34 Days: A gripping psychological thriller with a killer twist

by Anita Waller

  Anna smiled at him. ‘Good. But, I’d changed the day I left here. It’s not your father’s death that has changed me, it’s more his life. It wasn’t a life I wanted any longer. Nearly forty years was long enough.’

  She felt him stiffen and then relax. He knew what she meant. Deep down he’d always known. He’d obviously inherited her ostrich syndrome.

  Anna headed back to the sanctuary of Sheffield, and wheeled the suitcase with the items she’d brought back with her across to the lifts. The doors opened, and Jon stepped out.

  ‘Hey, stranger,’ he said with a grin. ‘How are you?’

  ‘Tired,’ she admitted. ‘I’ve been at Lindum Lodge all day. We filmed for Crimewatch this morning, and we’ve been sorting bedrooms the rest of the time. You can imagine...’

  He nodded sympathetically. ‘Call, if you need us. We’re always available.’

  ‘Thank you, Jon,’ she sighed. ‘I think a full night’s sleep will solve most of life’s ills at the moment though. I intend on going in, making a pot of tea, and heading to bed with a good book.’

  He smiled once more and kissed her cheek. ‘Take care, Anna. Enjoy your book.’

  She manoeuvred the large suitcase into the lift, and the doors closed. She leaned her head back on the wall and closed her eyes, exhaustion seeping into her body. So tired.

  Anna’s apartment felt chilled, and she switched on the heating. Feeding Eric was a priority and then the promised cup of tea was placed on the coffee table. She made a sandwich, went into the bedroom to get her book, and opened it at the bookmarked page. She was reading Harper Lee for the first time in her life and was enjoying it. Anna managed to get through two paragraphs, before laying her head on the back of the chair. She woke up three hours later to a cup of cold tea, a toasty warm apartment, and an inviting bed. Harper Lee had the bookmark replaced in the same spot, and Anna walked to the bedroom, clicking off the heating as she did so.

  Chapter 33

  Michael’s first visit to her apartment had Anna fraught with worry. She had only met up with him that one time in the café, and they had been surrounded by other people. This would be a face-to-face meeting, with nobody else there.

  The transfer of the business had gone through smoothly, and Anna had spent two days with Jenny taking her through the administrative side. They were now living in Lindum Lodge, and Anna had changed her will to specify what was to happen to the house on her death.

  She stood on the balcony and watched Michael’s car pull into the car park. He then disappeared from view, and she crossed swiftly to the intercom ready to release the lock downstairs. She whispered, “Come up,” and then he was there.

  Michael enfolded her into his arms and kissed her soundly. ‘So many years...’ he said softly and kissed her again.

  Anna led him by the hand into the lounge area, telling him to sit down, and she would get coffee. They talked and talked; the years rolled by, as they filled each other in on where their lives had led.

  Michael spoke at length about Patricia, about the difficulties she had faced as the degenerative disease progressed. He also spoke of Erin; as she had grown older, she had been his rock, taking over when he simply hadn’t been able to get out of a meeting, or he needed to see a client with their completed accounts.

  ‘In the end,’ he confessed, ‘her death was a blessed release for her. She was ready, even though Erin and I weren’t. She’s been gone three years now. I can’t say I’ve been lonely, because for the last two years of her life she wasn’t really part of the family. I’ve learnt to live without company. And I have Erin whenever she has time to pop in. I retired from business ten years ago, but I still retain a controlling interest in it.’

  ‘And now? Do you have any plans now you’ve got over the initial phase of being alone?’

  ‘I don’t want to be without you again,’ he said, pulling her closer. Anna let her head rest on his shoulder. ‘That’s my first plan.’

  ‘Michael, we can’t be open, not yet.’

  ‘I know. Your family would never accept me at this early stage; they’d think you arranged it. I promise there’ll be no surprise visits; we’ll be discreet, careful. Is that what you want?’

  She nodded. ‘Yes, it is. I gave up so much...’

  ‘We gave up so much. It was always you, Anna. Always. Believe me, I’ve learned how to wait for you. I can wait a bit longer to make everything right.’

