“In the morning?”
“No, right now. Tonight.”
53HARRISON
I have to deal with this situation tonight. Carter has caused more problems than I could ever have predicted. He seemed like a pushover when I first met him. Someone desperate to please but without the skill set to do so. But he’s been asking too many of the right questions, which can sometimes result in the wrong answers. How dare he judge me. I know what he did and what he wanted to do. The boy cop is a hypocrite and a liability. I fear being suspended might not be enough to shut him up, but hopefully it will slow him down long enough for me to finish what I started.
As soon as I’m back inside the house I think I see Eden.
I hurry to the library, push the books to one side, and pull the concealed lever. I slide the bookcases apart and open the secret door. She isn’t there. A book falls to the floor, making me jump—a battered old copy ofFrankenstein—so I pick it up and put it back on the shelf. I fear the stress and lack of sleep caused by this whole sordid affair is starting to get to me. I’ve heard strange rumors about the old woman who lived here before us. They say she died twice, that she came back to life and back to Spyglassafterher family buried her. The story gave me the creeps. And now I’m scared Eden will reappeartoo, like a ghost, even though I know there is no such thing. Once you’re dead, you’re dead.
Onward, as my wife liked to say whenever life took a wrong turn.
I’ll leave tonight. That wasn’t the original plan but it’s for the best—there are too many eyes on me now—so I hurry out of the library and up to the bedroom and start packing two suitcases. One for me, one for her. Then I find the passports and the cash I stashed away for if things didn’t go the way we hoped. A good plan B is the secret to success. I wish I had more time, but time is never on anyone’s side and no amount of money can change that.
Mary sends me a text message on the phone I use only for her.
I told her not to contact me for a few days but clearly Carter turning up at The Manor has properly spooked her. To be fair, it’s spooked me too. I quickly text her back to saySTICK TO THE NEW PLANand hope she does as I ask. There is still a way to steer this back on track if I can just quiet my mind and think.
I’m smarter than all of these people. I built Thanatos from nothing, so I can fix this. But now Mary, who has always seemed so calm and collected, has started sounding more and more like my real wife, which is far from ideal. I could do without any additional crazy right now. At least she isn’t planning on coming back here, that really would be a disaster. My phone buzzes again and again, but I ignore it and keep packing. I regret that when I do eventually pick it up and read Mary’s latest messages.
I NEED TO SEE YOU.
WHY WON’T YOU REPLY?
I CAN’T DO THIS ON MY OWN.
I’M COMING BACK TO HOPE FALLS.
I dial Mary’s number but it goes straight to voicemail. Shecannotcome back here. Now that the police are asking too many questions, and now that Carter knows Mary is called Mary and works at The Manor, Mary mustneverbe seen here ever again. Nobody was supposed to see Eden running up to the suicide spot, she was supposed to get there before dawn. Nobody was supposed to find her car abandoned in the national park. Nobody was supposed to suspect a thing. Eden was just meant to disappear and nobody was supposed to notice because everyone in Hope Falls thought Mary was my wife. Not a care assistant being paid to impersonate her. But now, with all this attention, the best thing to do is run.
They all believed that Mary was Eden, even Sergeant Carter. When he kissed her in the police station, it filled me with a variety of jealousy I had forgotten I could feel. But at least Mary told me the truth. She said it only lasted a few seconds before she politely pushed him away. It was that moment, him kissing her, which made me realize how I truly felt. Mary and I had hit it off as soon as we met at The Manor. She’s clever and cunning and I find that so damn sexy. She’s also a fantastic actress for someone who has worked in the care industry all her life. And, most important of all, she fixed my little girl. The only person who could. Seeing how Mary helped Gabriella made me see what a fool I had been staying with Eden all these years. I don’t just want Mary to take care of my daughter anymore. I want her to take care of me. I think we should be a family. But we can’t do that here now.
Carter has ruined everything.
He is as clumsy as a pig on ice, but he’s smarter than I thought. Since the hillbilly spotted Mary at The Manor, I can tell he’s not going to let this go, and he’s not going to go away. So we have to. Before anyone gets any closer to the truth. Which also means Mary must never come back to Hope Falls now. If she does and someone sees her, I could lose everything and everyone I’ve ever loved.
I’m never going to let that happen.
54CARTER
I don’t know how I let this happen. DCI Bird being in the same room as my wife was more than just uncomfortable. I am not looking forward to seeing Harrison Woolf again either. I know too much about him now, and I worry about him knowing too much about me. Sometimes it is better to fly under the radar of people whothinkthey are powerful; they can be even more dangerous than powerful people. Dinner with my boss and my wife was a disaster, and I feel nothing but relief when Jane starts clearing our plates from the table.
“That was delicious, thank you,” Bird lies.
“We’re going out for a bit,” I tell Jane.
“Are you two going to join the Day of the Dead parade?” she asks.
“Yes,” Bird replies before I can answer. “Can’t wait.”
I’m glad she doesn’t tell her we’re working. I’m already in the doghouse for “working late” last night.
“The parade will be fun! I’m jealous I can’t join you—I would if it weren’t for the lil’un upstairs—it was lovely to meet you,” Jane says.
“Likewise.”
“Won’t be late,” I tell her as we head out the door.
