Silent Victim(16)

A muffled cheer erupted from the football game on the television as my father’s favourite team scored a goal. Dad thought Mr Priestwood had been a positive influence. If only he knew. I closed my eyes, allowing my teacher’s image to seize my thoughts. A soft sigh escaped my lips. He was only seven or eight years older than me. It was no biggy. People fell in love every single day. It wasn’t as if he was going to pounce on me, make me do anything I didn’t want to. I slid my phone from under my pillow, the one he had given me in class. Giddy with nervous excitement, I began to type a text.

Thanks for lessons today, really enjoyed them. See you soon.

My finger hovered over the ‘X’ as I deliberated whether or not to send a kiss. A mischievous smile crept on to my face. He was my teacher. Would I dare? Then I thought how his eyes had sought out mine, and how his hand had rested on my back. Biting my bottom lip, I added ‘X’ to the text and pressed Send. I pushed my face into my pillow, squealing a giggle of disbelief. I had done it. I had texted my teacher, and even added a cheeky kiss! Another giggle erupted in my chest, silenced by my pillow as it found escape. I stared at the phone as I awaited a reply, feeling out of my depth. As fun as it was to flirt, I knew that when it came to Mr Priestwood, I wasn’t really ready for anything more.





CHAPTER SIXTEEN

ALEX





2017


‘You’re frightening me,’ I said, feeling a rising sense of dread. With shaky legs, Emma joined me in the living room, her eyes darting from left to right. I had confronted her about her bulimia in the past, but I had never seen her as tightly wound as this. ‘I’m not angry with you, sweetheart, just worried. We can sort this out.’

‘You wouldn’t say that if you knew.’ Her words were jittery as she spoke. I laid my hands on her shoulders, stiffening as she flinched. I should have been paying closer attention. I frowned as I accepted my portion of the blame. ‘Is it because we’re selling the house? Because, well’ – I sighed, trying to form the right words – ‘we don’t have to if it’s upsetting you. How about we come to a compromise? We could get a bigger mortgage, hang on to this place too.’

‘I don’t want to keep the house,’ she said, tear-stained and weary. ‘I want to get as far away from here as possible.’

Her eyes left mine, and my head ached from trying to decipher her thoughts. ‘Here, you’re freezing.’ Pulling a throw from our leather sofa, I wrapped it around her. I eyed my vaporiser on the coffee table. My nicotine habit was proving difficult to kick, now more than ever. Emma curled up beside me on the sofa, but she was still unable to meet my eyes. The house creaked around us from the force of the wind. The place felt cursed, and I could not wait to leave it. I wanted to challenge Emma about her eating disorder but at the same time I did not want to make her any more upset than she already was. ‘What were you shouting about in the toilet? Have you had a scare? Is it your health? I know you’re keeping something from me.’

‘It’s not my health. It’s something I’ve done.’ Taking a deep breath, her eyes met mine. ‘If I tell you, our family can’t go back to what it was before. In fact, it’s better if you don’t know. We can carry on with what we’re doing, sell the house, and start a new life. I’ll pull myself together in time.’

My heart pounded with ferocity. I was the head of the household. There was no question of turning my back on my family. ‘Just tell me. I want to know.’

‘Please.’ Her eyes were soft and imploring. ‘You don’t need the burden of it.’

I took her hands in mine. They felt cold and unyielding, her fingers clenched as if she were holding her secret tightly in the palms of her hands. Slowly I opened her fingers, lacing them between mine. ‘We took vows on our wedding day, remember? For better or for worse. Whatever it is, it can’t be that bad.’ I gave a soft chuckle of reassurance. ‘No one died.’

Her eyes widened as she drew back her hands.

Her horrified expression made my mouth drop open of its own accord. ‘Fucking hell, Emma, will you just tell me what it is?’

Composing herself, she glanced around the room. With Jamie fast asleep in his bedroom, there was only us there.

‘All right, calm down. I’ll tell you, but I can only do it once. I’ll answer your questions at the end, so no interruptions either. Can you do that?’

I nodded dumbly.

‘The thing is,’ she went on, ‘someone did die, and I’m the one responsible.’

I could barely take it in. Emma was no murderer . . . was she?





CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

ALEX





2017


‘I was fifteen when it started,’ Emma said, her eyes downcast as she revealed the truth. ‘Mum had been gone two years and Dad had completely withdrawn into himself. Theresa . . . you know Dad used to call her Tizzy, because she was all over the place. She’d start a job and then a week later she’d quit. She’d go sofa surfing and we wouldn’t see her for days. But after Mum left, everything changed. Dad gave her the deposit for a flat in Colchester. She got a job in the estate agent’s and held it down. It was good for her, standing on her own two feet. But that’s not how I saw it at the time. I really looked up to my big sister, I used to follow her everywhere she went. When she cut off all ties . . . I felt abandoned by everyone, adrift and unloved.’