by Elle Croft
Epilogue
The night before Calum’s murder
‘Bethany,’ I say, trying to keep the distaste from seeping into my voice. ‘You and Jason are perfect together. You’re in love, you know you are. You’re just going through a bad patch. How long have you been married?’
‘Coming up to seven years,’ she says, as though seven years with him is something she’s had to endure.
‘See? The Seven Year Itch. That’s all it is,’ I say, knowing my response is melodramatic, but not caring. She won’t even notice.
Our waiter blunders over, and I catch his gaze lingering too long. I want him to understand how far beneath my standards he really is, but I need to keep playing my role. I wink, knowing Bethany is watching, admiring me. He finally leaves, and I take a swig of my drink to wash away the bad taste his presence has left in my mouth.
It’s tiresome, this act. But I know it’ll be worth it.
I sit back as she complains about her perfect life and her perfect marriage, and I make a half-hearted attempt at convincing her that she really doesn’t want what I have. I don’t actually care if she listens. It doesn’t matter any more what she wants. Her future has been decided for her.
I made sure of that a long time ago.
After months of planning, of following, of making sure every detail is accounted for, the wheels of my plan are finally going to be set in motion tonight. I just have to get her to be pliant enough that I can begin. She needs to be her usual, predictable self.
Bethany never takes much convincing to drink too much, and this occasion is no different. I get the attention of the slimy waiter and pretend to flirt with him while I order more booze.
As I wait for her to spill over the edge from tipsy to drunk, I act as though I’m listening to her droning on about her assistant, nodding and laughing in all the right places while I fantasise about her husband instead.
I’ve loved Jason since the first night I laid eyes on him. It had been a Saturday, and Bethany had begged me to come out to dinner to meet him. I’d liked her enough then, before I knew what she was willing to throw away. We had fun, in our pole-dancing class, and out drinking afterwards. I never really had girlfriends, so it was nice to have someone to talk to about shoes and bad dates while we sipped cocktails. But then I walked into the restaurant, and I saw him on Bethany’s arm, and I wanted him. That was before we’d even spoken. It wasn’t his looks, although I am a sucker for blond hair and blue eyes. There was just something about him. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but once I got to know him, and saw what he was like – so real, and funny, and warm – I needed him.
Finally, after what feels like hours, Bethany excuses herself to the bathroom. I know she’ll be a while – this place always has a long line. That’s why I picked it. I rummage through her bag and pull out her phone. There’s a message from Jason, which sends a stab of jealousy through me, but I ignore it and move quickly on.
When drunk Bethany returns, blathering about the funny slogans on the back of the toilet doors, she has no idea. She’ll be so confused when her social media is accessed, when her calls are monitored, when she knows that someone is watching.
It’s amazing, really, technology these days. A few hundred pounds, and I’ll know everything she’s doing. I’ll have access to all of her passwords. I’ll be able to listen to her conversations and turn on her camera whenever I need. And the signal jammer I ordered arrived just this morning. I have to test it on some CCTV cameras near my flat, but everything is coming together so perfectly.
And I’ve already copied her key. That’s been dangling off my own keyring for months, reminding me every time I open my own door that soon I’ll have everything I’ve ever wished for.
I feel like electricity is pulsing through my veins instead of blood. The anticipation is almost too much to contain, but I need to be patient for just a little bit longer. Even the tiniest detail needs to be accounted for – perfected. I’ll do a test tweet tomorrow, just to check that the software is working correctly. I practised at least a dozen times at home, but there’s no margin for error now.
Because my plan is all about perfection, no matter what the outcome. Certain things are out of my control. I’ve had to come to terms with that. But what I have in store for Bethany will work, no matter what she does. It’s my all-eventualities masterpiece. She might not believe that Jason’s capable of killing, although my case will be compelling. She could go to the police with the evidence I’ll plant on her, despite my suggestions that it’s risky. She may be acquitted. I doubt it, but it could happen. Whatever. It doesn’t matter. Because at the end of it all, I’ll have exactly what I always wanted. And this way, I get to enjoy the show, not knowing exactly how it will play out, but knowing all along just how it will finish.
