Nell
PRESENT
I couldn’t speak for hours after I found her, the tip of a knife protruding from her stomach.
The police found me slumped in the living room in a catatonic state and I remained that way until Superintendent Moss arrived and crouched down beside me.
I remember asking them to call her and because she knew my story, I wasn’t arrested on suspicion of murdering Sadie, which I could have been had she not intervened.
Things moved swiftly once Superintendent Moss was on the scene. I was taken to a police station to give a statement and then Alex was there. He took me to Béatrice and Victor’s flat and we’ve been there ever since.
The police think that my stalker, the person who wants me dead, is connected to my past after all and are looking at anyone with a connection to the Parker family. But because of something that happened after Sadie’s funeral, I know my stalker is closer to home.
The funeral took place yesterday. It was the first time I’d seen Simon since Sadie was murdered.
He came and gave me a silent hug, and it meant more to me than any words could have, because in that hug was forgiveness.
I didn’t know how I was going to face Sadie’s parents; I was terrified they’d accuse me of being the cause of their daughter’s death.
But they were quietly dignified and thanked me for coming along, as they did to everyone.
Maybe it was just that they didn’t know who I was.
Alex, Béatrice, Victor, and Inès came to the funeral with me for moral support.
Romy, Rob, and Marcus were also there because they’d met Sadie and wanted to pay their respects, and to support me.
My surprise at Marcus being there when I’d been so ungracious about him buying the house across the road from mine disappeared the moment I saw Sadie’s coffin, piled high with flowers.
The grief I felt was unlike anything I’d ever known.
When the funeral was over, Béatrice and Victor invited Romy, Rob, and Marcus back to their flat because they wanted me to be surrounded by my friends after such a heartbreaking day.
It was exactly what I needed; Béatrice, Victor, and Inès had never met Sadie and it felt good to tell them about her and raise a glass to her.
But later, while we were talking among ourselves, my skin began prickling and I knew with a horrible, agonizing certainty that my stalker was there in the room.
I don’t know how I managed to hide my internal agitation but I forced myself to continue talking to Béatrice while I tried to gauge who had eyes on me.
No one seemed to be looking my way. My eyes fell on Alex, talking to Romy and Rob, and my mind returned to the deaths of Caitlin and Ariane.
What if he had killed them and now wanted to kill me?
What if he was a serial killer? What if he was my stalker?
What if, when he said goodbye to me, he didn’t go to the US but stayed in London and followed me?
Or what if he was connected in some way to the Parker family?
Or Bryony Sanders’s family? What if he had known who I was all along and had targeted me from the beginning, when we first met at the media party?
My heart wouldn’t let me believe it was him.
I turned my gaze on Marcus, who was talking to Rob.
It had to be him, why would he have bought the house across the road otherwise?
I hoped it was him, I wanted it to be him, I didn’t want it to be anyone else in the room.
I could cope with Marcus; if he came for me, I felt sure I’d be able to outwit him.
Along with the hatred I could feel directed at me, there was a terrible sense of suppressed rage and I guessed that they were furious at the mistake they’d made in killing Sadie instead of me and were desperate to put it right.
And I realized that they would never be able to while I was staying with Béatrice and Victor.
So I announced to the room that the following evening, I’d be going back to sleep at my house.
There were protests from everyone; they all professed shock that I could go back to the house where Sadie had been murdered.
But I was adamant, telling them it was something I needed to do, a last farewell to my friend in the place where we’d spent such a happy evening together.
Inside, I was trembling. I didn’t know how I was going to be able to force myself over the threshold.
But I knew that I had to; I needed for it to be over, once and for all.
I move to the sitting room and perch on the sofa, unable to relax. Alex, Victor, Béatrice, Inès, Romy, Rob, Marcus. I’ll soon know which one of them wants to kill me. But I’ll need help, the help of the only man I can trust.
I reach for my phone, telling myself that Sadie would understand. I can almost hear her saying, Just do what you need to do, girl.
Simon picks up immediately. “Nell?”
“I’ll understand if you don’t want to talk to me,” I say, my words coming out in a rush.
“I don’t blame you for Sadie, if that’s what you’re worried about. Is everything all right?”
“I’m back home,” I tell him. “On my own.”
“What? Where’s Alex?”
“I sent him away. I don’t trust him, I don’t trust anyone.”
“What’s happened, Nell?”
“The police think that whoever wants me dead is connected to my past. But I know they’re closer to home.”
“What do you mean?”
“Yesterday, after Sadie’s funeral…” My voice falters.
“Go on.”
“We went back to Béatrice and Victor’s and whoever wants to kill me was there, in the room. I know it sounds stupid but I could sense them.”
“Not so stupid,” he says. “I remember you saying the same thing when you called me and Sadie over that time, because you sensed someone had been in the house.”
“The frightening thing is, everyone there was a friend. As well as Alex, Béatrice, and Victor, the only other people there were Romy, Rob, Marcus, and Inès.”
“And your prime suspect is?”
“Marcus,” I say. “Why would he have bought the house over the road otherwise? Anyway, the thing is, they all know that I’m here alone so I’m hoping that whoever it is will come for me, if not tonight, then soon.”
“Nell, you can’t do that.” Simon is aghast. “There’s no way you’re staying there alone. I’m coming over, with Kintyre. I’ll be there in half an hour.”
“Simon, wait! Will you just hear me out? I’ve got an idea.”
“It had better be good.”
“Would you contact Marcus—I’ll give you his number—and ask him if you can use his house, the one across the road, so that you can set up surveillance?
I heard him say yesterday that he has the keys but he hasn’t moved in yet.
Tell him that you’ve heard I’m going to be home alone and that you want to keep watch on me.
It will be interesting to see what he says.
If he refuses to let you use his house, I’ll know that it’s him. If he agrees, then it probably isn’t.”
“It could still be,” Simon warns.
“Let’s see what he says.”
Simon calls back twenty minutes later.
“Marcus is really happy for me to use the house, he’s glad that I’m going to be looking out for you. He offered to keep watch with me but I told him it’s a police operation so he can’t be involved. He’s bringing the keys over; I said I’d meet him halfway but he insisted on coming here.”
My gut twists with anxiety. “Be careful, Simon.”
“Don’t worry, I have Kintyre with me.”
“Call me when he’s gone.”
“I will.”
I spend the next hour pacing the room, going over everything in my mind until my head aches with indecision. Even if Marcus hands over the keys without a problem, he could still be my stalker. And if he is, I’ve put Simon in danger by placing him in the house over the road.
My phone rings and I snatch it up. “Simon?”
“Marcus isn’t your man, Nell. I made some inquiries while I was waiting for him to arrive. He was investigated following Sadie’s murder but his alibi, that he was with his family that evening, checked out.”
“Right,” I say. “That’s a good thing, I suppose. But who pointed the finger at him? Someone must have.”
“It was Alex.”
“Alex?”
“Yes.” He waits for it to sink in. “Look, I’m coming over to Marcus’s house now. Whatever happens tonight, or tomorrow, or whenever, I’ll be there, keeping watch. Keep yourself safe.”
“I’ve got a lock on my bedroom door now and when I go to bed, I’ll push my dressing table in front of the door,” I tell him.
“Good. If someone manages to get in without me seeing them, which I doubt, open your window and holler for me. Nobody will get past Kintyre.” His voice becomes fierce. “We’re going to get them, Nell, once and for all.”