Jen rented an Airbnb for the three us, thinking we didn’t want to be back in the house. She was right. It would have been unbearable.
That night, we celebrate my release over a dinner of spaghetti bolognese – from a jar, Jen is as bad a cook as I am – and talk about what Holly and I will do next.
‘No idea, yet,’ I say.
She pours me a glass of red wine. I can tell that Jen has so many questions for me, but she knows it’s too soon to ask them. She’ll find out what happened one day, but not today.
After dinner, Holly and I go for a walk to the small park next door.
‘I can’t believe you put her hair in his mouth,’ Holly says, sitting on a bench. ‘That’s so gross. Where did you get it, anyway?’
‘She used my brand-new hairbrush.’ I turn to her. ‘You really have no idea how much you scared me.’
‘I know. I’m sorry.’
‘What happened?’
‘I went there; I did everything like we said. I asked to borrow her laptop, and she let me. She always let me. I went upstairs to use it and deleted the video. You were right – it was on there. And then I put the phone in her bedside table drawer like you told me to.’
‘And you wiped it clean?’
‘Yes.’
‘And then what happened? You were supposed to come home.’
‘She saw me come out of her bedroom. She wanted to know what I’d been doing up there. She looked really suspicious. I told her that I wanted to see it. She asked me why, and I said I was thinking of staying there, with her, and that I didn’t want to go home. I didn’t know what else to say.
‘It made her really happy. She said I could stay as long as I wanted. Then she started doing the whole stupid makeup thing. I said you were coming home soon, and that I should be there or you’d lose it. She got annoyed. I just felt like I had to go along with it. And then she kept asking me, “Where’s your father? Whereisyour father? Is he really in Zurich? Have you spoken to him?” And she went on and on. And then she looked at me, right in the eyes, and she said, “I think he’s dead, Holly. I’m pretty sure he’s in the freezer.” She knew, Kate. She knew he was in there.
‘I asked her why she would say that? And she said, “It’s so strange it’s locked, and it’s on and Kate keeps saying that she never uses it, but she won’t let me near it.” She also said you were really weird around it. You know she tried to open it when she was alone in the house?’
I shudder. ‘I found her in there the night the power went out.’
‘I know I was supposed to come home, and then you would report him missing,’ she says. ‘But Teri was so sure he was in the freezer. She kept going on about it. She wanted to call the police right there and then. She said that I could go home and she’d call the police and they would come and look in the freezer.’ She raises her shoulders. ‘I couldn’t let her do that. I didn’t even know if you were done with all the evidence and stuff. So I had to stay and pretend that I didn’t want to go home. I did whatever I could to stop her from calling the police. Like talk to her and tell her that I was going to run away from you, and I wanted to staywith her, and I was sure that Dad was in Zurich anyway. But then you showed up, and you called them anyway, and honestly I had no idea what to do.’
I nod. I completely get it now, and I’m surprised I didn’t realise what was happening at the time. She couldn’t come home and let Teri call the police. Not without knowing that we were ready.
I put one arm around her shoulders and squeeze. ‘You scared the hell out of me. I thought you were pinning it on me.’
‘I know. I’m sorry.’
‘You didn’t even come to see me.’
‘I thought they would listen to us.’
‘You’re probably right. That’s actually really smart.’ I smile.
‘Where did you get her fingernail from?’ she asks.
‘She tore it when she was in my bedroom looking for something. The day she found my money.’
‘And what about her DNA under Dad’s fingernails?’
‘How do you know all this?’ I ask her.
‘The police told me. Also, I asked questions.’
‘I found her cut fingernails in the little bin in the spare bathroom. I rubbed them under his. I wasn’t even sure it would work.’
