s shite. Avoid like the…’
‘Plague,’ added Liv to finish his sentence.
‘Yes, I thought that,’ said Robbie getting a bit more chatty. ‘But that was all it said.’
‘I like things like that. Missing words,’ said Liv, unsure why she was having this superficial chat in the icy wastelands of the Highlands when she should be heading back down the country to lovely Blackburn where there was less snow and people who understood her.
‘You admit it then?’ said Robbie. ‘And now you’re about to take off back to England.’
‘Yes, I called him a shit and a cock womble and now I’m off home.’
‘You’re not denying the defamation then?’ He watched her, unblinking. It was both mesmerising and off-putting.
Liv shuffled a few things around in the boot so that Stan wasn’t quite as obvious. ‘Robbie, I literally have no idea what you’re talking about. I mean really not got a clue.’
He raised an eyebrow, old James Bond style, and it quite suited him. He whipped out and pulled on a single blue latex glove with a snap, leaned past her and moved Plastic Stan to one side. He reached in the box underneath and held up a spray can. He pulled a plastic bag from his pocket and dropped in the can – the whole time not taking his eyes off Liv.
‘Hang on, that’s my sister’s property. What do you want with a spray can anyway?’
‘Evidence.’
‘Of what? That my sister is a forward-planning freak who has touch-up paint in every colour of car she’s ever owned?’
Robbie was sealing the evidence bag. ‘I’m arresting you for criminal damage. Anything you—’
‘What now?’ But Robbie carried on with the full statement while Liv continued to ask him what she was meant to have done.
‘You’ll need to accompany me to the station,’ said Robbie, removing his blue glove with a snap, which made an unpleasant shiver go down Liv’s spine.
‘Robbie, this is bonkers. I don’t know what you’re arresting me for.’
‘The graffiti on the hotel sign.’
Liv’s blank expression must have matched her brain. ‘Nope. Not got a scooby-doo what you’re going on about, but I am not going to the cop shop. I need to get home. It’s nearly Christmas.’
She closed the boot and went to get in the car but Robbie put a hand firmly on her shoulder, making her turn around. He unclipped something from his belt. ‘Have you been in handcuffs before?’ he asked.
She stared at him. ‘Sexually or criminally?’
Robbie blinked a few times. ‘I’ll take that as a no. Please put your hands out in front of you.’
‘Seriously?’
‘I can call for backup,’ he said, his face stern.
Liv let out the deepest sigh as she did as he asked, and he slapped on a pair of handcuffs. This really was the day from hell.