Page 76 of The Psychopath Next Door

She followed the ringing and found it in her bedroom cupboard. Pressed the answer button.

‘Fiona.’ Her voice was icy.

‘Hello Lucy. Where are you. In your cell?’

‘Myroom, yes.’ As if the prison were a hotel that she’d chosen to book into permanently. ‘We’re all in lockdown because there was a fight this morning. Some drama caused by this new woman who really ought to be in a psychiatric hospital.’ She sighed. ‘I’m going to have to deal with her.’

‘But that’s not why you’re calling?’

‘No. I just wanted to catch up. What’s been happening out there?’

Fiona was hesitant. Could Lucy have been offered some sort of deal? Were the police listening in to this call? Four days had passed now since Patrick’s death, and there still hadn’t been anything on the news about it. That didn’t mean, though, that they hadn’t found him. Fiona was sure she hadn’t left any evidence behind and that no one had seen her and Rose go to his house. But might she have made a mistake she wasn’t aware of? And might Lucy have been told she’d get special privileges if she helped entrap Fiona?

‘Nothing’s been happening at all.’

‘Really? Not been working on your mission?’

Fiona didn’t respond. Through the window she could see that Ethan had gone back outside to unpack the car. She wondered what Lucy would make of him. He was exactly the kind of naive, good-natured person she enjoyed tormenting.

‘What about the girl? Did you take my advice and ditch her?’

‘I’m still spending my days looking after her,’ Fiona said.

‘Huh. Well, you do you, as they say. I’m really calling to find out what progress you’ve made with my old friends.’

Of course she was. Irritating, but better than an attempt at entrapment.

‘You mean Jamie and Kirsty?’

‘Urgh. It still makes me feel ill when I hear their names. But what have you done? I’ve been going crazy here, waiting to hear about the suffering you’ve caused them. I’ve decided for certain, Kirsty’s daughter should be the target ...’

‘Lucy, I haven’t had a chance. I’ve been too busy.’

‘What, looking after that girl?’

‘Among other things.’

Lucy’s voice could have frozen lava. ‘You promised me, Fiona. When you were in here, you told me you were going to help me. I thought we had a bond.’

‘We do. And I will get round to it. You just need to be patient.’

Lucy’s voice went from icy to Arctic: ‘Donottell me to be patient.’

‘Or what?’ The words emerged before Fiona could worry about the consequences. Oh well. The page had been turned. ‘What are you going to do about it?’

There was a long, outraged silence before Lucy said, ‘How dare you.’

Fiona could hardly believe it herself. But she was sick of Lucy trying to order her around. And she was in a bad mood after hearing about Ethan and Emma, and being told she would be kept from Rose this week.

‘You’re going to be in prison for the rest of your life, Lucy. Maybe it’s time you made peace with it. Jamie and Kirsty beat you. Accept it and move on.’

Lucy screeched, ‘You b—’

Fiona hung up, trembling as adrenaline coursed through her.

She and Lucy might have a bond, but Fiona wouldnotlet someone boss her about. Besides, she had a new connection now. With someone at the start of her career, not the end.

She watched as Ethan finished unpacking the car. She noticed that he deliberately didn’t look in the direction of her house. Such a coward.

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