by Lynda Stacey
Will put a hand out to rest on the bar beside her. ‘Nina. You weren’t a wife or a girlfriend, were you?’
She looked up. ‘I was sort of a girlfriend. Rick used to take me out, we’d end up in bed and then he’d move onto the next girlfriend, or wife. Besides, that Ella Hope, she walked away too, so your theory is kind of flawed.’
‘Nina, come on, she hardly walked away, did she? I’d say that Ella is the innocent one in all of this and she was terribly hurt. According to the papers they only just found her in time, ten more minutes and she’d have been gone too.’
Nina purposely slowed her words. ‘Would that be the same Ella Hope who caused all the trouble and identified Rick as her attacker that night? Would it be the same Ella Hope who ruined Rick’s life? And, is she the same Ella Hope that’s still best friends with Rick?’ She sat back on her stool and watched his reaction. ‘Oh, sorry, you didn’t know they were still friends, did you? Silly me.’ She pulled a final piece of beef from the roll, pushed it into her mouth and chewed with a smirk crossing her face. ‘That’s right, she still sees him.’ She nodded. ‘She still spends time with him on the quiet, but without the papers knowing, of course.’ She paused and stared. ‘You really didn’t know, did you?’ She looked amused. ‘What’s wrong, Will? Wasn’t your team of reporters there this morning? Didn’t they see what happened?’ She shrugged her shoulders. ‘It’s going to be all over the newspapers tomorrow. Your girl, Ella Hope, was outside the gym with a photographer. She approached Rick directly. She even managed to do a fake swoon to get Rick to catch her. He carried her inside where no one else could see. It’d obviously been something they’d planned. Don’t you think?’
Will stood up. He’d heard enough. He put his napkin down on the bar. ‘I’m really sorry, but as I said earlier, I really do have to go back to work.’ He saw the shock in Nina’s eyes and knew that she’d fully expected him to stay and listen to her stream of lies.
‘But, Will, don’t you want to know the rest?’ Nina goaded him. ‘I thought you wanted a story? After all, your next-door neighbour, your girlfriend, is most probably screwing Rick as we speak.’ She sat back, looking pleased with her accusations.
But Will stood firm.
‘How … how do you know she’s my neighbour?’
‘Oh, Will. For a reporter you’re a little bit stupid, aren’t you? It really didn’t take much to look up your address on the computer. Brings up other members in the same road. I knew on that first day you came to the gym that you lived next door to Ella Hope.’
Will breathed in and out as deeply as he could. He was slowly losing control. He’d had to listen to Nina for far too long and now he needed to leave. But before he did, he took one step back towards where Nina sat and with his nose practically touching hers he growled, ‘You’re wrong, Nina. Ella might live next door, but that doesn’t make her my girlfriend, and if she is screwing Rick, as you put it, then good for her. She’s a free agent and entitled to do whatever the hell she likes.’
Chapter Thirty
‘I need some Blu-Tack,’ Sarah said as she picked up another piece of paper and moved it into a position amongst the others on the table, like a small piece of a jigsaw puzzle, before rearranging the other pieces and laying them before her in date order. She stood back, looked down and studied the pattern for what seemed like an eternity. ‘Do you have some? Oh, and a writing pad.’ Sarah looked around her, clicked her fingers and fully expected the Blu-Tack and pad to appear like magic and drop into her hand. ‘Ella, come on, this is important!’
Ella turned to a cupboard, opened a drawer and pulled out the Blu-Tack and a pad. ‘Hey, isn’t it me that’s supposed to be working today, not you?’
Sarah picked up an article, pulled off a piece of Blu-Tack and stuck the article to Ella’s wall. ‘Ella, this is research. I’m helping you. Now listen, let’s put these in order. Rick was born in 1983, that makes him thirty-five,’ Sarah said, writing the information down. She then looked around at the other pieces of paper.
‘So, when did he meet his first wife, what was she called?’
‘Julia, he married her in 2010.’ Ella looked puzzled. ‘Was that on the twenty-first?’
‘It was.’ Sarah scribbled on her pad, creating a timeline. ‘And she died in the November of the following year; he’d only been married for a year when she died.’
