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There’s a shift in the atmosphere, and Sarah’s demeanour changes. No longer confident and in control, she seems to shrink before Alice’s eyes. ‘Please,’ she begs. ‘Please don’t go to the police. My daughter will lose everything. She’s only five!’
Alice has to switch off from this. She knows it will all be devastating for the little girl, but that’s not Alice’s fault – it’s Sarah’s. ‘I have to. I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t. Can you go now? I can’t be around someone like you.’
Sarah slowly stands up and heads towards the door.
Alice follows, so that she can shut the door on this woman, ensure she gets the hell out, but suddenly Sarah is turning around, rushing towards her and ramming into Alice, forcing her backwards onto the bed.
Shock paralyses her, and she struggles to pull herself up. Sarah jumps onto the bed and forces her down by sitting across her chest. And then her hands are reaching around Alice’s neck, squeezing. ‘I can’t let you do this to me,’ she cries, but her voice is too faint. Alice can barely hear it, and it only becomes fainter. She manages to make out something about not letting her do this to Ivy.
And then everything is silent and black.
THIRTY-THREE
Extract from theWandsworth Timesonline:
Metropolitan Police have discovered the body of a twenty-four-year-old woman in Putney, southwest London.
The remains were found in a private garage at the back of a block of flats on Upper Richmond Road.
The owner of the garage, a forty-year-old man, has been arrested on suspicion of murder.
This is not thought to be linked to the murder of Alice Hughes, also in Putney, whose body was found at the River Walk Hotel in November.
THIRTY-FOUR
THE DAY OF THE MURDER
Alice’s eyes pop open. Her throat feels tight and sore, the skin around her neck feeling as though it’s been torn off. She lifts her head and sees that she’s alone now. Sarah Brooks has gone.
Left her for dead.
Max was supposed to come here, not that woman. But it doesn’t matter. All that matters now is that she can call the police. And now they can add attempted murder to the list of all the things that woman has done.
Alice hunts for her phone and spots it on the desk.
She pulls herself up and slides off the edge of the bed, wondering why her legs feel so weak when she attempts to stand.
There’s a knock on the door. For a second she freezes. Has Sarah Brooks come back? But surely she wouldn’t risk it after what she’s done. It’s Max. He’s come after all.
Alice gets to the door, pulls it open, ready to tell Max what’s happened, but she halts, frozen, as she stares at a man she’s never seen before. He’s tall and wears dark trousers and a smart winter coat. He must have got the wrong room.
‘Hi, um, are you Alice?’
She’s wrong, then. He’s looking for her. He sounds so polite and unsure of himself. Almost shy. ‘Yes.’
‘What’s happened to your neck?’
She lifts her hand to cover it. ‘Who are you?’
‘Can I come in?’
‘No. Who are you?’
He ignores her and brushes past her.
‘Hey, what the…? Get out!’ She tries to push him but he grabs her wrists.
‘I’m not going anywhere. You need to listen to me.’
