Ben had insisted on driving, and Alice couldn’t determine if that was because he was worried about her driving his expensive car, or if he wanted something to distract him from the overwhelming guilt. If it was the latter, his silence was doing nothing to distract him. Several times Alice looked over to him, trying to think of something to break the tension, but every thought seemed petty in comparison to the heavy weight of what he was bearing.
It wouldn’t matter how many times she repeated that he shouldn’t blame himself; he’d always been obstinate about his feelings, and she knew better than to poke a bear.
She sat silently, staring out of the window at the wild vegetation and animals roaming the countryside of Hampshire’s New Forest. There would be an occasional break in the heavy undergrowth and she would spot a pony or a donkey chewing on the tall grass without a care in the world. In that moment, she would stare at the animal and yearn for such an uncomplicated life.
The vibrant green countryside didn’t last forever, and almost as soon as they’d entered, they were back out on the grey and dreary motorway, leaving peace and serenity in the distance. Alice was about to try and engage Ben again when the Bluetooth system announced Ben had an incoming call. He answered it without a second’s hesitation.
‘Ben Goodman,’ he announced to the car.
‘Ben? It’s James Tomlinson, did I catch you at a bad time?’
James was the Operations Manager at Ben’s logistics company, and one of the party to have been at both stag weekends. A quiet man, he only tended to speak when spoken to – at least in Alice’s experience. She’d briefly met James at the company’s Christmas party, an event Ben always asked her to attend. She used to tease him that he only wanted her there to keep the other women in the office at arm’s length – an accusation he had yet to deny. James was certainly not the kind of person she would ever have expected Ben to hire, but maybe that was why their working relationship was so strong: they were polar opposites.
Ben glanced at Alice. ‘No, I’m just driving Alice home. What is it?’
‘I’m guessing you haven’t heard the news then? Major RTC on the M3 near Basingstoke. Four cars involved, and two HGVs, one of which is ours.’
Alice had overheard enough of Ben’s work conversations to know an RTC was a road traffic collision, and if it involved another lorry and four cars, it was a major headache that he didn’t need.
‘Shit!’ Ben sighed.
‘Sorry, boss,’ James continued. ‘I know we’re not supposed to disturb you because you’re officially on holiday, but I thought I should let you know.’
Ben looked over to Alice again as if trying to choose the words to ask her a question, but then he turned back to face the road. ‘I’ll just drop Alice home and then I’ll come to the office. Do we know if anyone’s hurt?’
‘News is still coming in, I’ll keep you updated. I’ve sent a team down there to assess the situation, but we’re going to need to have the solicitors on standby until fault is determined. I’ve already put a call into the insurance company. Should I wait here for you before heading down there?’
‘Yeah, hang tight. I shouldn’t be too long. Who was the driver?’
‘Yann.’
‘Shit!’ Ben exclaimed again, and Alice suddenly noticed how much he was sweating, despite the high-powered air conditioning.
‘As I said, I’ve spoken to the solicitors and they’re waiting for your call.’
‘Thanks, James. I’ll be there in twenty minutes,’ Ben said, disconnecting the call. ‘I’m sorry, do you mind? I’ll be back in time for us to go out together later.’
Alice reached for his hand and squeezed reassuringly. ‘No, I understand. I just hope nobody’s hurt.’
He raised her hand to his lips and gently kissed the back of it. ‘That makes two of us. Yann isn’t exactly working for us legally. That’s to say, he’s allowed in the country and he had a working visa, but it expired a few weeks ago and he’s still waiting for the renewal to be approved.’
Suddenly Ben’s anxiety became clearer. The fact that Yann had been involved in the accident would throw a huge spotlight on their operation, but if he was also the cause of the accident then the civil litigation alone could be enough to sink the business.
‘I can’t believe you’re still giving him work to do knowing his visa had expired,’ she exclaimed.
‘The renewal process is just a tick-box exercise. He’s had visas renewed before and it was only a matter of time until this one was renewed. Yann is … Yann works in the UK because he gets paid well and can send money home to his wife and children in Macedonia. A few weeks of unemployment would have a huge impact on his family. I thought we were doing the right thing for him as a person. The visa process is just a load of bureaucratic red tape.’