‘That’s right.’ Ella picked up the laptop and began tapping away on the keys. ‘She’d been out running. It was dark, and she fell into an open septic tank, banged her head on the way down and, by the time they found her, she’d drowned.’
Both Sarah and Ella looked up and towards each other and pulled a face. ‘Yuk, what a way to die,’ Sarah said as she continued to scribble on her notepad.
Sarah picked up a note and did a double take. She looked back down at the timeline. ‘His second wife, Patsy. She died in November too.’
Ella patted her knee and smiled as Millie climbed up onto her lap and curled up to sleep.
‘Ella, don’t you think that’s a bit of a coincidence?’
Ella shrugged her shoulders. ‘One in twelve chance I guess, you know, of the month being the same. Wouldn’t have thought it too much of a coincidence. It’s not like they planned their own death, is it? We covered the story at the Chronicle. At first, we all thought it was Rick, that he’d killed them both, and I was still convinced of that when I met him for that drink. But now, now I’m not so sure.’
Sarah nodded and sighed. ‘Well, if you’re not sure then you need to think about it, and do you know what helps you think?’ She paused and rubbed her throat.
Ella shook her head. ‘I would have no idea.’
‘Well, I’d say a nice cuppa tea, a yummy chocolate Hobnob and a bit of play time with a puppy dog.’ Sarah grabbed Millie from Ella’s knee and curled up on the sofa. ‘Come on, Ella, it’s your turn, I made the last one, didn’t I, Millie Moo? Besides, you don’t like me playing in the kitchen since the fire, do you?’
Hope you’re going to be home this afternoon. Keep an eye out for a surprise delivery xx
Ella felt her stomach flip as she picked up her mobile and read the text from Will. A delivery sounded exciting, but why was he making sure she’d be home? After running out on him that morning, she’d texted him to say that she was back and would be around as and when he got home.
You’ve got me all giddy. Give me a clue, what’s the delivery? xx
Ella responded and watched the screen, hoping for a reply. She looked for the little dots moving around to indicate that Will might be typing something back, but there was nothing and Ella felt a wave of disappointment travel through her. She put the phone down, walked back into the kitchen, pulled mugs from the cupboard and began to make the coffee.
‘Will just sent me a text. I have to watch out for a surprise delivery,’ she said, walking back into the conservatory. She passed the coffee to Sarah. ‘Sorry, no Hobnobs.’
‘Maybe tonight’s the night, honey.’ Sarah giggled. ‘Ohh la la, he’s probably got something real special planned.’ Millie had settled back down on her knee, but woke up as the coffee was passed, realised that Sarah had nothing more to feed her and jumped down from her knee and ran to the door.
‘Hi there, is all okay, or am I interrupting something?’ Rick’s voice made them both jump as he held a hand up and knocked in mid-air at the open door. Sarah continued to giggle as he stood before them, tall, muscular, tanned and handsome. His white shirt emphasised the muscles that poked out from underneath and his jeans hugged him in all the right places.
‘No, not at all. Rick, this is Sarah.’ Ella’s voice trembled as she stared at Rick; she couldn’t help it. The mere sight of him still made her feel anxious, vulnerable, and even though she’d convinced herself that he was innocent, her breath still became laboured and shallow. Her eyes fixed on him, on the way he stood, the way he looked and the way he clutched hold of the energy drink in his right hand.
‘Jesus, Ella. You okay
? You’ve gone really pale,’ Rick’s voice wavered. ‘You’re not going to go and faint on me again, are you?’ He stepped into the conservatory, placed the drink on the windowsill and held out an arm to where Ella stood.
Ella just managed to reach out. She grabbed hold of his arm, but couldn’t move. She just stared, transfixed on the bottle for what seemed like an eternity. The bottle was made of plastic, clear plastic with bright blue liquid, which looked almost luminous in the daylight. There was something about the bottle that made her nervous, but what? What was it about the liquid that caught her attention? Why did she suddenly have a feeling of déjà vu? And why was the sun’s reflection on it so important?
‘Wow. What is it about you and passing out? Err, can you get her some water?’ Rick looked at where Sarah still sat, gawping.