Me, with Jason. For ever.
It’s amazing to think that I almost considered just leaving Jason alone. He wasn’t mine. And besides, I really did like Bethany. I didn’t want to ruin her perfect marriage.
But then she started working with Calum, spending suspiciously more time at work, and far less time at home. She’d blush whenever I mentioned her client’s name, and she began keeping secrets from me. She didn’t know I knew, but she’s a terrible liar, and I’m a lawyer. I’m an expert at spotting a lie.
So I followed her. Or at least, I waited outside Bradley Enterprises to see how she looked when she emerged, hours after her work had officially ended. But it wasn’t proof. I needed to know. So I talked my way into the building next door, a security firm where a guy I once dated now conveniently works, and I watched from the corner of a disused office. What I saw left no doubt in my mind. So now I know what she’s been up to. I know what a liar Calum truly is. And I know what a hateful person Jason is married to.
Bethany doesn’t have a clue what she’s got. What she’s giving up. She’s having an affair, she’s had her fun, and now it’s time for me to have mine. Oh, and fun it will be. Some of the steps I have to take are purely practical. Like making sure there’s evidence to prove the affair, and making a jury believe that she had her hands on the murder weapon. Other parts will be for my own amusement. Like the notes, designed to send Bethany into a tailspin of questions that have no answers. And suggesting that she goes to the police, which will grip her in feelings of guilt and uncertainty. I can’t wait to savour every moment along the way.
And at the end of it all, Jason will be my prize. And I’ll be his. He deserves to be treated with respect. He deserves a magnificent love story and the life that she’s not willing to give him. And that’s where I’ll step in. It will be seamless.
Once he knows that his wife is a murderer, he’ll be relieved to know that she’s safely behind bars. And I’ll be there, offering support, and needing a little bit of my own. I’ll be the only person who truly understands what he’s going through.
And the best part is that I’ll get to live out Bethany’s future while knowing that she’s powerless to stop me. She’ll see her life being taken away from afar, and one day she’ll understand all that she let slide between her fingers. My skin is itching for that intoxicating sense of power. It’s so close that I can almost taste it.
I’ve been so patient. It’s been exhausting, having to be her friend when I’ve known what a repulsive human being she is. And yet, now that her pain is about to begin, I almost feel sorry for her.
Not enough to spare her, obviously. She doesn’t deserve that.
She doesn’t deserve me as her best friend.
She doesn’t deserve Calum as her lover.
She doesn’t deserve Jason as her husband.
And she certainly doesn’t deserve that idyllic life she’s been so willing to throw away.
Which is why this is so perfect.
Because I do deserve it.
I need it.
And I’ll do whatever it takes to get it.
* * *
One week after Bethany’s guilty verdict
‘Are you
sure about this?’ I ask, trying to sound sincere.
She looks terrible, which is perfect. Her eyes have sunk deep into their sockets, she’s lost so much weight that she looks skeletal, and I’m pretty sure there’s a patch on the left side of her scalp where she’s losing her hair.
‘I’ve ruined his life enough,’ Bethany replies, sounding pathetic.
I cross my arms over my chest, waiting for more. I need to know that she means it.
‘Come on, Alex,’ she pleads, staring at the envelope peeking out of my bag. I don’t move a muscle. I’m too busy thinking about how much I’ll tell Jason when I see him tonight. I want this divorce to happen quickly. I’m tired of waiting.
‘Well, for starters,’ Bethany says after a pause, ‘I thought he’d murdered Calum, so I’m pretty sure no marriage can survive that, in the long run.’
