Shiver Sweet

by H Elliston

  She bit her lip. “Oh, I see. Is the detective coming here?”

  “I put him off, told him the only thing I cared about right now was comforting my daughter. He’s going to phone back later after he’s questioned Brian’s neighbours.”

  She stroked my cheek and inhaled deeply. “That’s good. If he suspected foul play, he’d come straight round, surely.”

  I raked a hand through my long tangled hair, replaying the conversation.

  “Hmmm... You think he’s piecing things together, don’t you?”

  “You could call it that. But not in the way you think.” Crap. I tried to shake my emotions into order. “I’ve got this awful feeling that the accusing finger is about to be pointed Brian’s way, and then mine. Whoever is spreading malicious rumours has a lot to answer for.”

  “So you and Brian are suspects? Did he actually say that?”

  “Persons of interest. But I can see why.”

  She swallowed. “Try not to panic.”

  “Panic?” I pointed to the ceiling. “If they take me in for questioning then who’s going to protect Sarah?”

  “Well, I will.”

  “On your own? You against all those men?”

  “Well... we’d have to...”

  I balled my hands into fists and cut her off. “Oh, that detective is like a dog in heat. It’s not what he said, more the way he said it, kind of hinting at who benefits from John’s death, basically me. We’re still married, and unless he’s changed his will I’ll get the life insurance and full ownership of the house and business.” I closed my eyes and sighed. “I know that’s what I wanted, but not like this.”

  “You have to calm down.”

  “I’m sure he saw right through my lies. I wanted to tell him the truth but I can’t risk my family getting hurt. God, if he finds out about John’s threat to spill my secret, it’s gonna look ten times worse.”

  Nicola turned her back to the camera. “If the cops think you and Brian somehow... offed your husband so you could be together or to protect Sarah, let them.”

  “Let them?”

  “Yep. In an hour or two, once our families are safe in a hotel, we’ll put them straight about the murder, the website, the lot. Besides, if that detective really suspects you and Brian, he’d be banging on the door right now.”

  “He’d need proof.”

  “But there isn’t any. So stop worrying, at least about that cop.”

  When it came down to the wire, family and friends were the heart of life and I had to ensure their safety first and foremost.

  “Let’s stick to the plan,” Nicola said, covering her mouth with her hand so the camera’s didn’t catch what she said. “Are you ready to go?”

  I covered my mouth. “You’re right. Until my daughter and our families are safely hidden away, my mouth is zipped. That’s just the way it has to be.”

  Nicola grabbed her car keys and headed out of the kitchen.

  I followed her into the hall and shouted up the stairs. “Sarah! Come on. Time to go.”

  “Can’t I stay here?” she shouted back.

  “Please, just get down here.” Oh, great. I hadn’t banked on her being stubborn. Of course she’d want to stay at home tonight.

  She stomped downstairs, all glassy-eyed and dazed. “Where are we going? How long for? Do I need my pyjamas?”

  “No bags.” I hugged my traumatised daughter, passed her coat and motioned to the front door. Luggage would arouse suspicion. “I know you feel upset, Sarah. But please, sweetie, we have to go. It doesn’t matter what you wear.”

  “Why? I don’t want to,” Sarah protested. “It’s cold, I’m tired and you’re scaring me.”

  No way could I tell her the truth. She’d panic, become hysterical on camera and give us away. “It’s just a short trip. I think we all need to do something to take our mind off things, right? Now please hurry.” I slung my handbag over my shoulder and opened the front door.

  “Fine,” Sarah said, glaring as she stomped past me. “But this had better be worth it.”

  “It will. We’re going to see Gran and Grandad. It’ll cheer us all up.”

  “The word cheery definitely doesn’t come to my mind,” Nicola mumbled, zipping up her coat at the entrance.

  I raised a finger to my lips to hush her.

  Sarah glanced at her analogue watch, which Brian had bought her last week. “The long hand’s the minutes, right?”

  Jeez! You’re thirteen. “Yes,” I answered, realising that Brian had not bought her the watch because of her latest craze about cow collectibles, but because it wasn’t digital. “Short hand’s the hour. I can’t believe you don’t know how to read a watch. Grandad used to repair watches. He can show you how they work if you like. But right now, the long hand is pointing to five minutes past let’s-get-the-heck-out-of-here.” I opened the front door revealing a dark sky.

