Page 10 of Will You Stay Another Day?
‘Honestly, everything’s all right!’
‘Calling BS,’ said Meg.
‘Since when did you get so cheeky?’ protested Lili. ‘I remember that sixth former who first turned up and wouldn’t say boo to a goose.’
Tommo turned to Lili. ‘What’s it all about?’ He tilted his head. ‘Em?’
‘Got to be honest, I used to have a bit of a crush on her…’ Meg gave a sheepish look. ‘She was so cool. I loved that sleeveless, floor-length coat she wore, made of silk. That’s true style. Not caring about the weather or occasion, just wearing what you love. And she complimented me on my nose piercing the first time we met; said my parents must be great to have let me get it done when I was sixteen.’ A flicker of something painful crossed her young features. Lili and Tommo shot her understanding looks. Meg had confided in her two colleagues about how her parents had her when they were teenagers themselves and couldn’t cope. Out of the blue they’d upped and left, selfishly expecting Meg’s mum’s parents to take on the responsibility of a baby.
Meg had effectively lost her mum and dad. Tommo had lost his husband. Lili met their earnest gazes. Okay. She could trust them.
‘This first-year anniversary of Em’s death has hit me harder than I expected, and to cap it all I’ve started getting these weird text messages…’ Cheeks blushing, Lili got up. ‘Look, you don’t want to hear all of this… Come on… I’ll get another round in.’
Tommo reached up and gently pulled her back down. ‘What messages?’
‘Oh, it’s nothing. Now, I don’t know about you two, but I want to try a Shipwreck Woozy. I’ll have the virgin one as I’m driving, but apparently the alcoholic version contains…’
Tommo raised his eyebrows and folded his arms, staring at Lili. Meg did the same.
Lili sighed. It took her back to the looks she’d get from her parents when she was little and had been naughty. When she was older, they became the looks that they gave each other. ‘You’ll think me crazy if I explain. I’ll lose all that respect you two show me, as your boss… Oh wait…’
The three of them smiled, then Lili reluctantly explained about the Knock Knock joke, the emoji… her list… her chat with Em’s parents and how adamant they’d been that their daughter was dead, but then she’d seen the psychic…
When she stopped, Tommo got to his feet. ‘Bloody hell, gal, I need that Woozy. And I’ll be having words with Joe later as to why he hasn’t texted me.’
Meg was about to speak when her phone rang. The call with her gran ended as Tommo came back, smelling of smoke. He dished out the drinks and collapsed into a chair.
‘Christ, you must have been as shocked as a fisherman hooking a shark, Lili. If Joe messaged me, I’d… Damn, I’d be surprised above all else because he hated mobile phones.’ His voice wavered. ‘He was a silly old sod when it came to technology. I’d do anything to be able to show him again, just once, how to copy and paste a link or use a gif.’
Tommo would put on a brash, happy-sailor front, but Lili sensed that something sadder lurked underneath, trapped.
‘Em always seemed so extra, in all the best ways – no one’s ever laughed so loudly at my jokes as she did,’ said Meg. ‘Texting like this is exactly what she’d do, I reckon. What have you found out about those companies, on your list, that send pre-programmed texts?’
‘I tracked down a handful online. It took forever – but there isn’t much detail about how it works. You have to sign up to find out and I’m not doing that. Some charge several hundred pounds.’
Meg took out her phone and tapped for a few moments. She skimmed the page, then handed her phone over to Lili.
‘Here’s one. A company called Happy Ever Endings. Ring them. They might pick up, you never know. A lot of online businesses run 24/7.’ She shook her phone. ‘Go on. I want to hear what they say.’
‘They won’t just tell me. They’re out to make money.’
Tommo shrugged. ‘They may have good intentions as well.’
What the hell. She had nothing to lose. Lili pressed the call button and it rang out. She was about to hang up – it was a Friday evening after all – when someone picked up. Lili got to her feet and made her way outside, into the quiet, Mevagissey lit up as if it had not one but a hundred little lighthouses like the one on the end of the wall of the outer harbour.
‘Hello? I’m wondering if you can help me.’ Lili explained her situation to the woman who picked up.
‘I’m very sorry about your friend. It sounds as if you’ve researched what a service like ours does – how pre-planned messages can be activated by all sorts of things. Like location – someone could programme a message to be triggered every time a loved one visited their grave. Or on a particular date, say a birthday. So I agree that… Em, was it? She could have programmed a message to be triggered by the words Knock Knock; she could have stored your favourite jokes and programmed in the appropriate answers – and appropriate emojis.’
Lili held her breath.
‘But a text from a deceased loved one wouldn’t simply come through. A link would have been sent that would have led you to a secure platform where the message could be viewed and then downloaded and saved if you wanted. I think all companies like ours would follow that procedure. I’m very sorry, but I don’t think the texts you’ve received were pre-programmed by your friend.’
Lili made her way back inside and handed Meg her phone back. She told her and Tommo what the woman had said.
‘Ah. Yes. That makes sense,’ said Meg.
Tommo placed a hand on Lili’s. ‘How do you feel?’
