The Darkest Lies: A gripping psychological thriller with a shocking twist

by Barbara Copperthwaite

  ‘Great! Thanks!’ Chloe gave Aleksy a knowing look as she stepped towards Alison, hand out.

  ‘Chloe, no. I don’t think this is a very—’ Beth began.

  ‘Oh, grow up, Beth. It’s no big deal.’ She rolled her eyes, the performance put on for Aleksy’s benefit.

  He and Alison ignored her, looking only at Beth. She and Alison were almost eye to eye, thanks to Beth’s platform heels. Alison gave a viperlike flash of her smile.

  ‘It’s up to you, of course. If you don’t want it, you don’t have to. It’s just a gift, from one friend to another.’

  But Beth wasn’t stupid. She guessed what the older woman was thinking: that once the teen had sampled the drugs, she would no longer be a threat to Alison because her silence was guaranteed. She gnawed on her thumb, trying to think of what to do, what to say.

  Alison’s pupils contracted; her smile became more fixed. ‘If you’re uncomfortable, you can always leave. Perhaps you are too young for all this.’ She unfurled a small plastic ziplock bag of pills in front of them, then lifted it out of reach, teasing.

  ‘I’ve got money—’ Chloe surged forward to get closer to Alison, to prove how terribly grown-up she was. But Beth grabbed her arm. ‘God, what, Beth? Chill, for fuck’s sake!’

  ‘I don’t think you should be here,’ Alison decided. ‘Look, you’re kids, this is a bit… full on for you, don’t you think? Besides, don’t you have to be in bed soon? I mean, you’re still sucking your thumbs…’

  Beth yanked her digit from her mouth, mortified. She was chewing her nail, not sucking her thumb. Now everyone would think she was a baby! Around her, the row raged on.

  ‘We’ve every right to be here. We’ll be partying all night long. Our parents are totally cool with it,’ said Chloe.

  Alison raised an eyebrow.

  ‘What? You going to throw us out of an illegal rave because we’re underage? That’s mental!’ Chloe stropped, flinging her arms in the air. Her hip jutted out sharply to one side, emphasising how bent out of shape she felt by the injustice.

  ‘Yeah, maybe we should call the police, report that you’re breaking the law,’ joked Beth. That would teach Alison for making that crack about sucking her thumb.

  Alison threw her a look that skewered the rest of her words in her throat.

  ‘I wouldn’t joke about calling the police if I were you. Things wouldn’t go well for you if you told the police.’

  ‘Beth, what is your problem? Do you want to stay here, or go running back to Mummy and Daddy?’ Chloe added.

  Aleksy stepped between them. ‘Hey, chill out. Beth, you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to.’

  He was only trying to help, but his involvement made things worse. Chloe looked ready to flip out completely, her mouth narrowing to a mean little hole, her eyes flashing. Beth made a snap decision.

  ‘Alison, I’m so sorry for making a big deal of this. I know you’re just trying to be nice. Thanks for the offer; we’ll take a tablet.’

  A single lilac pill with the shape of a flower pressed into one side dropped into her outstretched hand.

  ‘Enjoy,’ Alison smiled, turning away with a smirk on her face.

  Beth, Chloe and Aleksy stared at the pill.

  ‘Maybe we could take it later?’ Beth suggested weakly.

  She looked around, as if searching to be rescued. And sweeping through the crowd came the answer to all her prayers. SSG, James Harvey, the love of Beth’s life, was headed straight towards her.

  She had daydreamed about this moment countless times. Tonight was the night he would see her for what she truly was, not some kid he taught guitar to. She’d dance with him and they would kiss. A proper kiss. Not the stupid close-mouthed stuff she had done with Oliver Reece last year, behind the cricket pavilion, accompanied by the smack of willow against leather and the muffled cheers of the crowd. This would be the real deal.

  Who needed drugs when there was true love?

  Seventy-One

  I parked on the drive at home and didn’t move from my seat, not knowing what to do next. Shaken by what I had seen at the Clarkes’ house, from Chloe’s hysteria to Steve’s desperation, I went to call your dad, Beth. Then saw the time. It was only lunchtime; Jacob would still be at work. I longed to tell him everything that had happened, though, and realised it had been a good while since I had felt that urge. Shutting him out like that had been unfair of me. No wonder he had turned to someone else for comfort. I would call him, despite the time, I decided.

