Chapter 13
THIRTEEN
On my way back from Heathrow, I try to push away the image of Leo’s horrified stare.
He refused to talk about it before I dropped him off, and the heavy silence was too much to bear.
He could hardly look at me when he stepped out of the car, but his eyes were brimming with tears, and he rushed into the airport.
With the person behind me impatiently beeping their horn, I had to move out quickly.
And now I have to try to understand how he must feel: betrayed by his wife.
After Leo had gone inside the airport terminal I’d checked the phone thoroughly, but there was nothing on there, and no clue as to who it belongs to.
Whoever’s doing this is succeeding in making it look like I’ve made all this up. That I’m lying or losing my mind. That I can’t be trusted. And if Leo wanted to believe me before, I’m convinced he no longer does.
I drive to London, parking the car in Putney then getting the undergound to King’s Cross.
Georgia told me that Rufus works for Alphabet, a tech company I found out has its headquarters in King’s Cross.
He won’t appreciate me turning up at his work, but I need to tell him what his wife has done.
She was lying when she denied her affair with Giles – nothing else explains what she was doing sneaking out of his house hours after everyone else had left.
It’s cooler today and a thick blanket of grey hovers over King’s Cross when I step out of the Tube station. The breeze is a welcome comfort after the extreme heat we’ve had this May.
Before I reach the building he works in, I catch sight of Rufus on the other side of the road, dressed in his suit.
I walk faster to catch up with him, dodging cars as I cross the road.
Instead of heading into his building, he carries on past and turns right, making his way into a pub.
It could be a lunchtime meeting he’s heading to, although it’s only just eleven.
Following him inside, I watch him head to the bar and order a drink. The female bartender smiles at him and starts chatting before she turns to the coffee machine.
It’s strange that Rufus has come into the pub and ordered a hot drink when this place is flanked by coffee shops. And I’m even more shocked when he chooses a table in the corner and pulls a book from his backpack, settling in to read.
At this hour of the morning. When he’s supposed to be working. I can’t make out the title of the book, but it’s definitely fiction, so it can’t have anything to do with his job. He’s so engrossed in reading that he doesn’t notice me until I’m right in front of his table.
Rufus looks up, his eyes widening as he does a double-take. I’ve never noticed how wiry he is, or how intense his blue eyes are. He looks around. ‘What are you—’
‘I need to talk to you. It’s important.’
He puts his book down, not bothering to move his bookmark to mark his place. ‘Did you follow me here? What’s going on?’
‘I didn’t follow you.’ I sit down opposite him. ‘I was coming to see you at your work but then I saw you come in here.’
He screws up his face. ‘What the hell? You can’t just . . . stalk people!’
‘Will you please just listen to me? I’m not stalking you. I need to talk to you. About Eleanor.’ I take a seat, even though he hasn’t invited me to.
‘What about her?’ He shifts in his chair. ‘You shouldn’t be here. I don’t know what kind of games you’re playing, but I think you should leave.’
I gesture around. ‘This is a pub, Rufus. Everyone is welcome. It’s a public place.’
He huffs and puts his book in his backpack, as if he’s ready to spring for the door any second. As if he’s terrified of me.
‘There’s nothing wrong with my mind,’ I say. ‘I had a scan that was all clear. The neurologist confirmed it yesterday. So whatever you think is going on here, you’re wrong. All of you are wrong.’
He doesn’t say anything, but shuffles back in his chair and folds his arms.
I rest my elbows on the table. ‘The other night, after the barbecue, I saw Eleanor leaving Giles’s house.’
‘So?’
‘It was around one in the morning.’ I pause for that to sink in.
‘Let me explain, in case you didn’t know.
Which actually I’d find hard to believe.
News seems to spread fast in Silverleaf.
I suffer from insomnia so I never sleep well.
That’s why I’m often looking out of the window at crazy hours.
Which is how I saw a woman being strangled.
And Eleanor scurrying from Giles’s house a couple of days later. ’
Rufus glances at the door. ‘You’re wrong,’ he says. ‘Eleanor and I left the barbecue together.’ He shakes his head. ‘They’re all right about you. You really are—’
‘Then she must have gone back.’ Silently, I curse myself for not taking a photo.
‘Rufus, listen to me. Eleanor . . .’ Now that I’ve started, I don’t know if I’ll manage the rest of the words.
No matter what I think of Eleanor, it doesn’t feel right discussing her personal life with Rufus. ‘Never mind,’ I say.
‘Don’t do that,’ Rufus says. ‘You were about to say something about my wife. What is it? Just tell me.’
