Ottercombe Bay – Part Four Page 4
A short drive brought them to the old picture house: a newly restored cinema that had stood empty and neglected for years until someone had had the inspiration to get a lottery grant and transform it. Now it showed old films as well as new ones at weekends, staffed by a fleet of volunteers.
Tamsyn read the sign on the glass while Jason checked the car was locked.
‘Sorry, Jason. We’ve got the wrong day. It’s not open.’ She pointed to the sign.
‘It’s not open to the public but when the Super is a keen movie fan …’ He rapped his knuckles on the glass and a tall man appeared and opened the door.
‘Welcome to the Ottercombe Bay picture house,’ he said, standing back.
‘Wow,’ said Tamsyn, tiptoeing inside.
She could feel the excitement building as they chose seats in the middle of the empty cinema and waited for the film to start. She had no idea what it would be but she already knew she would love it and when the titles to Tangled appeared on the screen she knew beyond any doubt she also loved Jason.
Max rested his body on the outside of the caravan while he waited for his father to appear. Eventually Pasco hurried out and locked the door behind him. Max could see he’d made a special effort. He was freshly showered and shaved. Whatever their genetic background there was something about the Davey bloodline that had them growing a five o’clock shadow at about three in the afternoon and a dark one too. Pasco’s hair was as neat as Max had seen it in a while and he was even wearing an ironed shirt. Max brushed at the front of his own t-shirt – it was clean and ironed but he hadn’t exactly made an effort. Pasco slapped him on the back, his face was lit up at the prospect of an evening out with Max. Max felt a pang of guilt but he had a strong suspicion Pasco was still hiding something about Sandy’s death and he was determined to get to the truth, however uncomfortable, whatever the consequences.
‘How was your day?’ asked Pasco and Max spluttered a laugh at Pasco’s enthusiasm.
‘It was fine. How about yours?’
‘It was good but it’s a whole lot better now I’m going for a drink with my son.’ He gave him another slap on the shoulder and this time he left his hand there. His dad was incorrigible.
On the way into town they talked about football, but Max wanted to steer the conversation towards Daisy so he asked his father how well he had known Reg.
‘I think you knew him better than I did and most likely you knew a different man to the one I did years ago.’
‘What makes you say that?’
‘You only have good things to say about him and, let’s say, me and Reg didn’t see eye to eye on a few things.’
‘Like what?’ Max was intrigued. Reg was the most reasonable person he had ever known. He had given Max good advice and just before he died he had been helping him investigate possible courses to enable a change of career. He felt a pang of guilt that, apart from the brief stint at Locos, he’d done nothing to progress this. Reg was a good man through and through, and instantly Max could see where there could be an issue with Pasco.
‘Coral,’ said Pasco, with a brief look in Max’s direction.
‘Coral?’ Max’s eyebrows shot up. ‘What – you were going out with her?’ Max could feel himself gearing up to tease him and he stopped himself.
‘Don’t be cheeky, she’s worn well and she’s still the caring person she always was. I’ll have you know she was a beauty in her day.’
‘She’s a lovely person, I agree with you there,’ said Max, considering his next question. ‘What was the problem with her Uncle Reg?’
‘It wasn’t just Reg it was Arthur too, Coral’s dad. They both thought I wasn’t good enough for her, and to be fair they were right.’
For the first time in a long while Max felt defensive of his father. ‘That’s a bit narrow minded of them.’
‘Nah, I would have been the same if I’d been them. I was a hoodlum with no steady job and a growing police record. Not exactly textbook husband material, which was what they wanted for Coral. Someone she could settle down and have a family with.’
Max looked puzzled. ‘But she’s never married. Has she?’
‘Nope. She looked after her brother and Daisy after Sandy died and then she cared for Arthur and Reg. I guess she never found the right man.’
‘And you fell in love with Mum,’ Max prompted.
‘Er, yeah. It’s no secret she was pregnant when we got wed. She could have done better than me too.’ Pasco looked remorseful.
