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Authors: Paul Pilkington

Tags: #Fiction, #Thrillers, #Suspense

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BOOK: The One You Trust
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Lizzy spent most of Sunday in her apartment, worrying about how she was going to tell Emma about what had happened while she and Dan were away. It was a conundrum. Was it fair to relay bad news just as Emma returned from her amazing honeymoon, to the start of her new life? She considered not telling Emma about the person who had been sending letters, and what he had left, but she knew she had to. What if she kept quiet and then something happened? She would never forgive herself. No, she had to tell her. The question was, when? Ideally, she wanted to give Emma some time to settle back in – maybe a few days of ignorant bliss, before she burst her bubble.

She picked up the photograph again. ‘There must be another explanation,’ she murmured to herself. Except that she hadn’t been able to think of one.

She glanced at her watch. Emma and Dan would have taken off by now.

What if I just get rid of the photograph?

There was no doubt that the image, if it was how it looked, had the potential to jeopardise Emma and Dan’s relationship.

Maybe it’s better to talk to Dan first.

But that could be an even higher-risk strategy.

As much as she hated to think it, if the photograph showed what it purported to show, challenging Dan could be downright dangerous.

Chapter 7

‘Lizzy, great to see you!’

Emma and Lizzy hugged in the doorway to Emma’s flat. Lizzy’s smile masked her concerns about what she was about to do. After more consideration, she had decided that the best course of action was to tell Emma about everything as soon as practically possible, and take things from there. Anything else – leaving things to fester, or approaching Dan first – was just asking for more trouble.

‘Recovered from the jet lag?’ Lizzy asked, as she followed Emma inside.

‘Pretty much, although I still don’t feel one hundred per cent. I went for a run before breakfast, and my legs felt so heavy.’

Lizzy had given Emma and Dan the Monday to recover from the flight, calling first thing on Tuesday morning.

‘How about Dan, was he okay for work?’

Lizzy knew that Dan was already back at work, which had given her the perfect opportunity to discuss this most sensitive of issues in private.

‘Yeah, fine,’ Emma replied, filling the kettle. ‘I think he was quite looking forward to getting stuck back into things, to be honest.’

Lizzy took a seat at the table. She watched her friend preparing the tea, wishing that she wouldn’t have to do this. She looked happier than she’d seen her in a long time. ‘You look really good, Em.’

‘Thanks. I feel good.’ Emma smiled at her.

‘So the honeymoon was fantastic, I assume?’

‘Amazing. The best holiday ever. Lizzy, everything about it was just, well, perfect! The hotel, the island, all the things we did—’

‘I don’t need to know about that,’ Lizzy joked.

Emma grinned. ‘You know what I mean. It was just paradise, Lizzy.’

‘Sounds it. So you’re not glad to be back, then?’

‘In some ways, no. It’s good to come back home, don’t get me wrong, but we were just so carefree out there, as if nothing else mattered apart from us – no external factors could affect our happiness. It was all under our control. But I guess real life isn’t like that, really, is it?’ She handed Lizzy a cup of tea.

‘No, it isn’t.’ Emma didn’t know the half of it. ‘So, you and Dan, you’re still getting along well?’ Lizzy hoped the question sounded light, rather than serious.

Emma looked at her. ‘Of course!’

‘That’s great, glad to hear it.’ Maybe she wouldn’t tell her now. Maybe she just couldn’t bear to do it at this point. To give her bad news so soon, it was just cruel, wasn’t it?

But then she glanced at the table top, and saw a familiar-looking grey envelope on top of the small pile of letters there.

‘Are you okay, Lizzy?’

‘What? Er, yes,’ Lizzy replied, caught staring dead-eyed at the letter. It was definitely the same handwriting as before. ‘Your post,’ she said. ‘You’ve not opened it yet.’

Emma reached for the pile. ‘No. I was just about to when you arrived.’ She looked at the front and back of the offending letter, obviously intrigued as to what it was, and started to slide her finger under the seal.

‘Don’t!’ Lizzy said, holding out a hand.

Her reaction shocked Emma into stopping what she was doing, and she stared at her friend.

Lizzy calmed her voice. ‘Don’t open it, please, don’t open it yet. Not until I’ve had a chance to explain.’

