The Silent Sister_An gripping psychological thriller with a nail-biting twist

by Shalini Boland

  My phone trills in my hand, making me jump. It’s a withheld number. I answer it.

  ‘Hello?’ I say in a quavery voice.

  ‘Is that… Elizabeth Beresford?’

  ‘Speaking.’

  ‘This is Sergeant Jenny Llewellyn. I came to see you yesterday at Georgio’s.’

  ‘Oh, yes. Hello.’

  ‘Did you just call the station? I’ve been passed a memo with your incident number, but the line was dead when the call came through to me.’

  ‘Uh, yes, I did. But the thing is, I don’t know if I should have called. It might be nothing.’

  ‘Well, now we’re on the line together, why don’t you tell me anyway?’ She sounds friendlier than she did yesterday, almost comforting.

  ‘Okay, well, I just had Leon Whittaker come into the shop, and he gave me a gift – a chocolate heart – and asked if I’d go out with him.’

  She doesn’t reply, so I continue.

  ‘He had a bit of a situation with my boyfriend, Joe, last year…’

  ‘Oh, yes. I remember,’ Llewellyn says matter-of-factly.

  ‘I thought it might be him – the person who left me the letters.’

  ‘What makes you say that?’

  ‘Well, his history with Joe, for one thing. And the timing of everything – asking me out when I’ve just started receiving these creepy letters…’

  ‘Want us to go and have a word with Mr Whittaker for you? Get his version of events?’

  ‘Maybe… No. No, it’s fine.’ I’m nervous of what his reaction might be if the police turn up on his doorstep. It might make things worse. ‘Don’t worry about it.’

  ‘Are you sure?’ she presses. ‘It’s no trouble for me to pay him a quick visit. And in light of what happened last year, with Joe…’

  ‘I know, it’s just, it might not have been him who left the letters. I might have jumped to conclusions. But him giving me that heart today, after everything, it just seems a bit…’

  ‘Coincidental?’

  ‘Exactly.’

  ‘So maybe we should just pop down to Whittaker’s this afternoon. Have a friendly chat…’

  I think about it for a few seconds. If the police don’t speak to him, I’ll most likely be worrying about it all day. And if Leon is doing this to rile Joe, then I guess it’s better if the police act on it and warn him off. ‘Okay then. Yes, if you think that’s best.’

  ‘Don’t worry, Elizabeth. We’ll have a quiet word with him. Put your mind at rest.’

  ‘Thank you. And please call me Lizzy.’

  ‘No problem, Lizzy.’

  ‘Can you let me know how it goes?’ I ask. ‘Your chat? If you find anything out?’

  ‘We’ll stop by Georgio’s after, if we get time. See how you’re doing. Will you be there later?’

  ‘I’ll be here until five today.’

  ‘Great,’ she says. ‘I felt a bit bad leaving you alone yesterday. We should have offered you a lift home. I could see that note had shaken you up.’

  ‘It’s okay,’ I reply. ‘Joe came and got me.’

  ‘Good. Well, you take care, and try not to worry.’

  The stockroom door bursts open and Pippa’s red face appears. ‘Lizzy, can you come and help? It’s mayhem out here!’

  ‘Thanks, Sergeant.’ I end the call feeling decidedly less shaky. I get to my feet and give Pippa a nod. ‘Coming.’

  Pippa’s face shows relief as I follow her back out into the fray, fixing a rictus smile on my face, losing myself in the all-consuming task of customer service.

  Things become a little quieter over lunchtime. Pippa and I take turns eating our lunch in the stockroom. Neither of us takes a proper lunch break on Saturdays as things can get crazily busy within minutes. After lunch, things calm down even more. It’s such a beautiful day out there that most people are probably out enjoying the sunshine. I notice that the greetings card section looks as though a hurricane has blown through it, so I decide to restore some order. Hopefully sorting the cards will help to still my racing brain.

  Pippa comes over. ‘You were serving Leon Whittaker for ages. What were you two chatting about? Did he declare his undying love again?’

  Normally I’d have laughed it off, but unfortunately she’s not too far off the mark. ‘He asked me out,’ I say through gritted teeth.

  ‘Nooo!’ Pippa gasps, her eyes sparkling with the promise of some juicy gossip.

