‘The Kraken collected the kids at four so we’ve had a bit of a grown-up afternoon.’ She added an elaborate wink for good measure.
‘Lucky you.’ By the way Sophie was swaying she’d be asleep by eight o’clock.
Lots more people arrived and Anna left her mum and dad to it. She got a Coke from the bar and pulled up a chair next to Sophie. Dave was whispering something in Sophie’s ear and she cackled with laughter before spotting Anna and sitting up straight like a child caught giggling in class. Anna loved seeing the two of them like this. Well, maybe not quite this drunk but it was great to see them happy together. She looked up to see Liam and his parents standing behind Connor who was handing her dad a card and a bottle. Terry turned and waved her over. She hadn’t realised Liam was going to be there but supposed it was inevitable: her parents were friends with his parents. After all, they’d once planned a wedding together, so it was only logical they had been invited.
‘You okay?’ asked Sophie.
‘I think this is going to be an awkward evening. Wish me luck.’
She met Connor near the bar and gave him a perfunctory kiss on the cheek. ‘You look smart,’ she said.
‘You look gorgeous.’
‘Thanks. And thanks for getting my parents a gift. That was thoughtful.’
‘It’s not much really.’
‘Hi, Anna,’ said Liam, slipping into the space between her and Connor. He kissed her cheek confidently. ‘You look amazing.’
‘Err. Liam, this is Connor.’ Where to begin?
‘Hi,’ said Liam, shaking Connor’s hand. He turned back to Anna. ‘No Hudson tonight?’ This was going to be a painfully long evening.
Anna and Connor joined Sophie and Dave and thankfully for a while Dave led the conversation with the day’s football highlights.
‘I’ll get us some more drinks,’ said Connor, casting his eyes down when he reached Anna.
When he’d disappeared, Anna flopped against the table. ‘This is a nightmare.’
‘What?’ said Dave, confusion creasing his forehead as he gave a giant yawn and set Sophie off too.
Sophie gave him a friendly pat. ‘Go back to sleep.’
‘You heard from Hudson?’ asked Sophie.
‘Only work emails. Why?’ Anna was watching Sophie’s expression closely.
‘No reason,’ she said, with a shrug. ‘Ooh, I love this one. Let’s dance,’ said Sophie, pulling Anna to her feet when Bruno Mars started to blare out of the speakers and she let Dave slump onto her seat for a snooze.
Anna watched Connor return to the table with the drinks. He angled his chair towards the dance floor. Sophie was shouting the words out with a slight delay and her dancing was vigorous to say the least but Anna was starting to enjoy herself. At least while she was dancing she didn’t have to speak to Connor or Liam. And right there, as if in slow motion, she had an epiphany. She didn’t want to be in a relationship with either of them. And more importantly, she didn’t need to be in a relationship with either of them. She was doing fine on her own. In fact, she was happy. Right then, dancing with her best friend at her parents’ anniversary party, she felt together and content. She wouldn’t be quite so calm when she had to clearly tell both Connor and Liam that they would not be featuring in her future but that could wait until tomorrow.
She looked away. Her mum and dad were sitting at the edge of the dance floor, her dad’s leg up on a spare chair and her mum’s arm lovingly draped across his shoulders. Terry raised his glass to her, took a sip and gave her the thumbs up. Anna gave a little wave. It was odd being the only sober person sometimes; it was like you were the one who was acting strangely and everyone else was the norm. At least she’d have a clear head tomorrow, unlike most of the others in the room.
‘Here you go,’ said Connor, pushing a shot across the table to Sophie when she and Anna returned from the dance floor.
‘Ooh, thanks.’
‘Here’s yours,’ said Connor, not making eye contact as he passed the glass of Coke to Anna. ‘Down in one?’
Sophie looked at Anna and banged her glass on the table. Anna chuckled. ‘Mine’s Coke.’ But Sophie had already knocked hers back. Anna was thirsty and took a long drink from hers. At the last swallow it tasted slightly odd and she gave the glass an accusatory look.
Connor spotted the gesture. ‘It’s supermarket brand. I think they’ve run out of the proper stuff.’
