WILL TIME WAIT: Boxed set of 3 bestselling 'ticking clock' thrillers (25 page)

“If
I don’t, Lee will, or it’ll all come out during the wedding.  I can’t have
you humiliated in that way.”  I put my finger to her chin and tilted
upwards.  “Maybe I can convince Lee to tell the police that it’s only
Daryl who was blackmailed.  Try to keep you out of it.  But this
person needs to be stopped or it’ll just go on and on.”

“I
don’t want Lee in my house ever again.  Do you hear me?”  She put her
hand on her hip, and shook her head to rid of my touch.  “And if you phone
the police, Chelsea, then you can leave.”

“Laura!”

“I’m
sorry, but that’s how I feel.”

“Lee’s
not to blame for all this.”  I deepened my voice.  “And nor am
I.  I’m trying to do the right thing by both of you.  It’s not easy
being piggy in the middle.”

My
patience and tolerance with Laura was being tested to meltdown levels. 
Despite feeling like I owed her, if she’d been anyone other than my lifelong
best friend who’d shared rough and fun times with me, been a massive part of my
life since as far back as I could remember, I’d have stormed out and never
returned.  I’d barely seen any sign of her bubbly personality all week,
but hoped it was still inside her somewhere.

Laura
clutched her stomach tight, as if the problem was a pain inside her. 
“You’re more than a friend, Chelsea.  We’re like sisters.  If you’re
on my side, then send Lee off to do something that gets him out of the
way.  I’d do it for you.  Now, I have to get to town to organise this
cash before the other girls arrive.  At least then I’ve got options.”

“Fine,”
I snapped.  I took hold of Laura’s hand and felt something cold in her
palm.  “What’s the key for?”

“My
mother’s dressing table.  Will you make sure Paul doesn’t go upstairs
while I get the jewellery out of it?  I’ll check on Claire to make sure
she won’t barge in my room either.”

I
agreed, although I wasn’t impressed. 

We
split up in the hall.  Laura mounted the stairs while I sat guard on the
bottom step. 

Five
minutes later, she came downstairs with a white handbag dangling from her shoulder,
followed by Claire. 

Laura
persuaded Claire to water the kitchen plants.  With Paul in the lounge and
Claire occupied, Laura pulled me through the dining room and into the
conservatory. 

I
tugged the bag off her shoulder and fished inside.  It contained a black
opal necklace, gold bracelets and two rings.  “Jesus, Laura!”  I
gasped, lifting an impressive diamond cluster ring out of the bag.  I
slipped it on my middle finger and watched it sparkle in the sunlight.  A
sickening rush pulsed through me.  It felt wrong to sell her deceased
mother’s jewellery for such a purpose.  “Are you mad?  You can’t sell
these.” 

“I
can, and I will,” she said, her words sizzling through clenched teeth.

She
pulled the ring off my finger and zipped the bag shut.

I stepped
over to the window and rested my hands on the sill.  I pressed my nose
against the cold glass and stared outside.  Laura’s artfully sculpted
garden burst with Japanese plants and ornamental emerald grasses. 
Colourful flowers like a cluster of gemstones protruded from tall silver
pots.  They lined the end of the decking where it gave way to a healthy
green lawn. 

“Let’s
think about this,” I said, my breath misting the window.  “Try to get
texts flowing.  Talk about where you’ll do the exchange.  Negotiate
the price or something.”

“Won’t
that get Mark mad and cause him to tell Paul?”

“As
long as you make him think you’re about to pay up, he’d be silly to blow his
chances of getting the cash.  So provoke him.  Hopefully he’ll lose
patience, slip up, and give us proof of his identity before you get to the
paying stage.”

“Okay. 
If you think it’s worth a go.”

I
turned my back on the garden to face Laura.  “And you need to make damn
sure Mark knows you’re not interested in a romance with him.  Not now, not
ever.”

Laura
nodded.  “I did drop hints last night.”

“Stuff
the hints.  Tell him straight.  If it is Mark, maybe he’ll think
twice about exposing the affair if he’s got nothing to gain.”

“Except
for money,” she reminded me.

Laura
sent a message to the blackmailer’s hot phone to start communication
flowing.  She then sneaked out to drain her bank accounts and turn her
mother’s jewellery into hard cash.  This left me staring at the garden
feeling useless. 

I
loved Laura.  To see her so stressed, panicked and upset all the time
sliced through my heart.  This whole mess started through grieving over
the death of her parents.  A tragic accident that left me riddled with
guilt.  One tragedy had led to another.  When would it end?  And
was helping her to hide her secret doing more harm than good?

