I nodded just in time to hear Caroline’s sweet voice, “Cassie! Cassie, what ice cream do you want? I want vanilla. I love vanilla.” Grabbing my hand, she pulled me into the shop.
“I think I’ll have the same as you,” I said, laughing.
We ordered, and I was about to pull some money out of my purse when Simon stopped me. “I’ll get these.”
I knew there was no arguing. I took the ice cream and thanked him as we sat down. Caroline’s face was animated as she licked the ice cream and stared out at the lake.
“I don’t know what you’ve done to my daughter, but she’s the happiest I’ve seen her in a long time. I can’t remember the last time she skipped.” Molly laughed a little. I didn’t quite know what to say to that. I had an inkling as to why she had changed, but it wasn’t something I was going to explain.
“You have a wonderful daughter, Molly. I bet you’re extremely proud of her.”
Smiling, she lovingly looked across at her daughter. “I am very proud of her.” She stroked her head and Caroline tried her best to wink at her mum. It kind of looked like a blink rather than a wink, causing us all to giggle.
The conversation soon turned to school and Christmas. Caroline was excited about the coming holiday season and wondered what Father Christmas might bring. I was hoping she wouldn’t turn sad and start talking about her father, but she didn’t. I think she just wanted to feel happiness for once, and I could completely understand how that felt.
Once we had all eaten our ice cream, we decided to go to the hospital to visit Mama Caroline. Little Caroline was feeling lighter than air about the prospect of seeing her grandmother again. She had only seen her briefly once, and she said she like her a lot.
The hospital seemed busier than first thing this morning, so I decided to get a coffee down in the canteen. Simon came with me, giving Caroline and Molly the space they needed to talk with his mum. I knew he wanted to talk with me about something anyway, so I thought now was as good a time as any.
“So,” I started, as we sat down at a table with our coffee, “what did you want to talk to me about?”
At first, Simon looked confused, then the spark of remembrance glazed over him. “Ah, yes. It’s about that little girl we found at the site in North Devon. I got confirmation this morning that it was Lisa Bellmont. I was going to ring and tell you this morning, but I got a call from the centre before I could.”
Feeling my heart ache, I hung my head in dismay. I knew it was coming, but I still wasn’t prepared for it. To me, this girl held a special place in my heart. I had felt the pain she was in as she looked up into the eyes of a very young Justin Merryfield, pleading with him to help her.
“Okay. Thank you for telling me. I still want to arrange everything.”
Simon smiled. “I know you do. I’ve given them your contact details and said you would call at some point to arrange her burial.”
“I assume her mother is buried somewhere?”
“Yes. I believe she is buried in Twickenham Cemetery.”
“Then that is where I’ll bury Lisa. I’m sure they would have wanted to be buried together. It would give me comfort to know she’ll be with her daughter again. That she’s finally been found and brought home.”
Simon patted my gloved hand. “I think that would be great.”
*****
I stayed at the hospital a couple of hours, chatting and enjoying the happiness of everyone around me. There was certainly an air of appreciation. Mama Caroline thanked me over and over, and I told her I would always be there for her and her family. She cried and said I was like the other daughter she never had. I chuckled, my heart swelling at her kind words.
I finally decided it was time to go, and Simon said he’d drop me off, much to little Caroline’s dismay. She clung to me and didn’t want to let me go. I assured her I would be around whenever she needed me, and she hesitantly let go. I gave Molly my number and told her to call if ever she wanted.
Chapter 17
The next few days was full of funeral and wedding arrangements. It felt strange to be organizing the celebration of new beginnings, and celebrating the ending of a young life.
The day before the funeral, Hamish came around for a visit, bringing with him some money he had collected for the funeral. He told me that Simon had mentioned what I was doing and everybody thought it was the honourable thing to do. The money would help, as the funeral had eaten into all my savings, but I was determined to use the two thousand pounds that were raised for something else. There were other people that needed it more than me, and keeping it didn’t seem right. I ended up thanking Hamish and took the money, hiding it in a jar in the kitchen. I was sure it would come in handy one day.