Page 137 of Serenity Falls

I sit, feeling awkward. My coffee is too hot to drink. After a moment, I pick it up and wander into the kitchen to add some cold water.

It’s all very modern and functional. Obviously, someone single. No half-full mugs or empty cereal bowls. A fridge unadorned by bad drawings and self-made magnets, although, to be fair, it isn’t entirely bereft of personality.

There are a few cards and reminders stuck to it. Photographs too. I squint at them. One is a group of people I don’t know. Maybe friends or work colleagues. There’s a picture of a cute black Labrador pup (I remember Lori saying she used to have a dog). Another shows Lori relaxing on the deck of the Serenity Falls Hotel. She looks different, I think. The clothing is a little more tailored. And her hair is light blonde. She looks a lot less like Nat with blonde hair. My gaze moves to the final photo.

It’s a picture of a young girl, maybe five or six. Blonde hair in bunches, freckles. She’s wearing a party dress and beaming happily into the camera. An older man crouches down beside her, smiling a warm, grandfatherly smile. He looks very familiar.

I slip the photo out from under the magnet and flip it over. Written in a childish scrawl on the back:

Uncle Harry and me.

Uncle Harry? Lori never mentioned she was related to Harold Winsom. I stare at the writing … and then jump at a crash from the hall. I shove the picture back on the fridge, hurry across the room and pull open the door.

Lori is standing, hands raised in a placatory gesture to a blonde woman standing opposite. A vase is smashed on the floor.

‘If you just calm—’

‘Calm? Fuck you. She trusted you, and now …’ The blonde woman breaks off. She stares at me.

‘Dan?’

I stare back at Hailey. Her hair is tangled over her shoulders. She looks like she’s been crying.

‘What are … are you okay?’ I ask.

Lori half turns. ‘Everything is under control.’

‘Under control?’ Hailey sneers. ‘Because that’s what you like, isn’t it? Everyone behaving just like fucking robots. And those that don’t, you have taken away.’

‘That’s not what happened. Your aunt is ill. She’s a danger to herself.’

‘Because she handed out some stupid leaflets?’

‘Hailey—’

‘You were supposed to be helping Aunt May, and you let them take her.’

‘That’s not how it works,’ Lori says. ‘The doctors asked me for my opinion, and—’

‘Save it,’ Hailey spits. She looks at me. ‘You want some advice? Get out of here. Run away while you can. Don’t let her pull you in. She lies. They all do.’ She turns on her heel and strides out of the door.

‘Where are you going?’ Lori calls.

‘The hospital. To break her out.’

Lori looks at me apologetically. ‘I’m so sorry.’

I stand, feeling a little shell-shocked. ‘Is it true? About her aunt?’

Lori shakes her head. ‘No. I mean, yes, she has been taken to hospital. The doctors want her to go into residential care. I was seeing May as a patient. Therapy can help people with dementia. But to be honest, May’s been suffering from mental health problems for a long time.’ Lori offers a weak smile. ‘It’s sad, but we have to think about what’s best for May and the wider community.’

‘I see,’ I say, but I don’t. Not really. I can’t imagine that the woman I saw at Hailey’s home could really be a danger. An embarrassment, maybe, but not a danger. But then, I’m not a mental health expert. Just ask my wife.

Lori sighs. ‘I should probably call the hospital. Let them know Hailey’s on the warpath. Maybe we could take a raincheck on the coffee?’

‘Of course. No problem.’

I exit the house and climb back into the SUV. I pull out of the parking space, but I don’t head for home. I turn in the opposite direction. After Hailey.