I
was about to pluck my mobile from my pocket to phone Lee, when Claire opened
the dining room door.  “Chelsea?  Oh!  You’re in here.” 
She smiled at me through the glass conservatory doors.  “Megan’s outside.”

“Coming,”
I sang out, rubbed my moist eyes and left the conservatory.

After
greeting Megan, who entered with a beautifully wrapped wedding gift in hand, I
gathered the girls in the kitchen.  Mark entered the house.  Tugging
beige gloves off his hands by the fingertips, he headed straight to the lounge
to join Paul.  Either he hadn’t seen me through the open kitchen door, or
he’d deliberately ignored me.

Bold
and smug,
I thought. 
How dare he strut in here when he’s blackmailing
Laura. 
He actually seemed to be happy, smiling.
  The arrogant
swine!

It
took my all just to focus on hiding the situation from our friends, let alone
interact with them.  My mind felt like a racetrack with too many cars on
the oval. 
Has Lee discovered anything?  How will Laura cope with
being ditched at the altar?
 
What will Mark’s next move be?
 
Just as my brain was about to explode, I heard a double bleep come from the
lounge.  No one stormed out of the room or yelled, so I assumed there was
no more bad news.  It was nice not to break out in a sweat for a
change. 

Megan
put her arm around me.  “You okay, Chelsea?  You don’t seem with it.”

“Totally
fine.”  I tried to return her smile, but I doubted it even resembled one.

“You
don’t look fine.  And where’s Laura?  Why isn’t she here?”

“She’s
gone out,” Claire said, thumbing through CD’s on the bench.  “Hardly spoke
two words to me since I arrived.”

“Is
she getting cold feet about the wedding?” Megan said.  “I bet that’s
what’s wrong.”

I
bit my lip.

The
excitement of juicy gossip showed in Megan’s beaming smile.  “I knew
it!  Paul’s great, but I always thought she’d end up with—”

“No. 
Quite the opposite,” I butted in, then stopped mid-sentence realising I needed
a plausible answer.  An idea sparked.  Adopting Megan’s explanation
was too easy, but perfect.  “Yes, you’re right.  Spot on.  She’s
feeling nervous.  Totally losing the plot.”  Hopefully that would
explain Laura’s aloof behaviour, which I assumed would only grow worse as the
day wore on.

“Don’t
you worry.”  Megan winked.  “I’ll take Laura’s mind off it. 
Let’s get this party swinging before she gets back.” 

Claire
flicked the stereo on in the kitchen and the girls began dancing.  High
heels clicked on tiles.  They banged their hips together to the drumbeat
and waved their hands in the air: the party mood upon them earlier than I’d
expected.  Any other time I’d have joined in, but today, I didn’t have it
in me. 

A
short while later, Laura strolled into the kitchen.  The girls grabbed her
by the elbows and forced her to dance. 

Megan
twirled Laura under her arm.  “Are you looking forward to tomorrow?” she
asked, despite what I’d just told her. 

The
white bag dangled and swayed innocently by Laura’s leg the whole time. 
Her dirty secret lay hidden behind a thin layer of leather… for now.  At
least I hoped it did.  I prayed to God she hadn’t done something reckless
like deliver the cash without telling me. 

My
mobile rang and Lee’s name flashed across the screen. 

“Hey!”
I said, rushing into the dining room for privacy.  “You don’t know how
much I need to hear your voice.”

“Me,
too.  Is Laura with you?”

“In
the kitchen.  Why?” 

“Will
you get her?”

I
hesitated.  “Sure.”  I stepped into the hall and beckoned
Laura. 

She
left the girls to dance alone and joined me in the dining room. 

“What
now?” I asked Lee.

“Does
she have any idea of when that photo was taken?”

I
looked at Laura.  Oh, shit!  She hadn’t even seen the photo and we’d
had so little time alone I’d forgotten to ask her about it.  I felt a
sting of fury with myself and slapped my forehead.  “Don’t get mad, Laura,
but Lee’s on the phone.”

As
expected, Laura shot me a steely glare.  “Go to hell.”  She turned
her back and strutted to the door.

I
gripped her arm and pulled.  “He’s trying to help.”

“Yeah. 
Help himself, not me,” she muttered.

“Shut
it, Laura,” I yelled, spinning her around.  “I’m sick to the back teeth of
your attitude!  Get your head out of your ass and realise when someone’s
trying to do a good thing.  Now stand here and answer him, or I swear to
God I’ll...”