Anna nodded her understanding. Sophie was trying to manoeuvre Dave into an upright position. ‘I think it’s time we went home.’
‘I’ll call you a cab,’ said Connor, pulling out his phone. Within ten minutes Sophie and Dave had said their goodbyes multiple times and left. Anna and Connor returned to their table. She was thankful for the intrusion of some old friends of her parents joining them for twenty minutes even if their sole purpose had been to brag about how well their children had done and the last three cruises they’d been on.
While they were talking Anna began feeling odd. Her vision was all swimmy. She looked around the table, trying hard to focus on Connor who was nodding along to the conversation. Anna blinked and sipped a bit more of her drink.
‘It’s been lovely to see you. You must tell us all about your New York trip sometime,’ said a woman Anna vaguely recognised, who then moved on to the next table.
‘Bye,’ said Anna, but her lips weren’t moving right.
‘You okay?’ Connor loomed in front of her looking concerned.
‘I need …’ Something made her lie. ‘I need the loo.’ She got up, held on to the chair to steady herself and went to the bar.
‘Anna, can we have a chat?’ asked Liam, popping up as if out of nowhere. Anna shook her head and pushed him slowly away. She couldn’t deal with him right now. Liam huffed. ‘I’ll be outside if you change your mind.’ He downed his drink and left.
She managed to order a pint of water but she was aware something was wrong. She downed the water and steadied herself. She needed to sit down, her head was pounding and her legs had turned to jelly. Either she was having some sort of stroke or her drink had been spiked.
Anna wasn’t sure how she got in the back of the taxi but the sight of Connor talking to her parents and hugging them goodbye set off a panic inside her. She tried to lift her hand to the window but her dad just waved at her and gave a knowing smile. She went to speak, to shout, but she couldn’t. She could only make a slight groan of a noise and could barely keep her eyes open. Connor bounced into the car, gave the driver the address and calmly propped her up against him, waving to her parents as they drove off.
Hudson stepped inside the door and surveyed the room. He wasn’t sure why he was here. There had been something in Anna’s voice when she’d phoned and now she wouldn’t answer his calls. He’d then acted spontaneously and done what had seemed perfectly logical at the time and got a plane to Heathrow. But now, as he surveyed the remains of a family party, he was no longer sure. A smart-looking man was leaning on crutches. He made his way over and offered his hand in greeting. ‘I’m Terry.’
‘Actually, sir, I don’t mean to be rude, but is Anna here?’ Hudson gave another cursory glance over Terry’s shoulder.
‘You’ve just missed her. She’s gone home with her boyfriend.’
‘Connor?’
‘That’s the fella.’
Hudson pulled back his shoulders. This was the reality he was facing. ‘Right. Then I’m sorry to have troubled you. And happy anniversary, sir.’ Hudson turned to leave.
‘She was a bit worse for wear. You know how it is at parties.’
Hudson halted and spun around. ‘You mean she’d been drinking?’
Terry guffawed. ‘Had she. Plastered she was. She could barely walk. But she’s not used to it you see, she—’
Hudson’s face was creased with anxiety. ‘Where did he take her?’
‘Home to bed I shouldn’t wonder …’ Hudson didn’t wait to hear the end of the sentence.
Anna was aware she was
going up some steps and Connor was supporting her. ‘Come on. Walk!’
Anna came to as an icy wind hit her in the face. Her whole body shook with the sudden chill engulfing her. She was still groggy and focusing was difficult. Where was she? She licked her dry lips. ‘What have you done?’ Her voice was slurred and barely a whisper.
Connor snorted a laugh but it dropped away. His eyes seemed dark and she instantly felt afraid of him. ‘What have I done? What have I done? What have you done, Anna? What did you do ten years ago?’
Anna’s head hurt. Her thoughts were muddled. It was like living a dream; she didn’t feel conscious and yet she was.
‘Let me remind you. You were at university.’ Anna’s eyes widened in alarm. ‘But you know that, don’t you? Just like you knew Esme …’
Anna nodded and tried to focus. Fear was wrapping itself around her and squeezing out her breath. ‘Yes.’ There was asphalt underfoot and the tips of the trees were level with her. Her brain tried to make sense of it. She was on a roof.
