Page 13 of The Psychopath Next Door

‘I hope we can spend more time together over the summer,’ Fiona said, standing outside the open bathroom door.

Rose spat the toothpaste into the basin. ‘Me too. Lola would definitely like that.’

Their eyes met and held for a moment, and once more Fiona felt that frisson. The thrill of recognition. Rose felt it too, she was sure.

But it was too early to talk about it.

Rose went into her room and shut the door. Fiona hesitated outside Dylan’s room for a moment, listening. It was quiet inside, but surely he wouldn’t be asleep yet?

She looked down and saw lights flickering beneath the door, knocked gently, then went in without waiting for a response.

He was at a computer desk, playing some fast-moving game that appeared to be set on a spaceship. He had a headset on so the room was silent, but the light spilling in from the hallway made him spin round in his chair. He pulled his headset off.

‘Just wanted to check you’re okay,’ Fiona said.

He stared at her. ‘I’m fine.’

The room was dark, lit only by the computer monitor. He had a double bed with a black bedspread and there were posters of bands and more pop stars Fiona didn’t recognise on the walls. Some framed record covers and a turntable sitting on a chest of drawers. Like father, like son. The room smelled of teenage boy, the musty stink of hormones and cheap deodorant mixed with the lingering odour of the pizza she’d allowed him to bring up here.

She went closer to Dylan, peering at the screen. ‘What are you playing?’

‘Just a game.’ In the glow from the computer, she could have sworn he’d gone pink, and she could feel waves of awkwardness coming off him as she got closer.

There was a black box in the corner of the screen, messages scrolling upwards rapidly. One of them was asking him what was going on, why he wasn’t responding. Lots of question marks and confused emojis.

Dylan saw her looking and whirled back around to minimise the chat window, but it was too late. Fiona saw the message appear:

Hey, don’t tell me you hooked up with the hot babysitter LOLOLOLOL

He spluttered something unintelligible, and Fiona suppressed a genuine smile. So he thought she was hot, huh? That was very interesting.

‘Dylan,’ she said, enjoying the way he tensed, ‘I know you saw Rose and me watching that movie. I just wanted to reassure you that I didn’t know what it was about. And if I’d thought Rose was scared or disturbed I would have turned it off.’

He blinked at her. ‘Okay.’

‘I wouldn’t want your parents to be upset.’

She was standing very close to him, so close she could feel the heat coming off him. Could almost hear the blood pumping inside his body. She flicked her gaze towards the part of the screen where the chat box had been, hoping he would get the message.You tell your parents about the movie, I’ll tell them you called me the hot babysitter.

‘I’m not going to say anything,’ he said.

She nodded. ‘Well, I’ll leave you to your game. And your chat.’

‘Hold on,’ he said as she reached the door.

It took him several attempts to get the words out. ‘You’ve met Albie and Eric. Do you think they’ll actually come after us like they said they would?’

‘What do you think?’ she asked.

‘I don’t know. I mean, they are psychos.’

‘No they’re not.’

He blinked at her, confused. She probably shouldn’t have said that.

‘You don’t need to worry,’ she said. ‘I have a feeling it’s all going to be fine.’

With Dylan’s door closed behind her, she hesitated in the hall, then – feeling confident neither of the kids would come out – she opened the door beside Rose’s room. It was Ethan and Emma’s bedroom.

---