Chapter Forty-Four

CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR

Glasgow

May 2024

CLEM

Two days after Stephanie tells her about Senna, Clem takes Freya to stay with Josie before heading to Elizabeth’s flat in the west of the city.

Erin has not resurfaced again in the last two days—whenever she is conscious, she seems more frightened than anything but won’t talk about the fire or Senna or Arlo. Most of the time, she seems entranced by the machines that monitor her condition, tracking the lights and the beeps with unblinking eyes.

Elizabeth and Senna live on the fifth floor of a tenement flat in Greenock, and when Clem knocks, Elizabeth opens the door and pulls her into a long hug.

“I’m so glad she’s home,” Clem says, holding her tight. “This has been a terrible time for you.”

“God, it has,” Elizabeth says, pulling away and dabbing her eyes. “She’s been seen by the doctor this morning. They said she’s fine to recover at home. No injuries, just dehydration and shock.”

They stand for a moment in the kitchen as Elizabeth pours Clem a cup of tea from a freshly boiled kettle.

“She wasn’t hurt by the fire?” Clem asks, and Elizabeth shakes her head.

“No, thank God.”

“Did she say what happened?”

“She says they were doing some kind of silly ritual. It was Beltane, which is apparently a pagan festival, and they’d had a few beers and thought it would be hilarious to act out the ritual and light a fire. And Arlo must have got too close, because the next thing she knew he was on fire. She tried to throw water over him but it wouldn’t go out. And she panicked and plunged into the sea. She said she swam the whole way to the isle of Gairsay, then hid in an unlocked caravan. The police found her.”

Clem takes a sharp breath, imagining it all. Part of her is glad that, so far, Erin doesn’t seem to be to blame. It was an accident.

“So no one else was there with them?” Clem asks. “It was just the three of them?”

Elizabeth nods and sighs with relief, covering her face with her hands. “I thought she was dead. That someone had murdered her and buried her corpse. I’ve aged about thirty years.”

“I’m so sorry.”

Elizabeth smiles weakly. “Senna’s such a shy girl, too. So straitlaced. Not one of these rebellious teens you hear about. Never had any trouble with her. Wouldn’t say boo to a goose.”

Clem nods, but she gets the impression that Elizabeth doesn’t know her daughter very well.

“She’s been asking about Erin. She didn’t know that Arlo had passed away. She feared it, obviously, given how bad the fire was. But I think it’s really tough on her, now she’s back here, giving police statements and that sort of thing.”

“I think it would do Erin a lot of good to see her,” Clem says. “Do you think she’d be up for that?”

Elizabeth looks wary. “How is Erin?”

“She’s doing a lot better,” Clem lies.

Elizabeth searches her face, as though checking that she’s being honest.

“Well, as long as Senna’s feeling well enough, it’s okay by me.”

She takes Clem through the flat to Senna’s bedroom, and knocks on the door.

“You’re got a visitor, love,” she says. “Clem is here.”

“Okay,” Senna answers weakly, and Elizabeth opens the door.

Clem steps through the threshold into Senna’s bedroom, which overlooks the West End. It’s tidier than Erin’s room, a pile of laundry neatly folded on the chair by the wardrobe and a bookcase arranged by color, the spines of novels and textbooks graduating through the shades of the rainbow. It all looks very unlike Senna, all so girly— peach wallpaper, a pile of soft toys on a white armchair. One thing stands out—a textured poster on the wall that mimics the one in Erin’s bedroom. Unlike Erin’s, which reads Protect me from what I want , Senna’s reads All is false .

Senna is sitting in bed, her gaze distant. Her black hair is messy and her face is drawn, but she looks well. No burns or bruises. Clem finds herself wishing it was Erin sitting in her bedroom like this, no bandages or creams, her body untouched by flame. A flash crosses her mind, a scene of Arlo up in flames, the terrible screams. What Erin would have done to help him.

“Senna,” Clem says, taking the chair next to her. “It’s such a relief to see you safe and at home.”

Senna’s eyes flick to Clem’s. She seems nervous, which is to be expected after what she’s gone through, but Clem notices she seems especially wary of Clem, her body language telling her she doesn’t want to speak to her. Elizabeth sets a cup of tea on the bedside table.

“Can I ask what happened?” Clem asks gently, turning from Elizabeth to Senna.

“The police have already questioned me,” Senna says guardedly.

“Of course,” Clem says. “I’m not here to interrogate you. I was worried about you. And I’m so relieved you’re okay.”

“She got scared when the fire grew out of control,” Elizabeth explains, eyeing Senna. “She swam to the next island. Poor thing was exhausted. She found a caravan park and one of them was open. So she was staying there. The mental health nurse thinks she dissociated for quite some time.”

“That’s horrific,” Clem says.

Senna nods. “I can’t really remember much,” she says in a hoarse voice.

“Erin will be over the moon to know you’re all right,” Clem says with a smile. “I think she will be so, so glad to see you.”

It’s a lie—Erin has still not asked about Senna—but her words manage to sound genuine. Elizabeth nods, but at the same time Clem sees Senna tense up.

“I’m still very weak,” Senna says haltingly. “Maybe you should come back another time.”

“Perhaps when you’re feeling better, then,” Clem says, unable to hide her disappointment. She glances at Elizabeth. “I know Erin would love to see you.”

Senna nods, but she doesn’t make eye contact. Something’s amiss, Clem thinks. She’s clearly been through a lot, but there’s another element in the room with them, something she can’t quite place. A secret. Senna is holding something back.

Clem makes a motion as though to get up to leave, and she sees Senna’s shoulders lower—she’s relieved that Clem is going.

The flat’s buzzer sounds, and Elizabeth rises to get it. “That must be your father,” she tells Senna, glancing at her watch. “He flew in from Jamaica,” she tells Clem. “He’d have been here sooner but the flights were canceled due to the strikes.” She continues talking as she moves from the bedroom into the hallway, and Clem sees her chance.

She turns to Senna, who is resolutely ignoring her, studying the bed quilt.

“Erin mentioned a book,” Clem says.

Senna lifts her eyes to Clem, visibly panicked.

Clem presses her. “She said the book was yours,” she lies.

“It wasn’t mine,” Senna blurts out, but then she visibly closes up.

Outside the room, Clem hears Elizabeth open the door to the flat, greeting the caller. She leans forward.

“Does your mother know about the Triskele?”

Senna shakes her head. Of course Elizabeth knows nothing.

“We need to find that book, Senna,” she hisses, holding her gaze. “I know the group you’re in is a cult. If you want me not to mention it to your mother, I suggest you tell me where the book is.”

Senna swallows, hard, and shakes her head. Then she flicks her eyes up at her mother. Clem turns to see Elizabeth coming back into the room, followed by Senna’s father. Her face falls—she can see something has changed while she has been gone. The atmosphere has become charged.

“Everything okay?” she asks Senna, who nods briskly.

“Fine,” she says.

“Perhaps I can come again tomorrow,” Clem asks Elizabeth. “I can have Quinn set up a video call with Erin so you two can chat.”

“Oh, that would be lovely,” Elizabeth says, but Senna visibly squirms.

“Sure,” she says. “Though maybe…”

“Great,” Clem says, cutting her off before she has a chance to renege.

“Can I come and see her?” Senna calls after her. “At the hospital?”

Clem looks to Elizabeth, who looks cautious. “Maybe tomorrow,” she says. “You need to rest today, love.”

“I can pick you up in the morning, if you like?” Clem offers. “I’ll bring Freya.”

Senna seems reluctant. “Okay,” she says finally.

Clem smiles at Elizabeth. “Great. I’ll see you then.”