It occurred to her Hannah would regard this as a massive betrayal, but she didn’t care. Perhaps the falling-out would bring Hannah and Jessica closer together. They were welcome to each other.
After that, Ralph popped out to tell Mac the news. Edie couldn’t face knocking on Hannah’s door, so she texted her instead.
Jessica’s been found safe and well.
She deliberately waited a while before going downstairs and by the time she joined the men, Ralph had had a serious talk with Mac, and he’d accepted the offer of moving in with Ralph and Edie.
Sitting round the patio table drinking coffee, the three of them came to the conclusion that as there were only two more days after this one before they were due to leave Crete, they wouldn’t try to change their flights.
‘We’ll just keep out of Hannah’s and Jessica’s way,’ Edie said with a shudder. ‘If we stick together, I don’t think either of them will dare come near.’
To her relief, Hannah slept in late, probably nursing a terrible hangover, and at around 10a.m. Edie braced herself and went upstairs.
She hadn’t told Ralph or Mac her intentions; she just knew that for her own peace of mind, she had to talk to Hannah and try to understand. They’d been friends for such a long time, after all.
Her pulse was racing when she knocked on the door and heard Hannah’s reply, in a quiet but steady voice: ‘Come in.’
Not knowing what to expect, Edie entered with trepidation. To her surprise, Hannah looked remarkably composed, sitting on the edge of the bed combing her hair. Neatly dressed in a clean white T-shirt and shorts, her face was clean and make-up-free, her hair shiny, the skin on her arms and legs tanned, smooth and moisturised.
Beside her were all the things she’d need for a day on the beach or by the pool: swimsuit, book, sun cream, sunglasses, beach bag, flip-flops and hat.
Smiling coolly at Edie, she beckoned to her to sit down beside her while she continued to comb her hair.
‘About last night—’ Edie began nervously.
‘I don’t want to talk about it,’ came the rapid reply.
Edie swallowed, unsure how to proceed. She’d imagined Hannah might be a total mess, puffy and red-eyed from weeping and lack of sleep. The fact she appeared so serene and unruffled was dumbfounding.
‘I, I had to ask him, you know,’ Edie went on. ‘Mac, I mean. I don’t understand why?—’
‘I told you,’ Hannah responded, with a sniff. ‘I don’t want to talk about it. He’s a liar; he lies about everything. But if you choose to believe him not me, that’s your call. There’s nothing I can do about it.’
‘But why would he lie?’ Edie asked, genuinely baffled and wanting answers. ‘I understand why he wouldn’t want us to think he’s been violent towards you, but what about the cuts and bruises? Did he inflict them on himself? Really?’
Hannah’s eyes narrowed and turned cold and Edie felt herself shrink. She hardly recognised this woman she’d thought she knew so well.
‘Get-out-of-my-room,’ Hannah said, slowly and deliberately, with an ugly snarl on her face. ‘I don’t want to speak to you ever again.’
Edie’s mouth dropped open. She wouldn’t have believed Hannah was capable of speaking to anyone like this, let alone one of her oldest and dearest friends, and yet she just had.
Tears pricked the corners of Edie’s eyes but she didn’t cry; she couldn’t. For a few minutes she was stunned into silence and just sat there, staring at Hannah as if for the first time.
The spell was only broken when Hannah got up and stalked into her adjacent bathroom, banging the door closed and locking it behind her.
Too astounded to feel hurt, Edie realised there was nothing more she could do. Hannah had shut her up and booted her out of her life just like that. There was no going back for either of them.
She rose slowly and went downstairs to join the others by the pool. Ralph, who was reading, looked up briefly and gave a small smile. Edie decided to wait till they were alone to tell him what had happened. She didn’t want to involve Mac and besides, she needed time to process.
It was soon after midday when they heard voices on the front drive and the sound of feet crunching on gravel.
Edie jumped up, as if she’d been stung, before reminding herself Ralph wanted them both to act composed.
She must welcome Jessica back with a smile, but wouldn’t go over the top. There was no need to fawn. The police deserved much more of a fuss, and she’d make sure they knew just how grateful she and her husband really were.
Ralph went to the door and he was soon being followed into the garden by the two police officers they’d first met – Ioannis and Aikaterini – and, of course, Jessica.
Edie wasn’t sure what frame of mind Jessica would be in, but imagined she might be tearful and apologetic. So she was taken aback yet again when she saw annoyance and frustration written on Jessica’s face instead.