‘I don’t understand. You know what it is?’ Emma held the letter out towards Lizzy, as if asking for advice as to what to do.

Lizzy swallowed her fears. ‘I know who sent it. Whatever’s in there, it won’t be good.’

Emma watched Lizzy’s face, then realised what it all meant. She shook her head in disbelief and horror. ‘Please, Lizzy, don’t say that this isn’t over . . .’

‘I’m sorry, Emma, I’m so sorry.’

Emma’s face was white. ‘No, it’s finished . . . we had the happy ending – the wedding, the honeymoon . . .’

Lizzy didn’t know what to say. She felt sick. ‘I know, I know.’

Emma was now holding the letter with a look of revulsion on her face. ‘How do you know who sent this?’

‘I don’t know the identity of the person, but I recognise the handwriting – there have been other letters.’

Emma’s eyes widened. ‘More? To here?’

‘While you were away. But addressed to me.’

‘Why didn’t you tell me?’ Emma stared at Lizzy. ‘And you don’t know who they’re from?’

‘No,’ Lizzy said. ‘But I saw the person. They were wearing a cap. I interrupted them on Friday morning, hand-delivering one of the letters. They’d been downstairs at the post trays. I didn’t see their face. I chased after them, but the person was too fast.’

Emma was shaking her head. ‘My God. What did the letters say?’

Lizzy’s heart was breaking as she watched her friend descend once again into the nightmare. A few sentences was all it had taken to destroy the happiness that had been flourishing in the newly married Emma Carlton.

‘Not very much. Short messages, about trust.’

‘Trust?’

‘Warning me, asking me who I trusted.’

Emma was still struggling to take this in. ‘And they were addressed to you, but delivered here?’

Lizzy nodded. ‘Whoever it is, they knew that you were away, and they also knew that I would be coming over to your flat.’

Emma put a hand to her forehead. ‘I can’t believe that this is happening. I thought it was all over, I really did.’

‘I know. Me too.’

Emma looked up. ‘Who do you think it is? It couldn’t be Scott Goulding again, could it?’ She shuddered as she remembered again how the actor who had impersonated Stephen Myers had stalked them, as he had been convinced by Sally Thompson that he was auditioning for a part in the Emma Holden docudrama.

‘I’m not sure where the motive would be. Last time it was clear: he was tricked into doing what he did because of what Amy – I mean, Sally – told him. He was just playing a part, and it was for a specific purpose.’

‘I agree. It wouldn’t make sense. Unless this time he’s being paid to do it. We know he was having trouble finding work.’

‘Possibly. Although I wasn’t sure the build of the person I chased matched him, but it was hard to tell, because things happened so fast.’

‘And he did seem genuinely sorry for what he had done,’ Emma said, now more convinced that Scott wasn’t a likely candidate. After David Sherborn’s photographs had identified him, which had led them first to Guy Roberts and then to Scott himself, he had confessed to what he had done and why, and had appeared to be extremely remorseful. In fact, he had been the one to alert them to Sally’s plans for the parachute jump.

‘Say Scott Goulding isn’t involved. Do you think this still might be Sally?’ Lizzy asked. ‘Maybe working with someone else?’

Emma still held on to the letter. ‘She has the motive. But again, the police said she’s very remorseful over what she did.’

‘Maybe she just said that, so the police didn’t press charges.’

‘You think?’

Lizzy shrugged. ‘Well, she must have been in a terrible place to plan to do what she did. She was prepared to murder Will, for heaven’s sake!’ Lizzy shook her head. ‘And she was a split-second decision away from carrying it out. Plus, it’s been only a matter of weeks since what happened. Do you really think that she could be so much better in such a short space of time? Do you think all those feelings will have just gone away? Maybe they have, maybe they haven’t.’

Emma thought about it. ‘She’s the prime suspect, isn’t she?’

‘I think so,’ Lizzy said. ‘What’s the alternative? That there’s yet another person who has taken against us? How many of these people are there?’

‘Don’t . . .’ Emma said.