  Michael made no further references to their future, and they spent a pleasant morning in conversation. She found out he didn’t care for football, and she smiled to herself. If he wanted to see more of her, she would have to educate him.

  They went out into Derbyshire for lunch, after heading for the car park separately before meeting up again at Michael’s car. It was just a precaution; Anna really only knew Lissy and Jon, and their apartment didn’t overlook the car park. She was aware she might bump into them in the lift, and didn’t want to have to lie about who Michael was.

  It was a wonderful afternoon; the sun shone, and they walked and talked and laughed. Heading back to Sheffield later, they discussed getting back into the building, and decided Anna would be dropped off first, and Michael would arrive ten minutes later.

  It worked; she saw no-one. And Anna had about five minutes of private thinking time. It wasn’t long enough to analyse all her feelings, but the over-riding one was of happiness. She blessed the day she had found the courage to ring him.

  Anna put background music on – a bit of Rod Stewart never hurt anyone, she reckoned – and she pressed the door release as soon as the intercom buzzed.

  It felt so natural; they talked even more, and then around nine o’clock, Michael stood.

  ‘Okay,’ he said. ‘I’m going to go now. What arrangements do we need to make for tomorrow? Shall I meet you somewhere away from here?’

  She laughed. ‘I hadn’t thought that far. You’re booked into the Hilton?’

  He nodded. ‘I knew I would want to see you tomorrow. There’s no point tripping backwards and forwards between here and Lincoln.’

  ‘Shall I meet you at the Hilton for breakfast? I’d like that.’

  ‘That would be wonderful. Eight-thirty ok? And then we can decide what we’re doing over coffee.’

  Michael picked up his jacket, and she followed him to the door. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her. The kiss lengthened and deepened, and she folded herself into him.

  They separated, and he smiled down at her. ‘So long. So long I’ve waited for this.’

  Anna leaned her head on his chest and relaxed. ‘I have bacon in the fridge,’ she said.

  ‘You do?’

  ‘I do.’

  ‘Better than Hilton bacon?’

  ‘Much better than Hilton bacon.’

  ‘So shall I cancel the Hilton?’

  ‘I think so,’ she said. ‘I think so.’

  Chapter 34

  Jenny switched on the computer and waited for it to power up. It was wages day, and for the first time she was doing it on her own. She hoped Anna was going to be available on the other end of the phone...

  The office overlooked the front garden, and plans had been put in place to change it. Jenny had slightly re-arranged the room so she sat with her back to the window; she couldn’t stand to look out at the place where she had stabbed Him. Him. She couldn’t even give Him a name. Even though He was dead, Jenny didn’t feel the release from stress she had expected.

  It had given her the freedom to see Anna, but had left her with many more issues. The funerals of all three of her victims were now over and done, the police appeared to have no idea who the murderer might be, and it all seemed to be dying down. The newspaper reports had dried up completely, having been overtaken by the Royal birth of Princess Charlotte and the election of David Cameron to a second term of office.

  What concerned Jenny the most was her lack of guilt. In her mind, the bookend murders, as she chose to call them, were merited in order to get rid of Him. Je
nny had deliberately avoided watching television in order to miss the media coverage; it had only been marginal anyway because of good news days in the rest of the country.

  Financially, they had benefited, of course they had, but that hadn’t been part of the plan at any stage. She hadn’t envisaged having to leave their home in Leicester, especially not to move to Lindum Lodge. It already looked nothing like the home Anna had shared with Him; the bedrooms were completely revamped, and she could go into their master bedroom quite happily, without feeling or seeing ghosts from the past.

  The front garden was the main issue. Always the front garden. The ghosts were definitely there. She was the only one who had seen Him, lying there stoned out of his mind with alcohol, blood pulsing out of a gaping hole in the back of his neck. Jenny could still feel the slippery movement of the plastic bag as she tried to get it over His head, made difficult to handle by the blood on the inside of the bag. The sight of Him trussed like a turkey, a dead turkey, made her shiver. Karma. What goes around comes around. She tried to think of other clichés in a vague attempt at dissipating her thoughts, but couldn’t.

