But Not Forgotten – A Gripping Murder Mystery
A serialised novel
“I think I’m your sister. Our father is missing.”
After receiving a call from the sister he didn’t know existed, private investigator Barty Symonds travels to a village in the beautiful New Forest to find the father who abandoned him years ago.
Then someone dies, and all eyes in the tight-knit community turn to the newcomer, the outsider, and Barty finds himself not only in the role of investigator…
But prime suspect.
15
They walked awhile, chatting, laughing, getting to know one another. It was so ridiculously easy that Mary thought at times she must be dreaming. Whenever he looked away, she would reach over with her left hand and pinch the skin above her right wrist, but nothing changed. He was still by her side. Their conversation still flowed. Every now and then, he would still stop, and they would kiss.
And she was falling in love with him. How crazy was that?
When they got hungry, they popped into the local shop to buy a picnic. Tyler refused to let Mary contribute so much as a penny. He put the food into a ten-pence carrier bag, and they wandered into the woods to find somewhere to eat.
“I shoulda brought a blanket,” he said as they arrived in a clearing. “Come to a girl’s door asking to go for a walk right before lunch and don’t consider we might want to eat. What a mug, eh?”
“I don’t think you’re a mug.”
She took a half step towards him and paused, teetering back on her heel. With a hand that only shook a little, she brushed her hair behind her ear.
Beaming, he took a full step towards her. “Were you thinking of kissing me?”
The words made her blush, and she dipped her head, the hair she had tucked behind her ear seconds before falling free and covering her face. How silly she was to feel scared. The day was a triumph. Everything with Tyler was easy. How many times had he kissed her since pressing his lips to hers on her doorstep? Five? Six? He liked her, yet she remained afraid to kiss him in case he pushed her away and laughed in her face.
He took another step towards her. A small one this time, though a larger step could have closed the gap between them. She knew why, even before he spoke.
“I’d love you to kiss me,” he said. “If you want to, that is. I don’t know if it’s some chivalry thing; I’m supposed to make the move every time. I’m not sure how into that I’d be.”
“It’s not that,” she said. “It’s just…”
He tilted his head, his eyes questioning, but she feared finishing her sentence would make her look like a silly little girl. There was a moment of panic, then she realised she had something better than words, and she cut the space between them to nothing and threw her arms around his neck. That was when the fear of rejection returned.
“This is good,” he said. “This is progress, I feel like one day soon you might—”
She kissed him, and it was the best kiss yet.
They sat on tree stumps and unpacked their lunch: sausage rolls, crisps, scotch eggs, and pork pies. Pork pies were Mary’s favourite, and she was a bite into her third before considering how piggy she must look. Tyler laughed when she glanced at him, but it was an affectionate sound devoid of malice or mocking.
As they ate, they talked rubbish, and she fell more in love with him. Then, quite by accident – or so it seemed to her – they stumbled into the serious stuff.
They were discussing holidays. Mary’s parents were big on staycations but had taken her abroad a few times. Mostly on city breaks, once to a beachside resort in Spain. Recalling those joyous few days, Mary fell so thoroughly into the memory that she almost came to believe she was still there. When Tyler spoke, it yanked her from the past and reminded her of the present. From a divine dinner under the stars, her mother laughing, her father sipping orange juice, she leapt to evenings spent eating microwave meals at the kitchen table, her mother gone, her father so drunk he sometimes fell from his chair.
And his anger… that terrible anger.
He had never laid a finger on her, not once. Nor did she think he would. She worried he might lose his temper in a bar or the street. That he’d do something that would take him from her before she could save him.
If that happened, she’d hate her mother for the rest of her life.
Tyler saw the transformation in her expression as the reality of the present crashed into her. He was halfway through a sausage roll but placed it on a quarter-full packet of crisps and moved to sit next to Mary. Their knees touched.
“What’s up?”
She didn’t know how to respond and was afraid to cry in front of him. There was nothing sexy about tears. Unless they were his. Everything about Tyler was sexy.
“Your parents?”
Her head jerked up.
“Don’t look so surprised,” he said. “Village life, right? People talk. The rumour mill. It’s probably all crap.”
“It’s not.” Mary clasped her hands together, squeezing. “Well, I dunno. Some of it is. The stuff about me. I know people are saying…”
The tears were brimming again. Mary had to break off to prevent them from falling. When she did, Tyler lay his hand on hers. This gave her the strength to keep speaking, although no longer about her.
“My mum left three weeks ago. Before she went, she told me she loved me. Maybe she does. Just not enough to call or text, I guess. I thought she’d – so stupid. We didn’t have the bond I thought we did, that’s all.”
“I’m sorry.” Tyler kissed her cheek. “I don’t know what to say. I wish I could make it better.”
“You are,” she said. “You have. Just being here.” She took a breath. “The rumour about my dad. That’s true.”
“The drinking?”
She nodded. “The woman he loved left. I get how much that hurts because I’m suffering, too. Still, I thought he might… I thought…”
She broke off again, unable to continue.
“You thought he might double down on being a good dad, focus on what he had rather than dwell on what he’d lost.”
Mary met Tyler’s eyes, amazed by his insight and intelligence.
“That’s exactly it.”
“I’m sure he’ll get there. Maybe he just needs time.”
But Mary shook her head. “Not if he keeps drinking like he is. I’m frightened.”
“Of what?”
“He…” Mary paused, searching for the right way to say what she wanted to say. Only when she opened her mouth again, the words she spoke weren’t what she had expected to say. “I think Paige might kill me.”
“Paige? From school?”
“She’s obsessed with you, did you know that? You noticed this—“ she gestured to the bruises on her face, the cut on her lip. “There’s also my stomach and elbow. I’m in a lot of pain.”
“Oh, Mary—“
“I know you think it was my dad. I get that.”
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have—”
“Don’t be.” She nudged his shoulder with her own. “Hey, don’t be.”
They met each other’s gazes.
“It was Paige?” Tyler said, but he didn’t need Mary to answer. “That bitch.” An initial flare of anger was followed by understanding. “Because of the kiss?”
“Yeah.”
A few seconds of thought, then, “That’s why you didn’t reply to my text.”
“Yes. If she sees me with you, she’ll—”
“Do nothing. I’ll make sure of that.”
A new wave of love crashed through Mary, and she rested her head on Tyler’s shoulder.
“Thank you.”
“Can’t have my new girlfriend feeling threatened, can I?”
Girlfriend.
The sheer joy of the word clogged Mary’s throat. Left her speechless until Tyler spoke again.
“That is if you want—”
“I do. I so want.”
She pulled away from his shoulder, ignoring the nagging worry that her eagerness might make her less appealing to him. Putting her arms around his neck, she leaned in for another kiss.
A few minutes later, Tyler said, “You were talking about your dad before Paige. About your fear. That made you speak about Paige hurting you – she won’t get away with that, by the way.”
“I don’t want any trouble.”
“Don’t worry about it. Your dad, though. Are you worried he’ll hurt you?”
“No. Never.”
Tyler’s eyes were fixed on hers. His stare was an X-ray, reading her thoughts. Or trying to.
“What is it then?”
Mary bit her lip, but it was clear from Tyler’s expression that she wouldn’t get away with not answering. Nor did she want to, not really.
“Mary?”
“It’s you,” she said, knowing she was risking their relationship ending before it had begun. “I’m afraid if he finds out we’re dating, he’ll attack you in a drunken rage.”
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