The Back Road (32 page)

39

How Ellie had made it through supper, which was actually a very passable frittata and salad, she didn’t know. Both Leo and Max had noticed how quiet she was, but she had managed to fob them off by saying she was upset about Abbie and worried about Georgia. At least everything seemed to be okay with Leo again. Never one to bear grudges, she had behaved as if nothing had happened that morning.

Ellie’s head was all over the place. Max’s phone call and the money transfer were bad enough, but the text had terrified her.

She had been certain that Sean was the one letting himself into the house. Max had asked him to change the locks at the weekend, and she had thought it was a joke. Now she knew it was essential. Much as she didn’t like Sean having access to a set of keys, he was the lesser of two evils. She couldn’t think of a single good reason to ask Max to find somebody else.

But if she admitted to Max that she was being blackmailed, she would have to tell him everything else too, although if she genuinely believed the children were in danger there was no other option. Maybe she should wait. The blackmailer had said that she only had to do one thing, and her children would be safe. Maybe the sensible thing would be to find out what she was going to be asked to do.

Her mind was spinning out of control. Max and Alannah, the weird texts, Abbie,
Sean
.

And she felt totally helpless.

For now she had settled on telling Leo and Max that, whether they thought she was paranoid or not, they mustn’t let the twins out of their sight for a second in the house. They were not to be left alone in the kitchen, their bedrooms or even watching a DVD. They must have recognised that she was seriously stressed, because they didn’t argue. They knew of her suspicions that somebody had been in the house on Sunday, but neither Max nor Leo seemed to suspect that today there had been another visitor.

As she lay in bed waiting for Max to come from the bathroom, she couldn’t help thinking about his behaviour. He had been chirpy all evening, but she wasn’t fooled. It was all bravado. Could he really behave like that when he was about to leave her? But there was no getting around the missing money and everything she had overheard. She didn’t care about the money; only what it represented.

The bathroom door opened, and Max walked naked towards the bed. Ellie couldn’t help wondering if this was the last time she would see him like this. Perhaps if they made love, it would change things. She wasn’t going to let him go without a fight, even if her weapon was silence.

He slid under the sheets, and lifted his arm so that she could snuggle down against him. Lying on her side, she moved her right hand so that it was gently stroking the fine dark hairs on his smooth, flat stomach. Max kissed the top of her head. Gradually, Ellie started to increase the range of her stroking, and she made her way downwards very slowly, knowing that this usually drove Max crazy. She kissed him on his chest, and started to give him tiny painless bites as her hand moved lower, and the hairs became coarser and thicker.

Gently, Max covered her hand with his own. Thinking he was probably imploring her to speed up, she gave a low chuckle. But she was wrong. He lifted her hand and moved it back to his chest.

‘Sorry, Ellie. I think you’re backing a bit of a loser there tonight. Nothing personal, sweetheart - it’s just been one of those days. What do you say that we carry on where we left off tomorrow night?’

He brought his other hand up to wrap her in a tight hug, then freed the arm that was behind her and turned over.

‘Love you,’ he muttered. His breathing soon sounded regular, but Ellie knew he wasn’t asleep.

* * *

A cloudy start to the day had deteriorated into a still, heavy night with dark, overcast skies, and there wasn’t a glimmer of moonlight. There were no streetlights down this country lane, but the lack of a light source meant there were no shadows.

Dressed from head to toe in black, with only the eyes showing through slits in the balaclava, the figure waited patiently. It would only take a matter of moments for the eyes to adjust.

The front door provided the easiest access - the fastest route to the target, but the window to the master bedroom was standing open right above the doorway and the slightest sound could alert one of the occupants. The side door was out of the question too, because crossing the wide gravel parking area would create too much noise. So it would have to be the kitchen door. Once inside, that would mean navigating the kitchen and dining room and then the long hallway to reach the bottom of the stairs, but there was no choice.

The figure crept silently along the side of the house, using the grass to muffle any footsteps. Very familiar with the layout of this house after the forays of the last few days, the intruder knew that tonight’s success would depend on Ellie’s predictability.

