The Girl in the Mirror(79)

“Poor old Tarq,” says Summer, “losing a perfectly good foreskin just so I could lure you to Thailand.” She takes a step backward. “Now, downstairs.”

I walk out of the bathroom and through the bedroom. Summer is behind me.

I stop at the top of the stairs. Across the landing, the door to Tarquin’s room is open. I can see his sleeping form from here. Stray locks of auburn hair stick out between the bars of his crib, only a few meters away.

If I could just get to him. She waited till I put him down. She doesn’t want to hurt him. She wouldn’t shoot if he was in my arms.

The gun presses into the small of my back.

“If I shot you now,” Summer whispers, “the bullet would tear a hole in your uterus.” She spits the last word out as though she hates it. “Keep moving, Twinnie.”

Down the stairs, toward the garage. With each step I’m trying to catch up with a world that has turned inside out and back to front. Does Summer know where Adam is? There’s no chance he can help me, but Summer might not know that. And she hasn’t said anything about Virginia. Maybe she thinks I was alone with Tarquin. She would never imagine that our rival would be staying here, babysitting her kid.

Has she been waiting for me to have the baby? Hiding somewhere nearby? For hours? Days? Weeks?

“Go into the garage,” says Summer.

We have to pass right by the guest bedroom. The door is shut, and there is no light behind it. Please let Virginia be in there.

I shouldn’t get her involved. What if she gets hurt, what if her baby gets hurt? We can walk right past and Summer won’t know she’s here.

I stop outside the door. “Is this what you want to do, Summer?” I ask as loudly as I dare. “You want to murder your own sister?”

Summer snorts. “Of course not! Don’t be so paranoid, Iris. This gun is loaded, and I’ve practiced using it, but that’s just in case you’re too dumb to figure this out for yourself. If you don’t do as I say, I will have to shoot you, but that would be a shame. I’d prefer to resolve this amicably.”

“How can we possibly resolve this amicably? You’re pointing a gun at me.”

“Think of it as a partnership,” says Summer. “You gave me, lent me, your womb, and in return I let you escape with your life and your dignity. Think about it, Iris. If you stick around, you’ll lose everything. After what you’ve done, you won’t even be a beautiful memory. Our mother will hate you, and Adam could probably press charges. And think about this: I could kill you right now and it would be the perfect murder. There wouldn’t even be an investigation. Everyone thinks you’re already dead.”

“So what do you want?” I ask. “What do you want me to do?”

I turn to face her. We’re right outside Virginia’s door, but I won’t let myself look at it. Not a glance.

“Leave. That’s all. Go and don’t come back. I’m going to be super generous. I’m going to give you Bathsheba. But don’t let there be any doubt in your mind. Any sign of trouble and I will kill you. I will be stepping back into my life, even if I have to step over your dead body.”

There’s one thing that I can’t bear to think about. I can’t. I can’t. But I have to.

Esther.

Wake up, Virginia.

“Move it,” says Summer.

I take a step backward, away from the door, toward the garage. Still nothing from the guest bedroom. Is Virginia too cowardly to help me? At least, surely, she will call the police after we leave.

But Summer is my twin. It’s so hard to hide anything from her.

“Stop,” she says.

I stop.

“Open that door.”

“There’s no one there,” I say. “It’s just me and Tarquin.”

“Open it.”

I throw open the door. “I’m sorry, Virginia!” I cry.

The room is empty. Summer and I look around, and I know we’re both thinking the same thing. There’s no space under the bed, and the chest of drawers is compact. There’s nowhere to hide.

Summer’s face is scornful. “Virginia?” she repeats. “Why on earth did you think she was here?”

“Someone must be here,” I say. “Adam wouldn’t have left Tarquin alone.”

Summer bursts out laughing. “He left Tarquin with me, petal,” she says. “Don’t you understand? Adam knows. He knows everything. He’s been in on it from the start.”





22

The Bridge




I’m driving north. Summer’s in the rear seat of the BMW. I know she’s right behind me because cold steel is pressing into the back of my neck. The gun is small, but Summer pushes it against my skin with unexpected strength.

Adam knows. Of course Summer couldn’t have filmed that footage by herself; they would have filmed it back in Thailand before I even set foot on the yacht. Adam’s flirtatiousness on the phone when he and Summer invited me to Thailand . . . his telling me I was beautiful when he picked me up at the airport . . . the original plan that I would set sail with Adam, which only changed once it was too awkward for me to back out . . . the vagueness that made me confident I could cover up any mistakes . . . Everything Adam did was a ruse. All part of Summer’s game. Their game.