Max’s mind was whirling. He’d never done the maths; he didn’t even know when their wedding anniversary was, for Christ’s sake. They’d split up when he was in his teens. He observed Pasco. There was no need to ask if he was his biological father – that was blindingly obvious – but the fact he’d been conceived out of wedlock was a bit of a surprise. While they walked along in companionable silence, Max ran through a store of memories as the puzzle pieces started to fit. All the things his mother had shouted in the heat of a row, all the times his father had talked of being trapped, it all started to make sense.
‘You all right?’ asked Pasco, after a few minutes.
Max swallowed. He was now thinking back to Christmas Day – the way Pasco and Coral had been with each other. He’d exchanged looks with Daisy at the time and laughed at the clumsy flirting between the two of them but now he felt he understood the situation better. They’d been the couple who were meant to be, but with Coral’s protective family and his father’s wayward nature their lives had gone in different directions.
‘Dad?’
‘Yes, son,’ said Pasco looking thrilled at being called Dad for a change.
‘You and Coral.’ Max felt painfully awkward and he ran his finger round the neck of his t-shirt even though it wasn’t tight. ‘You shouldn’t waste any more time.’ Pasco was looking puzzled and Max was getting more embarrassed by the second. There was a reason men didn’t talk about stuff like this. ‘She obviously likes you and you like her. Why not ask her out or something?’ He wasn’t sure what older people did in this sort of situation.
Pasco gave a hearty chuckle. ‘I think we’re past anything like that but we’re still friends, which means a lot to me.’
‘Yeah, but sometimes friends isn’t enough.’ He wasn’t sure where it came from or who exactly he was talking about. ‘If you care for her, then you should tell her. I’m sure she feels the same way about you … but goodness knows why.’ He affectionately slapped his father on the shoulder and Pasco revelled in the contact. Max was grateful for the breeze as he was swiftly starting to overheat – they were striding uphill, it was probably the exertion.
‘After all this time, do you think I should?’ asked Pasco.
‘Definitely,’ said Max. They walked across the Locos car park. ‘The past has to be laid to rest and the sooner you do it the sooner everyone can move on.’
Pasco glanced at him wearily like he knew he was no longer talking about Coral.
Daisy and Tamsyn were having a quiet night, when the door opened and Max walked in Daisy had to hide her surprise. She’d seen him about but they’d not spoken since she’d walked out of the pub the morning after the drugs bust. She busied herself with polishing a glass and watched him closely. He looked his usual scruffy and unshaven self but she kind of liked it. She figured whatever he did to his hair it would always look unkempt. It struck her how alike he and Pasco were in looks as he followed Max to the bar, if Pasco was an indication of what Max would look like in a few years’ time then his future looked bright.
She raised her chin as they approached. She needed to stay professional. ‘What can I get you both?’ she asked.
Max seemed to notice her for the first time and he blinked slowly showing off his long eyelashes. A quiver of something she didn’t want to think too hard about went through her body.
‘These are on me,’ said Pasco, standing very straight. ‘Have whatever you like,’ he said, handing Max the cocktail list. ‘I’ve got my wages.’
‘No problem. And for you, Pasco?’
‘What do you recommend?’
She pretended to appraise him and then suggested what she did to most of the men who asked. ‘How about the Opihr oriental spiced gin with ginger ale and a slice of orange?’
Pasco licked his lips. ‘Sounds perfect.’
‘Actually, I think he’d love the rhubarb and custard cocktail,’ said Max.
Daisy straightened her shoulders. ‘Okay.’ She wasn’t going to argue.
As Daisy made the drinks, Pasco and Max chatted convivially. She handed over the glasses and gave Pasco his change. They stayed sitting at the bar and took their first sips.
‘Wow, it’s amazing,’ said Pasco bobbing his head appreciatively. ‘It’s rhubarb and custard in a glass. I love it.’ He took a long sip and closed his eyes.
‘Good. I like a happy customer.’
‘How’s Coral?’ Pasco asked and Daisy noticed Max was suddenly very involved in stirring his drink.
‘She’s good, thanks.’
‘I hope you don’t mind me asking but does she have any special friends at all or anyone she sees regularly or …’
‘Bloody hell, Dad,’ said Max, barging into the conversation. ‘Is Coral seeing anyone?’
