Page 93 of The Lake Escape
“Cormac,” she says with dismay. “Cormac…Gallagher. He became David’s surrogate father after his real father died. And David was like his personal assistant or something. My parents know more about it than I do, but Gallagher is an Irish name, right?”
“Could therebea more Irish one?” I ask. “And he’s got a redheaded daughter. How Irish is that?”
We look at each other, dumbfounded.
“We need to talk to Lucas, pronto,” I say.
“Nutmeg, you stay here,” she orders. “We’ll be right back.”
Finally, there’s something that propels Taylor out of bed in a flash.
Chapter 43
Julia
Julia stumbled out of the kitchen in a daze. She had forgotten all about her tea, and although she’d only drunk half her glass of wine, the room was spinning. She was trying to remember Uncle James more clearly, but his image was a blur. She recalled him often wearing a hat and having a genial smile, but otherwise her memories were murky and elusive.
He must have stopped coming to the lake when she was in her teens. But she’d been distracted at that age by boys and friends and hadn’t paid much attention. She didn’t think there’d been a falling-out, since Cormac had kept a picture of Uncle James on the wall.
A disturbing thought hit her like a punch to the gut. The playroom. During the all-consuming fear of being trapped inside a locked room, Julia recalled hearing the sound of voices and a loud crash. Had there been an argument, some sort of struggle? And then, when they were finally let out, the red living room rug was gone, exposing the hardwood floor underneath.
What if…?
It was horrifying to even consider… but Julia thought she finally understood her aversion to the brown rug that had appeared soon after. Subconsciously, she’d always known something was deeply wrong, and now she could see it in her mind: a very Mob-like image of a body rolled up in a bloody red carpet, being discreetly carted away.
It felt surreal to finally piece together what happened, after somany years of confusion and self-doubt. Erika’s father was a salesman, a vague enough job to be anything—including a criminal, a fixer, or maybe even a hit man for the mob. Julia supposed that Jimmy Tcouldbe the man Anna Olsen referenced in her letter—but she’d made it clear her gang-affiliated paramourresidedat the lake, which pointed to Cormac. And with her memory coming into sharper focus, Julia’s doubt was washed away.
It all fit, even the timing. It was in their teens, after David’s father died, that he became Cormac’s errand boy. If David acted as the go-between for the two gangsters, it would explain why Uncle James stopped coming to the lake. That could be how David first got involved with the Mob, James Tracey, and the porn trade. But what did she know? She’d been young enough not to ask questions, and Uncle James, aka Jim Tracey, aka Jimmy T, was relegated to a vague memory and nothing more.
The picture of Cormac and Jimmy T in the kitchen revealed another disturbing connection. Erika likely had known Fionabeforethis vacation started. Sure, there was an age gap, but with such a close friendship between their fathers, those two must have crossed paths on more than a few occasions. And yet they had acted like perfect strangers. How David’s relationship with Fiona factored into all this was yet another question.
Julia staggered into the living room, determined to get some answers.
Erika took one look at her friend, and her demeanor shifted instantly.Was that fear in her eyes?“Are you all right? You’re deathly pale,” Erika asked.
Julia faltered. “Did you know her?” she said in a bleak whisper.
“Know who? What are you talking about?”
“Fiona,” said Julia, narrowing her gaze.
Erika flinched, betraying herself. Her complexion dulled. Her brilliant eyes lost their glimmer.
So itwastrue.
Julia shifted her attention to Rick, who looked like he’d takena hard slap across the face. He knew as well. He must have been in on it. But in onwhat,exactly?
“Uncle James is Fiona’s father.”
Erika switched to a stony expression. “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she said, her tone forced. She obviously wasn’t the actress Fiona had been.
Before Julia could confront her further, the front door flew open, and Taylor and Izzy strode in, apparently on a mission.
“We need to see Lucas. Is he upstairs?” Taylor asked, her speech hurried.
Julia nodded, noticing that Taylor and Izzy avoided eye contact with the two homeowners. They knew the name Jimmy T, but had they somehow connected the dots back to the Gallagher family?
Both kids bounded up the stairs without seeking permission.