‘She was my sister.’ Connor stepped back a fraction and watched her.
This was the mother of all coincidences. Fear gripped her guts and hung on tight. ‘How did you—’ She was trying to say: ‘How did you discover the connection between me and your sister?’ but there was no way she could coherently form all those words out loud.
‘How did I find you?’ sneered Connor. ‘How could you be so stupid? You really believed that a mobile phone engineer managed to get the wrong number … TWICE?’
The reality of the person she was dealing with hit her like a physical blow to her stomach. She didn’t know this man at all. ‘Connor, you’re scaring me.’
‘Good. You deserve to be scared. You’re the reason my sister is dead!’
Connor gripped her arms tightly, making them hurt, and marched her backwards but her feet wouldn’t move quickly enough and she lost a heel. He slammed her against the door they’d come through and she heard it click shut.
Anna had so much she wanted to say but forming words was hard. She shook her head firmly. ‘No.’ She was confused. Esme didn’t die. Connor seemed to note her expression.
‘Esme’s dead. Didn’t you know?’ Anna shook her head again. She was going to say sorry but decided it might infuriate him further. ‘My mother, who, by the way, was a raging alcoholic because of what you did …’ he leaned in close and she could feel the tiny specks of saliva on her cheek as he spoke ‘… she switched off the machine. She let Esme die. She was no better than you.’
Anna had loads of questions but she knew that getting away from Connor was the most important thing she had to do at this moment. She tried to look about her but it was dark. Then she spotted something familiar. She could see the park gates. Just the tips of them. She got an odd sense of relief to know she was on the roof of the flats. Although being four floors up on a December night when your brain was no longer able to function properly was not a good place to be. ‘Connor. I wasn’t there when it happened. I—’
‘Shut up!’ he hissed in her face. ‘Don’t lie, Anna. I found her diary. It told me everything I needed to know. She worshipped you. She idolised you. She was in love with you. And you lured her to the party and to her death.’
Anna was shaking her head but part of what he said was true. Esme was in love with Anna, a fact Anna had found out when Esme had consumed enough Dutch courage to fill an Amsterdam canal and declared it in front of everyone. Anna was young and embarrassed and had tried to laugh it off. When Esme had persisted, Anna had told her firmly that she was straight and had no feelings for her at all. Truth was, she had liked Esme, but not in the way she had wanted. To Anna, Esme had become like a sister. She reminded her of her own sister, Lynsey, and she’d often wondered if Lynsey would have grown up to be like Esme. Anna had felt the closeness of the relationship but not spotted the dangers.
Anna had spent the rest of the party drinking and ignoring Esme until she passed out in her bedroom. From what others had told her, Esme had carried on drinking and on a dare had decided to show off her gymnastic skills by doing a handstand on the balcony railing. The accounts of exactly what happened next were conflicting. Some said she wobbled, some said she relaxed her grip. Whatever happened, Esme went head first over the railing and shouted Anna’s name as she fell.
‘I was asleep when she fell.’ It was a struggle to form the words but she had to make him understand.
‘She trusted you. She loved you. She’s dead because of you!’ His voice rose to a shout and Anna hoped someone might hear and come to help her but she knew it was unlikely: the wind was whistling around them and the flats weren’t close to the street.
‘No. I liked Esme.’ She took in lungfuls of cold air in an attempt to kick-start her foggy brain.
Connor’s eye twitched and Anna felt a renewed sense of dread. ‘You let her fall,’ he hissed. Anna shook her head. She took in a gulp of air and the icy blast burned her lungs. He dragged her away from the door and she gripped the handle, trying to scream as her fingers were ripped away.
‘Why now?’ asked Anna, trying to buy some time. She dug her remaining heel in as he pulled her towards the edge. Through the darkness she could see the outline of the tallest trees in the park.