Ella felt herself being shepherded towards a chair. She sat down with a bump and her gaze went to Millie who jumped up on her knee. It was as though she knew that Ella wouldn’t be in the mood to play and settled down to snuggle into her lap. Ella continued to stare at the bottle; her stomach turned as she realised that the daylight had the same effect as the street lights had had, the reflection of light on liquid, just as it had been on that November night, the year before.
‘Here, sip this.’ Rick pressed the glass to her lips. She obeyed and sipped. Her hand rested on his shoulder and she looked directly into Rick’s eyes.
‘That’s … that’s what you said … I remember … that’s what you said … that night.’
Rick knelt down before her. ‘Ella. What do you remember? Please, it’s important, try and think.’
Ella gulped in air and closed her eyes. The whole night came flooding back. ‘I was waiting for you, where we’d arranged, outside that pub. I’d been at work all day and I was hungry. The only food I’d had since breakfast was some toast. But then, while I was waiting, I remembered the half bag of midget gems I’d got left in the bottom of my bag. I pushed one in my mouth. But then I saw you pull up, and I swallowed it whole. It … it made me choke. You passed me a bottle, like that one, it was an energy drink, bright blue, the same colour as that.’ She pointed to the bottle. ‘It’d been in the door pocket of your car. You said, “Here, sip this,” and I did. I took two or three big sips. The choking stopped and, for a short while, I felt okay. But not long after, almost as soon as we’d finished our starters, that’s when I began feeling a bit groggy.’
Rick stood up, stepped back and sat in the tub chair opposite. ‘I drank from that bottle too. I’d been working at the gym. I ended up staying later than I’d planned. I’d showered and changed at the gym and came straight from there to meet you.’ He pulled his hand through his hair. ‘It was the only thing we both drank from. I hadn’t thought about it before; it didn’t seem important. You didn’t drink that much, certainly not as much as I had. I finished off the bottle before I put it back in the car.’
‘I know. I’d forgotten it too.’ She stroked Millie. ‘Why didn’t I remember it before? If there had been any dribbles left, they could’ve tested it, they could have found out what was in it. Traced it back, looked for fingerprints.’
Sarah picked up the bottle and held it up to the light. ‘If anyone’s interested in my opinion, I’d like to know who else had access to your bottle during that day, other than you?’
Will walked up Ella’s path, stood in the conservatory entrance and took in the scene before him. Both Ella and Rick were sitting in tub chairs, Rick’s hand was holding Ella’s and Sarah stood with a bottle in her hand, staring at them both.
He stood. Shook his head and cursed. He’d dismissed all that Nina had said to him, hadn’t believed a word of it, had been so sure she’d been lying. Damn it. He’d left her sitting in the bar and had rushed to see Ella. But now, now it looked as though she’d at least been telling him some of the truth.
Will turned back. He didn’t think that he’d been noticed and wished he hadn’t come. He’d been so sure of Ella, of the affection, the cute texts, the laughs they’d shared and the intimate moments they’d created. All of that had been real, or so he’d thought, and he’d wanted to come to her, hold her in his arms and ask her what Nina had meant by her accusations. But now, now he’d seen it all for himself.
Millie suddenly stirred, realised he was there and bounced down from Ella’s knee to race excitedly to where Will stood, making the others look towards him.
‘I’m so sorry. I’m obviously disturbing something; I shouldn’t have come.’ Will stepped backward and almost fell over Millie, who’d launched herself at his ankles. ‘All right, Millie moo, there you go.’ He tickled her stomach as she rolled over at his feet. ‘Will has to go home, puppy dog. Go on, go back to Ella.’
Ella’s eyes connected with Will’s and she suddenly came back to life. Will watched as her whole body reacted at once and she jumped up from her seat and along with Millie, she launched herself towards where he stood. ‘Will, come in, please, please come in.’ Her arms were around him. A sense of relief passed through him and he responded by pulling her close. He’d wanted to hold her so much, wanted to believe that she wanted him too. He breathed in deep and took in the scent of a fresh shampoo that was overshadowed by a soft musky perfume. He closed his eyes, took a moment to think and immediately knew that he shouldn’t have doubted her.
