‘I want to know the truth about my son’s death,’ Natalie stated bluntly, not prepared to sit while the o
ther woman remained standing.
‘I said all I had to say at the inquest. I have nothing to add. I’m sorry...’
‘You lied.’
Anne Smith raised her finely arched eyebrows. ‘That is a very serious allegation.’
‘Who retrieved the ball that was supposed to have rolled over the cliff?’
Two hot spots appeared high on her cheeks. ‘I didn’t know it was retrieved.’
‘Don’t you consider it strange that it was in Ryan’s bag when the police returned it to me?’
‘I don’t understand...’
‘I know you’re lying.’
‘Perhaps we should leave the conversation there, Mrs Hayes. Knowing and proving are two different things.’
‘You could face perjury charges, Miss Smith,’ Natalie fired at her, hoping to crack her defences.
The beautiful dark eyes flashed defiance. ‘Then I’ll face them if I have to, and pay what penalties need to be paid...if I have to.’
‘You could go to gaol.’
Her eyes narrowed, calculating the risk. ‘And you might never realise how lucky you are,’ she said with slow deliberation. ‘You have Damien Chandler as a...friend. You might lose him...forever.’
‘Tell me the truth, Miss Smith.’
‘I can’t.’
‘What happened on the top of that cliff?’
‘Only one person can tell you that.’
‘And you’re the one.’
‘No.’
‘Who then?’
‘Damien Chandler.’
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
IT HAD proved impossible to draw anything further from Anne Smith on the subject. Natalie was deeply disturbed by her insistence that only Damien could tell her the truth about Ryan’s death. It left her with the inference that Damien had hidden from her the truth of where he was at the time of the accident.
It might not be a case of covering up for Brett. Perhaps Damien had been at fault in some way. Perhaps it was Anne Smith’s fault. Perhaps they were all at fault, and the agreement had been made that the memories of the dead should wait upon the realities of the living.
Natalie recoiled from that idea. She didn’t want Damien to be involved in any circumstances that had led directly to her son’s death. Besides, it couldn’t be true. Anne Smith had expressed the opinion that Natalie was lucky to have Damien as a friend. It was a very supportive statement on his behalf. She must have had good reason to give it.
Not that Natalie needed to be told by Anne Smith how good a friend Damien had been to her. She was well aware of that herself. He was the most wonderful lover she could ever have. No way was she going to jeopardise her future with Damien. There had to be a reasonable explanation for the course of action he’d decided upon concerning that fateful weekend.
Despite telling herself this, over and over again, Natalie still couldn’t let the matter go. She wanted it cleared up, once and for all. Then she could let it rest in peace and concentrate entirely on the future.
The thought of bringing the subject up at dinner was less than appealing. She no longer felt in the mood to dress up and celebrate the end of all that had kept her apart from Damien. She needed to talk to him about Ryan.