‘It’s just so much has been going on.’ I bite my lip. ‘And someone has been posting one-star ratings and leaving bad reviews about my work. I’ve had a warning from my boss about it. I feel like everything’s going wrong.’
‘Liz, everyone gets bad reviews now and again…’
‘I never have before. And there’s the peanut butter. I’m not imagining that.’
‘I thought we’d sorted that, agreed that one of the kids must have picked it up.’
Is he right? I have been in a state and I did take the kids to the supermarket before we came home. They do sometimes put things in my basket, especially Grace. I’d been wrong about Alison, am I wrong about this?
‘Look, you haven’t been yourself since your mum’s wedding. You know you haven’t. And I understand why, now that you’ve told me all this. You’ve been under tremendous strain all these years. And then when you realised who George’s wife was, well, it must have really freaked you out.’
I can feel my eyes fill with tears.
‘It did,’ I acknowledge.
He takes my glass of wine out of my hands and puts it on the table. Then he wraps his arms around me and holds me tight.
‘Can we put all this behind us, Lizzie? I hate seeing you under so much strain. Can you accept now that George’s wife’s death wasn’t your fault and put it to bed?’
I nod. ‘I’ll try.’ I snuggle into him. ‘I’m so glad everything’s out into the open now. No more secrets.’
He kisses me on the forehead.
‘Me too.’
I cuddle into him and try to push all the doubts out of my mind. Mum is getting better and now that me and Nick have talked about things and shared our secrets, everything should be okay. So why do I still feel uneasy, and that Nick is holding something back?
53
The house is in total darkness. I stand outside the back door and listen carefully for a few minutes. Not a sound. Then I take the key out of my pocket and slip it into the lock, turning it slowly twice. I learnt that the other day, it’s a double lock. I take the key back out, slip it back in my pocket and push the door open. I know the layout of the house well. I’m in the kitchen. The hallway leads to the stairs on the right then the living room. I’m not going in any other room though. Only the kitchen and maybe the hall.
I need to make sure that Lizzie is out of action for the next couple of days. I don’t want her, or Nick, dropping in on Judith and spoiling my plans. Time is limited now. I have to move fast.
I go over to the cupboard and look at the canisters lined up. Tea bags, coffee, sugar. I hesitate. I don’t want to harm the kids.
I open the cupboard and look inside, scanning the contents. Then I spot the ideal thing, a bottle of a well-known calming potion for adults. That has got to be for Lizzie. I open the bottle and see it’s about two thirds full. I take the small container of liquid out of my pocket and pour it in, put the lid back on and place it back in the cupboard.
There’s one more thing I need to do. She thinks that husband of hers is so perfect but she’s wrong. He’s hiding something, I don’t know what it is, but I know it’s there. I can see it in his eyes. I know how to tell when someone is putting on an act because I’ve been doing it myself for years. Well, this will make her think twice.
I’ve just finished when I hear a noise. Someone is coming downstairs.
Shit! I need to get out of here. I’m in such a hurry that I knock the tea towel onto the floor as I dash through the kitchen. I can’t stop to pick that up now. I reach the back door in a couple of strides and I’m out, crouching down by the bunker. I don’t even have time to lock the door when the kitchen light comes on. That was too close for comfort.
Whoever it is, they’ve probably come down for a drink. I’ll stay where I am and lock the door when the light goes back off again.
I wait and wait.
Twenty minutes pass. The kitchen light is still on. I can’t wait any longer. I have to go. With a bit of luck they’ll think they forgot to lock the door.
I sneak down the path and climb over the gate. It’s a good job they don’t have a high fence. Or security cameras. They probably think this is a safe area. Big mistake.
They say most accidents happen in your own home.
SUNDAY
54
LIZZIE