Daisy was slightly taken aback by Max’s forcefulness and the unexpected questioning.
‘I don’t think so. No.’ She looked at Pasco whose expression resembled a Bond villain working out his next dastardly plan. ‘Why?’ she asked tentatively.
‘They liked each other years ago but never did anything about it and—’ started Max.
Pasco cleared his throat and Max stopped talking. Daisy and Max stared at Pasco. When he spoke it was soft and full of emotion. ‘We did go out but in secret. Nobody knew. Your granddad and great uncle were not keen on her dating a lowlife like me and I don’t blame them. When it got harder for her to get away the relationship went a bit off the boil.’ He turned to Max. ‘I got together with your mum, which was the end of me and Coral.’
Max was frowning. ‘You slept with Mum when you were meant to be in a relationship with Coral?’
‘I told you I wasn’t good enough for either of them.’ Pasco looked contrite.
‘I guess that didn’t work out well for any of you,’ said Max.
Daisy was impressed with Max’s composure assuming, like her, this was the first time he was hearing this.
Daisy busied herself with loading the glasswasher and served the few more customers who came in, but the whole time she was distracted by Pasco and Max, who were deep in conversation close by. Max bought another round and continued his evening. It was nice to see him even if it was odd with him on the other side of the bar. She missed him. She felt pathetic for even thinking it, but it was the truth. They had been a good team and despite all the arguments they worked well together. If only he had been honest about the locket things could have been so different, she thought.
As closing time approached and the other customers drifted off, Tamsyn went home and Daisy found she was wiping the tables down with only Pasco and Max left at the bar. When she approached, Max was talking to his father.
‘Do you want another drink? Because it’ll have to be a lock in or I’ll lose my licence.’
‘No, we’ll finish these and be off,’ said Pasco, but the look that passed between him and Max said otherwise. Pasco checked there was nobody else in the bar and let out a long slow breath. ‘Look, Daisy.’ Pasco leaned over and placed a hand on top of Daisy’s making her halt what she was doing. ‘I fixed your roof tile.’
They all looked up at the same time. ‘Thanks, I wondered who’d done that,’ said Daisy, starting to retrieve her hand.
Pasco kept a hold on it. ‘And there’s something else. Your mother’s death was a tragic accident.’
She looked at him with tears pooling in her eyes. ‘You don’t know that.’
‘Yes, I do,’ said Pasco, his voice calm. Daisy was shocked. ‘I was there the night she died.’
Chapter Six
Daisy looked from Pasco to Max and back again. ‘Is this for real?’ A hollow laugh escaped. This had to be some sort of sick joke.
Max motioned for Pasco to continue. Pasco thumbed Daisy’s hand gently as he spoke. ‘It was the early hours of the morning and I was in a boat not far from shore. I saw a figure on the headland. It was a woman in a long flowing dress. I watched her for a while.’
‘My mother?’ Daisy’s voice was barely a whisper. Her eyes fixed on Pasco, her attention gripped by his every word.
‘Yes, it was your mother. She was dancing, spinning around like she didn’t have a care in the world. I remember thinking how happy she looked.’ He paused and Daisy’s stomach filled with knots. ‘What happened next, happened in the briefest moment. Sandy stumbled and fell over the edge. Her dress billowed for a second before she disappeared into the sea.’
Daisy couldn’t help the gasp that escaped and Pasco instinctively gripped her hand. ‘Are you okay?’
‘Yes, please carry on,’ said Daisy, swallowing back the tears threatening to erupt.
‘It was a rough night and I struggled to turn the old boat around. But I kept on battling and I got to her as quickly as I could. I dived off the boat and swam to where she’d entered the water.’ Max gave an eye roll at the picture of heroics he was describing, but Pasco ignored him and continued. ‘It took me a while to find her but when I did I fought with the waves to pull her out of the water and onto the beach but …’ He swallowed hard. ‘I’m truly sorry, Daisy. She was already dead.’
Daisy didn’t speak for a moment, the information overwhelming her. ‘She wasn’t pushed?’
