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‘I—’
‘And then I remembered that you’d also asked me about her when you came to my place. Or tried to, in a roundabout way. What’s going on? What are you doing?’
Thinking on the spot has never been a skill of mine. I’ve always liked to have time to process things, to think carefully before I speak. But Nadia leaves me no choice.
‘You’re right – I was asking questions. And it’s…I’m ashamed to say it.’
‘Go on.’
The lie plants itself inside my head, fully formed, impenetrable. ‘I’ve always wanted to write a true crime book. And when Alice died, I just thought…what if I could write about it? I don’t mean now. I mean in the future. I want to be respectful to her family. Please don’t tell Cole – he’s been working on his own book for years and I don’t want him to think I’m trying to outdo him or anything.’
Nadia stares at me, her eyes wide. She appears to be struggling to find any words.
‘You should be ashamed of yourself,’ she says. ‘Trying to profit from someone’s murder.’ She flings open the door and steps outside, letting in a huge gust of wind.
At least she believed me. The alternative would have been far worse.
FIFTEEN
Facebook reel from Molly Hughes:
I’m posting this video on Alice’s Facebook page because I want it to stop. All the gossiping and speculation about my daughter. Well, it hurts. Do you people ever think about that?
Alice was my child. I know she was thirty, a grown woman, but she was still mychild.
Long pause.Molly Hughes wipes tears from her eyes.
Alice had problems. But she didnotkill herself, as some of you vile people are saying. It’s clear from the police report that taking her own life in that way would have been impossible. And my beautiful daughter had everything to live for.
Whoever did this – you won’t get away with it. The police will find you. Someone must know something. If you’re hiding anything or covering for someone then you need to do the right thing. For my Alice.
Breaks into tears. Video ends.
Taylor opens the door, his eyes swollen and red. ‘Sorry,’ he says. ‘It’s not been a good day.’
I step inside, peeling off my coat as I remember last time I was here I refused to remove it. I feel more comfortable being here this time. It’s familiar to me. Safe. It no longer feels like that at home. ‘Has something happened?’ I ask.
‘No. That’s just the problem. I keep hitting brick walls. I have no idea what to do. We’re stuck. There’ll never be justice for Alice now.’
I take his arm. ‘You can’t think like that.’
He leads me through to the living room. ‘How come you’re here? Is something wrong?’
I tell him about Nadia, how she confronted me about my excessive interest in Alice. ‘It’s shaken me up. I need to be more careful.’
His mouth twists. ‘It sounds like she believed your excuse, though?’
‘For now. But if she does decide to talk to my colleague, he’ll never believe what I told her. If I was writing a book, he would definitely know. Cole already thinks I’m acting suspiciously. I can’t have him questioning me. He’s much too hard to lie to. And I feel like he’s always silently trying to work out what’s going on with me.’
‘You didn’t need to ask her daughter about Alice,’ Taylor says. ‘I can tell you anything you need to know. More than an old school friend who hasn’t really seen her in years.’
‘I know. I made a mistake. And I can’t afford to do that again.’
Taylor walks over to the window and peers through the blinds. ‘What now, then?’ he says.
I might not have known him long, but I’ve never heard him so despondent. I join him at the window. ‘The driver of the silver Golf.’
‘What?’
