Jason’s apartment was dark when I arrived. There was no need to call out, I could tell he wasn’t home. Flicking on the lights, I put my bag in the bedroom and collapsed on the leather sofa, pulling off my shoes.
The interview with the detectives had rattled me, especially the news that Lily had been in town. What was she doing here three days before Oma and Opa were murdered? It was a coincidence; it had to be.
But the last time I’d seen her, she’d been in pretty bad shape. Asking for money, like she did every time she came to see me. That time I’d said no.
Lily’s number came up as soon as I opened the contacts on my phone, still displayed from when I had given it to the detectives. What was I going to say to her? Or worse, what sort of message could I leave if I got a voicemail? Hi Lily, it’s Juliet. Oma and Opa have been murdered. Give me a ring. It was ludicrous.
I took a deep breath and pushed the call button.
A mechanical voice came on after two rings. ‘The number you have reached is not in service—’
I hung up. She’d changed her mobile number. Did that mean something? I scrolled up to the home number she’d given me when she’d first moved to Victoria five years ago. An emergency number, she’d said. Well, this was an emergency.
Ten rings later, I was about to hang up when a male voice came on the line.
‘Yeah, what?’ It sounded like I’d woken him.
‘Hello, could I speak with Lily Dunne please?’ I cringed. If I was trying to sound like a government official, I was doing a good job.
‘You mean Lily Edwards?’
So she was married.
‘She’s not here.’
I could sense he was about to hang up. ‘Wait! Do you know where I can reach her?’
‘Why, what do you want with her?’ He sounded suspicious now. ‘What’s she done?’
‘Nothing. She hasn’t done anything.’ I took a deep breath. ‘I’m her sister, Juliet. There’s been a family emergency and I need to speak to her.’
There was a pause on the other end. ‘You’re that author lady?’
‘Yes, that’s right, Juliet Dunne, Lily’s sister.’
Another pause. ‘You got the money, then?’
He said it so quietly I wasn’t sure I’d heard him correctly. ‘Money?’
‘Yeah, you know, from the old man.’
My heart started pounding. I’d been right. She was looking for money. But from Opa? He’d vowed he’d never give her any, or help her in any way, not unless she turned things around. And from what I’d seen, she hadn’t. What made her think he would change his mind now?
‘I need to talk to Lily.’
He hesitated, and for a minute I thought he was going to hang up on me, was already regretting what he’d said. ‘She’s not here. She went to Adelaide.’
So she was still in town.
‘Where’s she staying? Does she have a new mobile number?’
‘She got a room at a hostel.’
‘But you must have a number for her,’ I insisted.
‘Look, Lily would have rung you if she wanted to talk to you.’
‘Please,’ I said. ‘You have to give me her number. I – I can help you get the money. She won’t get a cent off our grandfather if I don’t.’
He swore. ‘I knew it. I told her to go to you first, but no, she had to do it her way. Wouldn’t even give you a call. Stupid bitch never listens.’ It sounded like Lily hadn’t changed much. ‘You really think you can get the money?’
‘Of course,’ I said. ‘I just need to talk to Lily first.’
Heavy breathing and swearing under his breath.
‘I don’t know where she is, and that’s the truth,’ he said, finally. ‘She went to Adelaide and she hasn’t come back. I figured she couldn’t get the money and was too chicken to tell me. Either that or she got the money and pissed off. She won’t answer my calls, or my texts. The lady at the hostel said she left a couple of days ago.’
I was getting worried now. ‘Have you reported her missing?’
‘Don’t be stupid.’ His voice was agitated again. ‘She’s just pissed off, like she’s done a hundred times before. Don’t go calling no cops.’
‘I just meant she might have had an accident or something.’
‘Yeah, an accidental memory failure. Forgettin’ what old Earl’s done for her.’ His laugh sent a chill down my spine. There was a pause as if he was weighing up the advisability of trusting me. ‘Don’t go calling no cops,’ he repeated. ‘I’ll give you the number for her mobile. And when you find her, tell her to get her fucking arse home with or without the money.’
He gave me the number and I rang off.
Despite what he’d said, I knew something had happened. I felt it in my gut. I’d always half expected to get a call from someone saying she was dead, but now, with what had happened to Oma and Opa . . . She was tied into it somehow. It couldn’t be a coincidence that she’d contacted them days before they were murdered. She hadn’t been to see them in years. And now she’d disappeared. Was she lying dead in an alley somewhere, as Oma and Opa had lain dead in their house? I clenched my teeth together as another thought slipped unbidden into my mind. Or was she on the run? Could she have . . . ? I pushed the thought away. I couldn’t go there. I wouldn’t.
My hands shook as I punched the number into my phone.
‘Hi, it’s Lily. Can’t talk right now. You know what to do.’ It hadn’t even rung once. The phone was turned off. Or dead.
‘Lily? It’s Jules.’ The nickname came out automatically even though I hadn’t used it for years. ‘I need to talk to you. Something’s happened.’ I cleared my throat. This wasn’t the message I’d wanted to leave, panicked, out of control. I pitched my voice a bit lower. ‘Ring me as soon as you get this. It’s really important.’ I paused. ‘Seriously, Lily. Ring me. Whatever’s going on, I can help.’