Seek out Harry’s childhood friend. He holds the key to connecting with them.
I didn’t know what to make of James. He was certainly proving himself to be useful, but could he be trusted? I didn’t know how I felt about the medium thing either. I’d always thought it was a bit of a con, but so far, he had been absolutely spot-on. Whatever his motivation, he was easing me closer to the truth, and I had to follow the path he had set. I trusted Poppy in principle, but I still wasn’t sold on the whole psychic thing. Kim’s admissions had taught me that I had to be suspicious of everyone involved in this, and for me to leave James out of that suspicion would be foolish. I needed to find out more about him and why he was so hell-bent on exposing the secrets around Harry’s death. But above all else, regardless of the source of his information, spirits or otherwise, I needed to find out what he knew.
James had referenced Harry’s childhood friend, which was likely to be Steve. I’d always thought he was a bad influence on Harry, and I often wondered how he suddenly became the owner of the most successful caravan park in Filey. At least that was one mystery quickly solved. If he had been involved with those criminals from Leeds, he must have gotten the seed money from them. Whenever Steve participated in anything, there was always trouble. Harry would claim he was going out with Steve for a few drinks, and I often wouldn’t hear from him until the next morning. Steve wasn’t married and spent most of his time drinking or trying to bed any woman who would have him.
I didn’t have Steve’s number; I’d never needed it before, and just the thought of him having mine always made me feel queasy. We weren’t close, and I got the impression that he disliked me because he thought that I took Harry away from him. I preferred not to discuss this over the phone anyway; I wanted to look the man in the eye, and regrettably, I had to go back to Filey to do that. If he were as embroiled in the sordid side of Harry’s life as Kim had suggested, he could lead me to the truth. James’ warning to tread softly was playing on my mind, too. If Harry owed them a lot of money, they might look at me as an opportunity to collect the debt. I couldn’t believe the mess that Harry had left me in. If these brothers were as dangerous as James warned, I’d need backup.
I didn’t really want to bring Kim in on this, but I needed to keep her close, and I didn’t know who else to contact. She seemed deadly serious about finding out what happened to Harry, and she could be useful if I kept her close. She was at Steve’s party too, so it was the perfect way of getting in touch with him. I pulled my phone out to send her a text.
Kim, I’m going to see Steve this weekend.
Why? Is everything okay?
To find out more about these brothers. I’ll let you know.
I can come with you if you’d like. I’m not working this weekend, and I want to get to the truth, too.
Okay, meet me at the park gates at 9 am. I’ll pick you up.
I didn’t know what to make of Kim, but I decided to take her at face value until I had reason to think otherwise. I chose to ignore all the red flags and put aside my jealousy. Even though I felt like Harry and Kim had betrayed me somehow, I needed her, and she was a means to an end. If my paranoia was proven true down the line, then I would deal with it then.
“Hi, this is Harry. I can’t come to the phone right now. Please leave a message,” my phone played and beeped.
“Harry, what were you playing at?” I whispered.
V
WHEEL OF FORTUNE
HARRY - BEFORE
It’s just not possible. There was no way we could afford it, but what was I supposed to tell her? Weeks and weeks spent on house hunting, only for her to find something wrong with every single one. Our budget, constantly being stretched to breaking point, was way higher than we ever agreed on. Money aside, I had to agree with Amelia. The place was absolutely astounding. It was the one. I could almost see the little Harrys or Amelias standing on little stools, brushing their teeth in the mirror. Or running around the hallways laughing. Maybe, just maybe, if I’d looked at my bank balance long enough, it would have magically grown another zero. I’d worked the hardest I had ever done in my life just to cobble enough money together for a deposit, but this was way outside of our budget.
Amelia wasn’t in the know. She’d just gleefully arranged the viewings with almost no regard for the price tag, although she couldn’t be blamed for it. If I had the courage to sit her down and explain our financial situation, surely, she would have understood, eventually. But I didn’t have the stomach for it. I’d built up this perception with her that I was this amazing provider and exemplary husband, but it was mostly bravado. I didn’t wish to shatter her illusions of me and deeply upset her, and I desperately wanted to live up to the image she had of me in her head.
But this house. It had everything we ever wanted, even down to Amelia’s obsession with bi-fold doors in the kitchen and blackened chrome plug sockets. There was also plenty of space for children, and if I’d had my way, we would have filled the house with them. I couldn’t let her down, and I needed to find the money somewhere. I was due to start my new job at the investment firm a few weeks later. If I asked for an advance, would that be too cheeky? Probably. The only thing I knew for sure was that if I told her that we couldn’t afford it, she would be distraught, and I hated making her upset.
“Are you all right in there, Harry? The estate agent has another viewing to get to,” Amelia shouted through the bathroom door.
“Yeah, coming,” I replied.
I flushed the toilet and ran the taps. When I opened the door, Amelia was standing there with an accusatory grin on her face.
“Don’t tell me. I don’t want to know,” she laughed.
“I wasn’t doing anything! I’m just nervous, Ames, it’s an awful lot of money. I just needed a minute.”
“Oh my God, Harry. I’m in love with this house, it’s incredible. Are you sure we have enough to cover it?”
“Yes, I think we can do it. All I need is to move some money around, before we sign on the dotted line,” I insisted.
“I love you,” Amelia said, leaning in with a kiss.
“I love you, too,” I replied.
We made our way down the stairs, and the estate agent was waiting for us at the bottom with a huge smile on her face. She clearly knew she was about to make a sale. I awkwardly reciprocated the smile, but there was a lump in my throat the size of an overpriced house brick. This was the single biggest purchase I’d ever made, and I knew the bank wouldn’t stretch the mortgage to accommodate it.
“It’s a marvellous house, isn’t it?” The estate agent beamed.
“Just beautiful, Sally. We think we’re ready to make an offer right now!” Amelia responded.
“Well, we’ve had some other offers, so it’ll have to be over asking, I’m afraid. But it’s so worth it!” Sally replied.
“Over the asking price, you mean?” I quivered, the lump in my throat doubling in size by the second.
“Yes, she means over the asking price, Harry. Don’t be stupid,” Amelia interrupted.
“Yes, but the sellers aren’t in a chain, so you’ll be in before you know it!” Sally enthused.
“A chain is when the sellers are waiting for their house purchase to go through,” Amelia explained to me.
“I do know what a chain is, Ames,” I said.
Sally tapped the form lightly on the table in the hallway and clicked her pen, handing it to me. I looked at Amelia, and she was radiating glee. If there was a way that we could afford this, I had to find it by hook or by crook. Amelia grabbed my free hand; I could feel her fingernails digging into my hand in anticipation. She was urging me to write the offer. Screw it. I hastily wrote down £480,000 in the offer box, and Amelia’s eyes widened. I handed the pen back to Sally, who received it with a fawning smile.
“I think the sellers will be more than accommodating for that offer, congratulations! I’ll let you know as soon as I hear anything,” Sally beamed.
