Silent Lies: A gripping psychological thriller

by Kathryn Croft

  ‘You’re Josie, aren’t you?’

  Hearing my name puts me on alert and I edge away from him. My phone is in my bag by my feet, but by the time I’ve fumbled around for it anything could have happened.

  ‘I’m Craig. I’m in your creative writing class.’ He hands me a ten-pound note.

  I relax a bit. ‘Oh yeah.’ But I don’t recall him from any of the lectures. There are far too many students and I’ve had too much else going on to pay much attention to anyone.

  ‘Don’t worry, I don’t really know too many people either so I’m not offended if you don’t recognise me. Anyway, how are you finding it?’ he asks, as I hand him his change and start making his drink.

  I could tell him how much I enjoy it, that Zach has opened my eyes, made me see the world in a different way, but of course I won’t tell him any of that clichéd shit. ‘It’s all right.’

  Craig nods. ‘To be honest, I’m struggling a bit with the assignments. I’m just not really that creative. I thought I was, before I started uni, but hey, I guess not. Actually, it’s really stressing me out. I need to pass this year.’

  I’m not sure why he’s telling me all this when this is the first time we’ve spoken, but I find it refreshing. I’m so used to guys putting on an act, trying to make out they’re so much more than they are, so it’s nice to hear someone actually being human and admitting they’re not perfect.

  ‘Well, you should talk to Zach Hamilton,’ I tell him. ‘He’s cool.’

  ‘Yeah, I know. But he’s already given me loads of extra help so I don’t really want to hassle him again. The man’s got a life outside uni!’

  Hearing this shouldn’t bother me but it does. I know Zach gives everything he’s got to his students, and it shouldn’t surprise me that I’m not the only person he’s helped, but somehow I feel less… something. Special? God, I’m pathetic.

  ‘Well, if it makes you feel better I don’t exactly find this uni thing easy either. Most of it goes way above my head, to be honest. But d’you know what? I’m not going to let it beat me. I will finish this, and pass, if it kills me. There’s always a way to achieve what you want.’ I pause. ‘Sorry if that’s not very helpful.’

  Craig smiles. ‘No, it is. And you’re right. Thanks. Maybe I just needed a kick up the arse. I need to stop thinking I can’t do it and focus on… just doing it.’

  ‘Here you go,’ I say, handing him the hot chocolate. It makes me feel good to know I might have helped him find some motivation. ‘Hope you can find somewhere to sit.’

  He turns round, scans the empty room and laughs. ‘Is it always this quiet? I’ve never been in here before.’

  I lower my voice, even though there’s nobody else in here. ‘I call it the dead time. Most people are rushing home from work, and the students have long gone, so it’s pointless us being open. But don’t tell my manager that.’

  He winks at me then thanks me for the drink, and I watch him head to a table in the corner. He seems okay. Perhaps I should make more effort to get to know the people on my course, instead of throwing all my focus onto Zach. But then I think of Alison and decide I’m better off keeping myself to myself.

  By closing time Craig is still here, even though for the last ten minutes I’ve been hinting that we’re closing soon. But I feel a bit sorry for him, sitting by himself with his lecture notes spread out in front of him and his pen poised over a piece of paper that’s been blank for as long as he’s been sitting there.

  So I give him more time and start cleaning the tables.

  ‘Can I help you with anything?’ he asks, looking desperate for anything to do other than his assignment.

  ‘No, Pierre will kill me. I’m the one he’s paying so I should do it myself. He’s probably watching the CCTV from home right now.’ I’m not sure why I say this when we have no CCTV inside the shop, but it’s dark outside and Craig’s the only one in here, so perhaps it’s my instincts protecting me after everything I’ve been through.

  Craig nods. ‘Makes sense. So, can I ask you a personal question?’

  My heart sinks. Here it is. This guy is probably just as much a sleaze as Aaron, and all the others I’ve ever met, and has been waiting to ask me to go for a drink with him or something. His struggling student speech was just an act.