  But what was there, really, to tell him? Jill had been arrested; but that didn’t have anything directly to do with your attack. Something terrible had obviously happened to Chloe as well as you; but once again I had no real proof.

  No; best to wait until there was concrete evidence.

  Instead I called Detective Sergeant Devonport. She sounded distracted and stressed – something hard to picture as she was such an ice queen generally. She didn’t have time to talk, she informed me. But when I told her I had been talking to Chloe about James, she snapped.

  ‘Mrs Oak, for the last time, I need you to stay away from this investigation. It is imperative that you do nothing else. Go home and wait.’

  I felt so stupid. Only hours earlier I’d given her my word that I would do just that, and had gone back on it almost immediately. I gave my word again, realising that something big was in the offing.

  ‘You’re about to make an arrest?’ I asked.

  ‘Yes. And you could endanger everything.’

  Once they had got James Harvey, they would have time to persuade Chloe to testify, I was sure. It was hard to take in. Once charges were made, once the person who had shattered my family was properly identified and facing justice, it would surely be the push you needed to wake, Beth. We could get back to normal: no affairs, no investigations, no useless police. We could pretend none of this had ever happened. Couldn’t we?

  All the hope I had been sitting on for so long, trying to crush it because it hurt too much to acknowledge, came flooding back. Overwhelming, joyous, suffocating. I could hardly catch my breath, and sobs caught me, heaving at my chest. I folded over the steering wheel and, for the first time since this nightmare had started, I truly gave in to the tears at last and allowed myself to hope.

  It won’t be long until we see your smile again, Beth. Not long, Beans.

  Seventy-Two

  BETH

  FRIDAY 22 JANUARY

  ‘What the hell are you doing?’ SSG snarled. Only he didn’t look like SSG any more. The man of her dreams. He looked like Mr James Harvey, who got annoyed with her when she mixed up her sharps and flats and made her drill chord changes until her fingers were almost bleeding.

  ‘What? Just having a laugh. I’m old enough to be here,’ she said. Jutted her chin out like Chloe did. Born to rule.

  It didn’t work.

  ‘I saw you buying drugs. Are you insane? If you don’t go home right now, I’ll tell your parents.’

  What was he so riled about? He must really care about her to be so upset, she decided.

  The music, the euphoric atmosphere, hope and a dash of desperation made her fling her arms around his neck and plant a kiss on his lips. She felt them give way beneath hers, his hands slide onto her shoulders; smelled his aftershave. This was the first kiss she had been waiting for, hoping for.

  A shove on her shoulders pushed her stumbling backwards, hitting some dancers. They turned and pushed her back again, a pinball heading back towards James’s mortified face.

  ‘Beth. I’m sorry, I… I don’t feel that way about you,’ he said.

  Stuttered, in fact. That was what hurt her more than anything: the fact that he was clearly so embarrassed he couldn’t speak properly.

  ‘You kissed me back,’ she insisted. ‘You love me, like I love you.’

  He shook his head. ‘Love? No, I care about you. You’re my pupil, of course I care about you. You’re a nice girl.’

  Her eyes widened. Nic
e?

  ‘But I certainly don’t love you, Beth. You have to tell people that you kissed me but I wasn’t interested – you must tell them the truth! People saw! This could ruin me, destroy my chance to become a teacher.’

  She ran from the building. From the crowd. From Chloe, who screamed her name. She threw a quick glance over her shoulder before she went through the door. Everyone seemed frozen in place, like a film on pause. Alison giving her a calculating stare, ever the clever weasel. Chloe’s face twisted in disappointment. Aleksy’s angry humiliation, arms hanging loose at his sides; the intensity of his eyes making her tremble once more. His mates grinning and circling like sharks behind his back. And James Harvey holding his head in his hands, fingers clutching his hair, mouth slack, looking as if his entire world had come to an end.

