WILL TIME WAIT: Boxed set of 3 bestselling 'ticking clock' thrillers (19 page)

We
positioned our hands, ready to grab the mobile before it smashed against the
wall.  I stopped Laura from gripping the rope.  It would have ripped
the flesh off her hands.

“Here
it comes,” I yelled, as it shot up towards us. 

The
mobile slammed into the metal hook screwed into the wall.  I shielded my
face and jumped back. 

The
plastic casing smashed apart and the inner workings blasted out in a starburst
fashion, before dancing in the wind and descending to the road below.  I
leaned over the bridge once again, watching tiny fragments blowing around
during the fall.  Most pieces landed on the road, some on the roof of
cars, before getting crushed under tyres.

“God
damn it!” We yelled in unison.

I
kicked the wall in rage, then stumbled back and landed on my ass on cold, wet
stone.

“Well,
at least they kept their promise,” Laura said.

“What
do you mean?”

“To
destroy the footage if I paid.”

Getting
to my feet, I screamed, “Come on.  We’ve made a total cock up of
this.  I’m going down there.”  I ran left towards the steps.

Laura
didn’t follow.  “We’ll not make it in time.  Let’s see who drives off
from up here.”  She leaned over the opposing side of the bridge to watch
the traffic as it emerged from underneath.

“Do
what you want.  But I’m going.”  I darted across to the steps and
descended two at a time.  Catching a glimpse of this person lay within
reach.  I had to try.

Laura
shouted, “Be careful.”

Breathing
heavily and picking up speed, I made the bottom in good time.  Rain and
unshed tears blurred my vision.  Adrenaline and determination gave me a
false sense of bravery.  I didn’t want the person to have left, but I also
didn’t want to come face to face with this monster.  I ran flat out round
the country lane anyway.  I’d just have to deal with what confronted me,
if I made it in time.

Loose
stone and soggy leaves threatened to floor me.  The cold wind and rain was
biting at my face, trying to slow me down as though in warning.  I weaved
between a thick patch of trees and spiky shrubs which clawed at my
clothing.  I struggled to climb over a sloping, chain-link fence, then
slowed my pace on the slippery grass slope that led down to the main
road.  It would have been faster to slide, but I didn’t much like the idea
of skidding under a moving car at the bottom. 

I
felt along the outer wall of the bridge, and finally reached the path that ran
alongside the busy road.  I took a much-needed breath, and then poked my
head round the corner.  My heart practically jumped up my throat with
fear.  Hugging the stone wall, I searched for the blackmailer; a person on
foot, a vehicle trying to join the continuous ribbon of traffic. 

I
saw no one.

Whoever
took the money had gone.  Laura was right.  They’d timed it perfectly
so we couldn’t catch them in the act. 

I
stepped onto the path and stared at the traffic ahead, but didn’t recognise any
of the vehicles.  Besides, they were moving too fast.

I
dashed along the path and stopped when rain pelted down on me as I ran from
under the bridge at the other side.  I skidded on wet concrete, almost
fell over.  Scanning the road, I looked for scraps of the mobile phone -
most of which were strewn the width of both lanes and getting squashed by
passing traffic as I stood here.  Without jumping into the road to get a
closer look, I had no idea which pieces were the memory or sim cards, let alone
expect to find them intact.  A few sandbags lay on the opposite path.

Disheartened,
I leaned forward setting my hands on my knees.  Calm down.  Catch my
breath.

We
should have been smart enough to realise we were never in control.  How on
earth would we know if we’d been conned now?  With the sim and memory card
destroyed, we’d never know if the footage was ever on that phone.

Some
minutes later, Laura joined me under the bridge.  Her jeans had torn at
the knee and were caked in mud.  Her expression looked blank, almost
brainwashed.

Stunned
by what just happened, shocked that the decision to pay had been taken out of
our hands at the last second, I remained on the path, motionless.  The
stream of passing vehicles squirted rainwater up our legs, but I didn’t
care.  By now, I was drenched anyway.

“Well,
that’s that then,” Laura rubbed her hands together and faced me.  “Thanks
so much, Chelsea.  You truly are the best friend ever.  One in a
million.”

I
pointed at the road.  “Can’t see the sim or memory card anywhere, but I
doubt they’ll work now that half of England has driven over them.”