  Somewhere between rushing Sarah and Nicola out the house and taking urgent strides down the drive, my brain bit into something pertinent Nicola had said earlier. Today was my birthday, not yesterday. So how exactly did the men know that we had planned to go out to celebrate last night, rather than today? I stopped dead. A burning fear ignited within. Perhaps this proved that those men could also hear us. Had they bugged our phones? Planted microphones in my house?

  Sarah crashed into my back. “Watch out.”

  “S-sorry.” Or was it ridiculous to think that someone we knew was involved, and had spilled our plans?

  “Why have you stopped?” Nicola asked, bounding along behind us.

  “Something bad’s happening, isn’t it, mum? Something else,” Sarah said.

  She was perceptive. I didn’t enjoy lying to her, but it was for the best. “Wha-t? Don’t be ridiculous. Who told you that?”

  She shrugged and pouted. “No one. I can just tell.”

  She can tell? “Er... Sweetheart, everything’s going to be okay. Just...” I nudged Sarah ahead then gasped when she triggered the security light. She stood on the drive, illuminated like a beacon. I’d hoped to avoid it. Damn. My fault. I faced Nicola and whispered into her ear. “We need to be discreet about what we say or text over the phone.”

  “Okay,” Nicola said. “And we’ll meet up at the hotel in about an hour.”

  “Yes,” I said. “At reception.”

  Thankfully, Sarah showed not the slightest interest in our mumblings about the rendezvous point. Instead, she tugged my sleeve. “Mum, mum.”

  “What is it?” I swung around and saw her pointing a finger down the drive. I spotted movement and gasped at a hulking figure near our cars. “Who the hell is that?”

  A white van, parked at an awkward angle, blocked mine in the driveway. Someone bent down behind my car.

  I spread my arms out to shield Sarah and Nicola, then a shadowed head popped up above the bonnet.

  “Nicola!” a deep-voiced man said.

  I leaned into her. “Who’s that?”

  “You’re here! Oh, crap.” Nicola’s bag slipped from her grasp and she stood rigid.

  I tensed and leaned into her. “One of those men?” I squeezed Sarah’s hand and dragged her behind me.

  “No,” Nicola whispered, shaking herself unfrozen. Her eyes brightened for a second, then dulled. “I-it’s Dave. The guy I phoned last night when...”

  Dave came around the bonnet of my car and approached us.

  “I... I... What brings you here? How did you find me?” Not waiting for an answer, Nicola hardened her voice. “You have to leave.”

  “Leave?” He clamped his keys between his teeth for a second, brushed his palms together, then snatched the keys back out of his mouth. “Well, hello to you too.” As he breached our shadows cast from the security light behind, I recognized his face.

  Dave? That’s the Dave she went on a date with last weekend? I took a step forward, smiling awkwardly and focusing through the poor light. “You’re Brian’s climbing buddy, right?” I’d seen a photo of him hanging off a cl
iff.

  He nodded. His brown wavy hair, longer at the front, flopped down over one of his eyes. “You must be Christa.” He leaned to glance behind me. “Hi, Sarah.” Then he jerked his thumb over his shoulder. “Whose car is that? Did you know the tyres are flat?”

  I gasped. “It’s mine. Are you kidding me? All of them?”

  Sarah moved out from behind me, but I tightened my fingers around her arm, stopping her.

  “Go see for yourself. All four have been slashed,” Dave said, zipping his navy, bulky jacket right up to his chin. “Brrr...”

  “Shit!” Nicola mumbled. “The bastards.”

  “Watch your language in front of...” Oh, what did it matter today?

  “Who’ve you pissed off?” Dave asked as I sprinted down the drive past him, tugging Sarah with me.

  Sure enough, the front tyre was flat as a pancake. The back one too. In the darkness I couldn’t see any nails or glass poking out, but after what I’d just learned tonight, I suspected they’d been slashed by the men who murdered John. I wrenched around and stared at Nicola who was glancing nervously every which way into the darkness. “I only have one spare tyre.” I turned and kicked the deflated rubber, stubbing my toe through my boots. “Fucking wonderful.” I caught Sarah’s eye. “Sorry, sweetheart. I didn’t mean to swear.”