Sarah ran across to him with the bottle. ‘We’ve just worked it all out. Rick turned up with this and Ella remembered everything. She was drugged and, just now, she worked out how. She drank from Rick’s bottle. One just like this was in his car and he gave her it to sip when she had a choking fit. So all we have to do now is work out who wanted to drug her.’
Will shook his head. ‘No … no … we don’t. What we have to do is to work out who hated Rick enough to drug him. The drink wasn’t aimed at Ella, was it? It was aimed at Rick. I think Ella just got in the way, drank from the bottle accidentally and got attacked because she was seen with Rick.’ He moved further into the room and Ella sat down in the chair.
‘But how did they know? How did they know that I’d had some of that and that I’d get sick?’
Will thought for a moment. ‘I’d say they were watching. Whoever drugged you must have followed Rick. They saw everything, and when you left the restaurant looking slightly worse for wear, Ella, they took their chance.’ He knelt down in front of her and looked her in the eye. ‘I know it doesn’t help, but you were not the target. Rick was.’
Ella pointed to the articles that were now stuck all over her wall, and quickly talked her way through the timeline. ‘Rick, your first wife, Patsy, she died in November. I was attacked in November too and Michelle died in June. How much would I bet right now that you married your second wife in either June or November?’
Rick shook his head. ‘Sorry, I married Patsy in October of 2012.’ He ran a finger over the timeline that Sarah kept adding to. ‘Do you really think they were killed?’ A look of horror passed over his face. ‘I really believed they were freak accidents. The thought that someone could have actually murdered them is unbearable. I mean, why would they be killed? What could anyone hope to gain from their deaths?’ He ran his hands up his neck and then through his hair, while Millie continually tried to jump up on his knee.
‘Well, I certainly wasn’t an accident. Whether I got in the way or not, the attack was very real. I didn’t imagine it, nor did I imagine the months of recovery that I had to go through afterwards.’ Ella picked up the glass of water and spun the liquid round and round.
Rick held his head in his hands. ‘Oh my God. I feel so guilty. All of this is my fault. You got hurt, and they all died because of me. Someone hates me enough to do all this. But why, and who?’
I want to hate you. There would be nothing I’d like more. I used to think we were friends, I used to think we were close and that you’d tell me everything. But you didn’t. You just kept taking up with those other women, taking them out and you even went as far as to marry them. Well, I stopped all of that, didn�
�t I? And now, now you’re afraid to love. You’re afraid that someone else will die, and so you should be.
I watch you all the time. I watch everyone around you and I plan what to do next. I plan how to make you suffer for what you did and I spend the minutes and hours just staring into space, considering my revenge. You see, I thought I had it all. I really did. But you, you took it all away. You hurt everyone around you, but mostly you ended up hurting yourself, over and over again. And now, now I see you, looking around, wondering who did all of this to you and why. But you’ll never work it out. Not until I’m good and ready for you to do so.
Chapter Thirty-One
‘Five more minutes,’ Will whispered to himself as he picked up a bottle of red wine and pulled the cork to allow it to breathe. He kept one eye on the back door, nervously waiting for Ella’s arrival. This was the first real date they’d had. He knew that by now the flowers would have arrived, and excitedly hoped that Ella had loved them. He wanted their evening to be faultless and, once again, checked the roast potatoes, which were browning to perfection.
Will walked around the dining table that he’d taken into the lounge. The ambience was better in there with the softly dimmed lights and it felt preferable to sitting in the kitchen looking at a pile of dirty pots while they ate. He looked at the back door and the garden beyond. Next year, if he could afford it, he’d build a conservatory, one to match Ella’s on the other side. It would be a perfect place for the table and, if all went to plan, maybe they’d get a connecting door that went between.
He smiled and thought of how much his mother and sister would have loved Ella. They’d have probably all gone shopping together, done girly spa days and would have teased both him and his dad at every chance they’d got. He could see them all now, laughing, colluding together and mischievously mocking. He sighed, realising how much fun they’d have had, and how unfair life was that they had never got to meet.