‘Are you sure?’
They nod. ‘There was nobody around, Mrs Price,’ Scarlett says.
I nod to myself. ‘All right. That’s good,’ I mutter. I look from one to the other. ‘I can’t make any promises, but for now, there’s no need to call the police.’
Holly nods violently.
‘Teri is fine. It’s just a minor accident – that’s all.’ I stand. ‘Come on, Scarlett. I’ll take you back.’
14
‘How the hell did this even happen?’ I ask Scarlett as we drive back to her car. ‘Holly can’t drive – you know that. Why would you take the car out? Whose idea was it?’
‘I’m sorry,’ she says, looking out the window.
Except sorry isn’t going to help. It’s not like I don’t have enough problems to deal with. I have a dead body in the garage for Christ’s sake.
I can’t even think about that right now. What if Teri opened the freezer? Don’t. Don’t even go there. She won’t. Why would she?
Because she’s in my house, with a dead body in the freezer.
My phone rings. The name Diana Ashford-Wells flashes on the dashboard.
‘For Christ’s sake,’ I mutter.
‘Aren’t you going to answer it?’ Scarlett asks.
‘No. It’s a parent at the school. I can talk to her later.’ I put her out of my mind and park behind Scarlett’s car.
‘I can’t drive it home,’ Scarlett says, one fist in front of her mouth, the sleeves of her hoodie pulled over her knuckles.
No kidding.‘I told you, I’ll drive you back in your car and walk back.’
I walk over to her Mini Cooper – I still can’t believe her parents bought her that car. She doesn’t even have a real licence yet. The insurance alone must cost a bomb. I bend to check the front. There are no marks that I can see, no indication that the car hit someone.
I straighten. Scarlett looks like she’s going to throw up.
‘Come on,’ I say. ‘Let’s get you home.’
It takes literally thirty seconds. I park outside and get out with her. The house is completely dark.
‘No one’s home?’
She shrugs, fishing around in her bag before pulling out her front door key. ‘They won’t be home till after eight.’
‘Are you going to be all right on your own?’ Because now I’m thinking, what if she has a concussion and passes out? But then I remember. She didn’t fall, so why would she have a concussion?
I’m losing my mind. I can tell.
‘I’ll be fine, Mrs Price,’ she says tearfully. ‘Thank you. I’m really sorry.’
‘Well. It’s over, now. Just… I don’t know. Watch TV or something – take your mind off it. It’s going to be all right.’
God knows why I keep telling these girls everything is going to be all right.
Back home, Teri is lying on the sofa, one foot propped on a cushion, the back of her hand on her forehead. She pulls her hand away as I walk in and smiles. I figure if she had opened the freezer, she would say something. I guess I’m safe. For now.
‘How’s the ankle?’