  ‘What?’ I say, letting my annoyance seep into my voice.

  ‘Um… when I was talking to Zach, he, um, kind of said you’d be a great person to chat to about short stories. He said you’d got one of the highest marks he’d ever given. I just kind of need inspiration, I suppose. Like I said, I just don’t think I’m creative.’

  ‘Zach told you that?’ I try not to smile, but there are annoying flutters in my stomach.

  ‘Yeah. He’s given up so much time for me and I think he’s got a lot of stuff going on at home, but I could tell he was really impressed with you and thought you could help me.’

  I’m so thrilled by Zach’s compliment that I don’t register much else of what Craig is saying. ‘I really don’t know how I could help.’

  ‘Maybe just a chat or something some time, if you’re ever free? I’ll give you my number.’ He rips a piece of paper from his pad and scribbles on it. ‘I’d better go, got work in an hour. Late shift at the bookies.’

  I watch him leave and realise I’m still smiling. Mostly because of what Zach said, but also because I actually think Craig might be quite a decent guy.

  * * *

  When I get home the flat is freezing, as usual. I’ve grown used to Alison’s pathetic trick of turning all the radiators off except for her own, and usually I ignore it, but this evening I’ve reached the end of my rope.

  I storm towards her door, but stop when I hear my name.

  ‘I just can’t stand her, she makes my skin crawl. I’m counting the days until the summer holiday.’

  There is a pause and no one else speaks, so I realise she must be on the phone. I lean against the wall by her door and continue to listen.

  ‘She’s some kind of psycho or something. Always making things up. I can’t trust her… But I know stuff about her and she has no idea. Stuff you wouldn’t believe… No, not yet, but I will.’

  She is walking around now. I can hear her feet shuffling on the carpet. ‘I don’t even know how she managed to get on a degree course. A fly’s got more intelligence than she has, she’s complete trash.’

  It’s time to walk away. I don’t need to hear what she’s saying; none of it is true and her comments say more about her than they do about me, but I can’t help feeling as though I’ve been stung.

  I think of the bottle of gin in the living room. It’s calling my name but I won’t listen; I won’t be that person Alison and the rest of them want me to be. So I go straight to my room, with no idea how I’ll spend the rest of the night.

  Studying is the only thing I have left now, but I’m up to date with all my assignments. Desperate for something to quash the loneliness, I begin copying up lecture notes I’ve hastily scrawled at university. There’s no need for me to do this, they’re perfectly legible, but it will kill a couple of hours until I can sleep.

  Vanessa texts and invites me to a party at her place but I delete her message without replying. And then I delete her phone number. Just in case I’m ever tempted.

  I crawl into bed not long after this, with every inch of my body fighting tiredness and isolation. How can the absence of one person have left such a gap in my life when I’ve only known him such a short time?

  But I can’t let this weaken me, I’ve got to pick myself up.

  Without thinking, I pick up my phone and begin texting.

  Let’s meet up some time.

  Craig replies within seconds.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Mia

  * * *

  I couldn’t sleep last night. Of course I couldn’t. The video of Josie Carpenter’s photo disappearing from Alison’s phone was far too convenient, and she was insistent that it must have been Dominic
who got rid of it.

  ‘Does he know your passcode?’ I had asked, expecting her to say yes. It made sense that someone so controlling would have access to his partner’s phone, but Alison’s answer had surprised me.

  ‘Not that I know of – I’ve never given it to him. If I had then there’s no way I would have kept that photo on there. No way. I would have transferred it somewhere safe. But I suppose he could have seen me typing it in and memorised it.’

  ‘And when was the last time you looked at the video, or noticed it on there?’ I had tried to catch her out, to find out if she could be trusted, but nothing she said has helped me decide either way.

  ‘When I showed it to you,’ was her reply. ‘But that was only a couple of days ago. How could it have disappeared in that time?’

  I’d told her to check properly and she spent some time doing this, but by the end of it there was still no video of the photo of Josie on the computer, and Alison was still insisting she had no clue how it could have happened.

