The crowds lingered, enjoying the music and the coffee cart. I looked over at Richard and the flinty young redhead he was with and thought about confronting him over your dismissal, but then I heard Dad’s voice. He was standing at the foot of the gazebo with Mum. I hugged them both. They looked tired. Older. Dad hadn’t shaved.
‘You shouldn’t have done all this, love,’ said Mum all sniffly. ‘It’s too much.’
‘Actually, we’re meant to look out for—’
‘It’s not necessary. Elodie will be back soon and—’
‘Stop it,’ snapped Dad.
Mum blinked, aghast, but didn’t speak again. The tension between them was so thick, you could slice it up and spread it on toast.
‘If I’d known you were coming, I’d have picked you up,’ I said.
‘Jack brought us,’ said Dad, just as I spotted him and Kathryn coming across the park towards us.
We all hugged and kissed and hugged again. Dad caught my eye and said, in a voice so low only I could hear, ‘Sorry we’re late. We would’ve been here sooner but your mum …’
I squeezed his hand. ‘Don’t worry. You’re here now.’
‘You threw this together quickly,’ said Jack smoothly. But he isn’t smooth is he, El? He has rough edges and spiky bits. I remember all the fights he got into at school. I remember Kathryn cradling a cup of tea in our living room, telling Mum she was at her wits’ end with Jack’s aggression, that Jeffrey was having to pay more and more money to different private schools to secure Jack a place.
Then, over Jack’s shoulder, I saw a man in a black hoodie, staring up at the dark sky through glasses I recognised. Ones he’d worn the night he attacked you outside my house.
Flinging my arm out wide, I frantically looked for Christopher. He was only a couple of car lengths away from where I stood. He started moving quickly through the crowd in the direction I was pointing. I knew I was meant to be subtle, but there was this crazy adrenaline pumping, so I was pointing instead. It took all my willpower not to shout too.
Jack was the first to realise what was going on. ‘Oh fuck, it’s him,’ he said, cluing in the others.
I didn’t expect Dad to start running, El, running at your stalker the second he laid eyes on him.
Mum screamed after him, ‘Martin! Martin! Martin!’
The crowd parted but the commotion drew your stalker’s attention away from the drifting lanterns. Seeing Dad bearing down on him, he turned and sprinted away. There was an uproar of noise as Christopher and a couple of other undercover police pelted after them both, knocking into bystanders as they did. Then I was stepping forward, ready to join the chase.
Margot grabbed my wrist. ‘Don’t. You’ll just be in the way.’
‘Jesus,’ said Jack, pushing his fingers back through his hair. ‘Intense.’
I stared at him, wondering why he hadn’t joined the pursuit. He was eager enough to go tearing after this guy after your party, so why not now? I couldn’t ask that – too accusatory – instead I said, ‘How’re you holding up, Jack?’
‘Not good to be honest,’ he said to Margot and me. Mum and Kathryn had moved off to the side to call the police even though I told them the other men chasing your stalker were the police. ‘Elodie’s my entire world. I know her better than anyone, maybe better than she knows herself. I just can’t believe she’s gone.’
Margot rubbed his arm reassuringly, and I felt a spike of annoyance that he was turning this into a grief-pissing contest. I’m not sure exactly what it is about Jack that pushes every single one of my buttons. I know, I know, he’s amazing, you think he’s woven from the purest cloth, but you’re not here to tell me I’m wrong, are you? So I’ll write whatever I like, okay? ‘Did you ever tell El how you felt?’
‘What do you mean?’
‘That she’s your entire world.’
He pulled this face like I was a particularly difficult maths question he was trying to work out. ‘No, not in so many words.’
I nodded slowly. ‘Well, how do you think she’d have responded if you did tell her?’
He shrugged, and I could see he was trying to figure out where I was going with this. ‘I don’t know.’
Hmm, I thought, nice and vague. ‘Do you have feelings for my sister, Jack?’
His mouth twitched. I’m sure he didn’t like me reminding him you’re my sister since he’s under the impression you belong only to him. Beside me, Margot shifted uncomfortably, but she was interested too; I could tell by the way her gaze didn’t leave his face.