The three keys were easy to differentiate. How stupid to leave them lying around like that for anybody to take. Inserting the largest into the lock, it turned without a sound. The door opened on silent hinges.

The intruder stood just inside the doorway. There were weird glimmers of light in the room; the small green lamp on the freezer door, the brightly displayed temperature on the fridge and the luminous digital clocks on the control panels of the two matching ovens combined to throw faint shadows around the room.

Although there wasn’t a breath of air, the door was gently closed - a rogue gust of wind could slam it and alert the whole house. Everywhere was silent. Strangely, though, there was no sense that the house was sleeping. It felt awake, aware - as if it were watching the intruder’s every move on high alert.

Keeping to the centre of the room to avoid furniture, the ghostly shape crept towards the atrium. Unless there was a break in the clouds, there would be no light there at all, and all movement would have to be based on memory. The darkness was dense and solid, yet offered no resistance.

Every inch of this house had been explored in the last few days. More often than Ellie knew. It was important to learn one’s way about, find out which stairs creaked, which doors could be opened soundlessly. It offered added pleasure that this was Ellie’s house - the woman everybody believed to be perfect. If only they all knew. And they would do soon.

Sweat was making the balaclava stick to clammy skin, and breathing was becoming difficult. It was so much easier to sneak in when the house was empty - but for this task, Ellie had to be at home.

The hallway was easier. A gentle glow came from the landing - no doubt from a night-light left on for the twins. How very convenient. The goal was in sight as the black figure approached the bottom of the stairs.

40

Day Seven: Thursday

Leo was surprised to find Max sitting alone in the kitchen. She had kept out of the way for as long as possible this morning, but the house seemed quiet, so she’d decided to finally emerge from her bedroom. She was definitely going home today.

‘Morning, Max. Where are Jake and Rubes?’

Max was playing with, rather than eating, a bowl of cornflakes. If he’d seen the twins doing that, she knew what he would have said to them.

‘I’m at a bit of a loose end today,’ he said. ‘It’s a friends’ birthday, so about ten of them have gone off to Chester Zoo this morning, and then to the soft play place this afternoon. Whatever happened to a two hour party with jelly and cake?’

‘Not to mention the potted beef sandwiches,’ Leo replied with a grin. ‘My mum gave the very best parties when I was little. She made everything from scratch, and we had prizes for all the games. It took effort to hold a party then. Now it seems it’s about who has the most money.’

‘Tell me about it,’ Max said. ‘Even when they have parties at home, they have to have some sort of entertainer along. Well, when the twins have their sixth birthday they can have an entertainer. Me. And Ellie will make buns. It will be a novelty for them all.’

‘Just thank your lucky stars you’re not having to arrange a stag do in this day and age. If you don’t go to Prague or Las Vegas for a minimum of three days, it’s not much of a party, as far as I can see.’

‘Bloody waste of money. Anything you’ve got should be spent on the wedding and honeymoon, in my book. It’s not about getting pissed with your mates, it’s about dedicating yourself to somebody else for the rest of your life, as far as I’m concerned.’

Leo went quiet. Max had given her an opening here, and she wasn’t sure whether she should take it or not. She pointed, as usual, to the fancy coffee machine.

‘Want one?’

‘Please - but make it a large espresso. I need the caffeine. I didn’t sleep too well.’

Leo put the cup under the nozzle and pressed the button twice for a double espresso. As the beans ground, she got some milk out of the fridge for her cappuccino, and thought about how she was going to raise a tricky subject. By the time she had made both drinks, she was pretty clear what she was going to say.

She put Max’s coffee in front of him, and sat down opposite.

‘Max - I need to talk to you,’ she said.

‘No. You don’t, Leo. I need to talk to
you
.’ He held his hands up, as if to prevent her from interrupting. ‘I’ve done something crazy, and I don’t know what to do about it. I’ve been a complete idiot, and I don’t know how Ellie’s going to forgive me. Every morning for the past two months, I have woken up thinking “This has to stop” but by the end of the day, I’m back to where I started. Being a total wanker.’

Max put his head down, and rested his forehead on the heels of his hands.