  “Can’t we patch them?” Nicola asked, ignoring Dave who was fast approaching her.

  “Nicola,” Dave said, waving and competing for her attention. “I’ve been so, so worried. Why didn’t you phone me back last night?”

  “I’m sorry.” Her eyes never left mine. She held her arms out in a silent what-shall-we-do gesture, while she continued mumbling to Dave who stopped next to her. “I-I broke my phone and I’ve had a lot on my mind and...and...”

  He stepped in front of Nicola, eclipsing my view. “What happened last night?” he asked. His hand went to cup her jaw. Had he noticed her bruises under the makeup? “I phoned the police, drove to every freakin’ pub in town and nothing. No staff had reported any fights. I’ve been going out of my mind with worry.”

  “How did you find me?” Her voice was small, tentative. She moved his hand away.

  “A friend of a friend told me you live with Christa. But I had one hell of a battle locating this place. I even tried phoning Brian.”

  I jerked up straight and shouted up the drive, “Do you know where he is?”

  Dave faced me. “No answer.” He narrowed his eyes at each of us in turn. “What’s going on here?”

  Nicola looked searchingly at me.

  We couldn’t afford Dave to have a large reaction on camera, and so I said, “Family emergency. I’ll not bore you with the details.”

  “I see,” Dave replied. “Can I help?”

  “Mum, I’m cold,” Sarah said.

  I wrapped my arms around her shoulders and kissed her hair. “Just a minute, sweetheart.” I looked pointedly across to Nicola, desperate to connect to her thoughts.

  Suddenly, Nicola became more animated and pointed around, barking orders. “Change the tyre. Patch the others. See if my spare will fit...”

  “We can ring for a taxi.”

  “Or take Dave’s van.”

  “Mine?” Dave frowned. “I need it for work.”

  “Good idea, Nicola.” Holding Sarah’s hand, I walked nearer to Dave, aiming for polite and disarming, but what slipped out was rushed and surly. “Can we borrow your van? It’s really important.”

  Dave paused a beat. “How will I get home?”

  Nicola stepped closer to him. “We’ll drop you off. Look we don’t have time to explain. Please, just let us borrow your van.”

  He stroked her shoulder. “Is any of this linked to what happened to you last night in a bar?”

  That’s an understatement. I sighed and glanced at my undriveable car. Hell. I had one spare, not four, and without a second car... I turned and met Nicola’s scorching eyes as she stood in the glow of light pooling from above the front door.

  ‘Twenty minutes,’ she mouthed to me.

  That’s how long she figured it would take those men to get over here. Tick... tick... The slashed tyres and Dave’s curiosity were holding us hostage, eating into our escape window. A thought popped in to my head, and I jerked. My eyes swept the shadows and bushes. Were the men who’d slashed my tyres and killed my husband here, right now? “Sarah, go wait by Nicola’s car!” I ordered.

  Dave cupped Nicola’s face, softened his voice and smiled. “Where do you need to go in such a rush? Tell me.”

  I glanced up at the house, failing to cast off the stranglehold of worry that someone was watching us. Yeah, tell you, her attackers, and a thousand others website perverts and then watch all hell break loose.

  “Well...thing is... we,” An unfathomable tangle of words rushed from Nicola’s mouth and she seemed to get lost as Dave stroked her face. His smile widened, clearly pleased and relieved to see she was alive and well. In any other situation, I’d have considered his smile an alluring, panty-dropping one. It trapped her gaze completely. Boy, she must really like him, but this was not the time for such moments.

  “Nic,” Dave said. “You don’t look well.”

  Nicola raised a hand to her forehead and swayed.

  Extreme worry smacked me hard. Us here, dithering on the drive, plus Dave turning up out of the blue, surely this would be interpreted as wavering from our usual routine. The longer we stood here conferring, the more likely Nicola’s attackers would see us on camera and realise we were doing a runner.

  It could bring on a cat and mouse hunt any moment.