As
I looked back at Laura, her thoughts seemed to land in my head.  In her
eyes, I now saw optimism.  Even the way she held herself had changed, like
she no longer felt heavy and drained.  Despite the way it went down, I
realised she thought it was over. 

“The
footage is destroyed and the blackmailer got what he, or she, wanted,” she
said. 

“Congratulations,”
I said, not really meaning it.  “You’ve bought your wedding back.” 

Now
she’d had a few moments to get over the shock, she punched the air.  “It’s
finished.  Hurray!  My God.  I can’t believe it.”

I
didn’t feel so elated.  How could Laura be so naive?  What if they
made a copy of the footage?  Or that wasn’t even the right phone?

M
y heart
squeezed.  “I’m phoning Lee,” I blurted out in the back of the taxi. 
I had barely minutes to confirm he wasn’t the blackmailer.

She
shocked me with the most scathing wide eyes.

“I
have to know.  It takes more than ten minutes to drive from the bridge to
Lee’s house,” I said, trying to convince her, or perhaps myself.  “If he’s
at home right now, he isn’t the blackmailer.”

“Please,
Chelsea.  Don’t call Lee.”  She said his name as if it was a swear
word.

“If
it is him, I’ll do my damndest to get your money back.  But if it
isn’t…”  I pulled my phone from my bag and found his name in the
contacts.  Damn it!  I didn’t have his landline number, just his
mobile. 

Laura’s
smile disappeared as expected.  She grabbed for my phone and
wrestled.  “Please, Chelsea.  Don’t stir things up.”

It
didn’t occur to me she’d fight.  “Laura, what are you doing?  Let
go!” 

“Hey,
hey, ladies!” the driver said.  “No fighting in my cab or I’ll kick you
out.”

I
turned my back on her and leaned against the window.  Not only had this
evil blackmailer taken Laura’s money, but they’d stolen the parts of her
personality that I liked, left me with the nasty bits.  For the next few
minutes I didn’t want to think about her.

 Who
had been under that bridge?  I didn’t want that person to be Lee. 
I’d set myself the task of proving his innocence and if I didn’t even try, I
wasn’t going to prove anything.  I hesitated, aware dialing could put an
even bigger rift in my friendship with Laura.  But, phoning Lee was
something I wanted to do, or rather, needed to do.  I’d supported Laura
more than enough. 

I
pressed call while cautioning myself about getting my hopes up.

Lee
answered after what seemed like a short sleep.  “Phoning to accuse me
again?” 

“Oh,
at last.  Where are you?” I demanded, too on edge not to cut straight to
it.

“At
home.  Why?”

“Been
out?”

“No. 
Anyway, you’ve got some balls phoning me after what you said last night.”

“Just
listen a minute.  Trust me.”

“Trust
you?  That’s a tall order.”  He went silent a few heartbeats. 
“You sound different.  Breathy.  Has something happened?”

Yeah,
I
thought. 
Too much.

I
hesitated.  Deep breath.  To accuse Lee yet again would be like a
final kick in the groin.  But if I didn’t rule him out, how could I ever
truly trust him with blackmail hanging over us?  If he did still want to
know me, that is. 

I
pushed ahead with my plan.  “Just bear with me and do what I ask.”  A
sensation of relief ripened inside me at the absence of a car engine humming
through the phone.  “If you are at home, then go over to the telly, turn
it up loud so I can hear it.”

“What?”

“Just
do it, Lee.”  The jingle of an advert grew louder, and a female voice said
Lee’s name in the background.  The jingle could have been a car radio, but
who was the woman with Lee?   “Go into the kitchen.  Stand by
the fridge.”

“How’s
this?” he said with chagrin.  “Shall I do a backflip?”

I
pressed my finger into my left ear.  “I can’t hear it.  Run the
kitchen tap instead.  Who’s talking to you?” 

When
I heard the gush of running water, my body loosened.  Unless he owned a
pre-recorded tape of house noises, in the exact order I’d asked for, there was
no way he could have been outdoors.  I held my hands out to Laura, seeking
acceptance. 

The
taxi turned into Laura’s street.  I pointed out the window.  “Laura,
is that your aunt?”

