Page 72 of Fallen Legacy

“Hey girl,” Vee sings down the phone. “So, I hear you and I are making our own way to the beach tonight?”

“Seems that way.”

“Well, listen, I need to call at a boutique down at the Marina in Haven before it closes at five. I’m thinking we get ready early, go pick up my order, enjoy some nice food out and then hit the beach.”

“I like that plan, but do you really need more shoes?”

“Eliza, I am speechless,” Vee gasps. “How can you even ask? A woman can never have enough shoes, and these are Chanel, darling.”

“Oh well, pardon me,” I say in a mock posh accent.

“So, you should be. Now go get ready. I’ll pick you up in twenty.”

“Wait. I want to drive my baby tonight, so you drive here and then we’ll take my car.”

Vee chuckles down the phone. “You can be my baby-driver! Do you get it?”

I roll my eyes even though she can’t see me. “Yes, I get it. Hardy-har. Goodbye.”

“Bye!” She laughs down the phone before hanging up.

ELIZA

Thirty minutes later we’ve parked up behind the high street and we pick Vee’s new shoes up from the boutique. I must admit they are lovely, but my feet nearly went from under me when I heard the girl cash them through! Who pays that kind of money for something you put on your feet?

“Where shall we eat?” Vee asks, as she links her arm through mine as we walk towards the marina. “There’s a cute little Italian just a minute down the road, or we could head back to the bay and go to the steak place?”

“How about we slum it and do fish and chips? My Aunties chippy is just a bit further up,” I suggest. I haven’t seen Rebecca since we first met, but we had been exchanging texts and it would be nice to see her again.

“Ooh, yes! I would love to meet the new auntie,” Vee says in excitement. “Lead the way.”

We’re giggling and gossiping as we near the chippy and I look up to tell her we’re here. Then I stop in my tracks.

“What’s happened?”

Rebecca is outside the chip shop sweeping up shards of glass. The chip shop window is completely shattered.

“Rebecca, what’s going on?”

She turns at the sound of my voice and when she realises it’s me; she leans the brush against the shop front and strides over and engulfs me in a warm hug. “Eliza, this is a lovely surprise. I was actually about to call you.” She pulls away from me and her cheerfulness dissipates.

“Did someone put the window through? Have you had a break in?”

Rebecca sighs and looks back at the shop. “We were just opening and the next thing, a brick comes hurtling through the window. It nearly gave poor Lee a heart attack.”

“That’s awful,” Vee chips in and I realise I haven’t introduced her to my aunt.

“This is Vee, my best friend. Vee, this is my auntie.”

Vee smiles warmly at Rebecca and they both say hello.

“That’s why I was about to call you,” Rebecca says with a grimace. “You should probably come inside.” She ushers us in the door and through to the kitchen.

Lee is in the back on the phone to the police. Rebecca walks over to the counter-top and reaches for a crumpled piece of paper. “You should probably read this,” she says, holding the paper out for me.

I look at her, puzzled, but I take the paper from her and read the note. A chill runs down my spine. On the crumpled paper written in black ink is the message ‘Tell your niece if she doesn’t leave others will suffer.’

Rebecca folds her arms around herself and studies my reaction. “I only have one niece, so I assume they are talking about you. Are you in some kind of trouble?”

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