Leo felt her heart sink.

‘So it’s true then. Ellie was right.’

Max dropped his hands, and the look of horror on his face didn’t need any interpretation.

‘You mean she knows? Christ, how did she find out? How long has she known? She’s not been happy lately, but I thought that was my fault for being such an arse. And last night… Well, never mind last night. Why didn’t she
say
something, if she knew?’

Leo felt an intense bubble of irritation rise up and explode.

‘Why the hell do you
think
she didn’t say something? Because she thought that while it was all hidden, nothing would happen. But as soon as it’s all out in the open, she thinks that you’ll leave her. She thinks the only thing stopping you is the fact that it would be too difficult for you to tell her you were going. Jesus, I thought you were different, Max. I really did. But you’re every bit as selfish, blind and stupid as ….’

Max’s head shot forward, interrupting Leo in mid flow.

‘
Leave
her? Leave
Ellie
? Why in God’s name would I want to do
that
? She’s my whole life - well, her and the twins. What can possibly have given her that crazy idea? It had better not be you, Leo. I know you have no time for men, but I thought you knew me better than that. I thought I might have given you a tiny bit of faith in the male species.’

‘Piss off, Max. Of course it wasn’t me,’ Leo said, with righteous indignation. ‘If you must know, I stuck up for you, although for the life of me I can’t understand why I did now. That comment was out of order.’

To do him credit, Max looked mortified, as if he knew he had leapt to the wrong conclusion.

‘Sorry, Leo. That was uncalled for, you’re right. But I can’t think of a single reason why Ellie would think that I was going to leave her. I’ve been an idiot, and she might decide to leave
me
, but not the other way round. Never.’

‘So you expect her total forgiveness, do you?’

Max pulled a face.

‘I know she’s going to be mad as hell, and quite rightly. But you know Ellie. She’ll get over it.’

‘You arrogant, conceited, cheating bastard. How can you just dismiss it like that? You have an affair for months, and then you say she’ll be ‘mad as hell’. Do you have even the remotest idea what you have done to her? To my sister?’

Max looked totally bewildered.

‘What the hell are you talking about, Leo? What bloody affair? You’ve lost me completely.’

‘You and that PE teacher. Alannah she’s called, isn’t she? You and her. All hush hush and making plans in private.’

Max looked as if a light had been switched on, and that it had illuminated a house of horrors.

‘Oh God. You’re not telling me that’s what she thinks, are you? I know she thinks I fancy Alannah. That’s why I try to avoid mentioning her. I don’t fancy her, though. Not even slightly.’

Max was going to have to be a lot more convincing than that.

‘So you think forgetting to mention that you’ve been to the pub with Alannah so Ellie has to hear it from somebody else is a good idea, do you? Or how about the fact that you’ve recently started telling Ellie she needs to do more exercise, as if she needs to look more like Alannah? Or getting a lift home from the staff party and going half way to bloody Stoke on Trent and back, so you and Alannah could be alone - and then lying about it. Well done, Max.’

Max looked as if he was about to interrupt, but Leo hadn’t finished. ‘Oh, and what about making plans that you’re not ready to tell Ellie about yet because she needs to be kept in the dark until it’s too late for her to stop it - whatever ‘it’ is. How do you think it made her feel to learn about
that
particular conversation? Jesus.’

Max’s face had drained of colour.

‘Shit. It sounds terrible when you say it like that. Look, I know I’m a brainless bugger but I’m not crazy enough to have an affair. I know perfectly well what that would do to Ellie. I know that her trust issues aren’t on a par with yours, but she doesn’t have the confidence that somebody so beautiful should have, you know.’

‘Don’t bring me into this. I’m not the one who’s lied to her - even if only by omission.’

‘You’re right, and I’m sorry for the jibe. It was unnecessary.’ Max looked straight at Leo, as if to demonstrate that he was speaking the truth. ‘There is nothing going on with Alannah. I was simply helping a friend.’

‘Then why all the sodding secrecy, Max? If it’s no big deal, why didn’t you tell Ellie?’