There was no point arguing with him. He’d been running the logistics business a long time before he met her, and although she benefited from its successes, it was his business, not something they shared.
Pulling up at the gate, she kissed him on the cheek and climbed out of the car, standing at the kerbside as he pulled away and sped off in the direction of the office. The gates creaked and groaned as they slid open, and she didn’t wait for them to close before heading up the driveway. As she got closer to the house, she was surprised to find Dave’s car still parked where it had been this morning. Ben had assured her that Dave was gone and would be out of their hair for a few days, so why was he still parked here? Unless, of course, he’d caught a taxi home, but it wouldn’t make sense for him to leave his car here. Even if he was still over the limit from their drinking last night, she knew it wouldn’t stop him driving.
She was tempted to phone Ben and tell him, but he had enough on his plate already. So, heading up to the front door, she opened it and was about to call out Dave’s name to find out where he was when she heard his voice booming from the living room. He didn’t sound happy.
Leaving the front door open, she slipped off her shoes and crept closer, curious to know what had got him so animated. The door was ajar and it soon became clear that the conversation was one-sided – he was on the phone.
‘Don’t be fucking ridiculous!’ he admonished gruffly. ‘I told you I’d get you the fucking money, I just need some more time.’ A pause. ‘Don’t threaten me! Don’t forget, you’re the one who got us into this mess to begin with … I don’t care what you bloody tell him, but threatening me isn’t going to get him what he wants any sooner.’
She’d always known Dave moved in different circles to her. In all the years she’d known him, she’d never seen him do a traditional nine-to-five type of job. He was someone who seemed to dabble in a number of different fields, but always had cash on the hip to spare. He owned his own house as far as she knew, but long-term planning had never been his thing.
A breeze blew at her feet as she pressed her hands into the door frame so she could hear him better.
‘No listen, the last thing either of us needs is the heat on us, not with this Bournemouth thing hanging over our heads.’
Alice froze, straining to hear more.
‘No, I think that should all blow over, and they bought our version of events. The others are too shit scared to go against what we told them … yes, I’m sure. We all stuck to the same story, so they’ve no reason to doubt what we said. Don’t worry, I made sure everyone knew the timeline of activity.’
Her eyes widened. Whoever Dave was speaking to, they’d been together the night Kerry was murdered, and they’d lied to the police. Part of her wanted to tear out of the house and pretend she hadn’t heard, but she needed to know who Dave was speaking to, and why they’d lied.
The breeze whipped into a gust and the front door slammed shut. Alice sensed Dave just the other side of the door. She’d never have enough time to get away from the door before he opened it, so she did the only thing she could. Releasing her grip on the door frame, she pushed the lounge door open, as if Dave wasn’t even there, and then made a show of surprise when she came face-to-face with him.
‘What are you doing here?’ she asked, unable to remove the trace of anxiety from her voice.
‘I’ll have to call you back,’ he muttered into the phone, before disconnecting it and putting it in his pocket. ‘I was just making a business call before I left,’ he said to Alice.
His face was as clear as a book – he was trying to suss out how much of the conversation she could have overheard.
‘Ben just dropped me off,’ she said, ignoring Dave’s inquisitive stare and hoping he wouldn’t see through her lie. ‘He’s been called to work because of an accident.’
She moved to the French doors, letting out a small breath of relief where he wouldn’t see. Staring into the garden, she willed him to go.
‘You need me to do anything before I leave?’ he asked, pulling on his leather jacket.
She spun on her heel and forced a grateful smile. ‘No. Thanks, but I’m just going to have a swim and chill out. Don’t let me keep you.’
He moved across and kissed her cheek, the booze and tobacco still heavy on his breath and the stubble grazing her cheek. She didn’t reciprocate.
Watching him head out of the room, she held her breath until she heard the front door closing once more, and then she dropped to her knees, fighting against the sting in her eyes. There was only one reason she could think of for Dave to have lied to the police about what had happened in Bournemouth, but what frightened her more was the prospect that Ben also knew more than he was telling her.