  ‘I know how this looks,’ she’d said. ‘But you saw it, didn’t you? You know it was on my phone.’

  ‘Yes, I saw it, Alison, but now we’ve got nothing to take to the police. We can’t go in there and start accusing Dominic of anything without even that flimsy evidence, can we?’

  She’s done this on purpose, I’m sure of it. But why wouldn’t she want to go to the police? Why show me the photo if she wasn’t going to use it to get Dominic arrested? To lure me in. To make me believe her. She wants to be in this house with me, it’s been her plan all along.

  This terrifies me, but there’s too much at stake here so I can’t give in to my fear. Alison’s here for a reason, and I need to know what that is.

  It’s only 5.30 a.m. but I get up to have a shower; I need to mentally prepare myself for the coming days and I want to be ready before Alison wakes up. But once I’m dressed and go downstairs, she’s already there, sitting on the sofa. She’s so busy looking at something on her phone that she doesn’t hear me until I speak.

  ‘Morning, Alison.’

  She starts and almost drops her phone. ‘Hi! I didn’t hear you. Sorry, I was just… Dominic’s been texting me since last night. Checking up on me. He’s due back this afternoon… What’s going to happen when he notices I’ve left?’

  I cross to the sofa and sit beside her. ‘You’ve got to stop worrying, Alison. Everything will be okay. We’ll have breakfast and then go to the police together, okay? He won’t be able to hurt you then.’

  She visibly stiffens, and I find myself wondering if I’ve got this all wrong. But surely she wouldn’t be able to fake her fear, her injuries? Unless there’s another reason why she’s scared and it involves talking to the police.

  ‘I’ve already had a coffee and I don’t think I can stomach any food right now,’ Alison says. ‘I hope you don’t mind me helping myself, but it was so early I didn’t want to wake you. ’

  I can’t force her to eat; she’s a grown woman who, despite how she comes across, is surprisingly wilful. ‘Well, it’s still quite early. We can get something afterwards. I’m sure you’ll feel a bit better then… Once you’ve made your statement.’

  She nods and the screen of her phone lights up.

  ‘Is that Dominic?’

  ‘Yeah,’ she says, as she scans the message. ‘He says he’ll be back at two o’clock and he’d better have heard from me by then.’

  Hearing this makes my skin crawl. Even if there’s a chance Dominic isn’t one of them, there are men out there who treat women this way. Women they claim to love. ‘You’ll get through this,’ I tell her.

  ‘Thanks, Mia. I really don’t know what I’d do without you. I’m sorry about the way we met, but I’m glad we have.’

  But I don’t feel the same way. She’s opened up wounds I thought had finally healed and thrown my life into silent, suffocating turmoil. Instead, I say, ‘I’ll just get my jacket and then we can go.’

  It’s less than two minutes before I’m ready but in that time something has changed. Alison is pacing the living room, her arms folded against her chest. I can see she’s having second thoughts.

  ‘Mia… I’ve been thinking,’ she says, still pacing the room. ‘And I think I should go to the police station on my own.’

  Although I half-expected this, I’m disappointed. Everything she’s doing or saying has me questioning her honesty. But she’s still a client – in some twisted way – so I will treat her as one.

  ‘Are you sure? I’d really like to come with you. For support. You might find you need it once you’re there and faced with sharing such personal things. Don’t you think it would help you for me to be there with you?’

  She shakes her head. ‘I know it probably would help – I’ve thought about how difficult it’s going to be – but I think it’s better this way. I just… I’ll be fine.’

  There’s nothing I can do but go along with her choice, but she’s wrong if she thinks I can be fooled. There is too much at stake here. ‘Okay, if you’re sure. But call me if you change your mind.’

  She looks relieved. Perhaps she expected more insistence from me. ‘Thank you, Mia. Again. Will you be here when I get back?’

  ‘Of course. I’ll wait in for you. I know you don’t have a key so don’t worry.’ And there’s no way she will get one either. Letting her into my home when I’m here is about all I’m willing to risk.