  Jenny forced herself back to the wages, and began to input the data dropped off by Gary Vanner the previous night. Somehow, between the three of them, they had managed to hold together and rebuild the workforce. She didn’t have to ring Anna; in the end, it was straightforward. She saved her work and then logged in to invoices. Once they were done, Jenny began to relax.

  She swung the chair around, and saw the garden yet again. The crime scene tape had been removed, and it looked perfectly normal. Next week, the digger would be here, and the lawn turned into a smart parking lot for four cars. Then He would be gone.

  She hoped.

  The children had taken very well to the move. Their new school had been very welcoming, and Mark had slipped into his new role like a duck to water. He and Gary had bonded really well, and Gary, without saying the specific words, had hinted that the workforce was happier with Mark than they had ever been with his father.

  So everything in the garden was rosy, except it wasn’t. The garden was the problem. With a huge sigh, Jenny swung her chair around once more, faced the desk, and closed down the computer.

  She picked up her now empty coffee cup, heading for the kitchen. Maybe tomorrow she would nip over and see Anna – she missed her and knew they had lost a lot of what they had built up recently. She needed the relationship. Anna, after all, was the only one who knew the truth.

  The telephone call was short; no, Anna wouldn’t be in. She had booked to go away for a couple of days, and was travelling that afternoon. They had spoken for a couple of minutes and then Jenny disconnected. It was only later she realised Anna hadn’t actually said where she was going.

  *****

  Michael pulled Anna close as she returned to the sofa.

  ‘Come here, I’ve missed you.’

  ‘I’ve only been gone two minutes.’

  ‘I know. It was a long two minutes.’

  She smiled up into his face. ‘It was Jenny. She wanted to come over for a couple of hours tomorrow, but, as you heard, she now thinks I’ve gone away for a few days. Maybe if I’d been thinking on my feet...’

  He laughed. ‘Anna, I could have gone for a walk around the city centre while she was here; it’s ages since I’ve been to Sheffield. I would have enjoyed it. Don’t close out your family for me.’

  ‘I know. She just put me on the spot. And now I can’t ring her back and say I’m no longer going away, because then she’ll think I’m ill or something and come hot-footing it over here. Tangled webs and such like going on here,’ she finished with a laugh.

  ‘Shall we?’

  ‘Shall we what?’

  ‘Tangle a web? Let’s book ourselves into a Peak District hotel, and have a few days getting to know one another, without the possibility of bumping into your friends.’

  ‘I’ll have to ask Lissy to feed Eric...’

  ‘Anna, Eric seems to grow hourly. The poor fish might have exploded before you pack your suitcase anyway. Maybe he’ll enjoy being on a break and a normal diet for a few days. Shall I book us in somewhere?’

  ‘Let me go and check Lissy and Jon aren’t going away before we do that.’

  Anna stood and moved towards the door. The intercom buzzed, and she froze for a second. She pressed the answer button and heard Caroline’s voice. ‘Let me in, Mum.’

  ‘Okay, sweetheart.’

  She turned to Michael who was already moving towards her.

  ‘Go down in the lift. I’ll text you when I know why she’s here. You have about twenty seconds,’ she said with a mildly hysterical giggle.

  He kissed her briefly and went out of the door.

  She pressed the release button and waited at the door. She saw Michael give a brief wave and head for the stairs.

  In a panic, Anna noted the cups and plates on the coffee table, so she let the door swing closed and cleared the mess. She dumped them unceremoniously in the dishwasher and went back to the door to wait for the lift.

  Caroline was wheeling a small suitcase, and as she kissed Anna, she said, ‘Can I stay the night, please?’

  ‘Of course,’ Anna answered with a smile. ‘Take off your coat and sit down. Do you want a drink?’

  ‘Wine?’

  Anna went into the fridge and took out a bottle of Chablis. ‘This ok?’

  ‘Is it wet?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Then it’s ok.’

  ‘You here for a reason?’

