The Other People: A Novel(86)

“Something like that. There’s a lot of interest in the Other People. Not just here. In other countries. They wanted my help. It was easier for me to be dead. For the Other People to stop looking for me.”

“Does Katie know?”

She shook her head. “And she mustn’t. It’s too dangerous.”

“Then why are you here?”

“I told you—to explain.”

Gabe stared at her. Part of him wanted to push her off the edge of the cliff. To savor her screams as she fell. Another part needed to know. Questions. There were still questions. What happened in the house? And the car. How did he end up following the car?

“It should have been driving away from your house. It was heading in the wrong direction.”

“Then explain. And don’t fucking tell me you did it all for Izzy.”

“I saved your daughter’s life.”

“She wouldn’t have been in danger if it wasn’t for you. My wife would still be alive.”

“Do you really believe that? If it wasn’t me, it would have been someone else.”

He wanted to argue, but he knew she was right. She was just a pawn. There would always be other people. That was the whole point.

“What happened in the house that day?”

“You know most of it. I was supposed to go around, get Jenny to invite me in and then open the front gates.”

“And let in a killer.”

“I never intended to go through with it. I wanted it to look as if I was going to so they’d think I had fulfilled my Favor, but I had a plan.”

“You called the police before you got to the house and reported an intruder.”

“I thought they would get there in time to stop anything bad happening. Then Emily and I would just disappear.”

“Why take her with you that day?”

“I had no one to leave her with and I was scared of leaving her on her own.” She gave a short, bitter laugh. “Ironic, don’t you think?”

He felt a small tug of sympathy. Just a small one.

“The police said there was a struggle, in the house. They thought Jenny had fought back against her attacker?”

“He shot Jenny first. He came in through the patio doors. I threw myself at him, tried to stop him but, somehow, the gun went off.” She paused, swallowed. The horror never far from the surface. “Emily was shot. She fell. I managed to hit him with a saucepan that was on the hob, to daze him, but there was no time. I…I knew Emily was dead. I had to make a choice. Grab Izzy and run, or we’d die too. We made it out to his car. He’d left the keys in the ignition. I bundled Izzy inside and drove away as fast as I could.”

“Why didn’t you call the police after you’d got away?”

“I was in shock. I didn’t know what I was doing or where I was going. But then reality started to kick in. Izzy was crying for her mummy in the back. I realized I’d driven miles away from the house. I turned around, got on the motorway. I meant to drive straight to the police station. But then we hit the roadworks and there was this car, behind us. A four-by-four. It started beeping, flashing its lights—”

Honk if you’re horny. Gabe felt a coldness steal into his veins.

“I tried to pull away, but it accelerated after us. Chasing us. I thought it was them. The Other People. They had found us and they were going to kill us. I panicked. I forgot about the police. I forgot about everything. All I knew was that I had to get away. And once I did”—her eyes met his—“there was no going back.”

Gabe’s legs felt weak. Despite the fresh sea breeze buffeting him, there didn’t seem to be any oxygen in the air. He thought he might throw up.

“It was me. You ran because of me.”

A small, sour smile. “Fate’s a real fucker, isn’t it?”

He didn’t know whether to laugh, cry or hurl himself off the cliff. If he had never been driving behind her. If he had never given chase. A few seconds either way. A change of lanes. Another car pulling in between them. It could all have been so different. Blame fate, karma, an alignment of the stars. Blame God’s sick sense of humor. But really, when it came down to it, right down to the marrow of the bone, blame it on simple fucking bad luck.

“You could have still gone to the police,” he croaked. “Afterward, when you realized your mistake.”

“It was too late. I was scared of what would happen. Scared of the Other People. But mostly, I was scared of losing her. This little girl who looked so much like Emily. Who I could almost imagine was Emily if I tried hard enough. You were right. I didn’t do it for Izzy. I did it for me. Because I needed her. I was drowning in grief. I couldn’t live without my daughter and I needed Izzy to fill that gaping hole in my heart.”

Gabe didn’t reply for a moment. Then he said, “I understand.”

She shook her head. “No, you don’t. Because you’re a better person than I am. I’m lying to you even now. I didn’t come here to explain, not really. I came here because I wanted to see Izzy one last time. To know she’s happy.”

“She’s happy,” Gabe said. “She’s with her family.”

“Good.” She looked down at the rocks. Gabe felt a wave of vertigo wash over him.

“You know, when I was unconscious, in the hospital,” she said, “I dreamed I was on a beach, just like this. Emily was there, too.” She looked back at him. “Do you think they wait for us?”