  Beth had never felt so embarrassed in her entire life. How would she ever face any of them again?

  Seventy-Three

  The prospect of sitting at home waiting for a development with only Wiggins to talk to was too much. So I sent Glenn a text. He was over in The Poacher, and asked me to join him.

  He sat at his favourite table, tucked in the corner furthest away from the fire. It was the darkest corner, too, and gave him a good vantage point from which to see everyone coming and going, so as soon as I came in, he stood to get my attention.

  ‘Want a drink?’

  ‘It should be me getting you one, after everything you’ve done.’

  ‘Well, when you put it like that, I’ll let you,’ he joked, posing in a mock-hero stance. ‘But seriously, let me get you one.’

  After the day I’d had, I could have done with a stiff drink. But my parents had made me promise; and the look of concern on their faces when they had spoken to me made it impossible for me to break my word.

  ‘I’ll have an orange juice, please.’

  ‘Nothing stronger? Go on!’

  ‘No, honestly, orange juice is fine for me.’

  He came back a couple of minutes later cradling a pint, an OJ and a glass of red wine between his hands. ‘In case you change your mind,’ he winked.

  I gave a single huff of laughter and shook my head.

  ‘You’re incorrigible. Listen, I’ve got loads to tell you.’

  He leaned forward, elbows on the table, taking in all the new information. Saying nothing, simply nodding or shaking his head at bits in the tale. When I told him of Chloe’s reaction, he seemed stunned. Made me go over it again and again, unable to believe it.

  ‘She must be totally traumatised,’ I sighed.

  ‘How do you feel about things, then? About James getting arrested again soon? You really never had any clue what James was like before all this?’

  ‘Of course not! Otherwise I’d never have let him near my daughter. He’s lying, perverted scum. I mean, look at the way he even pretended to be gay.’

  ‘Some people will say or do anything when backed into a corner,’ Glenn said sagely, taking a slurp of his pint. ‘You must want to kill him after what he’s done to your girl.’

  The breath that escaped my lips was shaky. ‘The thought of him targeting Beth. He must have befriended her and winkled his way under her defences so slowly, so carefully. You should have seen Chloe’s reaction – she’s utterly terrified. Oh, Glenn, when he hurt Beth, she must have cried out for me. I wish I could kill him.’

  Silence passed as he patted my hand. Then he nodded at my drinks. ‘You’re not going to let that wine go to waste, are you?’

  ‘Sorry, I don’t fancy it.’

  I felt bad that he’d bought it. Then again, I hadn’t asked for it. Glenn was always so generous, buying me drinks; I felt I owed him an explanation.

  ‘Thing is, my parents and Jacob staged a bit of an intervention yesterday. They’re worried about my drinking, so I made a promise.’

  ‘What! Bit of an overreaction, isn’t it?’

  ‘Well…’ I picked at the cardboard of my beer mat. ‘I have been drinking a bit much lately.’

  ‘You’ve been through a lot. One little drink’s not going to hurt – I won’t tell anyone.’ He grinned at me, that cheeky twinkle in his eyes, that boyish charm working overtime. But today I found myself feeling annoyed.

  ‘Flipping heck, Glenn, give it a rest, eh? I don’t want a drink.’

  He sat back, shocked. Face fallen. ‘Sorry.’

  We chatted some more, whiling away the time. But with nothing left to investigate, I was struck by how little we actually had in common. Talk of the good old days seemed ridiculous right now, when any minute I hoped to hear from the police, but we did it anyway. It felt as if we had been over everything already.

  At 4.30 p.m. I started to make noises about leaving, because Jacob would be home soon. Then Flo walked in. She spotted us in seconds.

  ‘Melanie, Jacob said you might be here. I asked him to wait at home while I came to get you. Could you come with me now, please?’

  Wordlessly I stood, pulling my coat on while trembling with nerves and excitement. This had to be it. I was too keyed up even to care that it was my husband’s mistress who would be breaking the good news – she’d be out of our lives for good soon, I was sure.

  Glenn’s eyes stayed on me all the way out of the door, silently wishing me luck.

