‘I got this message from an anonymous Instagram account from someone called BustYourAss. I didn’t want to mention it in front of Simeon. I know it’s Craig and he’s angry. He hurt Lindy because he said I’m next.’ She passed her phone to Gina and Gina read it.
Bitch. You don’t know what I sacrificed to try to make a life with you. Start looking over your shoulder because I’m coming for you next!
FIFTY
JUSTINE
After running through the housing estate and over a field, Justine pulled a twig from her hair. The easy route would risk too many eyes on her. Her only option had been to stick with the back roads, the single-track dirt paths and the woodland. Her mission was to get to Pia’s without arousing any suspicion on the way. There were no police. It was dark and the estate was quiet. Anger and sadness competed for space in her thoughts. Craig had cheated and it wasn’t the first time but Pia, her friend – how could Pia have done that to her? She swallowed the shame in her throat. She knew exactly how. Pia and Craig was different… or was it? She hated them and herself so much right now.
Simeon stood in the window pacing, the glow of the floor lamp creating a halo effect around his head. She ran up the drive, clinging onto her tablet in the hope that she could use their Wi-Fi. If there were any more messages, she wanted to read them.
She checked the time on her burner phone. It was getting later fast and she had an appointment to keep for midnight. Before knocking, she opened her tablet and, as expected, it instantly locked onto Pia’s Wi-Fi just like it had done in the past.
All debts must be paid in full, Justine. I know that now. I failed you and I’m sorry. There’s a house by the lake where the kids like to party. You know the one, you do yoga on the opposite side. Get Danny’s bag from upstairs in that house and bring it with you. Do this for Danny. See you at midnight.
She frowned as she knocked on the door and turned her tablet off.
‘Justine,’ Simeon said with a frown as he opened the door.
‘Is Pia in? I need to speak to her… and you. I need to speak to you both.’ Her hands shook uncontrollably. A confrontation seemed like a good idea while she was trudging from her car but now, she knew she was going to destroy Simeon and that didn’t feel good at all.
His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down. He stared at her in silence before turning and walking towards the coat cupboard under the stairs. She stepped in and closed the door, watching as Simeon mooched through the cupboard. ‘I can’t find my jacket.’ He pulled all the coats out, throwing each of them in turn into a heap on the floor. ‘My car keys are in my jacket.’
‘Is Pia in? Her car is outside.’
‘No.’
‘Simeon, what’s going on?’
He stopped and stared at her. ‘You damn well know what’s going on. The police are looking for you and they’ve taken Pia in for questioning. Where the hell have you been?’
‘A lot has been happening and I’ve only just found out. I’m so sorry, Simeon.’ She hated that such a gentle man was going through so much. He deserved more than Pia. He also deserved the truth.
Tears began to slip down her cheeks. All she wanted to do was make things right. She placed her tablet on the stairs andtouched his arm. ‘Simeon, I’m trying my hardest to make things better. There is something I have to tell you?—’
‘Found them.’ He dropped his shoulders and grabbed a jacket from the floor of the cupboard.
‘Simeon, please. Just stop. I need to speak to you.’
‘What is it, Justine? Which bit of my wife is at the police station and I need to be with her don’t you get? This isn’t a good time. Whatever you and your family are involved in, you need to speak to the police.’ He walked through the living room and grabbed his scarf. ‘You can do that now. A police car has just pulled up outside. Someone has been sent to watch our house in case you turn up.’
‘You deserve the truth, Simeon. Just give me five minutes.’ She couldn’t let him alert the police. She had somewhere to be, a truth of her own to chase.
He tilted his head. ‘Just tell me. I don’t have time for this nonsense.’
Justine blurted it out. ‘It’s Pia, she’s been having an affair with Craig. A great big affair that’s gone on for ages. I can’t believe it. I thought it was you who was having an affair with Craig.’
‘What the hell would make you think that?’
She pointed to his wrist. ‘You’re wearing his bracelet.’
Simeon held his wrist up and took the bracelet in. ‘So that’s who it belonged to. I found it in my office and thought one of the suppliers had lost it. I asked around, no one claimed it so I kept it. He must have lost it when he set up the accounting system.’
‘And it was stupid of me to think that, but I did because…’ She shook her head not wanting to share what she was thinking.
He scrunched his brow and his jaw started to slowly drop. ‘How do you know that Pia has been having an affair? That’s absurd. Are you just trying to make trouble because there isn’t enough of that in your life right now?’
‘No. I would never do that to you. Someone told me.’
