I breathe out in relief. ‘Vince?’
He’s breathing heavily too. ‘Sorry. I was trying to catch up with you. Shit, you walk fast.’
I eye him warily. ‘What do you want?’
It’s the boyfriend, a little voice pipes up inside my head. Isn’t it always the boyfriend? Did he kill Una because she didn’t want him back?
I continue at a brisk walk and he falls in beside me. Why has he followed me?
‘I just wanted to say I’m sorry for being unfriendly to you at the pub tonight.’
I shrug. ‘I didn’t notice,’ I lie. ‘And you followed me home just to tell me that?’
He laughs. It sounds abrasive in the dark night. By now the streets are narrower and quieter. ‘I haven’t followed you home. I’m going to the bus stop.’
‘Aren’t there bus stops on Whiteladies Road?’
‘Not for the bus I need to take.’
I don’t believe him. I continue walking with purpose.
‘Courtney told me you’ve taken over Una’s job,’ he says, matching me stride for stride. He’s tall, a good head and shoulders taller than me.
‘That’s right.’ I wonder if I could bang on the door of one of these pretty townhouses if he tries to attack me. There are still lights on in some of the windows, the occupants going about their Saturday-night business, unaware that I’m out here with a potential murderer.
‘Just be careful,’ he says, his voice gruff, as though he’s fighting his emotions. I glance at him from the corner of my eye, and even though it’s dark and the streetlights cast shadows across half of his face, I can see that he’s in pain. Is he warning me or threatening me?
‘What do you mean?’
He sighs. ‘I loved Una. There are so many things I did wrong in our relationship, things I won’t bore you with, and it kills me I wasn’t able to protect her at the end.’
‘What do you think happened?’ We’re still walking at a steady pace. We pass a number of bus stops but he keeps going.
‘Una was angry with me, which was to be expected after what I did.’ He doesn’t elaborate and I don’t ask. I actually don’t care. I just want to get home in one piece. ‘I wanted her back but she refused. Una didn’t tell me much about what went on up at the grand house, as I call it. I only saw her once or twice after we split up. But Courtney and Kris filled me in. By the sound of it something’s going on behind those doors. And you look similar to Una, you know. The same height and build. The same colouring. Apart from the threads. She’d never wear the kind of clothes you’ve got on.’
It doesn’t sound like a compliment.
‘And she would never have pierced her nose.’
For fuck’s sake. Why is he telling me all this? Why do I feel like I’m being compared unfavourably to a woman I’ve never even met?
‘And you’re younger …’
I stop and round on him, no longer scared, just irritated. ‘And your point is?’
He hangs his head. ‘I’m sorry … I didn’t mean anything by it. I …’ his voice catches ‘… I miss her.’
My anger dissipates. ‘I’m sorry. It’s awful what happened to Una. And I’ve said I’ll help Courtney, okay? I don’t want to be next, do I?’ I force a laugh. ‘It’s in my best interests to find out what happened to Una.’
He nods, his face brightening a little. ‘Can I walk you the rest of the way home?’
It’s against my better judgement but we’re only a few streets away so I agree.
Another gone. And another arrives.
You’re different from Una. Your hair is a dirtier blonde, but at least you got rid of those ugly pink streaks. You’ve got piercings, a tattoo of a butterfly on your right ankle that you try to hide and you probably regret, although you’d never admit it. You’re younger too, not as sweet or as pretty. And you’re feisty, but that doesn’t bother the old bag. She likes you. I’ve seen the way she laughs at your jokes. Or maybe it’s because she appreciates you more, knowing you might be taken away in an instant, like the others.
This time, though, Elspeth McKenzie has made the right choice.
You’re the best girl for the job.
29
Kathryn
Kathryn isn’t so sure about this new one, Willow Green. What kind of name is that anyway? It sounds like it’s been pulled from a Farrow & Ball chart. She wonders if it’s made up.