Page 52 of Three Widows

‘It’s terrible.’ Helena looked for two clean glasses and fetched the wine from the fridge, then led her guest to the sitting room.

‘I love this room,’ Orla exclaimed. ‘It didn’t look so big with all of us here last time.’

‘Éilis designed it for me.’ Helena poured the wine and settled back on the couch. ‘Orla, what do you think about Jennifer?’

‘It’s too awful to imagine. Listen, two detectives came to talk to me about Jennifer and Éilis. And they quizzed me about Tyler.’

‘Why would they ask about him? Were they following up because it’s a year since he went missing?’

‘I suppose that’s part of it, but it got me wondering. What if he’s still around?’

‘Why would you even think that?’

‘I don’t know, but Jennifer is dead and Éilis is missing. We know Jennifer started all this, and maybe that’s why Tyler disappeared when he did. Maybe he wanted to remain hidden, but what if one of our group talked and he’s back doing damage.’ Orla took a long drink and Helena realised what she was getting at.

‘You think Tyler could have killed Jennifer? That’s ridiculous. Did he even know her?’

‘I know he used to go to Smile Brighter, where she worked. I think he might have known her. She never said. Maybe I’m making a mountain out of a molehill.’

Helena’s wine sloshed over the rim of her glass and she took a large swallow before speaking. ‘You are. The guards will ask all sorts of questions. Don’t worry about it.’

‘But the thing is, I am worried. Tyler could be… He was a control freak. I was scared of him. What if he faked his disappearance only to come back to torment me? What if he’s looking for revenge? We know why he might be, don’t we?’

‘This is ridiculous, Orla. If he was still around, someone would have seen him. The guards would have found him. Stop worrying and drink up.’

‘Poor Jennifer.’

‘It’s so upsetting. Do you think we should have done more when she stopped contact so suddenly?’

‘Maybe. I don’t know.’

‘And Éilis is missing still.’

‘I’m scared, Helena.’

‘Me too.’ She couldn’t help wishing that Orla would leave. She didn’t want to talk about this. Orla was too intense. She just wanted to enjoy a drink in peace and fall into bed. Things would look better tomorrow.

‘Is Noah not here?’

‘He’s with my mother.’ She was about to say she was alone for the night, but something in Orla’s eyes caused her to lie. ‘She’ll be back with him any minute. I really miss him.’

‘I don’t miss Tyler. I wish I knew for certain that he was dead, then I could rest easy.’

‘I’m sure you don’t mean that.’

‘I do mean it. Every night I pray his body will be found.’

‘Oh.’ Not knowing what else to say, Helena stood. She wanted this woman out of her home, out of her life. The vibe coming at her was not pleasant. It was… She searched for the word. When it came to her, she shivered. Was Orla really malevolent?

‘Give me a call at work tomorrow if you like. I need to get some order on this house before my mother arrives. She’ll have the hoover out in a second and I’ll never get rid of her.’ She attempted a laugh, but the sound that came out was like a strangled cat.

‘Thanks for the wine.’ Orla stood, and placed the glass on the coffee table. ‘I’m sorry for imposing on you. Be careful, Helena. Be extra vigilant. Make sure you lock up your lovely home. If my husband is out there somewhere, I wouldn’t put anything past him.’

Once Orla had gone, Helena double-checked that every door and window was securely locked, then rushed into the utility room and fetched a fresh bottle from the wine rack. She let the corkscrew slip as she frantically tried to open it. Then the bottle crashed to the floor and she fell to her knees to scoop up the broken glass. When she thought she had it all in the bin, she got out the mop. That was when she noticed blood pouring from her little finger. And in her rush to get to the sink to wash it, she slipped on the spilled wine and felt tiny glass shards bite into her bare feet.

The air seemed to have been sucked out of the room and her throat tightened. She dragged herself to the counter and leaned heavily against it, looking out the window. She screamed at the reflection before realising it was her own terrified face.

There was no way she was imaging the mysterious sensation of goosebumps popping up on her arms. And she wished she wasn’t alone in the house for the night.