‘Because Alannah asked me not to, and actually - it
is
a pretty big deal.’ Max looked down. As well he might, Leo thought.

‘Don’t even think of not telling me, because my sister’s welfare comes way above keeping a promise to somebody else. Get real, Max. Sort out your bloody priorities.’

Max looked as if she’d slapped his face.

‘Leo, don’t ask me to say anything more. I could lose my job over this.’

‘And you could lose your
wife
if you don’t speak up. For Christ’s sake, you should know you can trust me. How bad is it?’

‘Terrible for Alannah. Pretty bad for me.
Promise
me you won’t tell Ellie, Leo. I will honestly tell her myself, but it has to come from me.’

Leo gave a curt nod of her head and watched while Max turned a teaspoon over and over in his fingers.

‘Alannah came to me a couple of months ago with a problem. Apart from being a PE teacher, she’s also a marathon runner, and a damn good one at that. But for one reason and another she’d been feeling a bit below par and lacking in stamina, so she started to get a little help.’

Max checked out Leo for reaction, and she had to wonder why. She knew exactly what he meant. Was he expecting her to be shocked?

‘What was she taking?’ she asked.

‘EPO to start with. I don’t know if you know anything about it, but basically it keeps you going for longer, I’m sure you’re not interested in the science. It’s not supposed to be addictive, and she took it to get her over a low patch.’

Max stood up from the table and walked over to the glass doors to the garden, as if Alannah’s shame was strangely his own. Leo kept quiet and waited.

‘She overdid it, and eventually she ended up injuring herself. But she had a big race coming up, so she had to block out the pain. She moved on from EPO, and bought some other drugs - Oxy, OC, whatever you want to call it. Whatever name you come up with, it’s Oxycodone, illegal to buy on the streets, and highly addictive.’

‘So? Why can’t you tell Ellie that?’

‘First of all, I kept it from her because the fewer people that know the better. Alannah would be sacked, but more than that I should have reported her, and I didn’t. I wanted her to get treatment for it before it all has to come out.’

‘And second of all…?’ Leo asked. Max glanced round at her, and could no doubt tell from her determined expression that Leo wasn’t about to give up. He locked his hands behind his head and looked up at the sky through the window.

‘She stole some money - from school. I was one of the organisers of the school play, and she helped. She took some of the ticket money. She’d planned to put it back, but she was maxed out on her credit cards and overdraft. I put the money back when I found out.’

Max dropped his hands to his side and turned round to face Leo.

‘I’d lose my job too if any of this came out, Leo. I couldn’t tell Ellie. She would be understandably furious that I should put myself at risk like this. But money doesn’t seem to be such a big issue in this house anymore, and I thought it would help.’ Max gave a humourless laugh. ‘It didn’t. On Friday night the reason that we went via Stoke on Trent as you put it - although that’s a bit of an exaggeration - is because she wanted to ask me to give her some more money. To help her out again. I was too pissed to give a sensible response on Friday - so she phoned here on Sunday I told her never to do that again. Imagine if Ellie had answered? Anyway, I refused to give her any more. I said it wouldn’t help, and she had the six week holiday to get herself sorted. I don’t know if she thinks she can blackmail me, but she can do her worst. I’m not giving her any more.’

‘Well, I have enormous sympathy with her problem. But nowhere near as much as I have with my sister, who - thanks to the two of you - has been going through absolute hell for the past few weeks. She’s distraught, Max. Frantic with worry. She’s waiting for you to drop the bombshell that you’re leaving.’

Max stared at Leo as if the world was collapsing around him.

‘If I’d realised she thought that, I would have told her everything about Alannah. I promise you. It seemed like the least of my problems, frankly.’

Leo made herself take a long, calming breath. She was mad at Max, but it was nowhere near as catastrophic as she had thought. If this wasn’t the problem that was haunting him and breaking her sister’s marriage into pieces, she was determined to find out what was.

‘So if you’ve not been having an affair, what have you been doing that you don’t want Ellie to find out until it’s too late for her to stop it?’

Max couldn’t meet Leo’s eyes as he told her of his idiotic plans that made a few pounds from the school play seem beyond trivial.