Chapter 93
Nika
Thursday
Nika’s heart is hammering in her chest as she speeds out of Oakpark.
Blood pounds in her ears. She can’t believe what she just did.
Did she mean to do it? She’s not sure. Rage just seemed to take over.
Her hands were definitely not fully in her control when she steered the wheel toward Maeve.
Not fully. But…a little. And it felt good.
Exciting. In that moment, satisfying. Now, driving back toward Jessica’s house, she feels sick.
What if she gets caught? What if Maeve dies and she gets done for murder?
She won’t. Nobody saw. That stretch of road is bordered by two greens, both lined with oak trees.
No houses overlooking. She just needs to get back to Jessica’s and act as though she never left.
Jessica can say Nika was in her room the whole time.
She pulls in to the side of the road and shares a photo on her Snapchat Story, one from her Gallery, taken in Jessica’s bedroom about half an hour ago.
Would the police be able to tell it was a Gallery photo and not a live Snap?
The police probably don’t know much about how Snapchat works.
She shares one more, turns off her location and sets off for Jessica’s house.
· · ·
But Jessica isn’t answering. She’s either asleep or taking a shower.
She’s not replying to Nika’s messages and she’s not coming to her window.
Nika can’t call at the door; then Jessica’s parents will know that she left and came back.
But she needs to be somewhere: she needs an alibi.
She can’t be anywhere near Oakpark, so she can’t go home.
The only other person who lives nearby is Ariana, on Westminster Road.
They haven’t spoken in the last few days and Ariana probably didn’t love the diary pages Nika had shared, but they’d been friends for five years; that had to count for something.
She reverses out of Jessica’s driveway and heads for Westminster Road.
Driving back up Carysfort Avenue, she hears sirens. As she passes the turnoff for Oakpark, the sound grows louder. Ambulance? Police cars? Scared now, she puts her foot down on the accelerator.