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EIGHTEEN

THURSDAY 30 JANUARY

The tiny cameras Kate ordered arrive in the morning so things are nearly set. Ellis will need to get Harper’s Wi-Fi password, and with no other choice, Kate is putting her faith in a man who has already let her down before.

At around lunchtime she walks to Aleena’s house. She knows that Aleena works from home on Thursdays, and she’s worried that she hasn’t heard from her friend since Tuesday, despite Kate’s persistent messages.

There’s no answer when she knocks, but Aleena’s silver Kia is in the drive. Kate tries her phone, but it rings until her voicemail kicks in. She tries again and presses her ear to the door –she can hear Aleena’s mobile ringing inside. She peers through the window just as a figure disappears from view.

At least she knows her friend is okay. Aleena avoiding her is better than the alternative. Kate bangs on the door. ‘Aleena! I’m worried about you. I’m calling the police!’

Within seconds, the door opens a fraction and Aleena peers out. She doesn’t say anything but stares at Kate as if she doesn’t recognise her.

‘What’s going on?’ Kate asks.

‘I’m working. I can’t talk now.’ Aleena tries to shut the door, but Kate thrusts out her arm to stop her.

‘Hey!’

‘We need to talk, Aleena. Please. Can I come in?’

‘I told you – I’m working. This really isn’t a good time, Kate.’

‘Please can I just come in for a minute. We need to talk. Why are you being like this?’

Aleena sighs. ‘You’ve lied to me, Kate. All these years.’

Kate’s legs weaken beneath her. ‘What do you mean? What have I lied about?’

‘Just stop!’ Aleena shouts. ‘I know all about Graham White!’

Aleena’s words seem to echo through the street, and Kate stares at her, wondering how this has come out now. It feels like long minutes pass before she can bring herself to say anything. ‘Please let me come in – I can explain everything.’

‘No. I don’t want to know anything. I thought we were friends, Kate, but you’ve kept something so…so huge from me. I’ve shared everything with you – things I’ve never told my own husband! All you’ve done is prove that our friendship meant nothing to you.’

‘Please, Aleena. Just let me explain. Two minutes. Can I just have my say?’

Aleena sighs, then without a word, holds the door open and heads into the living room.

Kate shuts the door and follows her, preparing herself to relive the nightmare of Graham White all over again.

‘Aleena, I—’ Kate stops short.

Sitting on the sofa watching her is Harper Nolan.

‘Hi, Kate,’ Harper says, standing up and walking over to her. She wraps her arms around Kate. ‘How are you?’

Stunned, Kate can’t find any words to respond

‘Well, it looks like the two of you have got things to talk about,’ Harper says, smiling. ‘I’ll leave you to it.’ She reaches for her bag and slips it over her shoulder, turning to Kate. ‘Don’t forget the boys have a playdate tomorrow.’ She turns to Aleena, ‘Thanks for the coffee – it was lovely chatting to you. We really have to do it again.’

‘I’ll see you out,’ Aleena says, glancing at Kate.

Kate listens to their muffled voices drift from the hallway. Aleena telling Harper what a lovely morning she’s had, then Harper suggesting they go for dinner. Kate’s body stiffens. First, Harper got to Maddy, and now Aleena.

She walks to the window when she hears the door open, and watches Harper walk down the driveway. At the end, Harper glances back, smiling when she sees Kate; a smile full of menace.

‘Well?’ Aleena says, standing in the living room doorway with her hands on her hips. The tension between them is palpable, and Kate knows this conversation won’t be easy. ‘I’m sorry I didn’t confide in you after everything you’ve told me. I…I’ve just tried to put it behind me. It was such a long time ago – I was fifteen . And that man tried to?—’

‘I know it must have been horrific,’ Aleena says. ‘It just hurts that I sat there telling you all about my experience with that man at college, but you didn’t say a word about yours. I feel like our whole friendship has been a lie.’

Kate crosses to her. ‘I promise you it hasn’t. It’s just…hard to talk about what happened.’

‘I can understand that. But after all the things we’ve talked about. I told you about my attack. By a man I trusted. You could have told me about Graham White.’