  ‘I think he might be my stalker.’

  ‘I thought we already ruled him out? He’s too good-looking to be a stalker, darling. Honestly, he’s not the type. He could get pretty much any woman he wanted. He doesn’t have to resort to scrappy bits of paper sticking out of the floorboards.’

  ‘I thought so too, but then today he gave me one those chocolate love hearts, you know, the ones over there.’ I point to the glass shelving unit displaying an assortment of chocolate and candy gifts.

  ‘So? That’s romantic. Hearts equal romance. Breaking and entering equals psychotic tendencies. No?’

  ‘Oh, God.’ I put a hand to my forehead. ‘Have I gone and accused him unfairly?’

  ‘What did you say?’

  ‘I accused him of writing the letters, and then I shouted at him and told him not to use my name. I can’t remember exactly what I said, but I was… pissed off.’

  ‘Well.’ She tilts her head. ‘I suppose it is a bit cheeky of him coming in here after what happened with Joe. All I can say is, he must like you an awful lot.’

  ‘And then…’ I begin.

  ‘What?’

  ‘I called the police.’

  ‘Really?’ Pippa’s mouth drops open. I can see that this snippet will be worth millions in gossip currency.

  ‘Yes, really. I mean, how well do we actually know him? We don’t know what he might be capable of. A pretty face is no indication of character. Plus I thought he might be doing it to make Joe angry. To get him put behind bars.’

  ‘That sounds more likely. But Leon Whittaker is not your stalker. I mean, come on. No way.’

  ‘Well, he might be,’ I say stubbornly, my lips pressing down into a hard line. ‘That love heart was just as creepy as the letters. Anyway, the police are popping down to see him this afternoon.’

  She opens her mouth to say something and then clamps it shut again.

  ‘You think I’ve overreacted, don’t you?’

  ‘We-ell… I mean, he came in here and asked you out face-to-face. That isn’t exactly the same as leaving creepy anonymous letters.’

  ‘Okay, so if it isn’t Whittaker, then who is it?’

  ‘Could be any sad little loser, sweetie. You’re better off trying to put it out of your head.’

  ‘I would if I could, but I’ve already started looking at everyone differently. Thinking that every man who comes into the shop could be guilty.’

  ‘Get Joe to take you away this weekend. Change of scenery. Do you the world of good.’

  ‘Hmm.’ Joe’s not the type to go away on a whim. He needs time to get used to the idea of things. But I don’t say this to Pippa. I know she doesn’t have a very high opinion of Joe. Although she hasn’t said as much, she thinks I could do better. But Joe and I have been together for almost six years. We know one another inside out. And there’s still that spark of passion. Which is rare after so long.

  ‘Nice little country hotel, that’s what you need,’ Pippa says, warming to the subject. ‘Four-poster bed, cocktails, a spa. I might even suggest that to Toby.’

  ‘Don’t take this the wrong way,’ I begin, knowing as I open my mouth that this line of questioning is not going to go down well with Pippa. But now that I’ve started voicing my fears, I can’t seem to stop myself. ‘But, you know Seb…’

  ‘My brother Seb?’

  ‘Yeah. You don’t think it could be him sending the letters, do you? Not in a creepy way, but in a he’s-got-a-bit-of-a-crush way?’ I wince, waiting for her response.

  ‘I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that.’ Pip
pa flashes me the darkest scowl before her expression closes down.

  I persevere. ‘It’s just, you seem so convinced that it’s not Whittaker. And Seb always seems to be embarrassed and uncomfortable when he’s around me.’

  ‘For goodness sake, Lizzy! Seb’s embarrassed around all women. I love him to bits, but he’s just so painfully shy. Sure, maybe he does have a crush on you – half the bloody population of Malmesbury has a crush on the wonderful Lizzy Beresford – but Sebbie would never do anything remotely resembling what you’re accusing him of. I’m hurt, quite frankly, that you would even suggest such a thing!’

  Shit. I’ve messed everything up. What was I thinking? ‘I’m sorry, Pippa. You’re right. ’Course you are.’

  She holds out a hand to silence me. ‘Don’t talk to me right now, Lizzy. I’m too upset with you.’ She turns her back and walks to the other end of the shop.

  My heart plummets. It’s going to be a very long afternoon.

