“She’s losing it, Kev. She accused me of wanting a gun. ”
Kevin Webster set down his pint and stared at his brother. “You what?
”
“Debbie. She asked if I wanted it back. The gun. She said she knew I’d taken it.
”
“She’d have meant something different,” Kevin said slowly. “She wouldn’t mean a gun. ”
“Whatever she meant, it wasn’t that. ”
“That would be bonkers.
”
“Kev, I don’t like this. ”
“Cal says he’s sorted it. So you’d better believe him. ”
—
The morning had started simple enough.
A family breakfast at the bistro, the kind Gary Windass rarely pulled together. Debbie Webster arrived to find her brother, her sister-in-law, and the usual crowd already seated, plates stacked high. “What’s all this in here? ” she asked.
“Just thought you both deserved a treat,” Gary said. “Very suspicious. ”
“Right, okay. There is actually something I want to tell you.
”
Tracy Interrupted: “If it’s serious, now’s not the time. I’ve got to get to work. ”
“It is serious,” Gary said. “But it’s good serious.
”
He looked around the table. “I’ve booked us all a summer holiday to Orlando. ”
“Where’s that? ” someone asked.
“It’s in America, you idiot. Know where Disney World is? ”
Betsy’s face lit up. “Oh, sweet.
”
Gary turned to her. “Well, you’ve been desperate to go there for ages, haven’t you? ”
“How much is it? ”
“It’s on me.
Don’t worry about it. ”
Debbie studied him. “That’s why you’ve been acting a bit shifty recently? ”
“Just wanted to get it all sorted.
”
It should have been a good moment. A rare one. But Debbie’s mind was already elsewhere, and so was the conversation that followed. —
Sarah Barlow walked in, and Gary’s tone changed.
“Oh, hey, Sarah. ”
“Hey,” she replied, not looking at him. “Right. Well, your hair looks gorgeous.
Have you done something different? ”
“No. ”
She ordered a black coffee to go and a croissant, then left without another word. Debbie noticed the way Sarah refused to meet Gary’s eyes.
She noticed how over-friendly Sarah had been with her, and then how strangely cold she was with Gary. Something was off. She kept the thought to herself, but it gnawed at her. —
Later, at the flower shop, Debbie was still distracted.
She picked up a bouquet of roses, their petals already wilting, and marked it down half price. Mary laughed. “Once a proud, blushing beauty, now a maiden whose chance of a full dance card is over. I know how it feels.
”
“How so? ”
“Well, my dance card’s been empty for a while now. ”
“Oh, rubbish,” Debbie said. “If you want to talk empty dance cards, I’m your woman.
”
“Well, I’m not comparing myself to you, Mary. Obviously, that would be ridiculous. But even Lehan’s got a new fella. He’s not even that good-looking.
”
“Oh yes, he is,” Mary said. “Quite the catch. Dark, moody eyes. ”
“All right, Mary, don’t rub it in.
”
The door opened. Tracy came in with a delivery list. “Debbie, I’ll bring those lilies over by two. ”
“What lilies?
”
“The lilies you ordered for the function. Six large bouquets. ”
Debbie blinked. “No, I ordered roses, not lilies.
It’s a wedding. ”
“You ordered lilies, and that’s what you’re getting. ”
“Well, you’ll have to change them, then. ”
“I can’t do that.
I’ve been working on them for two days. ”
“Well, you should have listened, shouldn’t you? ”
Tracy’s voice sharpened. “Look, you can’t punish me because you’re losing your marbles.
”
“Don’t speak to her like that,” Mary cut in. “Back off, Tracy,” Debbie said. “Oh, call your attack dogs off. You ordered lilies, and I want paying for them.
I just do what I’m told. ”
Mary looked at Debbie with quiet concern. “Mary, love, don’t let it get to you. ”
“Oh, I can handle Tracy.
It’s you two. You’re stressing me out. ”
—
That evening, Debbie sat alone with Kevin in the Rovers, staring at her drink. “You know, Tracy said I shouldn’t be working at the hotel anymore,” she said.
“Please, let’s not do that. Don’t listen to Tracy. ”
“But she’s right. I’m making mistakes.
”
“Well, do you want to stop working? ”
“No. ”
“Then don’t. ”
She was quiet for a long moment.
“I had a dream about that gun. ”
Kevin’s face tightened. “Look, I’ve got a plan to sort that. Just don’t worry about it.
”
“I dreamt you were all talking about me, and then you said it would be kinder if we put her out of her misery. ”
“No, don’t be silly. ”
“I think I must be getting worse, because my head is like mud sometimes. I don’t want to be walking around out there not knowing who I am, where I am.
”
“Come on. That’s a long way away. ”
“How long? Three months?
Six months? A year? It’s coming. I can feel it.
” Her voice cracked. “And if you don’t want to stay, if you want to leave, I will totally understand. ”
Kevin took her hand. “Debbie Webster, I told you that I will love you until death draws us apart.
And I mean it. ”
She tried to smile. “I’m going to really miss me. I’ll miss who I am myself, but I’ll still be here.
And that terrifies me. ”
“We’ll be terrified together,” he said. She nodded, gripping his hand. —
Days passed.
The tension didn’t ease. At the salon, Tracy cornered Kevin. “Your sister has finally lost it. She accused me of wanting a gun.
”
“You what? ”
“She asked if I wanted the gun back. Insisted I’d taken it. ”
“She would have meant something different,” Kevin said, but even he didn’t sound convinced.
“Whatever she meant, it wouldn’t be a gun. ”
“Yeah, because that would be bonkers. ”
“Kev, I don’t like this. She’s not fit to be running the hotel anymore.