Laura’s
eyes widened.  She looked genuinely scared of me.

“Now,
listen,” I said softer.  “That photo.  It showed you and Daryl
standing outside his house.  It must have been raining earlier.  You
had an umbrella and wore that grey jacket with studs.  Do you have any
idea when the photo was taken?”

“Outside
Daryl’s house?”  Her gaze rolled up to the ceiling. 

I
waited and tapped my foot.  Lee stayed silent on the line. 

“Grey
jacket?  Yes.”  She smiled, looking as amazed as I felt.  “I
didn’t go to his house very often.  We liked hotels.”

That
figures
. 
“So,” I prompted her.

“Daryl
had been to the dentist.  If Lee can find out when that was, or did he go
to the doctor?  It was one of the two.  A couple of months ago, if
that.”

I
raised the phone to my mouth.  “Did you hear that, Lee?”

“I
heard.  Thanks, Chelsea.  That gives me something to go on. 
I’ll check his calendar.” 

Laura
left the room and slammed the door.

The
phone signal began to crackle and break up. 

“Lee? 
Can you still hear me?”

“Just
about.  There are some surveillance cameras above the shops opposite
Daryl’s house.  I just need to find out which day...  Are you still
there?”

“Yes.”

“Which
day that photo was taken, and hopefully look through the footage.  It
might be a dead end, or the recordings might no longer exist.”

“Or
it could be a lucky break.”

“Get
directions from Laura and meet me at Daryl’s, will you?  You might spot
someone who I don’t recognise.  Oh, and Chelsea—”

“Yeah?”

“That
stakeout paid off.  I’ve got something outrageous to level the playing—”

The
line crackled then went dead.

I
recognised the
white front door of Daryl’s house from the photo, and knocked on it. 

Lee
pulled the door open.  “Hey, gorgeous.” 

As
soon as I laid eyes on him, my stomach fluttered. 

He
smiled, took my hand and led me through to the kitchen.  “You look shorter
today.”

“I’m
wearing flats.”

The
house had a stillness to it, smelled a touch stale.  After kissing me, Lee
passed me Daryl’s bank statement.  Now hugging me from behind, he swept my
hair to one side and rested his chin on my shoulder.  “This is the missing
money I can’t account for.”

I
scanned down the list of transactions.  A withdrawal of ten thousand
pounds last month caught my attention.  “So, Daryl was being blackmailed
over having an affair with Laura.”

Lee
nodded, his cheek brushing my earlobe.  “If word got out he’d had sex with
a patient, I guess he’d have either lost his license to practise, or been
suspended and fined.”

“So
this withdrawal could be for a fine?”

“Or
to pay someone to keep their mouth shut.”

I
twirled a lock of hair, and hummed.

Lee
let go of me, unhooked the wall calendar from above the microwave and set it
down on the table.  We thumbed through the last few months of notes and
appointments.

He
tapped his finger on the calendar by some scrawny, circled writing.  “Got
it.  He had a dental appointment on March 10
^th,
at
2:15pm.  Now let’s get to those shops.”

Across
the street and to the right I saw a newsagent, bakery, and a hairdressing salon
shaded by a silver canopy.  I realised in this moment, that this was the
very salon in the photo I’d seen by chance on Daryl’s mobile.  We stepped
to the roadside and, holding hands, stopped to let a stream of cars drive
by.  The local newspapers, in a rack on the pavement across the street,
flapped around in the wind.  Two teenagers in hoodies rode their bicycles
along the path.  I looked up at the brickwork above the shop fronts,
searching for CCTV cameras.  I spotted three.  “Up there.”

Lee
squeezed my hand then pointed to the side of the shops.  “And I guess
whoever took the photo was parked down that little side street.”

We
waited for a break in traffic then dashed across. 

“Why
didn’t Laura spot their car?” I asked, mounting the kerb.

“Too
busy playing tonsil hockey with my brother.  I’ll start at the newsagent,
you try the hairdresser.”  He kissed the back of my hand then walked away.

I
took a deep breath, then pushed the salon door open.

A
bell chimed on entering.  My reflection greeted me from a huge mirror
behind the reception desk.  The same mirror in which I’d spotted Laura in
the photo on Daryl’s mobile phone.

The
hairdresser smiled, looking up from a client whose hair was reaching for the
ceiling in squares of silver foil.  “Can I help?”

“Sorry
to bother you,” I said.  “I noticed you have a surveillance camera
outside.  Does it work?”

