Set in Stone by Robert Goddard

Author:Robert Goddard
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Mystery, Thriller
ISBN: 9780552146012
Publisher: Corgi
Published: 1999-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

'There's no easy way to explain it. We didn't plan it. We didn't want it.' These, it seemed, were still the best words I could find. 'It just. . . happened.'

'What happened?'

'We fell in love.'

'Fell in love? I don't believe you. You can't have done.'

'For God's sake, Matt, listen to me.' I put my hands on his shoulders, forcing us to face each other, literally clinging to our friendship to ward off what I feared would follow. No weasel words this time, I told myself; tell him straight. 'While you were in New York, Lucy and I slept together.'

'What?'

'We realized we loved each other. It's as terrible as that. And you never would have dreamed it in a million years, would you?'

He jerked my arms away, stumbled back, steadied himself against the parapet and stared at me. I could hear him breathing, fast and shallow. 'You're my friend. My best, oldest, most trusted friend.' He turned away, raising a hand to his face. 'Christ almighty.' Then came the murmured afterthought, as I knew it would. 'How could you?'

'I don't know. But--'

'How could you?' he almost screamed. 'After all this time? After so many years?' It didn't matter how often he asked the question, I would never have an answer. Nor would he. 'A buyer for Stanacombe popping out of the woodwork. Lucy's mother falling ill. None of that was true, was it?'

'Look--'

Then you come up here, while she hides in Bournemouth, and calmly announce . . .' He swung on his heel, the plan to phone Lucy forming in his mind around the faint hope that

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she'd say everything was really all right and that I didn't know what I was talking about. It was the moment I'd waited for. It was my chance to make a difference.

'Stop!' I flung myself at him, pinning him against the parapet. Our faces were inches apart. In his eyes I could read all the fear and horror and revulsion I knew I somehow had to hold in check. 'Listen to me, Matt. Please. Lucy wanted to come with me. I insisted on coming alone. But I was wrong. We have to face this together. You, me and Lucy. We have to deal with it. You can't phone her now. It's too late. The hotel switchboard won't put you through to her room at this hour. Besides, how can you talk to her about something like this over the phone? Drive down to Bournemouth. That's the answer. We'll go together. Travel through the night.'

'We're not going anywhere together.'

'We have to. I won't let this destroy everything.'

'Pity you didn't think of that sooner.'

'Yes. It is. But I'm thinking of it now, Matt. I'm thinking of you. Believe me.'

'Why should I?'

'Because I've told you the truth, even though I hated doing it.'

'Have you? Did it really begin while I was in New York?' Why did he doubt it? There had to be a reason. And for both our sakes I had to find out what it was. 'I don't think so, Tony.

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