Laura
dipped her head below the window.  Luckily, Carol was walking away from
Laura’s house and didn’t spot us.  She was smiling wide and almost
skipping.  Drunk as usual, probably.

“Enough
games.”  Lee’s tone was fast and sharp.  “What’s this about?”

Ignoring
him, I cupped my hand over the mouthpiece and faced Laura.  “He’s at
home.”

She
shrugged, unmoved by my evidence.  “So are we now, Chelsea.  Lee had
a head start.  It proves nothing.”

She
paid the driver, got out, and power-walked up her driveway.

“Chelsea?”
Lee said.

“Just
hold on a minute.”  I stepped onto the path and slammed the car door
shut.  Frustrated again, I followed Laura to the front door while staring
at the mobile angrily.  I wished I could reach down the line and pull Lee
through the wires to somehow prove he hadn’t been anywhere near that
bridge. 

Laura
unlocked the front door and walked through the hall into the kitchen.

Left
with no other options, I knew I needed to go to Lee’s house -
unannounced.  I should have stayed in the taxi.

Laura
brushed past me in the hall and disappeared upstairs.

“Are
you still there, mad woman?” Lee asked. 

I
walked into the kitchen.  “Yes.”

“I
shouldn’t even be talking to you.  I must be crazy, a nutcase.”

“I
like nutcase people.  And the whole world seems crazy to me, right now,” I
muttered under my breath.  Then to Lee, “I’ve got to go.” 

“What? 
Is that it?  Games but no apology?”

“Sorry.” 
I hung up. 

When
Laura returned to the kitchen, she looked good.  Slick, silky black hair
curved into her jaw line, and a touch of makeup brightened her tired
eyes.  A cloud of perfume around her, she handed me some dry clothes,
which I changed into quickly. 

“It’s
not him.”  I studied Laura’s face for a trace of agreement that wasn’t
there. 

She
pulled a carton of food from the fridge and pursed her lips.  “He could
have been in a washroom at a petrol station, had the car radio on, or he could
even have a partner who collected the cash for him.”

“No. 
One of your messages said, ‘
I
know,’ and the text when we dropped the
money off read, ‘Pay
me
.’  This suggests we’re dealing with one
person.”  Maybe this was wishful thinking, it could have been a cover.

She
made a huffing sound.  “Look, I paid, it’s over.  If you want a
relationship with someone who’s blackmailing your best friend, go ahead. 
I hope you have a great time spending my cash together.”  She sat down and
batted her eyelashes at me. 

Inside
I wanted to throttle her, but I refused to show I was wound up.  “For the
millionth time, Laura, it’s not him.  I just know it.”

“I’m
thirsty.  Stay where you are.  I’ll make a drink.  Tea
okay?”  She buried her anguish under an exaggerated merriment of words
about tea flavours, then sat down.

My
phone rang.  It was Officer Baines.  When I said his name to Laura,
she dropped the carton of tea bags on the floor.  “Please don’t tell him
anything,” she begged.

I
answered the call. 

‘Lie,’
Laura mouthed.

Worried
that he’d pick up on my lies, and feeling under pressure, I put on my most
convincing voice.  It took a fair amount of persuasion, but under Laura’s
watchful and unnerving eye, I managed to convince him that everything was fine
and shift the blame onto my friends, claiming again that they’d been playing a
prank on me. 

Having
had the forensics team sweep my house, Officer Baines was less than impressed
with my time wasting.

I
hung up.  Satisfied that he believed me, I sighed, but felt incredibly
guilty about lying through my teeth.  I didn’t like messing with the
police.  I focused back on Laura, who managed half a smile in thanks.

I
tried not to show it, but while watching her eat, I couldn’t shake the feeling
of rage from inside.  Annoyed someone had stolen Laura’s special week,
turned it into a memory we would rather trash than treasure, and transformed
Laura into a bitch in the process, had me stabbing at the food myself.  Of
course I felt dubious about Lee.  Laura seemed so utterly convinced of his
guilt, and I couldn’t be sure whether I thought it wasn’t him, or just wanted
to believe in that.  Could I really fall for a man so evil?  It just
wasn’t possible.  I assumed people possessed some sort of sixth sense for
things like this. 

