‘Yes.’
‘Are you sure?’
‘She told me so.’
She’s still crying, but now her whole face wobbles. She groans into her hands.
I rub her back. ‘I fell for it, too, if that helps.’
I tell her how Teri sent a fake email to Mrs Ashford-Wells purporting to come from me. Things I never said and never thought. That she took all the cash that I had saved to get us away. That I even threw my earrings and engagement ring at her, thinking that’s what she wanted, money, but not realising all she really wanted was Max.
‘What is she going to do with the video?’
‘Well, she still thinks your dad is in Zurich. If I don’t pack my bags and leave by tomorrow, she’s sending it to your dad and the police.’ I rub her shoulder. She’s so far away I have to lean across to do it.
After a moment, Holly shifts to sit next to me. I put an arm around her.
‘I’m sorry, Holly. I’m really sorry.’
We stay like that for a little while, Holly crying, but softly now. ‘I thought she was my friend.’
‘I know.’
After a while, she pulls away. ‘She thinks Dad is still in Zurich?’
‘Yes.’
‘We have to get rid of him, Kate.’
‘I know. I have an idea about that.’
She wipes her eyes. ‘Have you found another place?’
I stare at her. ‘Maybe. But first, I still need to get her laptop. She can’t have that video.’
‘I know where it is. And I know the password.’
I open my eyes wide. ‘Really?’
‘Yes. And deleting the video wouldn’t be enough anyway. You have to remove it from the deleted files. That’s how you delete it from the cloud.’
‘So…you could do it?’
‘Yes. But then what?’
I shift to face her and take her hands in mine. ‘I have a plan.’
Later, after Holly and I have talked long into the night and Holly has gone to bed, I go into my bedroom and call Jen.
‘Hey, you, everything okay? I’ve been worried about you.’
Jen did leave a couple of messages, but I never called her back. I couldn’t. She would know immediately that something was wrong, and I wasn’t ready to tell her.
‘Listen, Jen, I have to ask you a really big favour.’
‘Of course. What is it?’
‘It’s about Holly.’