  I followed Flo in silence across the road. Tempting as it was to question, I wanted to be with Jacob when we heard the news that your attacker would finally be facing justice, Beth.

  Inside the house, Jacob sat on the sofa with Wiggins, whole body tensed. He had killed time by making cups of tea for us all, and they sat steaming on the coffee table, no one touching them. I sat beside him, so close I could feel his body heat.

  ‘Melanie, Jacob, there’s been an important development,’ Flo began.

  Jacob’s hands were clenched, and I brushed my fingertips over the back of one. It uncurled and my fingers slid along his palm until they were woven together with his.

  ‘We’ve made a number of arrests relating both directly and indirectly to Beth’s attack. We’ve also arrested and charged the person responsible for putting her in hospital.’

  Jacob gave a laugh of relief. We looked at each other, smiling.

  Flo held one hand out. Why was she looking at us like that?

  ‘You need to prepare yourselves for what I’m about to tell you. What happened is…’ She stopped, searching for the words. Unable to find them.

  Beth, what the hell had happened to you and Chloe?

  Seventy-Four

  BETH

  FRIDAY 22 JANUARY

  It had all gone wrong. Beth shivered out on the marsh, having run as far as she could and as fast as she could in her stupid platform boots, thump, thump thumping through the frozen mud. Rather than going straight down the RAF road, she had, instead, headed along the sea bank, where she planned eventually to use her more usual route to Fenmere via the other lane. She was too ashamed of bumping into people if she went back the way she and Chloe had come earlier. They would recognise her as the girl who had just made a complete and utter fool of herself. People at school were bound to have seen; they’d all be gossiping on Monday.

  Eurgh! She wished she were dead!

  She wrapped her arms around herself and trudged on. She was freezing cold, had left her coat and flat boots back with Alison at the rave. The wind picked up. It eddied, as if trying to turn her round. But she wouldn’t go back. At least on the marsh she was safe from people judging her and laughing.

  The tide had started to go out, but it was still close enough that she could hear the sound of gentle waves occasionally blowing towards her on the wind, and the infrequent cry of a goose disturbed from its slumber.

  The thirteen-year-old had never felt so alone.

  She would go home, she decided. Her mum and dad would be furious with her and probably ground her for eternity, but with all her heart she longed to be in her own bed. She wasn’t ready yet for this adult world of secrets and lies, drugs and romance.

  Tear
s streaked down Beth’s face, and she wiped at them quickly, fearing what would happen to her make-up. Bad enough that she looked like a stupid little baby, crying like this, but to have panda eyes too would really finish her off.

  In the brilliant light of the gibbous moon, which hung large in the sky, she could see a shape rising up from the endless flat of the fens. Her heart thudded momentarily, terror seizing her. Then she laughed. Stupid; it was the stunted sycamore that grew on the marsh side of the sea bank. That meant she had another twenty minutes to walk before she even reached the lane.

  A voice called her, making her whirl round.

  ‘Wait! Beth, wait a minute!’

  Her best friend jogged as best she could in her heels along the top of the sea bank, tracing Beth’s footsteps. When Chloe reached her, she was out of breath – but still angry, from the look on her face.

  ‘What the hell are you playing at? I can’t believe you left me like that. And what the fuck are we going to do now? We can’t go home!’

  ‘It’s not my f-fault,’ Beth sniffed. ‘I was so h-h-humiliated. I couldn’t have stayed there!’

  ‘Well, I’ve got no chance with Aleksy now, have I? The whole night’s ruined because of you.’ Chloe’s hands were going nuts again, leaping all over the place as she spoke. She hadn’t even bothered asking how Beth felt.

  ‘Yeah, well, you’re the one who wanted drugs!’

  ‘Shit, Beth, want to say that a bit louder? Someone might hear you, for fuck’s sake. We’re not at the fucking rave any more.’

  ‘Oh, stop swearing. It doesn’t make you sound older, you just sound like an idiot.’

  ‘God, you’re such a child!’

  ‘Drama queen!’

  ‘Mardy bitch!’

  ‘Right, well, if I’m such a mardy bitch, I’m going home.’

  ‘Don’t you dare, Beth. You’ll drop me in shit.’