‘Can I ask…are you all right? Were you in some kind of accident? Because I saw…’ I bring my fingers to my eye. ‘I saw your eye before.’
She nods quickly. ‘Everything is fine.’
But I don’t think it is. Something is wrong. I can feel it.
Or maybe I’m just projecting.
I check my watch. ‘I should get home because Holly isn’t well. Although, between you and me I think she’s faking it.’
She smiles quickly, then bites the corner of her bottom lip. ‘Would you like to go for a coffee?’
I blink at her. ‘I would love to, but I have to go home.’
‘Of course,’ she says, looking like she feels just a little bit stupid. ‘I understand.’
‘No, really. I have to go home because—’ Because Holly is in my crazy neighbour’s house, deleting files on my crazy neighbour’s laptop, and I should probably check up on her. ‘I’m expecting a delivery,’ I say, ‘but I’d like to have a coffee some other time.’
She gives me a small smile. It’s the first time I’ve ever seen her smile, and it suits her. Even with the sunglasses.
‘That would be nice,’ she says.
I smile, too. ‘Let’s do it soon, then.’
There are no calls or messages from Holly when I check my phone in the car, which I tell myself is a good thing, since it means nothing has gone wrong. But shouldn’t she be home by now? She said she would come home straight away.
Something isn’t right. I want to call her, but I don’t know if I should if she’s still at Teri’s. I don’t want to put her in a position where she has to lie in front of Teri. Even if she is very good at drama.
I tell myself it’s nothing. Of course she’ll be home when I get there. She’s forgotten to text me, that’s all.
41
I park outside my house, and my heart sinks. There’s a tall man with broad shoulders in a dark woollen coat standing at my door.
Is he a policeman? He certainly looks like one. Oh, God. I’m too late.
I get out of the car, my heart racing. ‘Can I help you?’
‘Oh, hi! I was just ringing your doorbell. How are you, Kate?’
I blink. And then I remember, with a wave of relief that almost knocks me over. It’s Jonathan…something. Cain. That’s Jonathan Cain. Max’s colleague. Also, the man who plays tennis with Max every weekend.
‘Jonathan.’
‘I’m really sorry to turn up like this, but we’ve been calling Max repeatedly for days and we can’t reach him. He hasn’t replied to the texts I’ve sent, and honestly I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t getting critical. I know he hasn’t been well, but, you know, it’s been more than a week, so…’ He opens his arms and lets them fall. ‘What’s going on? Is he at death’s door? Is he dead?’
I jerk back.
‘Sorry. Bad joke. Is he all right?’
I glance at Teri’s house, but there’s no movement that I can see. ‘I’m sorry, Jonathan, but this isn’t a good time.’ I walk past him to open my door, mumbling an apology.
‘I just need to talk to him for a minute.’
‘You can’t.’
‘Kate, I have to.’ He puts his hand on the door to stop me from closing it. ‘I’m going to wake him up, okay? Five minutes. One minute, even.’
‘It’s not a good time, Johnathan.’ I take a step inside, still holding onto the door behind me. ‘Holly?’
