‘Hey,’ yells Moira. ‘You get back here.’
He glances over his shoulder but keeps running. Moira sets off after him.
She sees the silver Beetle is parked at the side of the street a little way ahead, and knows that’s where he’s heading. She has to stop him. She needs to know who he is and why he’s following her.
Moira sprints faster, but she’s too late. He reaches the silver Beetle and jumps inside. As she draws level with the car Moira hears the engine roar into life.
She bangs her fist on the driver’s side window. ‘Who the hell are you?’
The blond guy turns towards her. His eyes are wide, fearful.
‘What do you want from me?’ Moira yells, banging on the glass again. She pulls at the door handle, trying to open the door, but it’s locked from the inside. ‘Tell me what you want. Tell me why you’re following me. Tell me who you are.’
The guy stamps on the gas and the Beetle lurches forward.
Moira manages to smack her palm against the window once more before the car is out of reach. She runs after it, but it’s a losing game and she knows it. In seconds the car is gone and Moira’s left standing in the middle of the street.
There’s no doubt in her mind now. Whoever the blond guy is, he’s definitely following her. The question is, why?
10
MOIRA
Moira swears under her breath. It’s infuriating. Concerning too. She’s seen the blond guy three times now, and every time he’s got away.
‘Who was that?’
Moira turns and is surprised to see Lizzie standing a couple of feet behind her. Moira shakes her head. ‘I don’t know, but I saw him near the entrance to Manatee Park earlier, and then he was hanging around outside my house before I came here.’
‘So he’s following you?’ Lizzie says, frowning.
‘Yeah, I think so,’ says Moira.
Lizzie bites her lip. Looks conflicted. Then gestures towards the house. ‘You’d better come back inside.’
Moira stays put and says nothing. She doesn’t want another argument.
‘Look, who knows who that guy is? He could be connected to the murder,’ says Lizzie. When Moira still doesn’t move, Lizzie shrugs. ‘Okay, fine, suit yourself.’
Moira watches Lizzie start walking back towards the house. Thinks of how upset Lizzie was just a few minutes earlier. Knows she could just walk away, but it’d be better – kinder – to try to fix things. ‘Okay, Lizzie, wait up.’
They go back through the garden gate and along the pathway to the patio. As they reach the table and chairs, Lizzie turns to Moira. ‘You should call that detective and tell him that man’s stalking you.’
Moira’s been thinking the same thing. ‘I will, but first . . . Look, I know you don’t believe me, but before today the only time I’d met Philip was in the supermarket when I saw you both together.’ Moira shakes her head. ‘He isn’t the reason I didn’t go back to yoga to meet up with you as planned.’
Lizzie frowns. ‘Why, then?’
Moira sits down. She knows she needs to give Lizzie enough to convince her she’s telling the truth, but not so much that she reveals too much about herself. Lizzie and Philip might be nice enough, but they’re still dangerous. She can’t drop her guard about her life before, but what’s happened since she arrived here at The Homestead is safe ground. ‘If I’m honest, I was having a bit of a tough time, settling in. This place is lovely but it’s pretty full-on. I hadn’t realised it would be like that when I moved here. I found things rather overwhelming so I guess I retreated a bit. I couldn’t face showing up and doing a class. I needed a bit of time to be on my own, to get my bearings and adjust to this place.’