How long had it been now? Had Max already opened the door, shocked to see Nat da Silva standing in the dark outside?
Stop. Stop thinking and move.
Pip ran across the back of the house, keeping low.
There was a patio ahead, with a folded-up sunshade and a covered-up table. Leading out to it was a wide set of patio doors, small squares of glass in a white painted frame. There was no light leaking out of them, but as Pip approached, the moon lit her way again, showing her a large dining room inside. And the door that must connect it to the living room was closed, yellow lines of light around its border.
Her breaths were adrenaline-fast, and each one hurt.
Pip hurried up to the patio doors. Through the glass, she could see the door handle inside, and a set of keys in the lock. This was it. Her way in. She just had to break that one small pane of glass and she could reach inside to unlock the door. It wasn’t perfect, but it would do.
Quickly.
She braced one hand against the handle, readying the elbow on her other arm. But before she could ram it forward, into the glass, her other hand gave way. The handle pushed down under her weight. And then – to her shock – it opened outward as she pulled.
The door was already unlocked.
It shouldn’t be unlocked; the plan hadn’t counted on that. But maybe Max didn’t fear the danger lurking outside in the night, because he already was the danger. Plain-sight danger, not the dark-of-night kind. Or maybe he was just forgetful. Pip didn’t pause, didn’t stop to question it any further, sliding through the gap and shutting the patio door quietly behind her.
She was inside.
How long had that taken? She needed more time. How much longer could Nat distract him for?
Pip could hear their voices now, carrying through the house. She couldn’t make out the words, not until she opened the dining-room door and crept through into the living room.
The room was open plan, leading out on to the hallway. Pip glanced over, and Max was right there, standing at the front door with his back to her. Beyond him, Pip could just make out the halo of Nat’s white hair.
‘I don’t understand why you’re here,’ she heard Max say, his voice quieter than usual, unsure.
‘Just wanted to talk to you,’ Nat said.
Pip held her breath and stepped forward. Slow, silent. Her eyes shifted, away from Max to his blue water bottle, waiting on the coffee table ahead.
‘Kind of feel like I shouldn’t talk to you, not without a lawyer present,’ replied Max.
‘And doesn’t that say everything?’ Nat said with a sniff.
There was still water in the bottle, almost a third. Pip had hoped for more, but that would do. It should be tasteless. Her feet moved from polished wood to the huge, over-patterned rug in the centre of the room. There were no shadows to disappear into, nothing to hide behind. The room was bright and if Max looked back now, he’d see her.
‘So, what did you want to say?’ Max coughed lightly, and Pip halted, checking over her shoulder.
‘Wanted to talk to you about this libel suit you’re filing, against Pip.’
Pip crept forward, testing out each step before she leaned into it, in case one of the floorboards creaked.
She reached the edge of the large corner sofa, and ducked down beneath it, crawling forward, towards the bottle. The controller and Max’s phone lying abandoned on the seat of the sofa.
‘What about it?’ asked Max.
Pip reached out with her gloved hand, fingers wrapping around the sturdy plastic of the bottle. Its spout was already up and waiting, globs of his spit resting on top.
‘Why are you doing it?’ Nat said.
Pip unscrewed the top of the bottle, round and round.
‘I have to,’ said Max. ‘She spread lies about me to a significant number of people. Damaged my reputation.’
The top of the bottle came free, attached to a long plastic straw.
‘Reputation,’ Nat laughed darkly.
Pip rested the bottle top on the table, a few drops of water falling from the straw on to the rug below.
‘Yes, my reputation.’
She reached into her pocket, pulled out the sealed plastic bag with the green powder. Holding the bottle in the crook of her elbow, Pip peeled open the baggie.
‘Except they weren’t lies, you know that. For fuck’s sake, Max, she has a recording of you admitting it. What you did to Becca Bell. And me. And all the others. We know.’
Pip tipped the bag over the opening of the bottle. The green powder made a gentle hiss as it slid down, landing in the water.
‘That recording was fabricated. I would never say that.’