The Silent Ones: An absolutely gripping psychological thriller(69)

I do feel it, feel the madness. Like I’m teetering on the edge of a sheer cliff.

But instead of feeling fear, there’s a huge part of me right now that wants to just jump and make it all go away.

I open my mouth and everything comes pouring out. Not just my fears about Maddy, but about my husband, too.



* * *



‘And this all happened just now?’ Dana says gently once I’ve finished. ‘In the car park?’

I nod, blowing my nose. ‘They’re probably already inside the building, ignoring each other again, pretending they have no connection at all.’

That’s the rub. My husband and sister have never been the best of friends, communicating mostly via me or because of me. But the last few weeks I’ve had the distinct feeling they’ve almost been avoiding each other. Like in the family room when Chloe didn’t even look up when Tom came in.

Yet it seems they’ve been seeing each other, or else why would they be in our car together?

Tom has always seemed to give Chloe distance, nothing much to say to her. But he had an awful lot to say just now in the car. The emotion looked very heated. Too heated to be a simple disagreement. It had a history behind it, if that makes sense.

Chloe’s lack of focus and interest in the business is suddenly making more sense. She’s had her head turned in other ways.

‘Juliet. Have you considered facing up to this?’ I hear Dana say. ‘Tom and Chloe are both here. Why not speak your mind, for once? Instead of dismissing your feelings, air them. Feel the difference it makes to accept that you’re angry and upset instead of trying to pretend everything is all right.’

Something about what she has just said prompts the most awful, terrifying thought to cross my mind. What if… No. I can’t even articulate it. But the idea lingers in my mind like poisonous gas.

What if Tom and Chloe have conspired to ruin me? Between them they know everything there is to know; enough to ruin the business and send me crashing. So they can be together.

As soon as I give the idea air, I can’t stop the rush.

‘I don’t know how long this has been going on.’ I look at Dana. ‘I haven’t a clue how long they’ve been having an affair. It could be weeks, months, even years. I’ve been so absorbed in the business, it would have been the easiest thing in the world for Tom to have an affair. Maybe he’s had several; I wouldn’t know.’

I couldn’t bring myself to spare time to check on my husband and my daughter when there were InsideOut4Kids adverts to place, stock to unpack, emails to answer.

I’ve probably been happier the last couple of years than I’ve been in my life, building the all-consuming business that means I haven’t the time or inclination to think about anything uncomfortable.

I haven’t read Maddy or Josh a bedtime story for months; Tom and I haven’t had a dress-up date night for the best part of a year. I’ve avoided so many people on a social basis: the mums at school, my sister, my parents. It’s just been so easy to immerse myself in work as if it’s the only thing that really matters.

Dana is still watching me as the cogs in my head race around, waiting patiently for me to continue.

‘What if Tom and Chloe have tried to ruin the business to send me over the edge?’ I say. ‘I haven’t noticed how stressed I am, but Tom has. He knows the business is everything to me.’

‘Why would he want to send you over the edge?’ Dana reflects my own words back at me, and I hear how melodramatic they sound.

‘So they can be together! Chloe is the only person other than me and Beth who knows the password to the business email account. I can’t believe it’s never occurred to me before.’ I laugh bitterly at my own na?vety. ‘Letting the insurance policy lapse, failing to run a regular back-up of our computerised systems. It all makes perfect sense if you want to ruin someone, doesn’t it?’

I sit back and wait for Dana’s response, daring her to deny the evidence. I find it irritating how she always seems to reach for a more palatable explanation, even when the facts are so glaringly obvious.

The realisation that everything I’ve just said fits together feels as satisfying as it does devastating. I’ve finally worked it out.

‘Now that you’ve come to this conclusion, what are you going to do about it?’ she asks.

The fury drains from me and is replaced with an empty feeling, a buzzing in my head.

There’s a tap at the door and we both glance up as it opens.

‘There you are, Jules! We’ve been looking everywhere for you,’ Tom says.

Chloe stands behind him, tapping away on her phone.

Dana gets up and walks over to the door.

‘I’ll give you all a few minutes’ privacy,’ she says, and looks at me meaningfully.

I take a breath, sit a little straighter and fix my gaze on my husband. He’s pale and handsome, and I’ve only just noticed that he’s lost weight in his face.

‘I need to speak to you both,’ I say. ‘Right now.’





Fifty-Three





The juvenile centre





Dana Sewell glanced at Chloe as she passed, but she didn’t say a word.

Chloe would dearly have liked to wipe the smug, self-satisfied look from the interfering woman’s sly, freckle-filled face. Dana seemed to think she knew what was best for everyone here, particularly Juliet, who she’d clearly taken a shine to.