The Woman Who Lied(60)
The day before she was due to leave for home she’d managed to convince herself that she’d got the wrong guy. Of course it wasn’t going to be Ash’s dad. She was self-sabotaging. That’s what this was. And she very nearly pulled it off, the deception that she’d got the wrong man.
Until she saw the Sunday newspaper on the arm of the chair the day before she was due to leave.
And the doodles in the margins.
41
Emilia can’t stop thinking about her conversation with Ottilie. She’s sandwiched between two very large men on the packed tube train, and she notices that a guy standing up, holding the railing above, is watching her. He is around her age, maybe a bit younger, with spiky light-brown hair and dressed casually in baggy jeans and a beige Harrington jacket. She can tell he’s watching her because every time she looks up from the Wikipedia page on her phone she’s pretending to read she catches his eye and his glance slides away.
When the train pulls in at Richmond she hurries out into the open air. It’s still raining but has reduced to a light warm drizzle, and by the time she’s marched through town and up the hill towards her house, she’s sweating. She stops at the brow, peeling off her waterproof mac, not caring if she gets wet, and then she glances at her watch. She’s got half an hour before she has to go and pick up Wilfie and Jasmine. It’s a forty-five-minute round trip to collect Jasmine too, but she’d drive the length of the UK if it meant making sure her children got home safely.
The streets near her house are empty and she starts moving again.
Then she hears footsteps behind her.
She resists the urge to look around and continues up the hill, picking up her pace despite the stitch in her side. The footsteps are closing in. She can’t physically move any faster unless she breaks into a run, and she no longer has easy access to her personal alarm because she’s taken her coat off. She tells herself to relax, but Louise’s body flashes in her mind and fear grips her. There’s nothing for it. She runs, the exertion causing the pain in her side to intensify, but she can’t stop: her life depends on it. She’s suddenly certain of that. Is it her imagination or is the person behind her running as well? She rounds the corner to her street, relief surging through her that her house is in sight, and doesn’t stop until she reaches her driveway. The man who had been watching her on the tube is walking past. His hands are deep in his pockets and he’s not looking at her as he crosses the street and turns the corner. Is it a coincidence that he just happens to be walking this way, and so close behind? She takes a few deep breaths, waiting for her heart rate to return to normal, and is just about to head into the house when she hears her name called.
She turns in the direction of the voice and sees Jonas getting out of his car, which is parked further down the street. Her heart sinks as he approaches.
‘What are you doing here?’
He looks tired, his hair messy and in need of a cut, and there are dark circles under his eyes. ‘Kristin has been taken to the police station for questioning,’ he replies.
‘What?’
His expression darkens. ‘Don’t look so shocked, considering it was you who told the police you think she killed your friend Louise! I know why you have a vendetta against her,’ he says, rubbing a hand over his face wearily. ‘But I thought we were over all this. It’s been more than a decade.’
Anger bursts from her. ‘Do you really think I’d be so petty? The three of us have rocked along together now for years. I saw the troll doll in her possession, and I told the police. I didn’t say anything about her killing Louise.’
‘Why would she target and hound you? Why? Pretending that Jasmine has gone missing, she knew that would hurt me too, so why would she do it?’
‘I don’t know,’ she spits, her temper flaring. ‘Maybe because she thinks you’re having an affair.’
He pales. ‘But I’m not. What have you told her?’
‘I’ve not told her anything. She mentioned it to Ottilie, and to Louise on the night of my launch. She’s not stupid, Jonas. She knows something’s going on and I’m worried she thinks it’s with me.’
‘But I’m not having an affair. And okay, I was attracted to Connie, and I was tempted, but I’ve not acted on it. I’ve fucked up once and I’m not going to do it again.’
She stares at him, wondering if he’s lying. He looks like he’s being sincere, but she stopped trusting Jonas a long time ago. ‘Look, I have to go. I need to pick up the kids.’
He deflates in front of her eyes, like all the fight has gone out of him, and he suddenly looks older. ‘Can I come and see Jasmine at some point? I suppose you’re going to say you don’t want her at mine this weekend if you’re so sure Kristin is behind this, even though you know what I think. But surely you can’t imagine I’d hurt our daughter?’
She feels a stab of guilt. ‘Of course not,’ she says, in a small voice. She wants to cry. She hates this. Hates distrusting those close to her. She just wants whoever is doing this to be caught so that they can go back to how it was before. Louise’s laughing face flashes in her mind. Not that anything will ever be the same now that she’s dead. ‘Why don’t you come over this weekend instead?’