Page 85 of The Time of My Afterlife

I grab my car keys, and we race out to my car.

As we drive to the school, I notice Florence is flicking through Mary’s book like she only wants to find out how it ends.

‘Have you given up reading it as well?’ I ask.

She shrugs. ‘It’s non-stop murder. I need to look at the ending.’

I park in the school car park where parents and their tired and muddy children are heading for their cars. ‘Damn, we’ve missed it.’

Florence is engrossed with the back of Mary’s book.

I catch sight of a sad-looking Jack walking out of the school gates. ‘Jack,’ I shout after jumping out of my car. ‘Jack – wait.’

He spots me and scowls. ‘Go away, Clark.’

A wave of guilt crashes over me. ‘Mate, I’m sorry.’

‘Go away.’

I’m about to run after him when Florence shouts, ‘Clark, come here.’

Half of me wants to chase after Jack and try to make up for missing his game and the other half wants to see what Florence wants. I know I should go and see Jack. That is the right thing to do, as I’ve let him down.

‘Clark,’ yells Florence. ‘You need to see this.’

She’s standing by my car and waving Mary’s book at me.

I turn back to the car.

‘The acknowledgements page,’ says Florence. ‘Mary was a serial killer.’

33

FLORENCE

‘Mary was a serial killer – what the hell?’ Clark has got back into the car. He’s giving me a bewildered look.

I nod. ‘She’s used her acknowledgements section to confess all her crimes.’

‘The sweet lady who baked me cakes, told me rude jokes and had a purple tint in her silvery hair was a serial killer – really?’

I pass him Mary’s book. ‘I flicked to the back, and something caught my eye.’

He turns to the acknowledgements and begins to read:

‘“To my readers, I owe you a confession. At my age one stops worrying about consequences and starts worrying about legacy. First to my two late husbands – thank you for teaching me about fear, patience and the importance of a well-stocked garage. You were terrible men who did some unspeakable things to me. You both believed love meant violence.

‘“To Lynn, my dear friend, who once confessed over a gin and tonic that her ex-boyfriend deserved to go to hell after what he put her through. Lynn, I heard you, I can’t guarantee his final destination, but I did help him on the journey.

‘“To the ladies at the hostel. You cooked me casseroles, showered me with love and gave me a list of men who deserved to be punished.

‘“I am sorry to all the families of the men I murdered. I didn’t want to go to my grave without you knowing what happened.

‘“Below is a list of all my crimes.

‘“Before I go, can I also thank Detective Holloway who never gave up trying to piece together the clues. You are a credit to the police force, and I am sorry you never got what you worked hard for.

‘“To all my readers, please think twice about not offering your seat to the little old lady on the bus next time. A rather unpleasant chap on the number 30 to Hackney Wick once learnt the hard way.”’