The Visitors(89)

She jumps away from me and starts stuffing money in the bag again.

‘It’s a lie. Not true. Not true.’

‘Holly. Markus told me they’re all dead… Brendan, Geraldine and Evan. You’re the one who’s inadvertently been living a lie all this time.’

There’s no reaction; it’s as if I haven’t spoken. Her eyes aren’t flashing any more, they’re empty. Dead.

‘I’ll get away with this just like I got away with killing Brendan.’ She’s so self-assured, I could almost believe her.

‘You don’t get away with everything, Holly. I saw you break that vase at work; I was watching from the top of the stairs when you snapped the flowers off.’

Shock flits over her face, but just as quickly it is gone.

‘I’m sorry it had to be you, David,’ she continues. ‘You were a gift to me, the final piece of the jigsaw. I don’t believe what you’re saying about Geraldine and Evan. Markus lied to me all those years ago and he’s lying again now.’

She looks to the window, craning her head in anticipation of the police arriving.

‘But that’s not the final piece of the jigsaw, Holly,’ I say carefully. ‘I’m afraid the puzzle isn’t that simple.’

‘I’ve got about twenty-five grand here and as soon as they arrest you, I’m out of here. I’m going to find Evan.’ Hope flickers in her eyes. ‘You should have carried on taking your medication, David. You made it too easy for me. Now your own mother will have to give evidence about how worried she was about your strange behaviour.’

‘That’s just it, though, Holly,’ I say softly. ‘Mrs Barrett… she didn’t want to make things too easy for you.’

She stares at me.

‘A couple of weeks ago she told me she had a bad feeling about you. She was big on feelings, Mrs Barrett.’

‘Don’t lie! She really liked me. She told me I could stay here as long as I wanted.’

‘She did like you, but nevertheless, she had a bad feeling. She told me she didn’t trust you. That’s why she asked me to do a few extra bits for her in the house.’

She looks unsure. I’m feeling a little more powerful now.

‘You’re making no sense.’

‘It’s quite straightforward, Holly. Mrs Barrett had a bad feeling and that’s why she asked me to install the covert cameras. In her bedroom and in the lounge.’

‘What?’ Holly’s eyes scan the room. ‘There are no cameras in here.’

‘Look at the shelf, at Mrs Barrett’s lovely figurines. The lady in the middle… she’s not Capodimonte; she’s just a cheap ornament off the market. Go and look closely at her.’

I hear car doors slamming outside, but Holly seems not to notice. She is entranced by the figurine.

‘Oh my God… there’s a hole…’

‘And inside the hole is a covert camera. They’re everywhere, Holly, and they feed straight back to my computer. The footage is captured in the Cloud. For the last two weeks, everything has been recorded.’

‘You…’ She flies at me just as the room fills with officers.





Chapter Seventy-Four





David





Mrs Barrett left everything to me. The money, the house… every stick of furniture in it.

They found the will buried underneath paperwork.

It all seems a long time ago now. Here I am, almost two years later, the master of this house.

It’s handy having Mother still next door. She likes to make my meals, but sometimes I cook for her around here. She likes time away from Brian these days.

I refuse to see him now. I’m done with tiptoeing around and spending time with people I don’t like.

I’ve apologised to him, though, for losing my temper that day. Apart from a headache and a couple of stitches, he was OK in the end.

I still work at Kellington’s, and they took Emily back when she asked if they’d give her another chance.

We never mention Holly, and I never did tell them I’d seen her break the vase.

Good friends don’t desert people, and that’s why I’m still in touch with Holly.

Sometimes, really bad things happen to good people and they’re not always strong enough to bounce back to the person they were.

I, for one, am not about to write my friend off, as others have done.

The way Holly created that twilight world in her head taught me something. She lived in a place halfway between the truth and illusion, and I realised I’d been guilty of exactly the same thing myself.

I’d built Nick Brown up into some sort of superman who was hell-bent on avenging my interference. Yet in reality, he didn’t give a toss about me, his wife or Della. He cared only for himself.

I’ve been round there to apologise, and we shook hands. I don’t think we’ll ever be best buddies, but I’m not scared to walk down the street any more.

I’m spending my time getting the house shipshape. I take swatches and pictures in to Holly and we choose stuff together. She says she lives for my visits.

It’s a nice feeling, knowing that someone is reliant on you, couldn’t manage without you.

The clinic staff tell me she’s doing well, and although there’s no release date yet, we both live in hope that one will come. It’s a pleasant establishment as these sorts of places go; I pay the fees from Mrs Barrett’s lottery winnings. The money Holly dreamed of finally getting her hands on.