CHAPTER 49
NATHAN
There she is.
As I run out of the kitchen and turn the corner, I see Claire Blackburn running across the hallway, only a few feet ahead. I have no idea what I’m going to do next. Am I really going to rugby tackle her to the ground? All I know is that I cannot let her leave. Claire Blackburn is alive and she needs to clear Faye’s name.
She reaches the front door and fumbles with the handle. She turns to me, scared and small, and lets out a whimper.
“I’m not going to hurt you,” I say. “Don’t leave. Please. I need to talk to you.” I take a few tentative steps forward with my hands in the air.
“I’m sorry,” she is close to tears. “I needed… I had to come here for food,” she says. She sniffs heavily. It’s so strange how much she resembles Faye and yet how different they are. Her voice is softer, more feminine. Her shoulders are naturally hunched whereas Faye always carries herself upright. “I never meant to involve her. I just needed to disappear, go somewhere.”
“You’ve been breaking in here, haven’t you?” I speak softly, not wanting to spook her.
Her eyes dart from left to right as though she’s afraid someone will overhear us and then she pulls her hand away from the door handle.
“Yes.” She walks towards me, her eyes wide and unblinking. “Oh God, it’s all such a mess!” She breaks down into heaving sobs. A strangled wheezing sound comes from her body and for a moment I’m frozen, scared she might collapse.
“All right,” I say, trying to sound reassuring but I’m never good in situations where people need reassurance. “Sit… sit down. Come on.”
I lead her into the living room.
“I think you need to tell me what’s going on,” I say, once she’s settled on the sofa. “Start from the beginning.”
She wipes her eyes and pulls in a deep breath. “I was attacked. My stepson tried to kill me.”
“Your stepson?” I shake my head slightly.
“He took me out onto the moors and…” She buries her face in her hands.
“Take your time.” I concentrate on sounding calm, trying to hide my shock.
“I was so frightened, so cold, I had nowhere to go. I still don’t. If he finds me, he’ll kill me.”
“But why would he want to kill you?”
“For Jack’s money. My husband. He was supposed to leave it all to Magnus, but he left me everything. Magnus wasn’t expecting that. He thought he’d at least take over the business, but no. Jack never trusted Magnus to do the right thing. He never trusted anyone to do the right thing really, but I suppose he thought this would teach him a lesson. Perhaps he enjoyed the idea of us falling out over it. Because that’s certainly what’s happened.”
“And he attacked you over it?” I ask.
She nods. “He drugged me and when I came round, we were out on the moors.” I watch her eyes glisten as she relives it. “And he was… he was… digging my grave.” She breaks down into uncontrollable sobs, the pure horror of what she’s describing shaking her whole body.
I am speechless, absolutely silenced by what she’s telling me.
I go over to the sideboard and pluck a few tissues out of the box, which I then hand to her, urging her to continue.
“I managed to get away from him. I was injured but I found a place to hide on the moors. An abandoned shepherd’s hut that was just about still standing. But it was cold and… and I had no food. I knew Faye lived near here. I’ve known about her for some time but never had the courage to contact her. But when I realised how close I was, I started watching the house.” Claire stands, then begins pacing back and forth. “There was always a window or door open. I’d slip in and get what I needed. Sometimes I came at night and that was when I thought she’d seen me.” Claire’s hands flutter upwards as though she’s chasing a butterfly. “But she was in such a trance that I don’t think she even knew I was there.”
My chest tightens. I’m beginning to fear this strange woman. She’s been living on themoors? For two weeks! I try to picture her sneaking in and out of Faye’s home. Checking doors and windows for a way in. I shudder.
“You do realise that people think you’re dead.”
Her bottom lip begins to tremble, and I realise I’ve pushed too hard, too fast. As usual, tact is not my strong suit.
“I wanted to tell her, I wanted to get help. But I didn’t feel safe, I had to hide,” she says. “You have no idea what Magnus is capable of. He’s evil to the core. And he won’t stop until he’s destroyed me.”
Claire weeps silently, her shoulders shaking. Not sure how to handle this outpouring of emotion, I pat her hand three times and then clear my throat.
