The Breakdown(100)

‘Yes, we have a confession.’





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Confusion clouds my mind. ‘I’m sorry, but I don’t

understand.’

‘You led us there,’ she says. ‘We’re very grateful.’

I led them there? In a daze, I walk over to the table and sink onto a chair. ‘Can you just give me a moment?’ I say weakly. Suddenly, I’m terrified of what I’ve done. How could embroidering the truth a little have such devastating consequences? Basically, I’ve framed Matthew for something he didn’t do.

‘I’ll make the tea,’ she offers.

I watch as she pops a tea bag into the mugs that I abandoned, knowing that I’m going to have to tell her that I implicated Matthew in Jane’s murder in retaliation for what he did to me. I’m going to have to retract everything I said and my stomach churns at the thought of being charged with perverting the course of justice.

Yet what is there to retract, because I didn’t actually tell any lies. I didn’t see Matthew when I got home that night so it’s possible that he wasn’t in his room.

But out murdering Jane? PC Lawson said that she had a confession but why would Matthew confess to Jane’s murder? He didn’t even know her.

‘No,’ I say, finding my voice. ‘It’s not possible. You see, I dropped a mobile off at the station earlier this afternoon. I found it in my car this morning when I was on my way to see my solicitor and when I opened it I realised that it was a phone Rachel was using to communicate with Matthew. If you read the text messages between them—’

The Breakdown





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‘I have,’ PC Lawson interrupts. ‘Every single one of


them.’

I look at her in bewilderment. ‘But if you’ve read them, you’ll know that Matthew didn’t even know Jane so why would he have killed her?’

PC Lawson frowns. ‘Matthew? No, it’s not Matthew

who killed Jane.’

My mind spins. ‘Not Matthew? Then who?’

‘Miss Baretto. She’s admitted everything.’

The breath goes out of me and the room swims before my eyes. I feel the blood draining from my face, then PC Lawson’s hands on the back of my head as she pushes it gently to the table.

‘You’ll be all right,’ she says, her voice calm. ‘Take a couple of deep breaths and you’ll be all right.’

Shock shudders in and out of me. ‘Rachel,’ I say

hoarsely. ‘Rachel killed Jane?’

‘Yes.’

Panic surges through me. Despite everything I know she’s capable of I don’t believe this. I know I’d told the police things to implicate her, like with Matthew, but I had only wanted her to be frightened.

‘No, not Rachel, she can’t have. She wouldn’t have, she’s not like that, she wouldn’t kill someone! You’ve got it wrong, you must have…’ Despite my hatred for Rachel, for what she’s done to me, I feel so scared for her that I can’t go on.

‘I’m afraid she’s confessed,’ PC Lawson says, pushing a mug towards me. Obediently, I take a sip of hot, sweet





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tea, my hands shaking so much that some of it slops over the side and scalds me. ‘When we questioned her about it last night, she just caved in. It was incredible – for some reason she thought we were on to her. You were right when you said the row between them wasn’t over a parking space. Of course, we’ll have her and Jane’s DNA all over the knife…’

I feel as if I’m caught up in a nightmare. ‘What – the knife I found in the shed – it’s actually the murder weapon?’

‘She cleaned it up, of course, but blood residue has been found in grooves in the handle. We’ve sent it to Forensics but we’re certain it’s Jane’s.’

‘But…’ It’s a struggle to keep up. ‘She said she bought it in London.’

‘She probably did, but before the murder, not after.

She couldn’t very well tell Matthew that she already had a knife so she pretended she’d bought it to frighten you with. Leaving it in your shed afterwards was a way of hiding it.’

‘I don’t understand.’ My teeth are chattering with shock so I circle the mug with my hands, craving some warmth. ‘I mean, why? Why would she do such a thing?

She didn’t really know Jane.’

‘She knew her better than you think.’ PC Lawson sits down next to me. ‘Did Rachel ever tell you about her private life, introduce you to her partners?’

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‘No, not really. I met one or two over the years but


she never seemed to stay with any of them for very long.

She always said she wasn’t the marrying kind.’

‘It’s been a bit of a marathon trying to piece everything together. Some things we knew from when we interviewed Jane’s colleagues at Finchlakers and, once she confessed to murdering Jane, we were able to get the rest from Rachel. It’s a bit of a sordid story, I’m afraid.’