Page 48 of No Safe Place
She struggled to untangle the twisted legs of her tracksuit bottoms and grabbed Scott’s jumper from the laundry hamper, so she could get away without a bra.
Scott’s hallway was bright white, immaculate. A dish for his keys on the radiator cover, a special cupboard for his trainers. The detective was slipping her shoes off.
‘DS Wilson,’ she said, smartly, holding up a police ID in a wallet. She was probably around Lily’s age, with big, dark eyes and her hair back in a ponytail.
Lily pretended to peer at it, then Scott waved them into the living room.
‘How can we help?’ he said, taking the seat next to Lily on the sofa.
‘What’s happened?’ Lily asked, her voice a croak. She crossed her arms over her chest.
Wilson hesitated.
Callum.
Had her worst fear finally come to life? The intrusive images of finding Callum dead, or having hurt himself, were so frequent they were routine. And yet, a police detective knocks on the door the night after she and Cal have a big argument—
Her heart was in her throat as the detective began to speak.
‘Last night there was an incident on Conway Road – outside the house you share with Callum Mulligan.’
Outside?A bubble of hope – that this couldn’t be about Cal.
‘Lily, do you know Samantha Hughes? She’s a—’ The detective hesitated. ‘She’s a friend of Callum’s.’
It took a moment to register what DS Wilson had said,because it was so unexpected. Her hangover throbbed behind her temples.
‘Yeah, I know Sam,’ Lily said slowly. ‘Why?’
Scott’s head was on a swivel, looking between them.
‘I’m afraid that last night Samantha was attacked outside your house.’
‘What?’ Lily jerked upwards in surprise and her headache worsened.
For something to do, she gulped from a cold cup of tea Scott had made her earlier, and winced at the taste. He never remembered she didn’t take sugar.
‘Samantha was stabbed,’ Wilson said. She was examining Lily now, scrutinising her. ‘Unfortunately, she passed away at the scene.’
‘Shit.’ The mug slipped in her hand, cold tea slopping over the side. Scott let out a gasp, but Lily managed to catch it, and only spilt it on herself.
‘Sorry. Sorry,’ Lily said, weakly. She put the mug down and turned back to Wilson. ‘She was outside our house?’
‘Unfortunately yes. It was Callum who found her.’
‘Oh God.’ The fear was back and Lily rose from the sofa. ‘Is he okay? Is Cal all right?’
Wilson hesitated and every muscle in Lily’s body braced for bad news, the worst news.
‘Callum wasn’t injured,’ Wilson said finally. ‘But after the ordeal it was necessary to take him to a secure unit for his own—’
‘You sectioned him?’ Lily cut across her.
It had been over ten years since Callum was last in hospital. Only a short stay, a relapse – after the news about Paige. The accident.
‘I need to see him,’ Lily said, getting to her feet. Her stomach twisted painfully but her head had stopped pounding.
She looked about for her phone, her keys. It probably wasn’t safe for her to drive. She felt like shit. Scott would take her.
