“I… I’m so sorry.”
He feels like slapping himself in the face. He had wanted to bring her to Ness Woods. A country park on the outskirts of the Waterside of the city.
“It’s okay, honestly. It’s obviously still just a little bit of a shock. But I have to get used to it, it’s on the main road in and out of Derry, for God’s sake.”
He smiles over towards her once again sympathetically. They travel the rest of the five-minute journey in comfortable silence, his playlist blasting out another nostalgic track before they clamber out and start down the hill and through the trees towards the river. They’d come here a few times during their initial dating phase. Against Ritchie’s wishes, of course, so they’d had to do it in secret. Luckily, it had been the end of summer, and although they were going back to school in September, the weather was still bright and relatively dry.
They got to know one another beneath the canopy of the trees. As they stumble down the steep incline now, it’s as if they’ve stepped back in time. Listening to the flow of the river ahead of them. Dodging under low hanging branches as they thunder down, narrowly missing scraping their faces. Laughing adolescently. They’d never got a chance to come back since they’d gotten into a relationship. What with exams and other school stresses, not to mention the bad weather, so it seems like the perfect place to start again. If they’re going to start again, that is. Chris just hopes what he’s about to indulge won’t ruin the memory of them, or this place, forever.
They reach the wooden bridge overlooking the waterfall and come to a rest. Danielle stares at its beauty, whilst Chris looks at hers as she spiels off into a story about her flatmates. It’s when he doesn’t pass judgement that she looks at him and smiles.
“What?”
“Nothin’…”
“Tell me!”
“I… I’m just happy ye agreed to come. I-“
“To be honest, I’m glad you texted me. I’m just so happy to get out of the house. I was starting to get claustrophobic; you know… How I got at the start? At least now, it’s a new house. And since I’ve moved to Newcastle, it’s like a new start. A new city. New friends. It’s just all… It all works. I feel like a completely different person… Especially after what happened with… After finding out everything that happened.
“It makes me think that… Well, back then… I was so overdramatic. Such little things I’d blow completely out of proportion. Make mountains out of molehills. And for what? A fight? Insecurities? Wanting you… Or, you know… Others, to tell me everything was going to be okay? It was stupid. It was juvenile. I wish those were my biggest problems again, fuck sake.”
Her voice croaks at the last statement, and he wraps an arm around her waist, expecting her to pull away, but she doesn’t. Instead, she leans into him, brushing her hair out of her face.
“I want to continue my life like this... Start again. No worries, no cares… Because, at the end of the day, something you’re stressing about seems so mediocre in comparison, and will I even remember what I was worrying about in another three years? You know what I mean?”
Chris nods as she leans her head back into his chest. He smells her shampoo and closes his eyes. Hearing the waterfall. Wishing that they could leave here and still feel like they’re back in time. Take her back to her old house with her pissed off father and brother. Eventually win them both over. Make an alternative reality. But now…
As she turns and wraps both arms around his neck, he feels his t-shirt dampen with her silent tears. And that’s when he can’t bring himself to tell her. He can’t take away this new lease of life. This new courageous Danielle. He shakes his head at his own foolishness, which Danielle perceives to be towards her. She apologises, looking at her feet in embarrassment and goes to step away, but Chris says ‘no.’ When she looks back up, he has already moved in for a kiss.
Chapter Seventy-One:
DCI Quigley is nothing like McNally expected. Well, if he’s honest, he didn’t know what to expect. But not this. His silver hair is almost white, and cut into a short style, old before his years. His freshly shaved face shows deep lines of wrinkles. His hooked nose gives him a Disney villain look. He smiles timidly at him from the safety of his car.
“DI McNally?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Stop with the ‘sir,’ we don’t even work together.”
“Er… Okay, sorry… Quigley?”
He nods sombrely, before cutting his engine and turning down his music.
“How was the drive down?” McNally tries to get him comfortable.
“It wasn’t too bad. A lot of Sunday drivers. Usually when you get to the motorway, it isn’t too bad. It’s after that that’s the problem.”
McNally nods, knowing that talking about the main road between the two biggest cities will inevitably lead back to the finding of Parker’s body.
“Well, hopefully the commute will be a bit smoother soon.”
The two officers lock gazes, McNally raising his brows. They both know what they’re here for, so they might as well get on with it. But Quigley doesn’t look like he’s going to spill the beans easily.
“I understand you have some information for me?”
“What makes you think that?”
“Well, what other reason would you have for dragging me 30 miles away from Derry when we’re this deep into an investigation?”
Quigley smiles.
“You don’t have to be a detective to figure that out, eh?”
McNally joins him in a light chuckle.
“You’re right, McNally. I’m just struggling to find the way to put