While
precious seconds ticked away, concern simmered low in my gut as I watched Laura
tinker on the brink of insanity.  She straightened pictures that were
perfectly aligned, and wiped down the countertop, despite it being shiny enough
to show a reflection.  I continued to watch while she made a pot of tea
with water that hadn’t boiled.  Finally, my head about to burst, I couldn’t
hold my thoughts in any longer.  I spun her around to face me, took the
cloth from her hand and chucked it into the sink. 

My
words came out so fast, they practically hopped onto her lips.  “You’re
not okay.  You’re losing it because you want to know who’s doing this as
much as I do.”

“I’m
not losing it, Chelsea.  I’m fine.”

“So
why is your mobile phone in the fridge?  Explain that.”

She
stared hard at the fridge door, hesitated, then jerked it open so cautiously that
I half expected something to jump out and bash her over the head.  The
mobile sat on the top shelf, cooling under the strip light.  Her shoulders
rose before she turned to me. 

I
steeled myself for her meltdown.  “Laura?”

She
threw her head back, and to my astonishment she cracked up.  I would
likely have heard her hearty-laugh from the driveway.  Contagious and
unexpected, I was powerless to stop myself joining in.  It felt
unbelievably good, like huge bubbles of cheer rising up from my belly and popping
all over me. 

“So,
what’s your next trick?” I giggled.

Clutching
my stomach, I looked ahead and saw Laura bending over, hugging her belly,
too.  Her eyes shone sprightly and alive.  In this moment, she looked
freed of her troubles.

Then,
everything changed.  Laura’s laughter dampening down brought my own
laughter to a halt.  The hysterics were doomed from the start, and the
cracks in Laura’s breezy attitude were widening into fault lines. 

I
continued staring, until her posture wilted right in front of me.  Rushing
over, I caught her by the elbows.  It was akin to someone having released
the valve on an inflatable.  She just lost whatever had been keeping her
going, and slumped to the floor. 

“Why
would someone do this to me?” she cried.  “How can I enjoy my wedding
after this?”

“Oh,
Laura.”

I
hated to see my best friend in such a broken state, but her emotions needed to
surface.  I tucked locks of hair behind her ears and mopped her mascara
tears with a tissue.  Her hair tumbled back when she buried her face in
her hands. 

We
heard a car roll up outside.

Laura
pushed herself up off the floor.  “I don’t want anyone to see me like
this.”  She darted out of view, pounded upstairs and slammed a door
above.  It was obvious she had referred to Paul, although he wasn’t due
home until six. 

I
hurried to the bottom of the stairs, listening to flushing water from
above.  On hearing the front door rattle, I dashed up to the landing
before it opened, taking the stairs two at a time.  Having located Laura
in the main bathroom, I tapped on the door.

“I’m
home, sweetheart,” Paul announced from downstairs.  “They let me finish
early.  I’m officially work free, until after our honeymoon.”

“I
don’t want Paul to think there’s anything wrong,” Laura whispered, sliding the
bolt across to let me slink inside.  “He thinks the email thing’s all
over.”

I
perched on the edge of the bath.  “You’re overcompensating.  Anyway,
he’ll just think you’re nervous about getting married.” 

Laura
wiped her dirty tears with a damp flannel.  She forced herself to
smile.  She’d been good at those artificial smiles, had me fooled all
week.  She should have been an actress.

“Okay,”
Laura said, her chest rising and falling noticeably with each breath.  “I
feel better now I’ve let it out.  I’m sorry for the way I’ve been with you
lately.  I’ve been so snappy, but I just can’t help it.  My head’s
all over the place.  It feels like it’s gonna explode or something.”

I
rubbed my rain-soaked hair with a bath towel.  “I understand.  Really
I do.  I know the
old
Laura will return.  She has to, because
I’m an inch away from throttling the new one.”

A
little giggle slipped through her lips.  “What was I like?”

“You
were great.  More like a sister.  No.  A twin.”

After
checking she’d gained her composure, I dared to tell her my plans again while
removing the last stains of smudged makeup from her cheeks. 

My
voice came slow and composed.  “I’m going round to Lee’s.  Before you
say anything, listen, and try not to snap.”  I pressed a finger to her
lips.  “I just know it isn’t him.  I trusted you, so trust me on
this.”