The Soulmate(68)

But this wasn’t the movies. Most of the messages were years old and appeared technical – about servers and systems. There were a few from Arthur Spriggs which caught my eye, though the contents of these messages was disappointingly dull. More recently, I found emails from Baz and other members of the security detail.

To my relief, all the names in the inbox were male. I was about to pack it in when I noticed an email from someone by the name of Stef.

I clicked on it.

Consider it done.

An innocuous enough message, but I scrolled down anyway. It turned out Stef’s full name was Stefan, and he was the head of security at NewZ. Now I thought of it, I might have met Stef the day Arthur Spriggs’s men broke into our house – a stocky, intense little man, who Max insisted was very good at his job.

Evidently Stef was the type never to start a new email thread; he just replied to the message he’d received last, even if it was about an entirely different matter. Annoying trait, I imagined. As I scrolled down, I came across quotes for security systems, information about alarms, policies for security passes. Most of the messages originated from Stef, and Max’s replies were brief, along the lines of ‘sounds good’, ‘well done’, ‘great job’.

I was about close the computer when I came across a message from Max to Stef.

Hi Stef,

Need a quick chat about CCTV footage from my office last night.

Max

I scrolled up and saw that Stef had replied a few minutes later.

Sure. Call me anytime.

Then an hour and a half after that:

As per our discussion, please confirm that the attached is the section you would like deleted.

One minute later, a message from Max to Stef.

That’s it. Cheers.

I looked at the email. There was no attachment.

I sat back on my haunches. Why would Max want to delete footage from his office? Try as I might, I couldn’t think of a scenario that would explain it.

I glanced over my shoulder. Max could walk in any time; I didn’t have time to search the computer for it. Instead, I got out my keys and stuck the USB into the computer. Once the flash drive installed, I clicked ‘All Programs’ and then ‘Backup’. Once I was done, I replaced the computer exactly where it was on the floor, the spreadsheet maximised on the screen. If the footage was on this computer, I was going to find it.





73


PIPPA

NOW



I race towards The Drop with Gabe on my heels. The girls call and wave. The man turns to see us running towards him, then sprints away at a speed I wouldn’t have thought possible for someone so enormous. Gabe and I each seize a girl.

I clutch Freya so tightly she cries out. ‘Mummy! Stop that.’

In Gabe’s arms, Asha is also protesting. But we don’t release them until we are all back inside the house and the sliding door is closed and locked. I close the curtains too.

When I’m sure we’re safe, I drop to my knees. ‘What were you doing out there?’ I try not to shout but am only partly successful. I grip Freya’s little hand. ‘We’ve told you you’re not supposed to go near the cliff.’

The two of them look both defensive and guilty.

‘But we were with a grown-up!’ Asha says triumphantly, hopeful that this loophole will get them out of trouble. ‘We’re allowed to go there with a grown-up.’

‘No!’ I say. ‘No, Asha. You’re allowed to go out there with Mummy or Daddy, or Nana or Papa, or Kat or Mei. Not with any other grown-up. Definitely not with a stranger.’

She frowns crossly. ‘But he was super nice! He had jellybeans.’

‘And he had a picture of a snake on his neck,’ Freya adds. ‘His name was Ralph.’

Both girls are smiling. I am shaking.

‘The man’s name was Ralph?’ I ask, thinking this might be useful to tell the police. But, then, we can’t tell the police about this, can we?

‘No, silly,’ Asha says, laughing. ‘The snake’s name was Ralph.’

Freya slides her hand from my grip. Asha tries to do the same with Gabe, but he holds her tight. ‘What did he say to you? You need to tell us everything, do you understand?’

‘He was very big man,’ Asha says, after a moment’s thought. ‘Even bigger than you, Daddy.’

‘I thought he was a giant,’ Freya adds.

‘Me too!’ Asha says.

They don’t seem the least bit intimidated. It’s as if they’ve had a visit from Mickey Mouse. I can’t decide if I should be relieved or if this makes it more chilling. I notice, suddenly, that Asha is holding a small piece of lined paper, the type that you tear out of a notebook. ‘What’s that, Asha?’

I reach for it, but Asha yanks it back.

‘The giant man gave it to me. But he said I had to give it to Daddy.’ She hands it to Gabe. ‘He said he might come back and visit again, to make sure you got the message.’

Gabe looks at the note for a second, then closes his eyes. I snatch it out of his hands and read it.

Last chance to play nice.





74


AMANDA

AFTER



Max is standing at the window, looking out over the vast, blue ocean. It’s obvious to me he’s thinking about Baz, and the note he’s instructed him to give the little girls. Max may have been a hard-nosed businessman in a lot of ways, but he wasn’t cut out for the criminal life. He never wanted anyone to get hurt – not even Arthur Spriggs. He certainly didn’t want anything to happen to Pippa, or her little girls.