It’s funny how much people are willing to tell me, as their divorce lawyer. They think of me as a kind of counsellor, when in fact, I’m really only in it for the money. Mostly. When Calum sought my services all those years ago, I was suddenly very interested in what my client had to say. The perfect man had just walked right into my office: rich, successful, handsome, and soon-to-be divorced, thanks to me. He told me all about Kitty, about how he was going to leave his uptight wife for the young, predictably beautiful PR. He was sick of his wife, looking for an upgrade, like every guy who suddenly finds himself with women throwing themselves at him. He’d just picked the wrong upgrade, that’s all.
Getting Kitty off the scene was easy enough. Half of Calum’s fans were mentally unstable enough to do what I needed for free, but I’m nothing if not generous. I paid that woman a grand to get the job done, and she pulled it off perfectly. She was worth every penny.
But the trouble began when Calum refused to let me fill the void I’d created in his life. He said he’d made a mistake, that he regretted the affair, that he loved his wife after all. That he wasn’t interested. In me. I was furious, of course. But there was nothing I could do. He was constantly surrounded by security, and after he’d taken himself off my client list, I had no way of getting in touch.
I snap back to the present as Bethany looks to me for affirmation.
‘You’re in love,’ I murmur without enthusiasm.
‘That’s kind of irrelevant now,’ she says, unable to keep the bitterness from her voice. ‘And even if we could overcome all of the dishonesty and hurt, I can’t put him in any more danger. The killer’s still out there, and until I know who it is I’m not going to keep putting Jason at risk just for being married to me.’
‘What do you mean, until you know who it is?’
Why won’t this woman just admit defeat? She’s been framed, and perfectly so, if I may say so myself. Watching her trial was one of the most fulfilling experiences of my life. Seeing my handiwork on display, having intelligent people pick through it and puzzle over it, and still not be able to work it out … now that was a thrill.
I had complete confidence that my plan was foolproof, but I honestly didn’t anticipate how utterly the jury would hate Bethany. Enough to convict her, even after her defence had proved that she was too short to have done it. I will admit that I got a little worried when that doctor took the stand. I thought I was being clever, killing Calum from behind. It meant he wouldn’t struggle as easily – no defensive wounds to work from – but it also made sure I wouldn’t be covered in his blood.
Plus, it was much more practical to sneak up on him from behind. It was easy enough to find his location. The software I had installed on Bethany’s phone meant that I knew her whereabouts at all times. My plan just hinged on finding the right moment, and it arrived almost immediately, much to my delight. I could see that she was in South Kensington at 10 p.m., far later than she’d usually be out on a weeknight, unless it was that dull pub quiz she dragged Jason to every week. Plus, the location seemed suspiciously close to where Calum might be.
I grabbed the backpack I’d pre-stuffed with essentials – knife, signal jammer, a change of clothes – and rushed over, arriving at the café just as they were leaving. I followed behind them at a safe distance. They were so self-absorbed they wouldn’t have noticed me, anyway, but the rain helped me to stay undetected.
It made me sick to my stomach, watching the two of them embracing in the entrance to that building. The man who I’d been so dedicated to, the man who had rejected me, was having an affair … with the wife of the only man I had truly loved since Calum? The injustice made my rage bubble to the surface, hot and fierce, with the same intensity as the day I’d found out about their vile affair. But as I looked around to locate the CCTV cameras in the area, my anger suddenly dissipated and was replaced with a feeling of complete calm. It felt so right. I knew this plan would work. I’d accounted for everything.
I watched as Bethany stepped away from Calum. He called out to her, but she either didn’t hear, or completely ignored him. Probably the latter. While I waited for her to disappear into the Tube station, I enabled my signal jammer, and made sure the lights were blinking like they had done when I’d tested it at home. It was a stroke of luck that the camera that captured Bethany was just out of range. As soon as she stepped into the light of the station, I glanced around one last time to be sure we were alone. And then I pounced. Calum, whose eyes had foolishly been glued to his mistress, didn’t see me coming.