  Eleven

  Luckily the shop is nicely busy this afternoon, meaning that Pippa and I can stay out of each other’s way while the dust settles over our argument. Maybe I should apologise to her for suggesting that Sebastian could have been responsible for the letters, but Pippa won’t even catch my eye, and anyway, there are too many people in the shop for us to have a proper conversation. I’ll apologise at the end of the day – if she’ll even listen.

  I’m restocking the perfumes when I catch a glimpse of a black uniform heading my way. I set down the cardboard box I’m carrying, straighten up and wipe my dusty hands down the sides of my skirt. It’s Sergeant Jenny Llewellyn, without her colleague this time. I wonder if she’s already been to see Leon Whittaker, or if she’s popped in here on her way to his wine bar.

  ‘Hi,’ I say.

  ‘Hello,’ she says with a brisk smile. ‘How are you doing?’

  ‘Still a bit shaky, to be honest.’

  ‘Sorry to hear that. Hopefully I’ll be able to put your mind at rest. I’ve just had a quick word with Mr Whittaker. Asked him about the heart, and the letters.’

  My shoulders tense. ‘And?’

  ‘He denied any knowledge of the letters, but admitted coming into the shop to give you the heart and ask you out on a date. He said he’s been trying to pluck up the courage to ask you for ages.’

  ‘Well, I know he asked me out on a date. And if it was him sending the letters, he’s not exactly going to admit it, especially not to a police officer.’ I know my tone is a little sharp, but really… how is that supposed to put my mind at rest?

  ‘True,’ she replies, unruffled by my reply. ‘I asked him if I thought his actions were wise, given his history with your boyfriend. But I did get the sense that he was telling the truth about the letters. He seemed too shaken up to be lying. I think the last thing he expected was a police visit.’

  ‘So you believe him then?’

  ‘It’s hard to say. We’ve only got his word for it. But there’s no evidence he has anything to do with the letters.’

  ‘You could test them for fingerprints. See if his DNA is on them.’ I realise we now have a bit of an audience. Our customers are getting more than they bargained for. I shouldn’t really be having this conversation out on the shop floor, so I guide Sergeant Llewellyn into the back room and close the door behind us.

  ‘First,’ she says, ‘I doubt anyone would be so stupid as to handle the letters and not wear gloves. And secondly, there’s actually no law against sending a letter. If it happens again, and they contain threatening content, we’ll test them for you and see what we come up with, okay?’

  ‘I suppose it will have to be.’ I shrug, annoyed they can’t do more to help me while I’m feeling so vulnerable.

  ‘You were absolutely right to contact us, Lizzy. Especially given Joe’s situation with his suspended sentence. And we will certainly respond if anything like this happens again. Please be assured of that. Let’s hope whoever’s behind the letters has lost interest now.’

  I know she’s trying to be reassuring, and she probably sees way worse things than this every day, but I really had hoped she would try harder to find out who the culprit is. Instead, I feel a bit daft. Like I’ve caused a fuss over nothing. And yet I’m still terrified about what will come next. Somehow, I know this isn’t the end of it.

  I thank her for coming and for speaking to Whittaker, and follow her back out into the shop, wishing I’d never bothered calling the police today. Llewellyn leaves and I get back to restocking the perfumes, trying to concentrate on the exotic names of each fragrance, rather than on the chaos in my head.

  Pippa eyes me from across the room. I bet she’s absolutely dying to find out what’s going on, but it’s a testament to how mad she is at me that she doesn’t ask me to fill her in.

  Fine. I’ll just get through the rest of the afternoon, go home and try to forget about it. Maybe Joe and I could go out for a drink tonight. Somewhere a bit further afield, like Bath or Cheltenham, where I can relax knowing my stalker isn’t nearby. But I already know what Joe’s response will be. He’ll say, what’s wrong with a local pub? Let’s go to The Crown. But I don’t want to go to The Crown. I’m sick of The Crown. I dump one of the perfume bottles down on the shelf a little too loudly and tell myself to calm down. At least Leon Whittaker now knows I won’t take any crap. If it is him, he’s been warned by the cops, so that should stop him from doing it again. And if it isn’t him… well, best not to think about that right now.

