I take the jars of face cream and place them in my container. “What makes you say that?”
“She had postnatal depression after Noah was born. I believe that was the cause of her decline. She really didn’t want to have another baby. She told me one time that she had no maternal feelings whatsoever. So, it was just as well Jenny was here, especially after Laura tried to kill Noah.” She must have caught my expression of shock. “We all know about it, it’s not a secret. Mr. Hunter and Laura could be heard arguing all over the house.Jenny was in tears and took the children down to the kitchen and we all cared for them. Ava and Noah were screaming. It was dreadful.”
I take Laura’s perfume and then go to her bedside table and open the drawers to search for anything else she might have been using. I turn on the lamp and spot a paperback novel, with writing all over the cover. I flick through the pages. There must be over three hundred of them and the bold writing covers them all. It is the same three sentences, repeated over and over again:Don’t drink the water. Don’t drink the water. Don’t drink the water.
Is this a warning or was she so disturbed she needed to remind herself? Trembling, I stare at the writing. It becomes more and more illegible as I turn the pages and the last few lines are squiggles. Three hundred pages of the same words goes way past paranoia and steps into the realm of insanity. I’m suddenly afraid of what I’ve stumbled into. My hands shake and the book slips from my hands. I watch it fall as if in slow motion and it lands on the floor in a puff of dust. Did Laura work out who was drugging her by a process of elimination? The need to run as far away from the room as possible grips me but, if she was right, I need proof. I turn three-sixty degrees and slowly scan the room, searching for bottled water, and find nothing. I go back into the dressing room, and the smell of Laura’s perfume accosts my nostrils again, suffocating me. I pull out a garbage bin from the dressing table and under the tissues are two half-full bottles of water. I collect them and add them to my box. Beside me, Amy is sealing her container and I turn to her. “I’m done here. Let’s go.”
Sweat trickles down my spine as we head down the stairs and I can feel Laura’s eyes boring into my back. I send Amy back to the kitchen and go to Jack’s office. I seal the boxes with tape and then, using a Sharpie, write my name and address on both containers and the tests I require. I’m trembling and breathingheavily and try to calm myself. Laura believed someone in this house was drugging her and she left a warning. Who can I tell about the book? Who can I trust?No one.
I run through names in my head. Three people—Jack, Tom and Ruby—were in the house when Laura started to decline, all were in the photographs I found taken on the day Caroline fell from the mountain trail and all three were on the yacht. If I discover Laura was being drugged, it could only be one of them—or could it? None of the staff liked her, did they? In fact, they were all scared of her. That gave all the staff a motive to drug her. If she’d died or been sent away to a psych ward, their lives would have changed for the better. This would mean Laura’s death was an accident after all. I run the reasons why the other three might want Laura dead and my mind goes to Jack. He had a motive and so did Tom but if Ruby had a motive, I’m not seeing it. Was there something between Jack and her at that time, which he refuses to admit? I doubt it or Laura would have mentioned it in her diary. In any case, I know Ruby was involved with Tom at the time—that’s how he lost his job. I need to look closer at the staff. From what I hear, life has been better for everyone involved since Laura disappeared, and now I’ve arrived to upset the apple cart. Am I next in the line of fire?
My things went missing, I heard noises, saw a face in the mirror and in a window. Perhaps they’re trying to get rid of me too? But who is doing it? Tom doesn’t live here anymore but he is involved with the firm. If he murdered Laura, who knows what hold the others have over him? Maybe I’m not looking outside the box. What if I’m correct and it’s the entire staff? Each doing their bit, like moving the flowers and my phone, and then shutting me inside rooms in the hope I’ll go crazy like Laura? I look over my shoulder at the open doorway and run to close and lock it. I run a hand down my face. I can’t think straight. The idea of becoming like Laura frightens me.
I stare at the boxes. I can’t tell anyone about finding the book—not yet. First, I need to know if they drove her to madness or drugged her. I know if I mention it, Jack would ask Ruby to help me and, until I’m sure, I must do everything myself. I grab my phone and ask it for the address of a drug-testing laboratory and it gives me the details. I go to the website and download a form to submit samples for testing. Using a large post bag from Jack’s office supplies, everything is ready to be mailed on Monday. I lean back in Jack’s chair and take a deep breath. “And now we wait.”
FORTY-TWO
MONDAY
We spent a nice Sunday with the children. We walked to the beach, built sandcastles and later went for pizza. It was a typical family day and I loved every second of it. Nothing bad happened and everything was perfectly normal. Being with Jack and the children is like breathing fresh air, and all my concerns vanished over the time I was with them. More determined than ever, this morning, I drove to the post office to mail the package. I want to be sure it arrives without a problem and send it by Priority Mail Express. As I drive into the garage, Ruby comes out of the house and stares at me. I wonder why she’s at home and not at work with Jack. I climb from the SUV and walk toward the front door. “Morning, did you want to speak to me?”
“Is there anything I can help you with today?” Ruby walks beside me. “Did you persuade Jack to send Laura’s things to Goodwill? I’d be happy to help you pack everything.”
I laugh. “No such luck.” I give her a side eye.Can I trust her about the drug testing? Maybe, but I’m not risking it.“I’m just shopping online today. I can’t think of anything I need help with right now, but thanks for the offer.”
