Page 61 of After the Accident
He was squeezing so tight, that it was like he was trying to rip off my hand. By the time I pulled away, there were fingermarks embedded in my skin.
He said: ‘Give it back’ – and he wasn’t messing. I’m not sure he’s ever spoken to me like that before. It was pure anger. His eyes were narrow and his nostrils flared.
I hadn’t been frightened of Daniel – but I was scared of Dad in that moment. Any thoughts I had of continuing to do my own thing were gone.
It was one of those moments where you realise afterwards that things can never quite be the same again. I’d never been hit by either of my parents – it wasn’t that sort of upbringing – but a line was crossed that day.
Julius:I never saw any marks on Emma’s wrist when we were at dinner later that day. If it was as bad as she claims, surely there would have been something…?
Emma:Dad must’ve realised what he’d done. I was rubbing my wrist and probably a bit emotional. He said ‘sorry’ – and then there was a stand-off for a few seconds. I don’t know if he was worried about me, or worried that I wouldn’t give him what he wanted.
He started to tell me that the money on the island was ‘investments’, but that felt like such a cop-out. I asked why a straightforward ‘investment’ couldn’t have been put in a British bank, which didn’t get much of a reply. I asked where the money had come from in the first place – but that didn’t get an answer, either. I think the lack of an answer probably said more than an actual one. It clearly wasn’t money from their rentals back in the UK.
We were at a stand-off again. I didn’t know what to say because it was clear I wasn’t going to get a better reply.
Dad said ‘give it back’ – and that was the end of the conversation. I walked out of the cottage without another word.
What happened next is a bit of a blur. I think I ran out of the hotel – and yet I don’t remember changing into proper shoes and I doubt I would have run in sandals.
The dry-cleaning bag with the account numbers, key, and driving licence was hidden in the ruins of the abandoned, unfinished Grand Paradise Hotel. It’s like I was outside Dad’s cottage and then, the next moment, I was at the Grand Paradise.
The grass was up to my waist and the unfinished walls were crumbling. The heat felt more intense out there and the sound of the crickets was deafening.
There were so many places to hide things on that site – and also no reason for anyone to go there. I’d tucked the bag underneath a pile of bricks, where nobody would have found it unless they knew it was there. When I pulled it out, it was as if it had never been left. The bag was clean and the contents untouched.
I walked back to the hotel and kept going through the lobby until I was at Dad’s cottage. I let myself in with the key Mum had given me – and she was in there this time. She was on the sofa, with Dad sitting across from her in the wheelchair. They both looked up to me and it felt like the end of something.
I put the cottage key on the table and then dropped the dry-cleaning bag onto Dad’s lap. He didn’t check it, he simply said a quiet ‘thank you’.
I was looking at Mum the entire time, wondering if she knew, or approved. Wondering if she cared.
I said: ‘Is this why we’re here? It’s nothing to do with Mum’s final trip, or an anniversary, or birthday. We’re here for money…?’
Mum looked at the floor and Dad didn’t answer. We stood there, saying nothing to one another – because what was there to say?
My family was a lie – and it had taken me three decades to work it out.
Chapter Thirty-Six
THE TWO STRANGLED CATS
Emma:Mum knocked on the door to my cottage a few minutes before half-past seven that night. She was dressed for dinner and she stood there for a moment, before she said: ‘Will you come?’
With the exception of the twins, I wasn’t sure I wanted to see any of them again. I certainly didn’t want to listen to Dad and Daniel backslapping one another and reminiscing about old times.
I couldn’t let down Mum, though.
It was our final night on the island and there was a good chance it would be the last time we all sat down together.
I put on my shoes and then Mum and I walked across to the hotel restaurant together. The evening was a bit cooler than the previous ones. The sun had dipped across the other side of the hotel and orange was starting to spread across the sky.
The pool was silent, except for the gentle hum of the filter. The restaurant had its own soundtrack: the scraping of chairs and cutlery, the clinking of glasses and the low rumble of chatter. It felt ominous as I was walking there, but I’m not sure I can tell you why. Maybe it was those memories of a prison canteen, or perhaps I knew something was going to happen that night?
Julius:Everyone was waiting for Emma – and even Victor had got there on time. It was our final night – plus Dad’s first one back from hospital. I think everyone except her was up for having a good time.
Emma:Dad was at the head of the table, with Mum on one side and Julius on the other. There was a space next to Mum, so I sat with her on my left, and Victor on the right. The twins were opposite me, with Daniel and Liz further down the table.
All of that became so important in the end. I was certainly happy that I wouldn’t have to tolerate Daniel all night.