  At the front door she gives me a hug and my body tenses. She must notice it as she quickly steps back.

  I close the door behind her then rush to the window. The police station is only a five-minute walk from here and she’s heading in the right direction, through the park. But that’s not enough to convince me she’s actually going.

  I’m still wearing my jacket and I check I’ve got my keys then rush outside. I can see her ahead of me, but I keep a far enough distance from her, just in case she turns around. It’s possible she’d still notice me, but I have an excuse ready: I will tell her I need to give her Will’s number just in case she can’t get hold of me for any reason.

  But by the time we are almost at the police station, she hasn’t turned around once. She hasn’t even stopped to pull her phone out of her bag or to look in any of the shops we pass.

  And when she turns into the police station, I admit, once again, that I really don’t know what to make of her. Truthful or deceitful? My mind flits between both of these and can’t seem to settle on either.

  Outside the building, Alison stops and lets a man walk in before her, but then she pushes straight through the doors and disappears inside.

  I don’t have a plan for how long I’ll stay there, watching just to make sure she doesn’t come out again within minutes, but after half an hour she still hasn’t emerged.

  I call Freya and her excited chatter distracts me from my surveillance, even though I keep my eyes on the doors. ‘Can Megan come and stay here with me, Mum?’

  ‘I don’t think so, sweetheart. I think Grandma and Grandad just want to enjoy some time with you.’

  ‘Oh. Okay.’

  ‘But we can arrange for Megan to come and stay the night with us when you get back. How does that sound?’

  She yelps down the phone and my heart swells. Everything I’ve had to go through, and will go through from now on, is worth it to hear and see my daughter happy.

  When I’ve finished talking to Freya, I dial Will’s number and deal with his disappointment that I didn’t ask him to come for dinner last night. ‘I’m so sorry but I just don’t think she was up to it. This is a big deal for her – she’s never had the strength to walk away from him before. I just think last night would have been too soon.’

  ‘I do get that, Mia. I just hope you’re not getting into something risky. But anyway, you already know how I feel about it and, well, I don’t want to put pressure on you.’

  I stare across at the police station, at the doors that seem to swallow people up. ‘If it makes you feel better, we’re at the p
olice station right now. Alison’s in there making a statement.’

  ‘That’s good. That’s great. She’s doing the right thing.’ I can hear the tension leave Will’s voice. ‘So, I know she wasn’t up to it yesterday, but how about I come over for dinner tonight? We can get a takeaway to save you cooking for a change.’ Although his tone is casual I know how much he wants me to say yes. Will can’t help being a protector, but he needs to know I don’t need protecting.

  I give in, even though I’m not sure what Alison’s reaction will be. ‘Okay, yes. That sounds like a good idea. I want you to meet her.’ Even though Will doesn’t know the full story, it will be good to get his opinion on Alison. My judgement is so clouded by Zach’s death that I can’t fully trust it, when normally I rely on instinct.

  Will tells me he’ll see me at seven then adds that he loves me before saying goodbye.

  It’s been almost an hour now since Alison went inside, so I decide to make my way home. For now, at least, it appears that she’s telling the truth, but I know better than to put my complete trust in her.

  * * *

  I make the introductions but I can already sense that neither Will nor Alison feel comfortable in the other’s presence. They are both polite enough, but Will is on edge, dropping Alison’s hand almost before he’s finished shaking it. I’m not used to seeing him like this.

  I can understand his discomfort: he doesn’t think Alison should be here, doesn’t think I’m safe now I’ve let a stranger into my home. But Alison has no reason to be wary of Will.

  ‘So, Alison, what do you do, then?’ he asks, seconds after we’ve all sat down. The tone of his question makes me cringe, the accusation easy to detect – this really isn’t like Will.

  In spite of this, Alison doesn’t appear to notice, or mind. ‘Mostly admin work. But, well, I’m taking a break at the moment. To sort some things out.’ She glances at me before turning back to Will.