With her heart pounding in her chest, Sara methodically scoured the hillside for movement. ‘Over there!’ she called, as she spotted a hand flapping in the air. Relief surged through her. Looks like she’s tripped and fallen over. She started running before she had time to even think about it, and dashed down the path after her sister, determined to reach Fiona before she could get up and make her escape.
She arrived just after Hailey, both of them panting hard, dragging in air as they bent over the crumpled figure. Fiona was lying on a bed of bilberry bushes at the side of the narrow path, wedged between a couple of boulders.
‘Help me,’ she said, her leg folded beneath her at an unnatural angle, her hand cradling her elbow, face screwed up in agony.
Sara stared at her, hands on hips as she tried to speak between rasping breaths. ‘What the hell are you doing? Where are the girls? You’re supposed to be in the Lake District.’
‘They’re still at my house,’ Fiona gasped. ‘I had to come back to attend to… some urgent business.’
Urgent business? Had she met up with Matt? Because if she had, it meant he and Ezra were still close by. They’re safe. Her children were safe, and Fiona wasn’t going anywhere. Sara’s heart gave a lurch of relief and she turned her attention to the figure on the ground.
‘My leg,’ Fiona wailed, her face contorted with pain. ‘And my arm. Call an ambulance, Sara. Can’t you see I need urgent medical attention here?’
Hailey watched, impassive, clearly in no hurry to ring for help, and Sara knew why. This was their chance to get some proper answers and she decided to try a bluff, see how Fiona would respond. The truth was, she had very little evidence of anything. But she could try and trick Fiona into incriminating herself. It was the only strategy she could think of.
‘I can’t help you there, I’m afraid. I don’t have my phone with me. But I’m sure Hailey will call the emergency services once we’ve had a little chat.’ She gave Fiona a tight smile and sat on the ground next to her, where she could watch her face, work out what was truth and what was lies.
‘No answers, no help. That’s the deal,’ Hailey said as she settled herself on a boulder by the side of the path, her phone grasped in her hand. She glanced at Sara. ‘We’d better check the car, don’t you think? She was obviously running away from us, so maybe she’s got something in there she doesn’t want us to see.’ She held out her hand. ‘Car keys, Fiona.’
Fiona glared at her, a look that said she wanted Hailey to shrivel up and die.
‘I don’t think she’s going to cooperate,’ Hailey said. ‘Remember, no emergency services, no pain relief until we have some answers.’
‘Jacket pocket,’ Fiona gasped. ‘Right-hand side.’
Hailey bent and rummaged in Fiona’s pocket – not being as gentle as she could have been – while Fiona whimpered with every movement. Hailey held up the keys like she’d won a trophy and grinned at Sara. ‘Okay, back in a tick.’
Sara watched as her sister sauntered down the path to the car park, obviously in no hurry. Then she turned her attention back to Fiona, giving her a bright smile. Fiona closed her eyes, her face deathly pale.
‘Look, Fiona, it’s your choice how fast you get medical attention. You can pretend you weren’t running away from us. You can even pretend that your urgent business is not connected to the fact we surprised Matt and got him to tell us what he’s been working on. But it seems like one hell of a coincidence, and I’m not buying it.’
She was silent for a moment, letting her words sink in. There really was no hurry now she knew where the girls were, and she’d put bets on Matt and Ezra being there as well. ‘The sooner you tell me the truth, the sooner you get to hospital.’ She shrugged with feigned nonchalance. ‘Your call.’
Fiona’s teeth were clamped on her lower lip as she fought against the pain. Sara glanced down the hillside, watched Hailey reach the 4x4 and start searching inside.
‘I know all about Matt’s business,’ she said, as her mind finally put the pieces together. She couldn’t see Matt and Fiona as lovers. Hailey had been right when she said Matt wouldn’t do that, not with his upbringing and the beliefs his father had instilled in him. It was far more likely this was a business arrangement. ‘I’m guessing you might be his client.’
Fiona’s eyes flicked open, and Sara saw the panic, an admission of guilt.
‘This is your venture, isn’t it?’ Rage roared in her ears as she understood the truth. ‘Why, Fiona? Why would you do that to me and Milly? Why humiliate us like that? And your disgusting website.’ She smacked the boulder she was sitting on to stop herself from slapping the woman at her feet. ‘How could you?’
Fiona whimpered again, clearly in a lot of pain. It looked like her leg and elbow might both be broken. ‘Okay, let me tell you,’ she said, her words forced out from between clenched teeth. ‘None of your stupid guessing. You’re making a big fuss about nothing. If you hadn’t seen the video, you would never have known anything about it. So what harm would it have done? If Matt hadn’t decided to look at the videos to make sure they were loading properly, you’d have been none the wiser.’ Defiance shone in her eyes. ‘I gave you a job, Sara. Gave you a way of earning money when your family was in a mess. Created a business idea for Matt. That was me being a friend and supporting your family. Looking after you.’
Sara’s mouth dropped open and she was speechless for a moment, unable to comprehend that Fiona could possibly imagine her actions had been benevolent. Deluded doesn’t come close. It’s all about money. That was the real truth. She stared out over the moors as her thoughts gathered to a logical conclusion. She’d seen the figures on the spreadsheet, seen the bookings and how much men were prepared to pay to play out their Sleeping Princess fantasy.
‘And you owed me a favour,’ Fiona continued, pressing her point. ‘Several favours. Let’s be honest, I’ve done a lot for you, and what have you done for me? Nothing. That’s the answer. You owed me. I chose the repayment method.’
Sara shook her head in disbelief. Was that it? Had her debt really been to Fiona?
‘It’s a pity Matt couldn’t see he was on to a good thing with me. The stupid man’s besotted with you; he just brushed me away.’
She tried to seduce him, and he resisted? Sara didn’t feel any less betrayed by the people she’d trusted. Her body was rigid with fury.
Fiona moaned as she moved in an effort to make herself more comfortable. ‘I think we’re quits now.’ She attempted a smile, which turned into a grimace. ‘So let’s not say anything about it. And I won’t tell anyone you stole from the community centre.’
Sara’s breath hitched in her throat and her heart gave a weird little skip. ‘You know?’
‘Of course I know.’ Fiona grunted, adjusting the position of her arm so the weight of it was supported on her chest. ‘Julia did a thorough audit of the accounts when she started, something our previous treasurer never bothered to do. She spotted it straight away. I told her I’d investigate, spoke to James, and we came to… an understanding. It has been documented as an admin error, but of course I can do further investigations and discover that James wasn’t being truthful with me, can’t I?’ She raised an eyebrow. ‘Then we’ll have to get the police involved and, well, we don’t want to go there, do we? So if you say nothing about the website, I’ll say nothing about the theft.’