  ‘Work. I was actually booked into some hotel in Leeds, but I’m heading south anyway tomorrow, so I carried on for a bit so I could see you.’

  ‘You’re very welcome.’

  Anna poured the drinks and placed the glasses on the table. Caro drank deeply and then smiled. ‘That was good.’

  ‘Then put your feet up. I’ll just go check the bedroom is tidy; I’ve been using the computer and had some files out. Won’t be a minute.’

  She picked up her phone as she went through to the bedroom and sent Michael a text telling him of Caroline’s plans. His return was immediate.

  Will head back to Lincoln for tonight. Will wait for your call tomorrow. Love you. Mx

  Love you.

  Anna held the phone against her and felt tears prick her eyes. It had been so long since a man had said, “love you” to her.

  The bed needed nothing doing to it, so she just folded the top down and went back into the lounge.

  Caro was leafing through a magazine and looked up as her mother came back to her. ‘I heard a ping. Is it your phone?’

  ‘Yes. It was a text. I’m owed £5472.26 for the accident I had two years ago. All I have to do to get it is to contact them and give them my bank details,’ she said with a laugh. ‘Your bed’s ready. Is it an early start tomorrow?’

  ‘Not now I’ve travelled down to Sheffield. I’ll leave about ten, I think.’

  ‘You like the job?’

  ‘Love it. I’ve been offered a promotion, but I’m still thinking about it. It would mean me moving to France. We have an office in Paris.’

  ‘Lucky you. I’m going to say nothing until you’ve made your decision, because I don’t want to influence you. Only you can know if this is right for you. We’ll talk when that decision is made.’

  Caro nodded. ‘And there’s nothing to keep me in Lincoln now. I don’t see anything of Mark and Jenny, because I’m always travelling, you’re here, and Tim is in Florida. And I’ve met someone...’

  ‘Oh?’

  ‘Yes. He’s called Luc and works at the Paris office. That’s the only thing stopping me from saying I’ll take the job. If it doesn’t work out between us, then it would affect one or both of our jobs, potentially.’

  ‘Deep thinking to do then. Take your time, Caro, don’t jump into it. But, I know you won’t.’

  They chatted until around ten o’clock, and then Caro said she needed to sleep. She kissed Anna, and went to the smaller bedr
oom where Anna heard her speaking on her phone, presumably to Luc. She smiled to herself and hoped Caro would make the right decision.

  Anna texted Michael, explaining she couldn’t talk because Caroline was still there, but she would ring him after ten the next morning. They continued to text each other after Anna had gone to bed, a bed which seemed surprisingly empty now.

  It was raining heavily next morning when Anna accompanied Caroline downstairs to the car park. She waved goodbye and ran back inside the building, shaking her umbrella as she did so. The lift opened, and both Lissy and Jon came out. Jon manoeuvred the wheelchair with practised ease, and Anna stepped back to speak with them.

  ‘Off out?’

  Lissy nodded. ‘I have a hospital appointment, just an annual check-up. And wouldn’t you just know it, the weather’s bloody awful. On the plus side though, Jon is taking me out for lunch after the appointment, and then we’re nipping to Meadowhall for a few bits. Making a bit of a day of it, really.’

  ‘Here, take this. You’ll need it.’ Anna handed her umbrella to Lissy.

  ‘Thank you, you’re a star. Mine’s in the car,’ Lissy laughed. Jon wheeled her out and set off for the car at a run.

  Anna stepped into the recently vacated lift, and was dialling Michael as she walked through her own door.

  They chatted briefly, and Michael confirmed he would be back in Sheffield within the next couple of hours.

  ‘Lissy and Jon have gone out so you should be okay; you’ll not bump into them.’

  ‘I’ll still take care,’ he said with a laugh. ‘See you soon, my love.’

  Chapter 35

  Apart from a couple of updates from the police, Anna heard nothing concrete about the investigation. She rarely spoke to Jenny; discussions seemed trite and unnecessary, because they couldn’t talk about the really big issues that were between them. The Crimewatch programme hadn’t brought anything new to the surface, and everyone in the family expressed concerns about it, all for different reasons.