Chapter 55
NICK
The kids have a great time feeding the ducks and we make a detour to the park on the way home.
I want to give Lizzie time to herself, hoping she will be able to relax and see that she’s overthinking all this.
When we get back home there’s washing on the line, and the skittles are out in the garden, ready for our game.
‘Mum, we’re back!’ The kids run into the house, shouting. I follow them. I can see by the strained look on Lizzie’s face that something is wrong.
‘What’s happened? Is Judith okay?’ I ask.
She nods, but her eyes don’t meet mine. ‘I’ll tell you later.’
This doesn’t sound good.
We play a couple of games of skittles with the kids, as we promised, but I can see that Lizzie’s heart isn’t in it, and I feel on edge myself. Whatever’s happened, she doesn’t want to talk about it in front of the kids, which is fair enough but means that it’s something serious.
Finally the kids are bored and run inside to play a computer game together so I turn to Lizzie. ‘Now will you tell me what’s wrong.’
She reaches into her jeans pocket. ‘Want to tell me what this was doing in your jacket pocket?’
I glance at it. Then my eyes widen when I see that it’s a receipt for a jar of peanut butter. I shake my head. ‘What the hell, Liz, this isn’t mine!’
‘Just jumped into your pocket, did it?’ She folds her arms across her chest, her lips trembling.
‘Lizzie, I promise you that I didn’t buy it. Why would I? I don’t know how it got into my pocket but I promise that it wasn’t me.’ I can’t believe this. It’s like I’m in some sort of nightmare.
‘Why are you lying to me? The evidence is right there in front of your eyes. Are you playing me, Nick? Trying to make me think I’m having a breakdown?’
She can’t really think that! But I can see how bad it looks. I grab her hand in mine.
‘Liz, I don’t know how that receipt got in my pocket, but I swear to you on our kids’ lives that I didn’t buy that peanut butter.’
I don’t like swearing on the kids’ lives and she knows it. We both said we would never do that. Surely she has to believe me now.
‘So how did it get there?’
I shake my head again, bewildered. ‘I have no idea.’
‘Unless!’ Lizzie’s hand goes to her mouth. ‘You found the back door unlocked this morning, Nick. And I told you that I had an eerie feeling when I went down for a drink last night. Someone must have sneaked in and put the receipt in your jacket pocket.’
I’m struggling to take this in. ‘Who would do that? And why?’
‘I don’t know but it’s the only thing that makes sense. Whoever it was wanted to frame you, Nick.’ The colour drains from her face. ‘Someone has access to our house and I’m scared that we’re all in danger. I think we should call the police.’ She’s trembling now.
‘And say what? Nothing’s been taken. We’ve no proof that anyone has sneaked in or done anything.’
‘Why are you so willing to sweep this under the carpet?’ she demands.
‘Nick, this is serious. Someone has sneaked into our house twice now, and they must have heard me come down last night and legged it, leaving our back door unlocked. What would they have done if I’d walked in on them?
Or if it was one of the kids who came down?
’ She gulps. ‘Aren’t you even the slightest bit interested who that person is? ’
There’s only one person I think can be responsible for this and that’s Alison. But if it is her then the last thing I want is the police involved.
‘I am, of course I am. But let’s not jump to conclusions, Liz. There might be a reasonable explanation for this.’
She glares at me. ‘You think it’s me, don’t you? You think I’m having a breakdown again and doing things I don’t remember! How bloody dare you put this on me!’
She storms out and I hear her go upstairs.
I groan. I don’t want to do this to Lizzie. But I need a bit of time to deal with it.
I open the messages on my phone and reread the one that pinged in earlier when I was at the park with the kids.
I want five thousand by the end of this week.
Or I’ll tell everyone it was you who killed Arthur.
I’ll be in touch with instructions where you have to leave it.