Chapter 38
Poppy stepped into the villa first, reaching instinctively for the switch on the wall. Light flooded the room and she was relieved to see everything looked as it should.
On the walk back, she had been worried Martin might have returned, especially as he knew she had discovered the cameras. Although he had no idea that she had found Keira, it still bothered her knowing he had a history of loitering around.
‘Is everything okay?’ Keira asked, sounding a little worried, and Poppy realised she was blocking the entrance.
Quickly, she stepped aside. ‘Yeah, yeah. It’s fine. I was just being careful.’
She set the box down on the dining table, then moved quickly to lock the door, leaving the key in the lock. Hopefully, that way, if Martin did try to open it, his own key would jam.
‘I’m going to get straight in the shower,’ Keira announced, not waiting for an answer as she disappeared down the hallway towards the bedrooms.
‘Do you want me to make you a drink?’ Poppy shouted after her. ‘Maybe coffee or tea?’
‘I’m going to need something stronger than that,’ came the reply.
She heard the bedroom close, then silence settled again.
Poppy smiled to herself, trying to roll the knots of tension out of her shoulders.
It annoyed her that she couldn’t quite shake the creeping sensation brushing against her spine. She wasn’t sure why, but the villa felt wrong.
Her gaze swept the room again, but there was nothing out of place, and she tried to shake the feeling off. It was just nerves. Totally understandable, and after everything that had happened, it would have been strange not to feel on edge.
She reminded herself that everything was going to be okay. They were safe now. She just needed to call the police.
She reached into her bag for her phone, unlocking the screen, and several notifications hit her at once. Missed calls from Tom. And there were more than she expected.
Her stomach dipped. Was everything okay?
She saw a message from him, sent about twenty minutes ago.
You’re not answering. Hope all’s okay. I’ve just landed. Need to get through the airport and find a taxi. Should be with you in about an hour.
Some of her tension eased. He was here in Crete. Just knowing he would be with her in the next half an hour made a huge difference. Everything suddenly seemed more manageable.
She glanced towards the hallway, wondering if Keira was in the shower yet.
They just needed to hold things together for a little longer.
Another notification caught her eye. It was from Jem.
Hey. Are you about later? I’ve been thinking about what you told me last night. I don’t like the thought of you being up there alone, so I wondered if I could pop over.
Poppy hesitated. She would reply to him in a bit, after she’d had a chance to speak to the police and things were a little clearer.
She did open Tom’s message, though, not wanting him to worry. Just a quick reply to let him know she was back at the villa.
As she began typing a reply, a faint scuff sounded behind her, and she stilled.
Slowly, she turned.
Martin was standing in the room between her and the front door.
She froze. For a second, her brain refusing to catch up. She hadn’t heard him come in, and the door was locked. How was he even here?
He didn’t speak. He just stared at her.
Numb with shock, Poppy stared right back.
When she finally found her voice, it wasn’t as steady as she had hoped.
‘What are you doing here?’
Martin didn’t waver. ‘I could ask you the same thing,’ he replied, his tone even and far too reasonable for the intensity of the moment.
It was as if there was nothing strange about him being there. As if Poppy was the irrational one for questioning it.
Her pulse began to race.
‘How did you get in?’ she demanded. ‘The door was locked.’
A glimmer of amusement passed across his face.
‘I have a key.’
For a second, his answer made no sense. Her own key was still in the lock. She had left it there deliberately, hoping it would stop him using it from the outside.
That was when the truth landed, cold and sickening.
He hadn’t come in after them. He had already been here.
‘You need to leave,’ she told him, forcing the words out and trying to sound firmer than she felt. ‘Now!’
He didn’t react. Didn’t move. Didn’t even blink. Then, without warning, he took a slow step towards her.
Poppy’s breath caught and she quickly backed away from him, her grip tightening around her phone.
‘Don’t,’ she warned, her tone sharper now. ‘Don’t come any closer.’
Still, he ignored her, and as the space between them closed, she realised she was trapped between him and the rest of the house.
Keira.
The thought of her friend hit hard. She wouldn’t let him go any further.
Tom’s message was still on the WhatsApp screen. She needed to get help. Now.
Barely taking her eyes off Martin, she moved her thumb up to discreetly press call. Hopefully Tom would hear enough of the conversation to realise she was in trouble.
Silently, she willed Martin to stay where he was as she took another step back.
As she did, a ringtone sounded inside the villa.
Martin’s attention shifted. He reached into his pocket, and Poppy’s stomach dropped, watching as he pulled out his phone.
The ringing.
It was coming from him.