  It felt like my body might burst into flames. The mind-blowing thought of an ambush assaulted me. I’d die before I let anyone hurt my daughter. “It’s a family emergency,” I repeated. “Look, if you must know, my husband is dead.”

  “Dead?”

  “Yes. But I don’t really wanna talk about it. Sorry.” Right now, Dave was just another brick wall in our way. “Nicola, grab his keys and let’s go.” I met Dave’s eyes in a silent but poor apology.

  Dave ran the back of his knuckles down her cheek. “Okay. I’ll drive you wherever you need to go. But I think I should take Nicola inside. She looks unwell.”

  I gulped. The last time a man had been inside my house, he had been murdered.

  Nicola’s eyes darted to me. He was right. She looked dizzy, like her lights were on but there was nobody home. Then suddenly she froze, watching something over my shoulder.

  “What is it?” I tensed, registering the fresh horror on Nicola’s face.

  I turned. When I saw a dark-coloured car crawling along the poorly lit street outside my house, I stopped cold. I tried to stare through the driver’s window. Something was wrong.

  This street was a tucked-away loop off a residential road. There was no reason to drive here unless visiting my or Harry’s house. In the blink of an eye, the car sped off and screeched round the bend, flashing out of view.

  Not good... not good. Chills went down my spine. Was it those men?

  “Sarah, come here.” I needed her by my side. The car was out of sight, but would it be back? I didn’t know what to think. Sarah trudged over to me and I grabbed her hand, tight.

  “I was worried last night,” Dave said to Nicola. “But seeing how jumpy you are now...”

  I glanced back at the street blanketed in darkness. Had those men passed by my house in warning? Or perhaps returned to slash Nicola’s tyres and now cottoned on to our plan to escape?

  Oh, crap.

  What if they made good on their promise to go after our families?

  I squeezed Sarah’s hand. Who would I save first? I couldn’t phone or drive to everyone. Oh, God. Sarah, definitely Sarah, then my parents, but oh, my aunt lived closer so... “Nicola!” I screeched, my head in a total spin from not knowing whether to worry about my family or not.

  Perhaps I was overreacting, but too much was at stake.

  Think, Christa. Think. Yes. We had to twist t
his exchange into something else, for the sake of the cameras, so those men would not suspect we were trying to leave. Panic rampaged through my body. “Do something, Nicola, or they’ll realise. Make it look like we’re just...” Just what?

  “Why would someone slash Christa’s tyres?” Dave asked her.

  Nicola grabbed him by his coat collar and forced his lips down to meet hers, kissing him long and hard into silence.

  Jeez. Good thinking. A break-up, make-up scene.

  Then, in a flash, just as I hoped her idea might work, the impromptu love scene ended. Their lips parted as Nicola’s legs buckled. Raising a hand to her forehead, her whole body went limp as though melting.

  “Oh, shit!” I lurched forward. “Grab her.”

  Dave reached out and hooked her waist, but she slid through his arms, down his body into a heap at his feet.

  I rushed over and patted her cheeks. “Nicola!”

  CHAPTER 25

  CHRISTA

  “Everyone inside. Move it!” I pushed Sarah’s back and hurried her up the drive to my house. Dave scooped Nicola off the ground and into his arms.

  “Quick,” I said, unlocking the front door and holding it open, not believing our bad luck. Damn. “Get her in the house. Watch your step, Dave.” And welcome to hell.

  Dave carried Nicola indoors and I shooed Sarah in after him, into my fractured world with eyes. After doing a quick sweep of the road for other crawling cars or anyone checking up on us, I closed the door, locked it and tossed my bag aside. Yes, we were back in view of the cameras, but at least the men would know we were still home and not doing a runner.

  “Where to?” Dave asked with Nicola flopped across his arms.

  I pointed down the hall. “In there.”

  He carried Nicola into the lounge.

  I turned to Sarah. “Go and wait in your room, sweetheart.”

  “But mum!”

  “Please. Just while I see to Nicola.” Truth was, I couldn’t bear the thought of my daughter being on camera for more than a second. Nicola had thankfully sabotaged the camera in Sarah’s bedroom. “Sarah, remember not to use the bathroom.” The thought horrified me. “Use my ensuite. It’s. Very. Important.”