Chapter 18
Later, I help Teri with dinner even though she insists I should just sit there and do nothing. Holly is upstairs reading. Then Teri asks me, ‘When is Max coming home?’
I stiffen. ‘Not for ages. Why do you ask?’
‘He probably won’t want me here. He’ll probably want his own space. I don’t want to get you in any trouble.’
‘But you’ll be gone by then,’ I blurt.
‘Yes. Of course. You’re right. Although my foot…’ She looks down at her bandaged foot and grimaces.
You have got to be kidding me. ‘There’s no swelling anymore,’ I say.
‘I know, but these things take time.’
I set the cutlery on the table. ‘You can stay tomorrow night if you like. Then go home on Friday. You should be fully recovered by then.’ And she’d better be, because as much as I’ve enjoyed her company, I have things to do. I have a body to dispose of.
Last night, I opened an anonymous browser and searched ‘how long does it take for a fully frozen dead body to thaw’. For pliability, if the body stays in the freezer, as opposed to thawing outside the freezer, the best window is between thirty-six and forty-eight hours.
Which means that if I want to take him out Saturday night, and I do, then I have to turn off the freezer on Friday at lunchtime. I cannot, absolutely cannot put it off any longer. Not with Amanda and Sterling it’s because of how lonely she is.
She’s been so nice and generous, cooking for us and being so attentive to Holly.
I resolve to be nicer.
A storm rages outside all evening. After dinner – Beef Wellington, amazing – we play Scrabble again, rain battering against the windows. Holly plays a piano piece for Teri while I wash up, and Teri listens with her eyes closed.
Later, I’ve only just gone to bed when a blast of lightning fires up the sky.
And then the power goes out.
I sit up with a start.
Holly’s door crashes open, and a second later she appears at my door, pushing it open so hard it bounces against the wall.
‘Kate!’ she cries, probably to wake me up.
‘I know,’ I say, trying to infuse a sense of calm and control into my voice.
Another burst of lightning outlines her in the doorway, her hand flat against the door.
‘Kate, the power—’ she hisses.
‘I know.’ I push the covers aside and get out of bed.
Downstairs, I hear a short thump sound as Teri lets out a cry. Her voice rises up the stairs. ‘Holly? Kate? Are you all right?’
‘We’re fine!’ I shout back. ‘Are you?’
‘I just stubbed my toe, but otherwise okay. I thought I heard Holly cry.’
But Holly can’t even speak. She stares at me, eyes round.
‘She’s fine, Teri. She’s scared of the dark, that’s all.’
‘You can come to bed with me if you like, Holly,’ she says.
I smile despite myself. ‘Don’t worry, she’ll be fine,’ I call out.
‘All right. Goodnight, then,’ she says.
‘Goodnight.’
‘What are you going to do?’ Holly whispers.
‘I’m going to check the fuse box.’ I grab my phone for light, unhook my robe from the back of the door and shrug it on. The sky lights up again, illuminating Holly. She looks terrified, wringing her hands together.
‘I’ll be right back,’ I whisper.
I rush down the stairs in my bare feet. I glance out of the window, and the darkness outside tells me it’s not just us. It’s not a tripped breaker; the whole street seems to be suffering the same fate.
In the utility room, I check the fuse box anyway using the light from my phone. It all looks normal. Then I open the door to the garage. I don’t know why. I suppose I want to take a look at the freezer, but there’s nothing to see.
I’m keeping the door open with my fingertips, and I’m about to turn around when I hear something. A strange whisper. Like someone opened their mouth and breathed out.
My heart explodes. I drop my phone as I clasp my hand over my mouth. Then the door suddenly slams behind me. As I am standing there, in the pitch-black, I know, I just know, there’s someone here with me.
Of course, my first thought is that it’s Max. He’s clawed himself out of the freezer. I’m about to scream when she says my name in a low voice.
‘Kate?’
‘Oh my God, Teri. You scared me to death. What the hell are you doing in here?’
‘I was looking for the fuse box,’ she says softly.
I can’t see her. I don’t even know where she’s standing. Somewhere on the far side? Near the shelves?
Near the shelves where I keep the key to the freezer lock? Don’t be stupid, Kate.
My heart is thumping so loudly I can hear it in my ears. I’m shaking all over.
‘The fuse box is in the utility room,’ I say, crouching down, searching for my phone. I find it, pick it up and fumble to turn it on.
‘Then, what are you doing here?’ she asks softly.
