Fiona isn’t a lawyer, though, and there’s only so many things a person can sensibly google so she’s not absolutely certain whether this amount of evidence is circumstantial, or more robust. She believes Daan will be arrested and trialed for Kylie’s abduction. Of course there is a possibility that he’s left the country by now, but that won’t look good either. He will naturally protest his innocence and no doubt hire brilliantly cunning lawyers who will draw out the case for his extradition to the UK; even if he has to stand trial, he may or may not be convicted, again because he can pay for decent lawyers. Without a body, it will be hard to make a case that will carry a long sentence. But there may be a body. Fiona expects Kylie’s body will wash up. She’s already told the DC that Daan has visited her cottage on the coast, it will be assumed he returned to a familiar place to dispose of Kylie. He hasn’t ever visited her home, of course. Nothing so cozy, nothing so committed. Still, that’s not a problem. She has planted enough items around her place to convince a jury he has been there. A single cufflink, the partner of which is still in his own apartment, a glass with his lip and fingerprints, his toothbrush, a pair of boxes. Bits and pieces she picked up from his place when she stayed over on Saturday.
Kylie smiles, confident that Daan will go down for Kylie’s abduction and murder. Yes, he might get a lawyer to argue him out of a long sentence or he might rot in jail. Who knows? Who cares? It doesn’t matter either way. Even if he gets away with a couple of years, his reputation will be ruined. For the rest of his life he will have scandal and shame attached to him. Staining him. People will shun him, whisper about him behind their hands, behind his back. He’ll no longer be the golden boy. The Man. Maybe, in the future, he will think twice about nonchalantly entering into extramarital sex; casual, indifferent sex with hopeful women. Because what he has done is cruel. Vicious. He needed to be taught a lesson.
Fiona is gripping the steering wheel, her knuckles are almost transparent. She thinks of Kylie describing that overwhelming lust, her smug explanation of her aloofness which made Daan hot. He’d had his fill of “needy, clingy weepy types,” had he? Well, it is unlikely any woman is going to cling to him now. A man drenched in infamy and suspicion.
Then there is Mark. What of Mark? Mark who Kylie finally chose but could not settle for when she had the chance. Silly girl. Well, Fiona has done Mark a favor, obviously. Yes, she was a bit blindsided by that mix-up over the cause of Frances’s death. That had confused things, almost sent the police the wrong way. But that will smooth out, in light of the evidence against Daan. Fiona plans to help Mark pick up the pieces. She will slowly but surely mend his broken heart. Fiona hadn’t thought she’d necessarily step into Kylie’s shoes with Mark, she’d assumed he was too devoted. But it is interesting what pain and betrayal can spawn. He kissed her! She hadn’t wanted the kiss to stop. She thinks now of his lips: warm, soft, urgent. Yes, urgent. He wants her. Needs her. He isn’t in love with her yet, obviously. She’s not stupid! But there is interest. A kiss shows interest. Besides, he likes having someone to mother the boys. That had been Kylie’s in, way back when. He isn’t a man who does well on his own. When the time is right, Fiona will step in. She will comfort the boys, guide them through the next stage of their lives: exams, universities, relationships. She will be a grandmother one day! She can hear Mark’s voice ringing in her ears, “You’ve been really good for the boys. I don’t know what we’d have done without you.”
Yes, she will become Oli and Seb’s stepmother, she will become Mark’s wife. Third time lucky for him! She will be patient, careful, but she’ll make it happen. Hasn’t she proven anything is possible if you focus? She is glad Kylie chose Mark in the end. It is deeply satisfying knowing she is going to finish up with exactly what Kylie had finally worked out she wanted.
She will ultimately have one of Kylie’s lives.
Fiona really has thought of everything because she has had plenty of time. She’s known about Kylie’s bigamy since just before Christmas. She was over at Daan’s, he had just done his usual wham, bam, thank you, ma’am in the kitchen, and was making noises about Fiona getting on her way. When he popped to the loo, she’d taken the opportunity to have a quick snoop around. She had started to suspect a wife or at least a significant other and wanted to find evidence. Actually, she wanted to be proven wrong, but even then she thought it was unlikely that she would be wrong. There was always a wife. Some part of her always expected a wife. She hadn’t expected it to be Kylie, though. She really had wanted to die the moment she realized. A closet full of women’s clothes told her he had someone, the wedding photo by his bed told her who. She was paralyzed with shock and shame. She wanted to curl up in a ball and stop breathing.
She followed Kylie for weeks. Tracked her every move to be certain. It seemed so unlikely, there had to be another explanation. Twins separated at birth seemed more plausible than a double life. But after she had trailed her from one home to the other for weeks, months, and there was no room for doubt, Fiona began to realize Kylie was the one who deserved to feel shame. To stop breathing.
Initially, she hadn’t planned on killing Kylie. Killing is so extreme. Just teaching her a lesson. Getting her to think about everything she had done. But she would not think. She would not own it! All that bleating on! That justifying. All week. It drove Fiona mad. The plan had been to punish Kylie for stealing Daan away from her. For being greedy, hoovering up two husbands when Fiona hadn’t even secured one. She thought Kylie might come to her senses, ditch Daan and maybe he would turn to Fiona. But Kylie would not pick one of them, no matter how hungry, beaten, dark or scared she was.
And then Mark kissed Fiona.
She got closer to the boys.
Things shifted.
It was obvious that there was no chance for her with Daan—he was cold and indifferent toward her. He was in love with Kylie, but Mark moved on—surprisingly quickly. She didn’t want to think of herself as a rebound—who did?—but, she was a woman of a certain age, time was running out for her, she didn’t like dating married men, so options were limited. If she had allowed Kylie to live and simply had Daan brought into disrepute, as she originally intended, she may still have ended up alone, because Mark might have taken Kylie back. He was kindhearted like that. To a fault! She couldn’t risk it.
Mark deserved happiness.
Fiona wanted happiness.
Kylie had been happy, twice. And, Fiona thought, that was enough.
Acknowledgments
Thank you, Kate Mills, my utterly brilliant editor and publisher. You are a unique combination of grit, enthusiasm, integrity and ingenuity. I am so unbelievably fortunate to have you. The same goes for Lisa Milton. How magnificent to have such a wonderful, wise woman at the head and heart of HQ. It is a joy working with you both, it really is.
Thank you, Charlie Redmayne, for being an engaged, inspiring and pioneering CEO.
I’m so delighted to be working with the very best team I could possibly imagine. I am thoroughly grateful for, and appreciative of, the talent and commitment of every single person involved in this book’s existence. I know you all work with passion, perception and supreme professionalism. Thank you all very much. Anna Derkacz, Fliss Porter, Harriet Williams, Sophie Calder, Izzy Smith, Joanna Rose, Claire Brett, Becca Joyce, Rebecca Fortuin, Becky Heeley, Darren Shoffren, Kelly Webster, Agnes Rigou, Aisling Smyth, Emily Yolland, Kate Oakley, Anneka Sandher, Anna Sikorska, Laura Meyer and Abdu Mohammed Ali. This book is dedicated to Abdu because it is true to say, without him it would not have existed!