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I open my mouth to tell her about the key card when her phone rings.
‘I can’t talk now…No, I’m out… Can I call you later?’ She hangs up, and I notice her hand is shaking.
‘Who was that?’
‘Um, Dean.’ She grimaces. ‘He seems really interested in seeing Ivy. He’s like a different person.’
‘Just be careful. I’d hate for you to get hurt again.’
She nods, and rubs her eyes. ‘Thanks for looking out for me.’
And everything else I was about to tell Sarah evaporates.
I feel like a criminal breaking into my own shop. I lock the door behind me and leave the lights off, using the torch on my phone to guide my way.
It’s cold in here, but somehow my body feels sticky, too warm. In the office, I scramble out of my coat and scour the drawers and desk area, even searching underneath chairs in case the key card fell out. But if it did, Cole or Katy would have found it by now. Or the cleaners.
Cole would have told me if he’d found it. Demanded to know why I have a key card for the hotel where a woman has been murdered. And what answer could I give him? And as for Katy – she would have been broadcasting it to every social network she’s on.
With each passing minute my anxiety grows. If I’ve lost that card then I have nothing to go to the police with.
Once I’ve finished searching the office, I go onto the shop floor and turn on the lights. The sudden stark brightness forces me to blink. I check behind the till, but there’s no sign of it. I check the lost property box, but there’s only a glove and an empty water bottle in there.
Despairing, I once again call the only person I can think of to talk to.
Taylor answers after a few seconds. ‘Hey,’ he says. ‘I hope you’re doing better than I am. I was listening to a song and it reminded me of Alice. It kind of broke me all over again.’
‘The key card is missing. It was in my bag and now it’s gone. I’ve looked everywhere.’
‘Shit. Are you sure it was in your bag? Could you have put it somewhere else?’
‘No. I thought about leaving it in a locker at work to start with but I wanted to keep it on me. I don’t know why. So I knew it was safe? I’ve been keeping it in the zipped inside pocket of my bag. It’s not there. I’ve looked everywhere.’
‘Maybe it fell out?’
‘I told you I’ve looked everywhere!’ My words are loud and harsh. It’s not Taylor’s fault – I shouldn’t take it out on him.
‘Where are you?’ he asks.
‘At the shop. I’ve checked my house and came here to look. It’s gone, Taylor. The only evidence we had.’
‘Stay there. I’m coming.’
If it felt odd coming here after closing by myself, letting Taylor into the shop feels even stranger.
‘I don’t know why I’m doing this,’ I say, ushering him inside and locking the door again. I’ve got used to feeling this way wherever Taylor’s concerned. It’s almost as if it no longer matters whether I trust him. I’m going along with it because I have no other choice.
‘Doing what?’ he asks.
‘Letting you in.’
He shrugs. ‘Probably because you know I can help you. I’m the only one you’ve told, aren’t I? Same for me. I want to protect Alice’s name. Have you seen the toxic things people have been saying about her online?’ He sighs. ‘Just because she’d booked a hotel room for the night. She wasn’t doing anything wrong. And she can’t speak up for herself to let everyone see who she really was.’ His hands clench into fists. ‘It makes me sick.’
Taylor looks so sad, I almost reach out to hug him, as I would Poppy. Then, like a switch turning off, I remember that he’s still a stranger. I still don’t know if I can trust him. ‘I know it’s hard for you too,’ I say.
I walk back to the till and begin rummaging through the drawers again, even though I know I won’t find the key card. Taylor watches me. ‘Max is coming out of hospital on Monday,’ I tell him.
‘That’s quick. What are you going to do?’
