Алекс Баркли - I Confess

‘Can I show you my ideas for the spa?’ she said.

‘Yes!’ said Patrick, sitting up. ‘I’d love to see them.’

Edie hopped up, went to her overnight bag, and took out a notebook. As she walked back to him, he told her to stop.

‘You are so beautiful,’ he said.

She smiled. ‘Thank you. And you’re so handsome.’ She climbed up the bed to him, and slipped under the covers, pulling them up around her chest. She opened the notebook and turned it sideways. ‘Ignore my “artwork”. Spa, lap pool, gym,’ she said, pointing.

Patrick studied the drawing. ‘Detailed.’

‘Well,’ said Edie. ‘I ticked every box on my wish list.’

‘You ticked every box on my wish list too,’ said Patrick.

Edie looked up at him. He wasn’t looking at the drawing — he was looking at her.

She laughed. He looked back at the plans. ‘Looks really impressive.’

Edie turned over the page. ‘My rough drawing of the site.’

‘Oh,’ said Patrick. ‘You’ve moved it.’

‘Yes,’ said Edie. ‘I was worried about it being on the same side as the chapel — that there would be too much going on, but I had a chat with the architect, and he suggested a different design that creates this symmetry with it, and now has sea views from the gym, pool, and relaxation room. When you see the actual plans, it’ll make more sense.’

Patrick frowned. ‘Have you thought about the implications of the archaeological survey?’

Edie looked at him. ‘What?’

‘Well, it’s a site of historical importance, and if you’re going to go digging there you have to get an archaeological survey, and that has to go in with the planning application or they won’t look at it.’

‘Johnny’s dealing with all that,’ said Edie. ‘Hopefully.’

‘More than “hopefully”...’ said Patrick. ‘Because if they find anything under there, no works can go ahead, unless an archaeological team goes in, and...’ He paused. ‘I know people who have been held up months, even years. It can end up costing a fortune — and you’ll have to bear that cost.’

Edie looked at him, horrified.

‘Did Johnny mention anything to you?’ said Patrick.

‘No,’ said Edie. ‘No. But I’m sure he’s got a pretty good handle on it.’

Patrick walked out of the honesty bar towards the bathroom, then crossed the hall in long, light strides, taking the stairs up to the first floor two at a time. He went into the library and over to the window. He stood with his hands in his pockets, scanning the grounds.

Laura stuck her head around the corner of the bar. ‘Johnny? Can I have a word?’ She tilted her head out the door. He got up slowly, and walked towards her.

‘I don’t want to freak you out,’ said Laura, ‘but I think there’s something going on with Edie. I think she’s lost the plot. I don’t know what happened, but she came flying out of the office into me and she’d been bawling her eyes out. She was in an awful state. I got the fright of my life. She managed to get her shit together to ask me to get her water, but that was just to get me out of the way. I couldn’t have been gone two minutes and she was out the gap.’

‘Do you know where she went?’ said Johnny.

‘Out the back door!’ said Laura. ‘Her shoes were thrown in a heap in the middle of the floor in the boot room, there were jackets pulled off hooks. I went after her, but it’s pitch dark out there, so I said I was better off getting you.’

‘What the fuck?’ said Johnny. ‘I was only talking to her about ten minutes before she went down there. What the fuck could have happened in that space of time?’ He frowned.

Laura shrugged.

‘Could she have gone to the house?’ said Johnny.

‘I don’t know,’ said Laura. ‘Like I said, she was gone by the time I got back. Do you want me to do anything? Do you want me to go check the house? What way do I go?’

‘No, no,’ said Johnny. ‘Stay where you are.’ He paused. ‘Unless... did you get a key to the suite? Do you still want to go to bed?’

‘No, no,’ said Laura. ‘Not until I know Edie’s OK.’

Johnny ran into the house and called Edie’s name. He searched every room. As he was coming out of their bedroom, he paused, and went back in again. He went over to the chest of drawers, crouched down and pulled open the bottom one. He reached into the back of it and pulled out two black long-sleeved polo shirts. He shook one of them out and held it up. It was a medium fit with a turned-down collar that sat high on the neck and three black buttons. A Brooks Brothers tag hung from the label. He folded it up roughly and shoved the shirts back in the drawer. He glanced down at his feet and saw a Brooks Brothers gift receipt. His hand trembled as he picked it up. He paused, then went back over to the drawers, opening the bottom one wide enough to slip it inside.

He paused and looked at himself in the mirror. Then he ran down the stairs, out the back door, and down to the end of the garden. He unlocked the gate, then left. There was a small stand of trees with a path that ran around the edge of it and a signpost that pointed to the fairy garden.

Murph and Laura sat in silence by the fire in the bar. Clare was curled up on an armchair, an interiors magazine open on her lap, her eyes closed, her head lolling forward. The magazine slid to the floor. Murph and Laura looked over. Clare lifted her head, briefly, then settled herself again.

‘Where did Patrick say he was going?’ said Murph.

‘Out to help Johnny look for Edie,’ said Laura.

Murph raised his eyebrows. ‘That’s a bit... helpful, isn’t it? Are we assholes?’ He paused. ‘You didn’t tell Patrick she’d lost the plot, did you? I don’t think she’d be into that.’

‘No, I didn’t,’ said Laura. ‘I just said that I thought the stress of the night might have got to her.’ She shrugged. ‘And, same as Johnny, he said she seemed fine when they were talking to her.’

‘It probably hit her all of a sudden, God love her,’ said Murph. ‘Val showing up... and having to keep her shit together for that. And the drink’s probably wearing off at this stage, which is no help.’ He paused. ‘Should we be doing something? Like, I’m here thinking: We’ll get all kitted up, head out into that, meanwhile Edie arrives back from a long spell in the jacks while we’re fluting around in the rain looking for her?’

Laura looked at him. ‘Or is that just way easier than thinking there’s some madman out there?’

Patrick was crouched on the path of the fairy garden, examining the underside of an ornamental rock. He put it back on the wood chips, next to a toadstool. He heard a shout behind him and turned to see the beam of a torch flickering through the trees, growing in intensity.

He stood up when he saw Johnny striding towards him.

‘You fucking prick,’ said Johnny, slamming his hands against Patrick’s chest. ‘Are you fucking my wife?’

Patrick stepped back from him, raised his hands, palms out. ‘What?’

‘You know — I was thinking about this all week,’ said Johnny. ‘Helen bumping into you in Cork, randomly inviting you here tonight, when no one’s laid eyes on you in years. So I made a few enquiries. And I know that Helen hasn’t been in Cork since the last time I brought her there, so what the—’

‘I am not “fucking your wife”,’ said Patrick.

‘I heard you earlier, calling her Edes — where did you hear that?’

‘What?’ said Patrick. ‘No, I didn’t, did I? Maybe because you did. I didn’t even realize—’

Johnny shoved him hard. Patrick didn’t move. Johnny staggered backwards, then straightened.