“Yes
it does.  Why?  Has something happened?”

“Nothing
to worry about.  It’s a private matter.  Do you think you still have
footage of March 10
^th
?”

The
hairdresser frowned.  “I’d have to check.  But as you can see I’m
very busy today.  Besides, I can’t just hand my discs to a stranger. 
Sorry.”  She turned away, checked the hair foils then offered hot drinks
and magazines around.

I
get it
. 
She’s only attentive to clients.  I wished I had the reporter props I’d
used on Laura’s hen night.  She might not have ignored me then.  “I’d
like to book an appointment.  A cut and dry.”

The
hairdresser’s eyebrows shot up when she glanced at me.

I
pulled my hair in front of my face and examined it.  “Or maybe
highlights.”

She
stepped behind the reception desk and opened a large diary.  “Next
Thursday suit you?  Four-thirty?”

“Great.” 

She
pushed an index card my way.  “Fill this in.”

I
scribbled my contact details then glanced up.  “So... about that
footage.  March 10
^th
.”

She
heaved a sigh.

I
produced my driver’s licence from my purse and pushed it across the desk. 
“Look.  That’s me, Chelsea Denham, and here’s proof of my address.”

She
checked my details against the customer card I’d filled in.

I
pointed out the window as the door bell chimed behind me.  “I’m at a
friend’s house across the street.  Number twenty-six.  We think
someone’s been spying on the house.  You can watch me walk over there if
you want to make sure.  I swear I’m not lying.  I just need to view
the footage from March 10
^th,
if you still have it.  I’ll give
you the disc straight back.”

“Not
late, am I?” a chirpy female said from behind me.

I
glanced over my shoulder.

“Oh,
hi, Chelsea.”  It was Mrs Sanders, a dental nurse from the same place
where I worked.  “Having your hair done, too?”

“Making
an appointment.  I didn’t know you lived round here.” 

“Enjoying
your week off?”

I
hesitated.  “Erm... yes, absolutely.”  I faced the hairdresser again
and stared smugly, pleased my identity had been confirmed.

She
regarded Mrs Sanders, and the other customers who were staring at us, then gave
a humourless laugh.  “Wait here.”  She slipped into a back room and
reappeared with a disc in hand. 

Hallelujah! 

She
waved it at me.  “If it’s not been wiped, it’ll be on here.”  She
paused before handing it over.  “I want it back.”

“Of
course.  Thank you so much.”  I smiled, popped it in my bag and
exited while saying to Mrs Sanders, “See you next week at work.”

Lee
joined me on the street with a few DVDs in hand.  “No luck at the
bakery.  These are from the newsagents.  He keeps the footage for a
while, figuring burglars might case the joint beforehand.  How did you
go?”

I
patted my bag.  “I’ve got the disc.  It took a hair appointment to
persuade her.”

Lee
dangled a string of scratch cards in front of me.  “Plus, I told a few
lies.  But it’s for a good cause.”

I
laughed.

We
crossed the street holding hands, then entered Daryl’s house again.  Lee
dropped his discs in front of the flat screen, then slotted mine into the
player.  He sat on the sofa.  I lowered myself onto the beige
carpet.  Sitting between his legs gave me the best view possible.  It
made the screen appear even bigger, like being in a small cinema, although,
this was one movie marathon in which popcorn was not appropriate. 

“Before
we trawl through these discs,” Lee said.  “There’s something I need to
show you.”  He passed his mobile phone over my shoulder.  “Laura
needs a hold over Mark in case it’s him blackmailing her, right?”

“Yeeesss,”
I said, dubious.  I took the mobile and looked at the shocking image on
its screen.  I leaned back between his legs, and flicked through several
more photos in disbelief.  “What the f...”

All
the images showed Mark standing under his front porch.  At first glance it
looked like he was holding a pale-skinned person by the naked waist. 
Naked?
 
I jerked forward, focused harder.  He was clearly holding some
odd-looking, nude female. 

Actually,
I was right.  It was female... of sorts. 

My
mouth fell open.  I recognised it to be a life-size, blow-up doll.

I
turned my head and looked at Lee, who was chewing on a matchstick.  “Is
this for real?”

He
pulled the stick out of his mouth, nodded, rested his chin on my shoulder and
kissed my neck. 

I
stared back at the photos, stunned.  “How in the world did you get your
hands on these?  Why is he holding a doll at his front door?” 

