The memory dispersed as Leo pushed her further into the woods. She had never questioned why that plaque was there, or who had put it there. Tom had made her walk for miles to reach it, seemingly for no reason other than to offer his support. Had Tom put the plaque there?
“Where are we going?” Paige asked Leo, finally plucking up the courage to speak.
“Just keep walking and you’ll see,” Leo said, still keeping a very firm grasp on her wrist.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
“I’M NOT GOING ANY FURTHER!” Paige wrenched her arm away from Leo. If she was going to die here, she’d rather face it head on.
“Fine,” Leo sighed, holding his hands up, “We can talk here.”
“Talk?!” Paige exploded, “I don’t want to talk to you about anything! You’ve been following me, you forced me off the bus, and now you’ve brought me to this forest. And I’m sure you won’t show me what’s in that green bumbag – it’s Ella’s phone isn’t it?”
“Yes, it is her phone, but it’s not what you think. I’m sorry, but I promise I have my reasons,” Leo said, rummaging in his bag to bring out the bumbag.
“I don’t care, I’m leaving,” Paige said turning to walk back to the bus stop.
“You’re in danger,” Leo said, “I know you know that, somewhere deep down. The attack wasn’t random.”
Paige stopped in her tracks. How could she leave without finding out what he knew?
“So, you sent someone to attack me? Killed Ella and stole her phone?” Paige said, turning back to face him.
“No!” Leo said, genuinely taken aback, “No, Paige, you have this the wrong way around.”
“What are you talking about? You’ve been following me. And the phone that’s been texting me all those weird messages was in that bag, I’m sure of it.”
“Yes, you’re right, but I didn’t kill Ella or attack you Paige,” Leo said, unzipping the bumbag to reveal a Nokia.
“You did send the texts then?” Paige said, anger rising into her throat.
“Yes, I did, to warn you,” Leo said.
“You could have warned me in person. You had plenty of opportunity. Why did you use Ella’s phone? And how do you expect me to believe that you didn’t kill her seeing as you have her phone?”
“She asked me to keep it safe,” Leo said, “And I couldn’t just talk to you in person, we weren’t ever truly alone.”
“What do you mean?”
“The first time we met we were with my parents. Then in the pub, I tried to get you alone in the beer garden, but Rufus’ calls interrupted us. Then when you texted Ella’s phone to meet you at the Starbucks, I thought I had an opportunity, but Elaine Lemmy was there.”
“Who is Elaine Lemmy? You’re not making any sense, Leo,” Paige said, pacing up and down the copse.
“There was a woman, about my parents’ age, sat not far behind you. She’s a friend of my dad’s, they used to work together,” Leo explained. Paige thought back to that day in the Starbucks and the elderly woman behind her using her index finger to type stilted messages on her smartphone.
“That still doesn’t explain why you wouldn’t talk to me – why would a friend of your dad’s care about this?” Paige said, her exasperation overtaking her anger.
“Don’t you understand this is all to do with my dad!” Leo said, edging closer. Paige stuck out a warning finger.
“Don’t come any closer,” she said. Leo backed away again. Paige sighed and added, “No, I don’t understand. It seems to me that you’re the problem, not your dad.”
“I’ll explain it all, just please come with me,” Leo said, gesturing to continue further into the woodland, “I have to show you something first.”
Paige reluctantly followed him, keeping a few feet behind Leo.
“Oh no,” Paige whispered, as she realised where they were going. They trampled through the undergrowth until they reached the tree with the plaque that Tom had shown her so many years earlier.
“You recognise it, don’t you?” Leo said, pointing to the plaque, “‘For all those angels who haven’t grown wings yet.’”
“Tom brought me here,” Paige said, even more bewildered than before.
“Not many people know this is here, Paige,” Leo said, “Only my dad’s close friends.”
“What?” Paige started to back away again in disbelief, “Tom barely knew your family. He did a job for your dad, that’s all.”
“That’s not true,” Leo said, “They had been friends for years, but in secret.”
“In secret?” Paige said, “What do you mean ‘friends in secret’, how does that work?”
“Tom did do work for my dad, Paige, but not as a plumber.”
“What does that mean?! Just tell me what is going on, please!”
“I don’t know the full story, only what Ella was able to tell me before she died,” Leo paused, shaking his head, the weight of what he was about to share showing in his eyes.
Paige had lost all patience. “Leo, please just be honest with me. Since I arrived in Oxford, I’ve been attacked, stalked, threatened and my step-dad was killed.”
“I can apologise for two of those – I honestly was just trying to keep you safe,” Leo said.
“From who? Why am I in danger?” Paige said.
“From what Ella has told me, my dad is part of something underhand. He lures young women to him with the promise of academic work. The money he offers, as you know, is quite substantial, and so very attractive to students at the university who don’t have financial support. Ella said that he built a connection with her, introducing her to his friends.”
“I’m not seeing the problem with that?” Paige said.
“Neither did Ella, at first. She enjoyed socialising with his circles, meeting influential academics and businesspeople. Until one day she woke up in my dad’s spare room, not remembering the night before. My dad told her she had too much wine and he offered for her to stay over to sleep it off. But, she didn’t remember the party or going back to my dad’s house.”
“My god...” Paige muttered involuntarily.
“She tried
