I pull at the door with all my strength, relieved when it opens and I collide with someone. A man who is blocking my escape. Oh, God.
‘What’s going on?’
I look up into the man’s face. It’s Kit, Rufus’s guitar teacher. What is he doing here? I remember the newspaper article he stole from their house.
He glances past me to Henry and then back to me again, his features contorted in confusion.
‘Kit. Thank God. You have to help me, please,’ I gasp.
‘It’s okay, it’s okay, Lena,’ he says, putting an arm protectively around my shoulders. ‘What are you doing to her?’ he demands, glaring at Henry, who is hiding the syringe behind his back. ‘What the hell is going on here?’
I sag against Kit in relief. He backs out of the door, his arm still around me, guiding me to safety.
‘I can explain,’ begins Henry.
‘I’m taking her home,’ says Kit, and I’m impressed by his authoritarian tone.
I throw the key to Henry, where it clatters onto the tiles at his feet. ‘Your wife is locked in the attic. She might need medical attention, but then, you are a doctor.’
Henry just stands there, gawping at us. Kit closes the door on him and leads me down the path towards my house. ‘Are you okay? What just happened? Shall I call the police?’
‘I just want to go home.’ My whole body is trembling and I have to hand Kit my front-door key so he can let us in. ‘Thank God you showed up. Kit, they’re fucking psychos, both of them.’
‘What did they do?’ he asks, as he helps me into the kitchen and onto a chair before fetching me a glass of water.
I put my hand to my head. I feel shivery, like I’ve caught the flu. ‘They … oh God, where to start?’
‘I’m going to call Charlie.’
‘No! It’s okay, I …’
But he’s firm and before I can stop him he’s got out his mobile and is dialling my ex-husband’s number, asking him to come over urgently. When he ends the call heflashes me a concerned look. ‘You can’t be on your own, Lena. I don’t know what’s going on with the people next door, but you look as white as a ghost and you’re shaking. You’re obviously in shock.’
I sip my water, my mind swimming.
He takes a seat next to me. ‘What happened?’ he probes gently.
I want to ask him about the article and why he went to the Morgans’, but I dismiss it for now. I can ask him about that later.
‘Oh, God, Kit. It’s so much worse than I even thought.’ I recount everything that happened and his eyes get bigger and rounder as my story progresses. ‘And then I managed to escape by sticking the nail into the side of Marielle’s neck and locking her in the attic. Henry would have jabbed me with God knows what if you hadn’t shown up. You saved my life, Kit. I can’t thank you enough.’
Ten minutes later Charlie arrives with Rufus. We’re all in my living room and someone, I’m assuming Kit, has draped a throw over my shoulders. I can’t stop trembling even though I’m trying to play it down in front of Rufus, who is wide-eyed with terror.
‘It’s the shock,’ says Charlie, handing me a can of Coke from the fridge. ‘Drink this. The sugar will be good.’ Rufus is sitting so close to me he’s almost on my lap, reminding me of when he was little and nervous if we were somewhere unfamiliar.
Kit is hovering by the window. He keeps glancing down the street. ‘I’m going around there,’ he says, turning to uswith a look of determination. ‘I’ll call the police and make sure they don’t abscond or anything. Henry’s Jag is still outside.’
‘It’s my word against theirs,’ I say, my teeth chattering. ‘Marielle is the one with the wound. They’ll blame me.’
‘I’ll make sure to tell the police what I witnessed, don’t worry,’ Kit assures me, but I notice something like doubt pass across his face. Does he believe me? He saw how scared I was.
‘Thanks, Kit,’ says Charlie. And then he turns to me. ‘Do you mind if I stay here tonight? I don’t want to leave you on your own.’
‘I can look after her,’ says Rufus, putting his arm protectively around me.
‘I know, son,’ says Charlie, ‘but I’d like to be here too, if that’s okay.’
I’m not sure how I feel about that after finding footage of Charlie sneaking around my garden late at night. But I don’t want to say anything in front of Rufus.