  * * *

  It’s a little before closing time, and the shop has finally emptied out. Pippa still isn’t speaking to me and I’m trying to pluck up the courage to apologise to her. I don’t feel strong enough to face another argument, so I hope that if I grovel enough, she’ll forgive me. But before I can approach her, I’m dismayed and unsettled to see Leon-freaking-Whittaker walking through the door. What’s he doing here? I hope he’s not going to have a go at me for calling the police. I wish I could run into the back room and lock the door until he’s gone, but he’s already seen me and is heading my way.

  ‘No!’ I cry, holding up a hand to ward him off. ‘You can’t come in here.’

  He stops in his tracks and shakes his head.

  Pippa is dusting one of the glass cabinets. She glances from me to Leon and then back again.

  ‘I only came in to apologise,’ he says, sounding anything but apologetic.

  ‘Okay,’ I say. ‘Thanks. Now I’d really like you to leave. Please.’

  He takes another step towards me, so I take a step back. Like we’re dancing… or fighting.

  ‘I didn’t know about the letters,’ he says. ‘If I’d known about them, I would never have come in here and asked you out. The last thing I’d ever want to do is upset you, Lizzy.’

  I have a hundred responses in my brain but I can’t seem to get any of them out.

  ‘You didn’t have to call the police!’ he adds.

  Does he want me to apologise? Say sorry? Well, I’m not going to. I can’t even speak. Leon’s presence here has set my teeth on edge. I can’t believe how much he’s unsettling me. My nerves are shot to pieces.

  ‘Can you say something?’ he says. ‘I’ve come here to say sorry – the least you can do is accept my apology.’

  ‘She asked you to leave,’ Pippa says, coming over and standing by my side. She takes my hand and gives it a squeeze.

  I’m frozen to the spot. I have no idea why I can’t speak. All I know is I want that man to go away.

  Leon throws his hands up in the air. ‘Okay, fine. I give up!’ He spins on his heel and marches out of the shop. Once he’s gone, Pippa closes and locks the door behind him.

  ‘You can’t close up yet,’ I say quietly. ‘It’s only ten to five.’

  ‘Who cares,’ Pippa replies. ‘You’ve had a rough day, we’re closing early. Sorry I was such a bitch to you earlier.’

  ‘No.’ I shake my head. ‘It’s me who should apologise. I accused your brother of something awful.�
�

  ‘Sweetie, shall we just forget about it?’ She gives me one of her eye-rolling smiles.

  ‘Yes, please. I’d like that.’

  ‘Now, I’ll make us a cup of tea, and you can tell me what happened with the police earlier and what on earth’s going on with Leon Whittaker.’

  I knew there had to be a reason Pippa wanted to make things up with me – she wants all the juicy gossip. I take a breath and follow her into the stockroom.

  ‘Actually,’ Pippa says, grabbing her purse, ‘forget the tea, we’re going for a proper drink.’

  ‘Uh, Pippa, that’s sweet of you to offer, but Joe’s expecting me home.’

  Pippa flashes me a look of disdain. ‘What is he, your keeper? Text him and tell him you’ll be late.’

  I realise that going out for a couple of drinks with a friend is exactly what I feel like doing right now. I also realise that I need to rebuild a few bridges after accusing Seb. ‘Okay,’ I say, with a rebellious smile. ‘Let me get my phone.’ I’m a little nervous about telling Joe that I’m not coming straight home from work. It’s not like he’ll forbid me from going or anything like that, it’s just that I know he won’t be happy about it. But I push down my worries. I’ll deal with the fallout later.

  Twelve

  Pippa reapplies her make-up in the fitting room mirror while I text Joe to let him know I’m going for a quick drink. I shove my mobile back into my bag, not waiting to see his response.

  We leave the shop arm in arm, Pippa and I, and I feel suddenly reckless, like the past few days have all been an awful nightmare and I’m finally back in the real world again.

  ‘We’re not going to Whittaker’s, obviously,’ I say to Pippa as we walk down the High Street, our shoes clacking on the pavement.

  ‘I’m not that insensitive,’ she drawls. ‘Although it is a shame. It’s by far the best bar in town.’

  My mobile starts vibrating in my bag and I toy with the idea of ignoring it. I’m pretty sure it will be Joe.

  ‘Your phone…’ Pippa says.