“What? At home with Bella, I assume. Why?”
“She wasn’t. I found out she asked Leesa to babysit. She said she had physio.”
A sigh. “So presumably she had physio. Look, Jon, I’m dealing with a complete shitshow here. My hockey camp has lost half its members and people want their money back and there’s talk of calling the police and I really don’t need an extra headache.”
“Greta, thereisno physio. It’s just something we said when we needed a babysitter for…well, we were going to marriage counseling.”
Silence.
“Greta?”
“You really are some fucker, aren’t you? You were cheating on Susan while going to marriage counseling? Is this all one big joke to you?”
“I thought maybe the counseling would help…”
“I think maybe breaking up the affair would have helped more,” Greta says dryly.
“I know, I know…but Susan suggested counseling and I had no good reason to refuse. She knew there was a distance between us, but she thought it was the pregnancy and the baby.”
“And you let her think that. You’re a monumental dick, Jon, you know that?”
“Absolutely,” Jon says. “But we are where we are, and Susan lied to Leesa about where she was on the morning Savannah…”
Greta barks a laugh. “Oh my god. Next thing you’re going to say is that Susan went to Savannah’s that morning.”
Jon doesn’t laugh.
“Jon, come on. Pull yourself together and think straight. If you fall apart now, we’re both going to be in trouble. You told me you called the gardaí yesterday and gave them Albie Byrne’s name, right?”
“Yes.”
“So they’re probably questioning him as we speak. Anyway, why on earth would you think Susan was anywhere near Savannah?”
“Because Savannah was wearing a bracelet that morning, one I gave her. And now Susan has it.”
“Maybe it’s just a similar bracelet.”
“No, it has an engraving.”
Silence.
“What if Susan was there that morning, Greta?”
“She wasn’t. You’d have seen her. So stop thinking it, and for god’s sake stop saying it out loud. Get back to fixing your marriage, and I’ll get back to fixing my business.”
“What if the police—”
But she’s hung up.
71
Susan
Thursday
Back inside the house, away from Juliette Sullivan’s prying eyes and false concern, I hug Bella close and make my way to the patio door. It’s not locked. Despite what Jon and I agreed, it’s not locked. It was definitely locked last night, and I haven’t been out the back this morning, so how is it unlocked? A movement catches my attention. The robot lawnmower Jon bought himself at the start of the summer is making its way across the lawn, manicuring the grass in neat lanes. Jon sometimes goes out to set it on its course when it stalls on a tree root or a rock. Maybe he was out this morning before work? I try ringing him, but he doesn’t answer. I text him to ask. But even if the patio door was left unlocked by Jon, how would someone get into the garden? On one side, the house goes all the way to the dividing wall with Greta’s. And on the other, the side gate is kept locked. I go there now to have a look, Bella still in my arms. The bolt is drawn across, as it should be. But not padlocked. We only padlock it when we’re going on holidays. And it strikes me now that someone with sufficiently small hands could probably slide the bolt open from the outside. I try it now, slipping my hand through the slats of wood, and it’sdoable. Shit. I can’t stay here. Even if I lock it now, whoever is doing this will find another way. It’s probably the same person who smashed the window that first night. Meaning it’s all linked to the stupid message. But what could be so bad in that message to warrant this kind of response?Nobody diedpops into my head before I can stop it.People did die. I go inside to call Jon again, to tell him I’m going to stay somewhere else with Bella. I stop before hitting the call button. Could any of this be down to Jon? Did he leave the door unlocked on purpose? Is he gaslighting me, making me feel like a bad mother? Is this somehow linked to his affair with Savannah? Or…or her murder? Another question hits—where was he last Wednesday morning when Savannah was killed? God, I hope he was at work. I put down the phone. That’s something I need to find out.
72
