The Island of Dragons (Rockpools Book 4) Gregg Dunnett (desktop ebook reader .TXT) 📖

had attacked the site – and while it was possible the final attack had been to frame Billy, that couldn’t have been the reason behind the earlier bombings. So what did all that mean? Billy seemed to have no answers for those questions. He didn’t even seem that interested.

Was it possible they would talk about what it was all about in Lily’s house? Might they incriminate themselves? Possible, she supposed, but it seemed crazy unlikely.

But should she get involved? Was she really going to risk her own future to do something that seemed incredibly unlikely to even help? What if she got caught? What if this Lily bitch saw her plugging in the listening devices, or fiddling with her laptop – assuming she could even get in the house, or even find the laptop? Would she call the police – the FBI? And what would they do? Amber didn’t like to think about that, so instead she focused on the more immediate problem of how she was supposed to do it. All she had was an address for where Lily lived, and Billy’s insistence that she had to put the devices in the kitchen, where Lily charged her cell, and where she spent most of the time.

She went the very next day, taking the metro, with the listening devices hidden in her purse. She walked up and down the street where Lily lived twice before daring to walk up the path. On top of her nerves she couldn’t quite believe the size of the place, a huge house, right on the waterfront. But that was exactly what Billy had described. It was early evening. Amber hoped that Lily would be alone, she probably had only one shot at this.

Amber hadn’t been sure if Lily would remember her, and it seemed for a moment she didn’t. She opened the door and frowned, the lines in her forehead creasing. Amber noticed the slight shadows under her eyes. She looked less perfect than before.

“Yes?”

“Hello Lily.”

Lily suddenly made the connection, but obviously struggled with the name, so Amber told her.

“It’s Amber. I’m Billy’s friend.”

“Yes, I remember.”

“I wonder if I could speak to you. Just for a moment.”

Lily looked uncertain, and for a second Amber thought she might close the door in her face, but she didn’t. Amber pressed on. “Please. It’s… I wouldn’t have come if it wasn’t important.”

Amber had more words ready in her mind, justifying their need to speak, and her need to come inside to do so, but she didn’t need them. Lily stepped back from the door, allowing Amber to walk inside. It was even more impressive in the giant hallway than outside.

“Come through. But I don’t have long.”

Amber followed Lily through the house to an enormous and beautiful kitchen. She tried to make sense of it as quickly as she could. Apparently Lily had been in here, working on her laptop, since it stood open on the counter-top of a breakfast bar that overlooked the garden and the river. There was an open bottle of white wine next to it. Lily pressed the lid of the computer down, then indicated a chair at a table, on the other side of the room. She also picked up the bottle.

“Can I get you a drink?”

Amber said nothing, but smiled her thanks, while Lily poured a second glass. She stopped when it was less than a third full.

“Please, sit down.” Lily handed her the glass, “you heard about us then?” Her voice was flat and dulled.

“Yes. Billy told me. Before he…” Amber let the end of the sentence drift away. Now she was here she feared if she used the word dead her voice would give away that it wasn’t true. But it seemed Lily had fewer qualms about describing it.

“Before he killed himself?”

Amber took a moment. She nodded again.

“So what do you want to talk about?”

“I just thought we should talk. To make sense of everything. To understand.”

Lily didn’t reply, and Amber took a sip of the glass. There really wasn’t very much wine in it, and she sensed that when it was gone then so was her time here.

“I went to Billy’s memorial service, a couple of days ago. I just – I thought you should know.”

Lily did answer this time. “I knew about it. I guess a part of me thought I should go. But after what he did – to that man, to my family. Well I couldn’t.”

“Do you really believe he did it?” Amber couldn’t stop herself from asking.

“Don’t you?” Lily looked at her sharply, surprise in her voice. Amber reminded herself this wasn’t why she was here. But still she went on.

“It just seems totally unlike him.”

“The FBI don’t have any doubts. They say Billy perfectly fitted their profile.”

Amber didn’t answer, but used the pause to check the room, searching for ideas.

“You have an incredible house,” Amber said, partly to cover for her glancing around, but also because it was true. Yet Lily simply gave an automatic response, an uncaring thanks. Amber took a sip of her wine, feeling Lily’s eyes on her again. Watching her, much more suspicious than she had anticipated. This might not work. This might be impossible.

“You said he hurt your family,” she said. “It would help me, if I could understand.”

Lily took a long time to answer, a hurtful look on her face. “It’s none of your business, but the bombings that Billy was doing drove down the share price on my family’s company. So much so that a hostile takeover bid was launched. We could lose everything.”

“I’m sorry.” Amber said.

“Yes. Well. I’m not even sure if he didn’t target me only because of who I am. Another attempt to attack my family’s company. I don’t know if he ever felt anything for me personally.”

“I understand you’ve got back together with your old boyfriend? James – you were with him when we met before.”

“That’s none of your business.”

There was silence.

“Was there anything else? As I said, I don’t have