I press the side button on my phone. The screen lights up, and I use it to scan the room.
She’s standing a few feet away, near the other side of the freezer. The light from my phone isn’t enough to see her face properly, but a shiver runs down my spine nonetheless.
‘It’s not just us,’ I say. ‘It’s the whole street. Come on. Let’s go back to bed.’
I turn around and hold the door for her. She slips past me, as quick and agile as a cat. And all I’m thinking is, how come she’s not limping?
But then, in the living room, she walks carefully back to her room, holding onto furniture along the way. And she is definitely limping.
‘Sleep well, Kate,’ she says softly.
It’s me. I’m going mad. I’m losing my mind.
‘He’s going to smell,’ Holly hisses when I get back upstairs.
She’s still in my bedroom, right where I left her. I close the door, my heart still racing, and take her wrists. ‘It’s going to take days,’ I whisper. Although I know it isn’t days since I looked it up. ‘He’s not going to thaw in five minutes. Or even a few hours.’
‘Are you sure?’
‘Yes. I’m sure.’
Without asking, she slips into my bed.
I wake up with a lurch around six thirty the following morning, and the first thought that pops into my head is, the freezer.
I didn’t want to fall asleep last night. I wanted to wait until the power came back on, so I could go downstairs and check that the freezer was back on, but I fell asleep anyway.
Holly is still asleep. I get up, careful not to wake her. Downstairs, Teri’s shower is running, which is surprisingly early for her. Judging by the blinking electronic clock on the stove, the power was off for about four hours.
Four hours. That’s not so bad, surely.
I slip into the garage. The first thing I notice is that the freezer is on and making a low buzzing noise.
Thank God. Also, it doesn’t smell. Not from here, anyway.
Still, I want to open it, just by a hair, to get a sense of how things might be in there.
I reach to the back of the freezer to retrieve my rubber gloves, slip them on and grab the key from its hiding place on the shelf.
‘I didn’t know you had one of those.’
I jump, dropping the key as my stomach does a somersault. I turn around. Teri is standing at the door, tightening the belt of her bathrobe, staring at the Porsche behind me.
What is wrong with me? I was seconds from opening the freezer, for Christ’s sake.
‘One of what?’
‘A Porsche,’ she replies, pointing at it with her chin.
I blink. ‘But you were in here last night.’ She was in here, wasn’t she? Or did I dream that?
She shrugs. ‘I didn’t take a good look at it.’ She runs her fingers along it.
‘It-it’s Max’s,’ I stammer. My heart is like a drum. ‘I thought you were in the shower?’
‘I was. Then I came out. Are you all right?’
‘Yes. You gave me a fright, that’s all.’
‘Sorry. These are great,’ she says, this time looking at the freezer. ‘Very practical. I love a chest freezer.’ And before I know it, she’s fingering the lock.
‘Please don’t touch it,’ I blurt.
She frowns. ‘What have you got in there?’
‘Nothing.’
She frowns at me. ‘But it’s on.’
‘I know. I keep meaning to put things in there, but I never get around to it. Come on. I’ll make us some coffee.’
But she’s still frowning at the freezer. ‘It’s locked.’
‘I know!’ I laugh. I probably sound hysterical. ‘I don’t even know where the key is. Coffee?’
She bends down, picks up the key and holds it in her palm. ‘Maybe this is it?’
My heart is in my throat. I swallow. ‘Maybe. I don’t know.’ I extend my hand to take it, but she ignores me and tries to fit it into the lock.
‘I think—’
‘Honestly, there’s nothing in there,’ I blurt, grabbing the key from her and shoving it in my pocket. ‘That’s why there’s all this stuff on top, see?’
She tilts her head at me, looking confused. ‘Okay,’ she says.
I flick my head towards the door. ‘Come on. It’s cold out here. And you’re only in your slippers! You’ll catch your death!’
Did I just say that? What’s wrong with me? I’m losing my mind, that’s what.
‘Why are you wearing gloves?’ she asks.
‘I was going to clean out here.’ I pull them off and drop them on top of the freezer.
‘Now?’ She looks even more confused, and I can see why. I’m in my robe and slippers, my hair still unbrushed. I must look like one of those mad people who blow their noses in their socks and put teapots on their heads.
‘Let’s go back inside,’ I say, blood pulsing in my ears. This time I put my hand on her back to return her to the kitchen. ‘I’m dying for a coffee.’