My mouth falls open, and I glance back to see if the boys heard what she said, but they’re only just getting out of the car. Fiona, on the other hand, looks as outraged as I feel.
‘What the hell?’ she mouths at me.
I now see that a few other neighbours across the street have come out of their houses. They’re chatting to one another, and not so subtly looking in my direction. This is ridiculous! Do they really believe I held Sophie prisoner in my attic? I’m a widowed mother of two who’s known most of them for over a decade. I can’t let the boys see that anything’s wrong, so I usher them towards the house.
As we step in through the back door, the boys race off to their bedrooms, happy to be back. By contrast, I feel odd being back inside my home. Like I’m an intruder. My mind is racing.Correction, it’s whirling and spinning, especially after what’s just happened outside. Not to mention that I’ve just discovered Sophie’s husband is a teacher at Ashridge Academy.
‘What an old witch,’ Fiona hisses. ‘I thought Margo was supposed to be nice! Want me to have a word with her? Set her straight?’
‘No, leave it. Let them all gossip. They’ll soon get it out of their system. Unless…’ I can’t even complete my sentence.
‘Unlesswhat?’
‘Unless I…’
‘What?You’ll be cleared of all this nonsense, Kels. And then your horrible neighbours will have to apologise for being total you-know-whats.’
‘I hope you’re right.’
‘There’s no “hoping I’m right” about it. The whole thing is preposterous.’
My belly feels like it’s filled with rocks. Everything seems so hopeless and awful right now. And the worst thing is that I’ve felt like this before. Years ago, when I couldn’t go anywhere without being stared at or bad-mouthed. When I was the subject of vile gossip. But I can’t bring that up now. Not with Fiona, of all people.
‘Thanks, Fi. I don’t know what I’d have done without you this weekend. You should go, though.’ I try and fail to sound brighter. I don’t want to be a burden. ‘You’ve done so much already, looking after the boys and picking me up from the station. I’m taking up too much of your time.’
‘Don’t be silly, Kelly. I’m more than happy to stay for a while. For as long as you need me to.’
‘Thanks, hon.’ I can’t deny that it’s nice to have a bit of moral support; someone to talk to rather than facing everything on my own. ‘Do you want a cuppa?’
‘Yes, but I’ll make it. Why don’t you go and have a shower and get changed? You must be feeling grotty after your night away.’
‘You read my mind. I’ve actually been yearning for a long soak in a bubble bath, but I’ll have one later. I’d like a cup of tea first.’ I sit at the table while Fi busies herself making us tea. ‘So what do think about Sophie’s husband being a teacher at Ryan and Sonny’s school? It’s a bit of a weird coincidence, don’t you think?’
‘Hmm, maybe.’
‘Whymaybe?’
Fiona shakes the tea canister. ‘You’ve run out of teabags.’
‘New packet in the larder.’ I stand up to fetch it, but she waves at me to sit back down.
‘I guess he has to work somewhere. Ashridge Falls isn’t exactly a huge place.’
‘Yes, but if he’s a teacher at school called Mr Jeffries, why did he say his name was Jones when he came round here looking for Sophie?’
‘That’s a good point.’
‘I’ll buy into the fact that he’s a local teacher. But why did he feel the need to give me a false name? Unless he’s up to something shady.’ I lean my elbows on the table and rest my chin in my hands. ‘This whole thing is so strange. I mean, first Sophie shows up here looking for somewhere to hide from him – her supposed abusive husband. And then she pretends that I’ve been holding her here against her will. It doesn’t make any sense. I feel like my head’s going to explode.’
‘And you didn’t accidentally lock her in the attic?’ Fiona asks.
I give her a look. ‘No, I didn’t accidentally lock her in the attic. Why would I have done that? The door doesn’t even have a lock. Anyway, she’s claiming I tied her to a chair. And that’s not something you can do accidentally.’
‘Just asking. Trying to help you get to the bottom of what’s going on.’ Fiona brings our drinks over and sits next to me. ‘Do you know which neighbour helped her “escape”?’
I shake my head. ‘No. Not sure I even want to know. I’m certainly not going to ask. It’s bad enough having all the neighbours gossiping about me, without having to confront them face to face. Although after the way Margo was behaving out there, it sounds like it could have beenher. Sophie must have filled her head with all kinds of lies. I’m seriously considering moving house.’
‘You can’t let them drive you away.’