“Put
it this way, if you found something like that strapped to your house, wouldn’t
you want to move it before the neighbours saw?”

“You
set Mark up?”  I swivelled around to face him and patted his knee. 

“Kind
of ironic, a twist on the photo he took of Daryl and Laura.  I obviously
couldn’t get him to do their exact pose, but this turned out to be even
better.”

“It’s
brilliant.  You’re a genius.  He’s only half dressed which makes it
look even worse.  One hand over her boob in this shot!”

“Not
bad, eh?  I had fun watching.”

“But
not as much fun as Mark had, once he got her inside.”  I chuckled. 
“Did he spot you taking the photos?”

“Mark
looked desperate as hell to get the doll in the house and out of sight from the
neighbours.  I doubt he’d have even noticed a
real
naked woman in
the street, let alone see me behind a tree trunk.”

“This
is great,” I said with excitement.  “Let’s hope we catch him on these
discs.  If it is Mark who’s blackmailing Laura, I’m pretty sure
threatening to plaster these photos across town will make him back off. 
It’d work for me.”

Lee
smirked.  “Unless he wants to be the butt of jokes for a long, long
time.  Actually, I’m hoping these photos will spark a reaction, get him to
retaliate and reveal himself.”

“Mark’s
not the sort to see the funny side in something like this.  His reputation
is precious to him.  He’d crawl under a rock or move out of town rather
than get sneered at.  So yes, I expect he’ll react.  Where did you
get the doll?”  I paused, then held a finger in the air.  “No,
wait.  I don’t want you to answer that.”

He
laughed.  “I won’t then.”

I
pushed myself up and gave him a kiss.  It was the least he deserved. 
“So this was your stakeout?”

Lee
circled my lips with his finger.  “Yes.  I had to have a damn good reason
for leaving you alone in that cosy bed this morning.”

After
bluetoothing the most embarrassing of the photos to my phone, I settled back on
the carpet.

Lee
pointed the remote at the player.  “Let’s see if we can spot him on a disc
and end this thing.”

After
a fuzzy start and sections of random dates, an image flashed onto the
screen.  I spotted the date stamped in the upper corner, March 10
^th
,
and tapped Lee’s leg.  “This is it.  But I can’t see Daryl’s house.”

“No,
the camera’s pointing to the left.  Try to look for cars you recognise and
focus on the driver and plates.  The photo was taken from inside a car,
remember?”

I
nodded.

Lee
fast-forwarded the disc.  We knew the photos were taken sometime after
Daryl’s dental appointment in the afternoon. 

A
few grainy waves distorted the image.  No audio.  The camera shot one
static angle.  We sat watching, the silence broken only by cars rolling
down the street outside, providing the missing soundtrack.  Lee fiddled
with my hair and rubbed my shoulders to stem the boredom.  He dotted
ticklish kisses and softly nibbled the back of my neck every so often, which
played havoc with my concentration. 

“Later,”
I said playfully, pushing his face away.  “We might miss something
important.”

Thirty
fruitless minutes later, I began losing hope and my bottom was past numb. 
I jumped up, sat next to Lee on the sofa, draped my legs over his thighs and
began stroking his arm.  “I hope this isn’t going to turn out to be a
waste of time.”  I sighed, wishing that snuggling up in a cinema was
actually where we were.

“We
won’t know until we watch them.”

Lee’s
determination grew at the point that mine wavered.  He repeatedly stopped
and started the footage, pausing on cars to focus on the driver and asking me
to check the number plates.  Those that I could make out, I didn’t
recognise. 

I
wanted to watch the footage, but I hoped that Daryl didn’t star in it,
concerned about Lee’s reaction to viewing his dead brother large as life on the
big screen.

A
hiccup in the footage gave way to a previous recording again.  Lee skipped
the disc ahead, stopping when March 10
^th
came back.  I shuffled
around to get more comfortable, then, suddenly, lurched forward in my
seat.  “Freeze it!”  I pointed to the screen.  “There!  On
the left.”

Lee
jabbed the pause button. 

Squinting
through the mottled freeze-frame, I studied the corner bonnet and bumper of a
black car.  “That could be Laura’s BMW.  Press play again.”

The
footage rolled on.  If it was Laura’s car, she’d parked a few houses away
from Daryl’s, but then, I guessed it looked less suspicious if anyone spotted
her in the area. 

My
pulse came to life, wild and throbbing in anticipation.  I squeezed Lee’s
thigh.  A few seconds later, Laura walked into view on the screen. 
“That’s her.”  I jerked.