‘Exactly,’ Lizzy replied. ‘It’s just too horrid to consider. But it’s also unrealistic, surely, to think that this is not connected to what’s gone before. And then there was the fact that the person in the cap was so fast – much faster than me. We know that Sally is a sports teacher, so she’s fit, sporty.’

‘You’ve been thinking about this a lot,’ Emma said.

Lizzy nodded. ‘To be honest, this past couple of weeks, I haven’t thought about much else. I’ve racked my brain about who could be doing this, and why.’

‘Oh, Lizzy, I’m so sorry.’

‘Why are you sorry? You’ve got no need to be sorry about anything.’

‘I
am
sorry. While we were away, having such a fantastic time, you were here, dealing with all of this. And, ultimately, it’s all about me, isn’t it? If it wasn’t for me, none of this would be happening.’

‘Don’t you dare start blaming yourself for anything,’ Lizzy retorted. ‘You’ve got
nothing
to feel guilty about. Nothing.’

‘Thanks. But I am sorry you were having to deal with this on your own. Doesn’t Will know?’

‘I didn’t tell him.’

‘Because you thought he might tell me?’

‘Yes.’

Emma shook her head, numbly. ‘Lizzy, you shouldn’t have tried to deal with this all by yourself. I know you’re strong, but—’

‘I agree,’ Lizzy interrupted. ‘I probably should have told Will. But I just didn’t want to risk you finding out, because I really didn’t want this person to ruin your honeymoon.’

Lizzy watched as Emma continued to shake her head in disbelief at what was happening. ‘Are you okay, Em?’

‘I’m okay. But I should call Dan.’ She pulled out her mobile.

Lizzy interjected. ‘Not just yet,’ she said. ‘There’s something else I need to show you.’ She steeled herself. ‘I don’t know what it means, but it’s been really bothering me. Maybe you can explain it.’

She pulled out the photograph that had provoked so much anxiety in her.

Emma took it, gripping it harder when she realised what it showed. She looked up. ‘Where did you get this?’ Her voice was frayed.

‘It came with the last note.’

Emma looked again at the image. It was a photograph of Dan. She could tell it came from the time just before they met, because of his hairstyle and what he was wearing. He was standing, beaming at the camera, a busy bar as a backdrop, a pint of lager in one hand. His other arm was wrapped around another man, who was also smiling broadly and holding a drink.

It was Emma’s ex-fiancé, Stuart Harris.

Chapter 8

Carl Jones came from behind, landing the first ferocious blow into the side of Peter Myers’ abdomen. Myers folded and crumpled against the washbasin, pain rippling through him. Jones yanked his hair and slammed his head into the basin. Now on the cold, wet tiled floor of the washroom, another blow came – this time a stamp down hard onto the top of his right leg. Myers gazed up at his attacker, their eyes meeting for a brief moment. Jones was enjoying this. Myers nodded and the assault continued. Two other prisoners had created a diversion downstairs, feigning an escalating argument in the common room, so there were no guards to witness this.

As another kick connected with the side of his body and his vision starred, Peter Myers realised he couldn’t feel a thing.

He just knew one truth – his plan was working.

Chapter 9

‘I don’t understand this,’ Emma said, still staring intently at the photograph. ‘I can’t understand what I’m seeing here.’ She looked up at Lizzy. ‘Dan knew Stuart before he met me—?’ She looked stunned. ‘Why wouldn’t he have told me that?’

‘Is the photo definitely from before you met? Could it be more recent?’

‘No,’ said Emma. ‘It’s definitely before we met.’ She pointed at the image. ‘His longer hairstyle. He had it cut shorter the week before we met, and the style hasn’t changed much since. I can’t believe this.’

Emma had met Dan at their local pub in Islington, just around the corner from where Lizzy and Emma were then sharing a flat. Dan had been there with a group of workmates, and one of them had approached Emma when she was at the bar, asking whether Lizzy and she wanted to join them for a drink. Following this, Emma had got chatting with Dan, and the two of them had hit it off: they’d been an item from that night onwards. It was only later that Dan had admitted his friend had done it as a favour for him, after he’d remarked how attractive Emma was. He hadn’t had the courage to approach her himself, so his more confident friend, a marketing manager called Mike, had helped out.

BOOK: The One You Trust
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