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There’s no hesitation in his answer. ‘I…I rented it.’
‘For you and Alice.’ It’s a statement rather than a question, because it’s apparent that some of the things Taylor had said were true.
‘No. I got it because…I was leaving you. After Alice was killed. I…I thought you did it. I thought somehow you must have found out about our affair. We weren’t always as careful as we should have been. Alice always wanted to go out to places. We could have easily been seen. I figured you were playing some sort of mind game by not mentioning it. I thought maybe you just wanted revenge. And somehow you found out she’d be at that hotel and you went there and…’ He hangs his head. ‘I’m sorry, Hannah. I know you could never…’
I want to scream at him. Somehow, Max thinking I’m capable of killing someone is worse than anything else.
‘I was going to get Poppy away from you. I really thought…I went over and over it in my head, and Alice just didn’t have enemies. She kept to herself and only saw her clients. The only thing she ever did which hurt anyone was our affair.’
‘And pretending you’d lost your memory?’
‘I thought if I did that, then I’d be able to catch you out in a lie. I was looking for proof.’
Just as I’d been doing. I almost laugh at the absurdity of it.
‘Do you think it was Taylor who attacked you?’
He nods. ‘I didn’t know for sure at the time, but it must have been.’
‘There was a man following me. In a silver Golf. Did you pay him to hurt me?’
Max looks horrified. ‘No! First you think I killed Alice and now?—’
‘You took ten grand out of your account. What was that for?’
He frowns. ‘I helped Alice out. I loaned her some money. She said she needed to get some new gym equipment.’
I let this sink in. ‘You must have really cared about her to hand over that much money.’
He doesn’t answer.
‘We need to go,’ I say. Because what does anything else matter now?
We lock the door and stand on the doorstep. Max must know, as I do, that nothing will be the same after this.
He tries to take my hand but I pull away, and neither of us says anything about it.
‘I don’t know about you,’ Max says, once we’re in my car, ‘but I feel the biggest sense of relief.’
But I don’t.
Because even though I have some answers now, nothing feels right.
TWENTY-EIGHT
THREE MONTHS LATER
The sound of laughter floats upstairs, rousing me from sleep. I always sleep lightly now, woken by the faintest of sounds, and there’s never a day when I feel energised.
I pull on my dressing gown and make my way downstairs, greeted by the smell of fresh toast and bacon as I reach the kitchen.
‘Mummy!’ Poppy says. ‘We wanted you to have a lie in.’
‘It is Saturday, after all,’ Max says, as I reach for a mug.
‘Want a toasted sandwich with bacon?’ Max says. ‘There’s plenty left.’
The smile my mouth forms quickly withers away when I remember that this pretence of normality is only for Poppy’s sake. Because she needs both of us, united we will stand.