The element of surprise was key to my success. I’m strong. Surprisingly so. And Calum isn’t exactly a bodybuilder. But the surge of adrenalin that flows through anyone in a fight for their life would be no match for me. I grabbed his right shoulder with my right hand to make sure he didn’t twist, and with all of my strength I drove the knife over his left shoulder and into his chest.
He barely made a sound. There was a groan, and his muscles tensed, but before I gave him the chance to realise what was happening, I yanked the knife out of his heart and shoved him in the back as hard as I could. The location was perfect. The building entrance was narrow, so there was no chance for Calum to regain his balance. His head smacked the marble with a hollow thunk before he slumped ungracefully to the ground. I pulled a towel from my backpack and wrapped the knife in it tightly. Then I threw the bag over my shoulder and walked four miles home, my signal jammer blinking the whole way.
As I sit across from the woman I framed, I pretend to let Bethany convince me that she should divorce Jason.
I sigh dramatically, then hand her the paperwork.
‘I’ve tabbed everywhere you need to sign,’ I say. ‘Are you going to ask Jason to sign his parts, or do you want me to do it?’
‘Thanks, but this is something I have to do. I do have one more favour to ask, though.’
‘I really hope I like it more than this favour,’ I say, my heart pounding furiously. I am so close to having everything I ever wanted.
‘Will you look after Jason?’ she asks, her voice breaking.
I can’t stop the tears prickling my eyes. This is it. He is mine. And soon she will watch as her old life is torn away from her and grafted onto me.
‘Oh, Bethany. Of course I will.’
‘You need to make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid,’ she pleads. ‘It’s one thing for me to put myself in danger by looking into my case, but he needs to leave it alone. Do you promise me?’
‘I promise,’ I say.
Oh, I’ll look after him all right, I think. I’ll make sure he signs those divorce papers too, even if it means revealing every horrible truth about his wife and her billionaire lover. I’ll disguise it as concern, of course. But if he has any doubts about her virtue, he’ll be left with none after I’m done telling him the truth. And I’ll be right there to help him get through this awful, tragic time.
Bethany takes my hand, and it takes all of my willpower not to recoil.
‘I’m sorry,’ she says. ‘For everything. I have made so many horrible mistakes, but you’ve always been there. And I know I’m asking a lot, but I just need to know th
at Jason will be all right. I need to know that someone will be there for him.’
‘It’s OK,’ I say, squeezing her hand as tightly as I can. ‘I’ll be there for him. I’m more worried about you doing something stupid.’
She doesn’t understand. She thinks I’m concerned. She doesn’t hear my threat.
But that doesn’t make it any less real.
She might not have anything left to lose, but now I do. I have her perfect life.
And I’ll do whatever it takes to keep it.
***
If you enjoyed The Guilty Wife you will love The Other Sister - the new psychological thriller from Elle Croft that will have you on the edge of your seat!
Click here to pre-order now!
THE OTHER SISTER
How far would you go . . .
Gina Mills is desperate to be a newsreader, but her boss – the director of the struggling Channel Eight, won’t help.
Walking home one night, Gina stumbles upon a dead body, and after calling the police, she makes the split-second decision to report the murder live.
When questioned later, Gina can’t remember specific details about her discovery, and these memory gaps are explained away as shock.
. . . to uncover your family’s deadly secret?
But after she finds a second body, it’s clear she’s being targeted. Why her?
And how is this connected to the death of Gina’s younger sister so many years ago?
Read the first chapter now . . .
The Other Sister Extract
NOW
Gina
My eyes snap open.
This isn’t a gentle, gradual emergence from oblivion. I feel a pang of recognition at this violent collision with consciousness, and a threadbare patch of a distant memory begins to unravel.
I hear a thumping sound, and my head snaps up to face my bedroom door. I hold my breath as I imagine it flying inward, revealing the intruder.
My eyes flit back and forth blindly in the dark, until I understand.