Pasco shook his head. ‘There was nobody else there; she just tripped and fell.’
‘She didn’t jump?’ Daisy was frowning hard. She had to be completely clear and rule out all the possibilities that had tortured her over the years.
Pasco gave her a warm smile. ‘No, she definitely didn’t jump. It was an accident. There was nothing anyone could have done to save her.’
Daisy blinked hard and willed the tears not to erupt as she tried to take it all in.
Max noisily placed his empty glass onto the bar. ‘Exactly why were you in a boat at night?’ he asked, his voice stern.
Pasco shot him a look. ‘Max, you know one day you will have to let go of all this anger,’ said Pasco, looking genuinely concerned.
‘You’ve given her the hero version, now tell her what you were doing there,’ said Max firmly.
Pasco let out a long slow breath and turned back to Daisy. ‘I was smuggling. It’s what I used to do. Not any more, mind.’
Max learned forward. ‘Don’t you see? He panicked because he was up to no good as usual. He didn’t call an ambulance—’
‘Because there are no phones on the beach and I didn’t have a mobile back then and at any rate it was too late to save her.’
‘We only have your word and how reliable is that?’ Max sat back.
‘But he tried to save her,’ said Daisy, her forehead furrowed into a deep frown.
‘He left your mother on a beach in the middle of the night, wet through, freezing and alone and he did what he always does. He ran away.’
Daisy bit her lip. Running away was something she could relate to. A shudder went through her as if someone had walked over her grave. She could picture her mother just how Max had described, her lips blue, her hair and clothes soaked. Daisy blinked rapidly but her gaze was on Max. She could see the animosity in his eyes; he was proving a point about his father as much as he was revealing the truth to Daisy.
‘There was nothing anyone could have done for her, Daisy.’ Pasco’s voice was soft and soothing, his face full of regret. ‘Believe me, I
tried.’
Pasco let go of Daisy’s hand, sat up straight on the bar stool. He had pulled the locket from under his t-shirt and was repeatedly turning it over and over in his fingers, something Daisy had done many times herself when she was troubled.
Daisy stared at the necklace. ‘And the locket?’
‘I wore it all the time back then. When I realised Sandy had gone and I had a boat full of tobacco drifting out to sea, I panicked, and as I got up it must have got caught on her clothing. I always thought I’d lost it in the sea that night. I used to go beachcombing to see if it would wash up with the tide. And yet all these years you were keeping it safe.’
Daisy looked from the locket to Max and back again. It hurt her that he had known who the real owner was, and it struck her perhaps this wasn’t the first time he’d heard Pasco’s version of events. She blinked back the tears, pulled herself up straight and looked directly at Max.
‘Did you know?’ Daisy’s voice was heavy with emotion. Max looked puzzled. ‘Did you know it was an accident?’
‘God, no! This is the first time I’ve heard this, I swear. I figured he was keeping something back, which is why I cornered him tonight.’ He turned to Pasco for support. ‘Tell her.’
‘He didn’t know anything, Daisy. I’ve never told a soul about what happened that night.’
Daisy wanted to scream and lash out. A forceful emotional cocktail swept over her and she knew she had to get away. Her head was swimming with a jumble of facts, her emotions unexpectedly unleashed like a warring dragon in one of Tamsyn’s fantasy books. She hastily handed the keys to Max and without a word she walked out.
Daisy walked and walked until her legs ached. She found herself on the far east promenade striding back towards the headland. It was like a beacon calling to her. From the promenade she could see the distance from the cliff top to the sea – it was a huge drop with rocks at the bottom. A chill went through her and she wasn’t sure if it was the evening’s temperature drop or the thoughts of her mother’s last moments causing it. She ploughed on, keeping her head down, until she’d rounded the east side of the bay, past the cave where Max had rescued her and along to the main beach. This was the beach Pasco had talked of. This was where they had found her mother the next morning. Not washed up as people had suspected but dragged there by Pasco. This was where her mother had died. It was an odd comfort to know nobody had hurt her and she hadn’t committed suicide, but knowing the facts hadn’t changed the end result and it felt slightly more pointless that a simple stumble had been the cause.