BOOK BLITZ: TIME WILL TELL (Excerpt Included)

TIME WILL TELL Eva Jordan PUB DATE:  25th April 2019 ISBN: 9781911583943 PRICE: £8.99 EXTENT: 288 Pages DIMENSIONS: B format paperback ILLUSTRATIONS: N/A CATEGORY: Women’s Fiction, Romance BIC CODE: FA, FRD REGIONS: World matthew@urbanepublications.com Eva Jordan’s much-anticipated follow up to the bestselling ‘All The Colours In-Between’. Writer, Lizzie Lemalf, and her loving but somewhat dysfunctional family are still grieving over the loss of a much-loved family member. Lizzie is doing her best to keep her family together but why does the recent death of a well-known celebrity have them all in a spin? The police suspect foul play; Lizzie and other family members suspect one another. Lizzie begins searching for answers only to find herself being dragged back to the past, to 1960’s London to be exact, and to the former life of her father, that up until now she has never been privy to. Every family has its secrets but how can the past hold the key to a present day celebrity death? They say the past comes back to haunt you. Surely the truth will out? Maybe, but only time will tell… ·       ‘A funny yet poignant story of modern family life’ – Jill’s Book Café ·        ‘A roller coaster of emotions in one book -amazing!’ – read-along-with-sue (top 100 amazon reviewer) About the Author: Eva Jordan is a published writer of several short stories and Time Will Tell is her third novel. Eva lives in a small town in Cambridgeshire with partner Steve and three of our four children, who are a constant source of inspiration – they are all teenagers, need I say more! Eva’s career has been varied, including working in a Women’s Refuge and more recently at the city library. However, storytelling through the art of writing is her true passion. urbanepublications.com UK sales by Signature Book Representation (UK) Limited Tel: 0845 862 1730 sales@signaturebooksuk.com Distributed by Combined Book Services Ltd Unit D, Paddock Wood Distribution Centre, Paddock Wood, Tonbridge, Kent TN12 6UU Tel. 01892 837171 Email: orders@combook.co.uk 3 8 T I M E  W I L L  T E L L Chapter 4 Christmas Day P R E S E N T DAY – L AT E A F T E R N O O N C A S S I E Hunter Black is dead. Dead. I feel… numb. Why? I should be ecstatic, jumping up and down, fist thumping the air, ready to dance on his grave. Cremation would be better. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, flush to flush… down the fucking toilet, where he belongs. Gone. Forever. Everyone, quiet, looks at one another. Beside me, Mum tucks my hair behind my ear, touches my cheek, and asks if I’m okay? I feel my eyes widen in surprise, shrink back to being a child again. I don’t know. Am I okay? I suppose I am. I shrug. ‘I guess so,’ I hear myself reply. An arm, strong reassuring, folds around my shoulders. It’s Luke. He leans forward, kisses the tip of my nose. I smile. Movement to the side of me finds Connor, running his hand through his hair, blowing air from his inflated cheeks. He looks agitated, offers me a tight-lipped smile. Baby Nicolas, balanced on Maisy’s hip, mouth turned down, chin quivering, looks every bit as confused as me. He whimpers, quietly at first, like a faraway police siren, growing louder and whinier by the second, breaking both the silence and weird atmosphere in the room. Maisy brushes past me. Time Will   Tell  _1st proofs.indd  38                                                             20/01/2019  12:35   C h r i s t m a s  D ay 3 9 ‘Taking him for a nap,’ she says, squeezing my shoulder. ‘Good news eh, sis? Good news and good bloody riddance.’ She calls to Crazee to go with her and he pauses by my side, his face reddening as he shifts from foot to foot. He opens his mouth as if to speak then seems to change his mind; fist bumps me instead before giving me the thumbs up as he leaves the room. Si, my stepdad, now standing next to Mum, also asks me if I’m okay and again I shrug my shoulders just as Uncle Sean calls out, winks, and also sticks his thumb up. Aunt Natasha, who is bent over her phone, confirms the TV news report. ‘It’s all over Twitter,’ she says. Luke’s phone rings and he skulks off toward the kitchen to answer it. Connor heads towards the door, Mum behind him. Nan mumbles something I don’t quite catch then shuffles off, as well, to make tea for everyone. Confused, I look around, realise I’m alone. I feel weird. Everything feels weird. Hunter Black, who has caused me so much pain and suffering, my family too, is dead. So why don’t I feel happy? Or relieved? Something, anything, would be good. Wait… I am angry. Angry and annoyed that once a-fucking-gain he is at the centre of my thoughts. Today was bad enough, with it being the first year since Grandad passed away. And now this: Hunter Black overshadowing everything, taking centre stage – again. A bubble of anger, effervescent, wells in my chest, taking me by surprise. It eats away at me, making me want to scream, smash plates, get drunk… Anything that takes my thoughts away from him. I decide a fag will have to do instead. I head into the kitchen, past Nan who, staring into space, is hovering by the rumbling kettle. ‘Just going for a fag,’ I say, unlocking the back door. Nan’s eyebrows knit together in a frown. She sighs, shakes her head. ‘You should give them up, Cassie.’ Time Will Tell_1st proofs.indd  39 20/01/2019  12:35 4 0 T I M E  W I L L  T E L L Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. ‘I will do, Nan. Soon.’ Luke paces back and forth at the end of the garden like a caged wild animal. Although, with his phone – still pressed to his ear – in one hand, and the other arm swinging back and forth, he also looks like some mad music conductor. Who the hell he is talking to? He spots me and puts his hand up. I nod, then cup my hand around the fag hanging from the side of my mouth, waving my lighter underneath it. It hisses until an orangey blue flame jumps up and crackles, the cigarette catching light. I suck hard, close my eyes and look up; feel woozy, lightheaded. When I open my eyes again I watch the smoke billowing from my mouth disappearing into the grey sky above me. By the time I reach Luke he has finished talking on the phone, which he slips back into his jeans pocket. I offer him a drag of my ciggie. He shakes his head then changes his mind and squinting, takes a drag. ‘Who was that?’ I ask. Luke’s eyes narrow and a blue grey trail of smoke wafts from the corner of his mouth. ‘Just Jay.’ He waves his hand in the air. ‘Being a dick about the New Year’s Eve set we’ve got planned.’ ‘So, is it all sorted now?’ Luke drops the half-smoked ciggie on the ground and stamps on it. My heart sinks, I could have easy got a couple more drags out of that. ‘Hopefully,’ he replies. ‘C’mon, let’s go in. It’s bloody freezing out here. And you’re shivering.’ ‘Luke?’ I pull my hand back. ‘Aren’t you going to ask me how I am? How I feel about Black?’ Luke frowns. ‘But I did… didn’t I?’ He points to the back door. ‘Just a minute ago. Inside.’ ‘I know. But, well… that was in front of everyone. I thought, when we were alone, you’d want to know how I feel? How I really feel?’ He attempts a smile, but it doesn’t meet his eyes. ‘Shit. Yeah, Time Will Tell_1st proofs.indd  40 20/01/2019  12:35 C h r i s t m a s  D ay 4 1 sorry. Of course. It’s just…’ He sits on the seat of the old swing, its paint-peeling metal frame having seen better days, and pulls me onto his knee. ‘It’s just what?’ Luke, his arms wrapped around my waist, his cheek pressed against my back, squeezes me. ‘I don’t want to upset you,’ he says. ‘Personally, I think it’s good news. The best.’ His tone is as dark as my ex boss’s name. ‘Men like Black are bad. Fucking evil. And the world is now minus one less scumbag. So what? But I’m not you, am I Cassie? I know that if we could have got him there, you’d have preferred your day in court. And what with today also being the first anniversary of your grandad’s… ’ He knows only too well the mere mention of Grandad will set me off. I try my hardest to swallow the lump forming in my throat, control the sobs desperate to leave my mouth. ‘I suppose I’m just trying to tread carefully, Cas. But… Look at me.’ I arch myself around to face him. He cradles my face in his hands, his old leather jacket creaking. I put my hand up to his eye. The cut around it looks angrier than it did earlier. He winces, moves my hand away. ‘I still can’t believe Useless did that to you. Are you sure you were just messing around? That it wasn’t a real fight?’ ‘Course it wasn’t a real fight.’ There’s a flash of impatience in his voice, like I’m a child asking too many questions. ‘What on earth would me and Eustace be fighting about?’ He leans in, kisses me gently on the lips. ‘I love you, Cas. Always have, always will. If you want to talk about Black, Honey, the whole bloody thing, we can talk until the fucking cows come home if you like. But if you’d rather not… well, I get that too.’ I nod my head, the lump lodged in my throat now the size of a plum. ‘Thanks,’ I whisper, hot tears stinging my cheeks as they roll down my face. ‘It’s weird but I don’t know how I feel about Black’s death. I guess I’m relieved. But I always thought that Time Will Tell_1st proofs.indd  41 20/01/2019  12:35 4 2 T I M E  W I L L  T E L L if anything ever happened to him, I’d feel – happy, somehow? Pleased? But I don’t. I just feel… numb.’ I stand up, as does Luke, who then pulls me to his chest, wrapping his arms around me. And just like at the hospital, a year ago today, when baby Nicolas was born and Grandad passed away, he kisses my head and guides me into a tight circle until eventually my sobbing stops. The back door swings open and it’s Nan asking if either of us wants tea or coffee. I put my hand up. ‘Coming, Nan.’ Luke laughs. ‘Why do old people always want to make tea when there’s a problem?’ Luke follows me into the living room, suggests I take a seat and not to worry; he just needs to make another quick phone call then he’ll help my Nan and bring me a coffee. I watch him leave the room, head towards the stairs, my old bedroom. Si and Uncle Sean are still sitting at the dining table, surrounded by tubs of chocolates, half-pulled Christmas crackers and what looks like piles of coloured spaghetti, fired from the shells of party poppers. I watch them for a moment. Their voices are low, secretive, but their body language is loud and demonstrative. Chests puffed up, arms waving this way and that, I wonder what or who they are talking about. Hunter Black – maybe? A hand on my shoulder makes me jump. I turn to see Summer standing behind me, cradling her yappy little pug, Sir Lancelot, or, ‘Sir Barks-a-lot’ as Connor prefers to call him and just plain old ‘Lance’ to everyone else. Summer, who’s almost as tall as me now, is wearing eyeliner and mascara, and looks frighteningly older than twelve. Don’t rush to grow up, I want to say, it’s such a scary place. ‘You okay, Cassie?’ she asks. I find my best plucky smile, nod, ‘Yeah. I think so,’ I reply, patting Lance on the head. He growls. I flinch. ‘Not very friendly, is he?’ Time Will Tell_1st proofs.indd  42 20/01/2019  12:35 C h r i s t m a s  D ay 4 3 ‘Sir Lancelot, stop it.’ Summer waves her finger at his big eyes set in his squashed, wrinkled face. ‘How about you? How’s my favourite cousin doing?’ Lance licks Summer’s finger. She laughs, looks at me. ‘Not so good.’ She bends down to let the pug wriggle free from her arms. ‘Do you know pugs originated in China, dating all the way back to the Han dynasty? And, that Marie Antoinette had a pug called Mops, and Josephine Bonaparte had a pug called Fortune?’ ‘They’re definitely a lot of dog in a small body.’ I watch the retreating back of the sturdy little dog with the huge personality as he scampers towards the kitchen, no doubt in search food. ‘And no, I knew none of those bizarre facts. Amazing what you can find on Google, eh?’ Summer chews the corner of her mouth, looks down. ‘Wasn’t Google that told me. It was Grandad.’ I sniff, and smile. ‘Why doesn’t that surprise me? There wasn’t much Grandad didn’t know something about, was there?’ Summer tips her head to the side and laughs, wiping away the lone tear running down her cheek. ‘Come here.’ I open my arms and give her a quick, tight hug. ‘So, what’s up then, cuz?’ I ask as we pull apart. Dragging her hand through her hair, Summer rolls her eyes and sighs. ‘There’s bit of an argument going on in our WhatsApp group,’ she says waving her phone from side to side. ‘Really? What seems to be the problem?’ ‘Well, like, Amy said I called Louise fat. Which, like, I didn’t coz it was actually Amy that did. But, like, she doesn’t want Louise to be friends with me, so she, like, also said that Louise said I was ugly. And that I like have a big nose with a ginormous bump in it.’ She does have a nose with a bump in it, like me, like Mum, like Uncle Sean. We’ve all got Grandad’s Roman nose. Time Will Tell_1st proofs.indd  43 20/01/2019  12:35 4 4 T I M E  W I L L  T E L L ‘Which I, like, know is a lie – not like about my nose, I know I have a big nose – but it’s, like, a lie that Louise said it. But now, like, Louise believes her and so does Taylor and Brittany and Olivia and Bethany–’ Oh my actual god, I’m sorry I asked. Was I ever like that? Surely, LIKE, not! ‘Firstly,’ I interrupt, ‘it sounds like a lot of nonsense about nothing. Secondly, there is absolutely nothing wrong with you or your nose. You are beautiful just the way you are. You have the same nose as me, as Grandad, and should be proud of it. And thirdly, instead of all this silly messaging one another, where things get misunderstood, why don’t you ring Louise and, you know, like, actually speak to her. Have a real conversation?’ Bloody hell – now I sound like Mum! What the hell is happening to me? The wry smile from Aunt Natasha, who looks up from her phone, doesn’t go unnoticed. Summer closes her eyes, shakes her head. ‘Cassie, you have no idea just how hard it is being a teenager in the twenty-first century.’ I stifle a laugh. ‘Is that right?’ ‘Uh-huh.’ Aunt Natasha looks up again and shakes her head. She tells Summer to help Nan in the kitchen and before Summer has time to protest, threatens to take her phone off her for the rest of the evening if she doesn’t do as she’s told. ‘Knew we shouldn’t have bought her a phone,’ Aunt Nat mumbles under her breath as Summer lopes off. Looking down again, Aunt Nat also says something about the police not saying much about how my ex boss died. I wonder? Was it in pain, and fear? Like he caused me and all those other girls. And, more importantly, was he remorseful? ‘I fucking doubt it.’ Time Will Tell_1st proofs.indd  44 20/01/2019  12:35 C h r i s t m a s  D ay 4 5 Nat looks up again, her forehead wrinkled. ‘Sorry, did you say something, Cas?’ I shake my head; think back to the news report on TV that announced Black’s death. I think of his shiny black door, now decorated with crisscrossed yellow and black crime scene tape flapping in the wind. I think of that night and I also think of all those months afterwards when I still worked for him, still allowed him to talk down to me. And the more I think, the more I shake. Rage and fear surge through my body like a strange cocktail of heat and ice. Even in death this arsehole haunts me. I close my eyes, hold my breath for a count of ten and listen: the muttering of lowered voices, a car turning in the drive next door, the kettle boiling in the kitchen. I open my eyes. Breathe out. Hear the gentle chime of chinking mugs and the sound of someone’s phone ringing before closing my eyes again. Rinse and repeat. Rinse and repeat. I do this a couple more times, until I am calm. Luke is back in the room, on his phone again, texting. Nan is back too, asking again, who wants tea or coffee. Nan without Grandad still sounds wrong. I think of Grandad, his craggy face, feel a sharp tugging at my heart, wonder what he would have made of all this. I hear his voice, ‘Facking good riddance! Couldn’t have happened to a nicer bleedin’ bloke.’ I look at Nan and in my best cockney accent I ask her for ‘a nice cap o’ Rosie Lee.’ Clutching a bright red Christmas tea towel to her chest, Nan nods her head and smiles. I flash her the biggest smile I can manage back. I don’t give a shit. I’m done with the man. I was a few months ago, if I’m honest. Especially when it looked as though there wouldn’t be enough evidence to go to trial. I would have gone, if there had been, even though I admit, I was frightened. The thought of my life laid bare, for everyone to prod and poke at; I’ve been judged enough. Hunter Black is gone. And he’ll never Time Will Tell_1st proofs.indd  45 20/01/2019  12:35 4 6 T I M E  W I L L  T E L L be able to hurt anyone else again. That’s all that matters isn’t it? And now I can truly move on. Can’t I? I decide not to give Hunter Black another thought. At least, not today. I tell Nan I’ll give her a hand but jump when my phone rings – at the same time as a loud banging on the front door. Everyone looks up and Simon, who is still sitting at the table with Uncle Sean, stands up. ‘I’ll get it,’ he says. A quick glance at my phone screen and I press the accept call button and listen. I know it’s Aunt Marie, recognise her voice, but I can barely make out what she is saying. High-pitched and panicky, she’s not screaming but she’s not far from it, either. ‘What’s wrong?’ I ask, but she won’t say. She tells me to put Mum on the phone, and as I head towards the kitchen, another loud banging on the front door makes me jump again. Simon brushes past me. ‘All right. All right,’ he calls out. Mum is still talking to Nan. ‘It’s for you,’ I say, thrusting my phone towards her hands. Mum looks at the phone then looks at me. ‘Who is it?’ ‘Aunt Marie. She sounds upset. Won’t tell me what’s wrong. Asked for you.’ Nan, eyebrow arched, her crinkly blue eyes quizzical and steely, looks from the phone to Mum. ‘Why has she asked for you, Lizzie? What on earth is the matter?’ Mum sounds agitated. ‘How do I know, Mum?’ Nan bites her lip, folds her arms. I shrug. Mum lifts the phone to her ear and I notice a slight tremor in her hand. ‘Hi Marie… yes, yes. It’s me. Are you okay? Cassie said– What? I don’t understand. Look, Marie, you need to calm down. I don’t understand. Wait–’ We’re all distracted by raised voices coming from the hallway. ‘For what?’ Simon’s voice, loud and angry, drifts in, talking to whoever it is at the front door. ‘What the hell is this all about?’ Time Will Tell_1st proofs.indd  46 20/01/2019  12:35 C h r i s t m a s  D ay 4 7 Mum closes her eyes for a second then opens her mouth to speak. Nan throws her tea towel on the side, steps forward. She looks at me and I look at Mum. Simon enters the room. He looks angry, pissed off, even, drags a hand through his salt and pepper hair. Mum still has my phone pressed against one ear, her hand against the other. ‘Okay. You need to keep calm, Marie. I know it is but–’ ‘Lizzie,’ Simon interrupts, his voice sharp, demanding. Mum looks up, points to the phone, and looks away again. Simon’s mouth tenses like he’s angry but his eyes, darting from left to right, from me to Nan, then back to Mum, say something else. I’m filled with a sickening panic. Is that fear I see in Si’s eyes? He steps further into the kitchen and I realise there are two men standing behind him. ‘Lizzie,’ he says again. Mum swings round, sighs. ‘Hang on a minute, Marie.’ She lowers the phone. ‘What? What the hell is it?’ she snaps. ‘Do you know where Connor is?’ ‘He went to Jake’s. Why?’ Simon points to the two individuals standing behind him. ‘Apparently the police would like to speak to him.’ The colour drains from Mum’s face. She puts the phone back to her ear and stares at the two officers. ‘Marie. Listen to me. The police are here. Yes, the police. I’ll call you back. Yes… No. I promise.’ She places my phone on the kitchen worktop, walks up to Simon, and stares at the two police officers. ‘What the hell is this all about? What on earth do you need to question my son about? Simon – what do they want?’ Simon raises his eyebrows. He looks tired, confused. ‘To help them with their enquires.’ ‘Enquiries? Enquiries about what?’ Simon takes a deep breath. ‘Hunter Black.’ Time Will Tell_1st proofs.indd  47 20/01/2019  12:35