‘Because you deserve to suffer like Esme did and it takes time to properly destroy things, especially people. I’ve been sending you little reminders of your old university, so you wouldn’t forget. Why should you be able to move on? I wanted you to lose everything. I know everything about you, Anna. I’ve been tracking your phone. I know where you go and who you see. I’ve been gaining your trust so I could tear your world apart. But despite my best efforts your parents somehow managed to survive the car crash.’ He looked disappointed.
‘No!’ Anna’s eyes widened in alarm and she started to fight. Her limbs were useless against his firm hold and she tired quickly. They were very near the edge. Anna tried to brace her foot against a small ridge but Connor kicked at her shin and pushed her a step closer.
‘My whole life revolved around hospital visits. Test after test. Disappointment after disappointment. All the while watching my mother slide into depression and alcoholism until she could take it no more and, without telling me, she switched off the life support. But she’s not responsible for Esme’s death.’ He leaned in to her face and prodded her hard in the chest with each word. ‘You. Are.’ The words were like shards of ice in her stomach. She stepped back and felt she was at the very edge of the building. There was nothing but air between her and the concrete below. ‘Look down, Anna. Are you scared? I want you to be as scared as Esme was that night.’
This was it. She was going to die. She clung to his jacket. ‘Connor. Don’t,’ she pleaded. Searching his face for some reassurance. She filled her lungs and with all her might she forced herself to scream.
Connor shook her and she toppled. But instead of falling backwards she was being pushed towards Connor. It took her a moment to work out what was going on. Someone had come up behind her and pushed her. How? She was four floors up. She seized the opportunity and lashed out at Connor. He retaliated and seemed to pirouette, catching his foot on the ridge. His expression changed as he teetered on the edge. Anna was falling. They were going over the edge together.
A single thought seized her attention: she couldn’t let this happen again. She’d missed her opportunity to save Esme, but she wasn’t about to let Connor fall too. She hung on to Connor’s jacket and twisted her body away from the edge. In what felt like slow motion, both she and Connor fell to the floor. Her head smacked on the concrete ridge of the roof. The pain blossomed across her forehead. She was safe and so was Connor. The cold asphalt was rough against her palms as she tried to get up. A strong arm snaked round her waist. ‘I got you, Anna. I got you,’ said a familiar voice, but the words were drifting into the night. Darkness was closing in, until everything went black and silence engulfed her.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Anna had spent a nigh
t in hospital and then another couple with her parents, and whilst it was lovely to be cossetted and cared for, two days was enough. Part of her was already starting to worry that if she didn’t leave soon she would struggle to ever go back. But she needn’t have worried. Mrs Nowakowski had been there to welcome her home and tell her she’d started up a Neighbourhood Watch. Anna told her she couldn’t think of anyone better for the job, which had seemed to please her. She was also full of apologies because she’d been out on Saturday night.
It amazed Anna how she had completely lost about twelve hours of her life. The doctors said it was very common and the memories of that night would likely never return thanks to the effects of the tranquilliser Connor had sneaked into her drink. Her parents had told her many times this was for the best but a part of Anna wanted to know what had happened up on the roof.
All she did know was Liam had turned up and not being able to get an answer from her flat he’d panicked and gone and woken Sophie. By the time he’d roused her the emergency services had arrived and they’d found Anna and Connor unconscious on the roof.
She had only been home long enough for her mother to make her a cup of tea when Sophie was knocking at the door.
‘Wholly crab, look at the state of you,’ said Sophie, pointing at the large colourful bruise on her right temple although Anna could see she was fighting back tears.
‘Thanks, mate. You should see the other guy.’
‘The son of a bishop. If I could get my hands on him, I’d knit his intestines into a tank top.’
‘A tank top?’ queried Anna, with a chuckle.
‘Because nobody flatters a tank top.’ Sophie wrapped Anna in a protective hug and squeezed her tightly. ‘Are you really all right?’ Sophie let her go and sat on the sofa opposite.
‘Fine. I just can’t remember anything after you left the party.’ She noted Sophie’s worried expression. ‘It’s okay, I know Connor nearly pushed me off the roof. I can’t understand why he took so long before he did it.’
‘Don’t try and work it out, Anna. He’s a total nut job.’
A Walk in Wildflower Park Page 32