Chapter 33
FLORENCE
‘Mary was a serial killer – what the hell?’ Clark has got back into the car. He’s giving me a bewildered look.
I nod. ‘She’s used her acknowledgements section to confess all her crimes.’
‘The sweet lady who baked me cakes, told me rude jokes and had a purple tint in her silvery hair was a serial killer – really?’
I pass him Mary’s book. ‘I flicked to the back, and something caught my eye.’
He turns to the acknowledgements and begins to read:
‘“To my readers, I owe you a confession.
At my age one stops worrying about consequences and starts worrying about legacy.
First to my two late husbands – thank you for teaching me about fear, patience and the importance of a well-stocked garage.
You were terrible men who did some unspeakable things to me. You both believed love meant violence.
‘“To Lynn, my dear friend, who once confessed over a gin and tonic that her ex-boyfriend deserved to go to hell after what he put her through. Lynn, I heard you, I can’t guarantee his final destination, but I did help him on the journey.
‘“To the ladies at the hostel. You cooked me casseroles, showered me with love and gave me a list of men who deserved to be punished.
‘“I am sorry to all the families of the men I murdered. I didn’t want to go to my grave without you knowing what happened.
‘“Below is a list of all my crimes.
‘“Before I go, can I also thank Detective Holloway who never gave up trying to piece together the clues. You are a credit to the police force, and I am sorry you never got what you worked hard for.
‘“To all my readers, please think twice about not offering your seat to the little old lady on the bus next time. A rather unpleasant chap on the number 30 to Hackney Wick once learnt the hard way.”’
‘This is insane,’ exclaims Clark, running a hand through his hair. ‘She believed they should pay for what they had done, and she was their judge and executioner.’
‘She doesn’t want the families of the missing men to suffer any more. They have no idea what happened to their husbands, sons, brothers… She says they have a right to know about her crimes and why she did what she did.’
Clark is looking at me. ‘Was this the task the afterlife wanted us to do all along? Is this the big thing that all our small changes lead to?’
My heart skips a beat. ‘I hadn’t thought of that.’
He nods. ‘This is about justice and confessing sins. Mary’s book was the task we had to complete to pass. We just didn’t realise why.’
‘You’re right,’ I gasp. ‘And it was so simple. All we had to do was just read it.’
Excitement ripples through us both. The end is finally in sight. He opens his arms. ‘I know we shouldn’t be celebrating Mary’s crimes, but this book could somehow help us pass the test.’
It’s turned into a tight hug, and I don’t want it to end.
Clark pulls me closer, and all I can think about is how we’ve wasted our time irritating each other.
We could have been sharing amazing hugs like this one and making each other laugh.
Eventually, he releases me, and we both exchange an awkward glance. I clear my throat and look away.
‘Do you think Pearl knows Mary was hiding something?’ he asks.
I remember the peculiar comment Pearl made on the street: ‘Pearl said Mary had deep pockets, and her mother always claimed that people with deep pockets hid dark secrets inside them.’
‘What do we do now?’
‘It’s not really about making it a bestseller any more.’ I run my hand over the front cover. ‘She wanted the families of her victims to find some answers and for the book to be a way to confess her sins.’
‘What do you think?’
I look at him. ‘We should speak to Pearl and do the right thing – hand it to the police.’
‘But her last wish was…’
I stop him. ‘I think we should respect the loved ones of her victims.’
To my surprise, he nods. ‘You’re right. We should do the right thing.’
As Pearl lets us into her house, Clark glances back at me. I wonder whether this is to say he also felt that new sensation when we were on Pearl’s path, and it wasn’t just me.
Clark makes us all a cup of tea and suggests we sit at the kitchen table.
‘We have some news,’ he says, handing Pearl a cup. ‘It’s about Mary.’
I watch Pearl’s face change. Her smile fades, but it’s not replaced by one of nervous anticipation. Her face darkens. ‘She was hiding things – wasn’t she?’
I slide Mary’s book to her. ‘Yes, Pearl, she was.’
Pearl nudges it back to me. ‘I don’t want to read it.
I’ve had a feeling for a long time that Mary wasn’t who I thought she was.
But she was a fabulous friend to me. She was kind and caring, and she brought so much needed laughter into my life.
So, I buried my thoughts at the back of my mind and scolded myself for doubting her. ’
Clark puts his hands over Pearl’s. ‘Mary was a serial killer. She’s written a full confession at the back of the book.’
Pearl looks at Clark. ‘She murdered those men who hurt her – didn’t she? I know her first husband did some horrible things. He was a cruel and vicious man.’
Clark nods. ‘She also killed the men who had been cruel to her friends.’
Pearl gasps. ‘Oh, Mary.’
I point to the book. ‘She wanted the book to be read widely so she could confess her sins and put the families of her victims out of their misery.’
Pearl nods. ‘She stressed to me how important it was for me to make the book a bestseller. That was her last wish.’
‘We should hand it to the police, Pearl,’ I say. ‘That’s the right thing to do for the sake of the families of her victims.’
Pearl takes a tissue from the sleeve of her cardigan and dabs at her watery eyes. ‘Let’s hand it over.’ She forces out a little smile. ‘Mary always joked that she would tell me to do one thing and I’d end up doing something completely different.’
Clark’s eyebrows shoot up his forehead. ‘Seriously?’
Pearl nods. ‘She’d say to me “book a holiday for us to Gran Canaria” and I would end up booking one to Menorca.’ She blows her nose. ‘What a day!’
Clark nudges me. ‘Shall we go now?’
As we get up, Pearl stops us. Her face looks grave and I worry what she’s about to say. But when she speaks, the words that come out of her mouth are the last I expected. ‘I’d like to go to Pixie Cove tomorrow to see Rodney.’
‘What?’ we both exclaim.
She gives her nose a second blow. ‘If I can’t give Mary her bestseller wish, I will go and meet Rodney.’
I look at Clark, who smiles. ‘Pearl – are you sure?’
‘Yes,’ she says. ‘I know you work, Clark, but would you take me?’
‘I can take you.’
She sighs. ‘I haven’t been there in years.’
‘Why did you never go back?’ I ask, out of curiosity.
‘I lost hope,’ she says wistfully. ‘My late husband never wanted to travel anywhere and my kids were a handful when they were young. If I’d gone back to that place without Rodney it would have ruined my memories. Over time hope faded. I never gave up on him though.’
We step out of Pearl’s house with smiles on our faces. ‘Wow, that was unexpected,’ I say under my breath.
Clark runs a hand through his hair. ‘Looks like I am off to Pixie Cove again.’ He looks over at Jane’s house before saying, ‘There’s something I need to do.’
‘Apologise to Jack?’
He smiles. ‘Yes. See you back at yours in a bit?’
I hold up Mary’s book. ‘I’m going to track down Detective Holloway and post them this book.’
‘Really?’
‘Hopefully they’ve not retired. I just think it would be fitting for them to know about this confession.’