”
“Cal said he’s sorted it. So you’d better believe him. ”
—
Later, Debbie called Kevin in a panic. “That woman came to see me,” she said.
“Fiona. She was the one who came after me. I thought she was going to kill me. ”
“Deb, slow down.
Who? ”
“You know who. I saw her. I thought she was going to kill me.
”
Kevin had heard enough. He went straight to his brother. “Carl, there’s a gun out there, and we don’t even know who’s got it,” he said. “She’s getting worse.
”
“My theory is she’s pretending she doesn’t have it to screw us out of money,” Carl said. “Us? There’s no us here, Carl. This is your mess.
”
“Go on, then. How do they take the news? ”
“Who? ”
“Betsy.
The London thing. You didn’t tell me how they took it. ”
“Mom’s upset that I’m leaving home, obviously,” Betsy said, appearing in the doorway. “God, how long were you two going to talk about me behind my back?
”
Kevin sighed. “Hey, sweetheart. ”
“It’s fine. I know you’re going to miss me.
I love you both to death. But if you think I’m just going to swan off to London and never see you again, you forget I’m going to be a skint student who’s going to ask you to come down and take me out on a regular basis. ”
“We’ll be there,” Debbie said quietly. “We’ll always be there.
”
—
The afternoon of the function arrived. Debbie stood in the foyer of the hotel, staring at the lilies. Six large bouquets, exactly as Tracy had ordered. Tracy came up behind her.
“The lilies are in the foyer. I want paying. ”
“I’m not paying for the wrong flowers. ”
“Those are the flowers you ordered.
I’m not leaving until I get my money. ”
“The problem is your boss here is making too many mistakes,” Tracy announced loudly. “It’s time she stepped down. ”
The room went quiet.
Guests turned. Debbie’s face flushed. “This is a wedding, Tracy. Not a tribunal.
”
“You’re not up to the job anymore. You know it, and I know it. ”
“I want my money,” Tracy repeated. “I want what’s mine.
Give it to me. ”
Debbie’s hands started shaking. “I don’t have your gun, and I don’t know where it is. ”
The room went silent.
Kevin moved quickly. “Deb, she didn’t mean that. ”
“She accused me of wanting a gun,” Tracy said, enjoying it. “She totally lost it.
”
“She didn’t mean it,” Kevin said. “Obviously, she’s just been getting her words confused. ”
“Excuse me,” Debbie said, pushing past them. “I need some air.
”
She walked outside, her pulse hammering. Fiona Middleton stood across the car park, watching her. Debbie froze. Fiona took a step forward.
Debbie turned and ran. —
Back inside, Kevin found her sitting in the kitchen, white-faced. “I saw her,” she said. “Fiona.
She was coming after me. ”
“Deb, she wasn’t there. You’re just tired, that’s all. ”
“I saw her, Kev.
I swear to you. I thought she was going to kill me. ”
He knelt in front of her. “Listen to me.
The doctor said it might take a few weeks for the medication to work properly. You just have to be patient. ”
“What if I start to forget things? What if one day I don’t know who you are?
”
“You’re way off there, love. Because after today, I’m not so sure I want to know who I am. You scared the life out of me. ”
“I’m sorry.
”
“You don’t need to apologize. You’ve done nothing wrong. You’ve been ill. ”
She looked at him, exhausted.
“Do you think I’m getting worse? ”
“No. I think you’re getting better. One day at a time.
”
—
The next morning, Debbie walked into the hospital ward. Sam Hurst sat by the window, a chessboard in front of him. He looked up as she approached. “Hey, buddy,” she said softly.
“I’m still not confident,” Sam said. “I’m still not confident either,” she admitted. “But I’m here. That’s what matters.
”
Roy came by later, careful and gentle. He spoke to Sam about chess, about school, about anything but the hard things. Sam listened, then looked at Debbie. “Roy was here last night,” he said.
“But that wasn’t really him, was it? ”
She shook her head. “No. Roy hasn’t been to visit yet.
Not really. ”
“I kind of knew he wasn’t. Maybe that’s progress. ”
“Yeah,” she said.
“That’s progress. ”
“Can he come see me? The real Roy? ”
“Maybe.
We can talk to the doctors and see what they say. ”
“I’d like you to be here, too, just in case. ”
“I’ll be here day and night if you need me to be. ”
Sam almost smiled.
“Thanks, but I think that might send me back over the edge. ”
—
Debbie walked out of the hospital into the grey afternoon. Gary Windass was standing at the bus stop, two phones in his hand, looking at a booking confirmation. He saw her and slipped the phone into his pocket.
“Debbie,” he said. “Everything all right? ”
“Fine,” she said. “Just visiting Sam.
”
“Right. ” He paused. “Listen, about Orlando. I wanted it to be a surprise for the boys.
Don’t tell them yet, all right? ”
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” she said. She watched him walk away, and something in her chest tightened. Sarah’s cold shoulders.
Gary’s shifty moods. The phone shoved into his pocket. She pulled out her own phone and typed a message to Sarah Barlow. *Can we talk?
*
A minute later, the reply came. *What about? *
Debbie stared at the screen, then typed:
*Gary’s holiday. *
There was a long pause.
Then:
*Thought you might have noticed. *
Debbie’s thumb hovered over the keys. She looked up at the grey sky, then back down at the screen. *How long has it been going on?
*
The reply came almost instantly. *Longer than you think. *
—
Debbie stood still in the middle of the street, the noise of the town fading around her. Her brother’s secret.
Her sister’s betrayal. The gun. The flowers. The illness creeping in like a tide.
She looked down at her phone, at Sarah’s words glowing on the screen. Then she started walking. Not back to the salon. Not back to the hotel.
She had somewhere else to go.