‘He’s dead because of me.’ Kate sinks to the sofa. ‘Do you know how hard that is to live with?’

‘I don’t exactly know but I can imagine. You never gave me a chance to understand. Did you think I wouldn’t support you?’ She sits opposite Kate and folds her arms. ‘I can understand why you wouldn’t tell most people, but this is me. ’ She shakes her head.

‘Graham White would have killed me. I know that for sure. I’d seen his face – he would never have let me live to tell the police he’d attacked me.’

Aleena listens silently.

‘I’m still the person I’ve always been. Nothing has to change our friendship. In fact, you knowing the whole truth now can make it even stronger.’

Aleena shakes her head. ‘It’s not as simple as that, Kate. How do I know I can ever trust you to be honest? Isn’t that the most important thing in friendship? Trust and honesty? That’s why you left Ellis, isn’t it? You couldn’t trust him any more. He made a mistake but you didn’t forgive him.’

‘That was different.’

Aleena shakes her head. ‘I want to be okay about this, but it’s hard. I can’t think straight right now. I need space.’ She stands, signalling that she can’t give Kate any more time. ‘I have to get back to work.’ She shakes her head. ‘I don’t think things can ever be the same between us. Please can you go now?’

Resigned that she won’t be able to change Aleena’s mind – at least not right now, Kate makes her way to the door, turning back when she gets there. ‘What was Harper doing here?’

‘We’d arranged to have coffee. Why? I’m allowed to have other friends, Kate.’

Kate could confide in Aleena, tell her everything that happened with Jamie, but the stony look on Aleena’s face stops her. ‘How did you find out?’ Kate asks. ‘About Graham White.’

Aleena hesitates. ‘Oh, I came across an old podcast.’

Kate turns and walks away.

Now Aleena is the one who’s lying.

Kate knows Ellis is working from home today, so she makes her way to the house he inherited from his dad a few weeks ago. It’s not far from Kate’s house, which makes things easier with co-parenting Thomas. The house is in need of modernising, but it’s a good space for him, and Thomas when he’s staying there.

‘Kate,’ Ellis says when he opens the door. ‘I was hoping you’d changed your mind about the cameras.’

‘No. We need to do this, Ellis.’

‘We…’ he says, letting the word float around them. ‘It’s not often you ask for my help with anything.’

‘Well, now I am.’

He closes the front door. ‘I’m not sure about this.’

‘We’re doing this for Thomas,’ Kate says. ‘I need to find out what Harper wants with our family.’

Ellis sighs. ‘I’m sure she wouldn’t?—’

‘We don’t know that!’

‘Where am I supposed to put it? I don’t know anything about hidden cameras.’

‘There are loads of photos hanging on her walls. With white frames. The cameras are white so there’s every chance she won’t notice them.’ Kate pulls out the small package from her pocket. ‘See how small they are. And then you’ll just need to get her Wi-Fi code. Tell her you need it for your phone.’

Ellis stares at the package, but when she pushes it into his hand, he takes it without another word.

‘I was having a late lunch – didn’t have time earlier. Do you want to join me?’

‘I can’t. I need to go.’

Ellis looks hurt. ‘Fine.’

‘But there’s something I need to ask you first.’ Kate was going to wait, but she needs to get this over with. Pulling out her phone, she scrolls to a photo she found online of Jamie. ‘Do you know this man?’

Ellis takes her phone and glances at the picture, handing it back to her immediately. ‘No. Why?’

‘Are you sure? Look properly. For longer than one second.’ She thrusts the phone out.

This time he studies it more carefully. ‘Nope. Still don’t know him. Who is he? What’s going on, Kate? Why are you asking me this?’

Her chest tightens, as if all the breath is being slowly sucked out of her. Ellis is lying to her, she can tell by the way he’s firing questions at her. ‘Are you sure you’ve never seen him before?’

‘Positive. Are you going to tell me who he is?’

‘It doesn’t matter,’ Kate says, snatching back her phone. ‘I have to go.’

‘Wait, we need a more solid plan about the cameras!’

But she’s already at the front door, throwing it open and rushing outside into the foggy air.

Now she knows there is no one she can trust.