“I’m working from home today if you change your mind.” Ruby walks into the foyer and pauses. “Jack is taking a client tolunch and then he’ll be home early. We’ll catch up with a few things and then he’s all yours.” She turns back to me. “I know you’ve been digging into Laura’s death but it was an accident. This house does weird things to people. As a friend, I wish you’d drop it. Laura went a little crazy toward the end and I’d hate to see that happen to you too. Jack loves you very much and I’ve never seen him so happy.”
Was that friendly advice or a warning? I can’t tell the difference any longer. I search for an answer and smile. “That’s good to know.” I head for the kitchen. “Thanks, Ruby.”
After grabbing sandwiches and a mug of coffee from the kitchen, I head up to my room. I recall seeing more diary entries listed in the file on Laura’s laptop. I need to know what her frame of mind was on the night of the anniversary celebration. Jack mentioned she’d recovered. I need to see the truth in her own words. I open the laptop and scroll through the pages as I nibble on my ham and rye sandwich. I find the final entry.
September 15
I’m feeling better and today, I woke with more clarity than ever before. Jack is pleased with my progress and has organized a celebration for our anniversary. I’ve known for a while now and, each day, I climb further out of the abyss. Now, I must try and focus on the small ray of sunlight that is my future. The party is just two weeks away and I must ensure it goes ahead. I’ll ask my hair stylist to call in a makeup artist today. Convincing Jack I’m well and ready to start entertaining again is paramount. When Jack comes home, I’ll be the socialite he married. I’m looking forward to being on theLauraagain. I know it’s too late for us now but at least in front of our friends, if only for one night, Jack will act as if he loves me. I guess then, I’ll be in the hands of fate.Nothing will ever be the same between us but I’ll be able to go out on deck, feel the wind in my hair and be free under the stars.
A cold ball forms in my stomach and crawls up into my lungs, making me catch my breath. I lean back in my chair as the wheels in my brain turn slowly, digesting the underlying menace in Laura’s last words. On the surface, the entry looks like a normal, perhaps wistful person, but it covers an awful truth. I can imagine plans being made. With the drugs removed, slowly Laura would return to normal, and this entry proves that; it also proves that someone was controlling her. Jack knew about Laura’s affair with Tom; perhaps after she tried to murder his son, it was the straw that broke the camel’s back. After removing the drugs, he’d plan a nice public party, take her out to sea and then make sure she never returned. Everyone knew that Laura was unstable, and if the cops didn’t believe she’d fallen overboard by accident, Jack could use the same excuse he’d given me that she’d taken her own life.
Perhaps his argument with Tom was an excuse to take the attention away from Laura when she went out on deck. All eyes would be on the men arguing. It was a perfect ploy. The weather had worked to his advantage too. He needed an excuse to go on deck to speak to the captain. An excuse and an alibi. I stare at the laptop. It’s all here. The defaced book is the final nail in the coffin. Laura knew someone was drugging her and the only person she mentions is Jack. The pain of betrayal grips my heart. I love Jack so much. Am I prepared to lose him? What can I do?
I close the laptop. Maybe Jack has changed? It’s been over seven years and he is such a kind, loving husband. If I go to the cops and they can’t prove he did anything, he’ll divorce me in a second. If I do nothing, I won’t be able to live with myself. It’s not something I can talk to him about. Can you imaginethe conversation? “Hey, Jack, did you throw Laura off the yacht because she tried to murder your son?”
I can almost see his face. He’d smile and stare into my eyes. “Yeah, wouldn’t you?”
My hands tremble and my pulse races. Would I? As a parent, would I kill a threat to my kids? Should I blame Jack for protecting them from someone who considered them a burden? My mind is twisting this way and that, unable to make a decision.
Outside, I hear voices, and go to my door to peer out. I scan the hallway in both directions but there’s no one there. Suddenly I can’t think straight. Am I hearing voices now too? I go and stare at myself in the mirror. I’ve changed in the last few weeks since we arrived in this house.
This isn’t the first time strange things have happened to me. It’s as if I’m running a parallel path with Laura. Could Jack really be involved? No, that’s not possible—is it? Realization crashes down on me. I face-palm and shake my head. If he killed Laura, I’ve put myself in danger by digging into his past to discover what happened to Caroline and Laura—Oh—My—God! If I’m married to a killer, I’m now his biggest threat.
FORTY-THREE
Leaving the laptop on the table in front of the window, I run downstairs and almost collide with Tom. I stare at him. “What are you doing here?”
“Jack has a few things for me to do. If you’ll excuse me?” Tom nods and heads along the hallway.
I don’t trust him but I’m not alone. I head to the kitchen, glad to be with people. I’m thirsty and, if I’m going to drink the bottled water, I’ll be taking it from the fridge myself. I’m guessing it’s only a matter of time before someone tries to drug me. My mind is in turmoil and I suspect everyone. As I take a bottle of water from the fridge, Ruby walks through the door. I crack the bottle open and take a long drink.
“Oh, there you are.” She waves a piece of paper at me. “I have the list and times of the viewings for next weekend but Jack called just before to tell me that an estate only two years old has just come onto the market. He was able to get a viewing for later this afternoon.”