I remind myself why I have to do this; I need to know if it’s Eleanor who has been targeting me. ‘Okay. When I asked her about leaving Giles’s house in the middle of the night, Eleanor said she and Giles have been having an affair.’
My words shatter like glass, and Rufus stares at me, open-mouthed. Before he can speak, the bartender appears with his coffee, placing it on the table.
‘Did you want to order something?’ she asks me.
I consider saying no, but my throat is dry and I need an excuse to keep Rufus here. ‘A chamomile tea, please,’ I say. ‘Thanks.’
‘You can pay at the bar after,’ she says. ‘We’re not exactly busy.’
Because most people are at work, not sitting in pubs reading books.
‘You’re lying,’ Rufus says, when she goes back to the bar. ‘Eleanor wouldn’t—’
‘I don’t know for sure if it’s true, but that’s what she told me. And then she denied it when I brought it up in front of Giles. But I saw her leaving his house in the middle of the night.’
Rufus shakes his head; I’m never going to get through to him.
‘What are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be at work?’ I ask.
He shrinks back in his seat again and stares at his coffee. ‘That’s none of your business.’
‘True. But does Eleanor know you’re in here instead of at work?’
He sighs. ‘I actually felt sorry for you, Ria. When everyone was saying all that stuff about you. I told . . .’ His mouth clamps shut. ‘What do you want?’
‘I think Eleanor poisoned Willow. And she sent me a fake video of me being murdered by someone.’ I glance outside. ‘You work for a tech company, don’t you? You’d know how to make a fake video. I’m sure the police would be interested in your creative skills.’
Rufus stares at me. ‘I have no idea what you’re talking about. This is insane. You’re—’
‘I’d say what your wife is doing is insane.’
‘You need to see a doctor.’
‘I’m not the one who needs help.’
‘Don’t talk about my wife. You don’t even know her.’
‘I know enough.’
Rufus reaches for his phone. ‘I’m sure Giles would love to know you’ve told me all about this supposed affair you claim he’s having with my wife.’
‘Call him, then. I’m sure he’d also love to hear all about how you’re sitting in a pub reading a novel when you’re supposed to be at work.’
When Rufus’s face blanches, I know there’s something to this. I take my phone from my bag and google the Alphabet office number, then I put it on speakerphone.
‘What are you doing?’ Rufus asks. ‘You’re crazy. I don’t care what you’ve been through. There’s no excuse for this.’
I ignore him, and after a few seconds a man answers.
‘Hi, can I speak to Rufus McKinney? I’m not sure what department he’s in.’
The man on the other end asks me to wait. And as the seconds tick by, I worry that I’ve got this wrong. Rufus could be here having a break. Or slacking off. Maybe it’s even a day off but he wanted to get away from Eleanor – I wouldn’t blame him.
‘Hello? Sorry, Rufus McKinney no longer works here.’
‘Oh. Do you know why?’ I watch Rufus as I speak.
‘I don’t, but he hasn’t worked here for five months.’
I thank the man and end the call, studying Rufus’s ashen face. ‘How about admitting the truth now?’ I ask. ‘Or do I need to talk to Eleanor about this? I’m guessing she doesn’t know.’
He closes his eyes and his head lolls back against the wall. ‘I’ve been looking for another job,’ he says. ‘All this time. But it’s hard. Even for someone as qualified as I am.’
‘So you got sacked?’
‘It was . . . they claimed I breached internal security rules. But it was a misunderstanding, that’s all.’
‘So what are you doing here?’
He hangs his head. ‘No one knows I lost my job. So I just . . . come here as if I still work at Alphabet.’ Rufus stares at his hands.
‘Most days I bring my laptop and hunt for jobs. I even thought of starting up on my own. But entrepreneurship isn’t in my DNA.
That’s Eleanor’s forte. I’m just a tech geek.
I want to be left alone. To get on with my job. ’
‘Why couldn’t you tell your wife the truth? Why this elaborate lie?’
His brow furrows. ‘You don’t get it, do you? How would it look to everyone if they knew I was unemployed? Sacked by a huge company like Alphabet.’ His right hand clenches. ‘Giles picked us to live in Silverleaf because he was impressed with the job I had.’
‘Our jobs don’t define us,’ I say, almost to myself.
Rufus doesn’t seem to listen and carries on talking. ‘Giles would never have let us have number five. You must know there were lots of people desperate for a home in Silverleaf, and he chose us.’
Rufus’s unsettling words echo Leo’s, and I bite my tongue to stop myself telling him how ridiculous this is.
‘Please don’t tell anyone,’ he begs. ‘You’re the only person who knows what I’ve been doing. Leo can’t know. None of them can.’