Page 13 of The Black Trilogy

As I pondered my escape, Carol bustled off to the kitchen and came back with the brownies. Once she’d deposited a family-sized portion in front of me, she couldn’t contain herself any longer.

“So, what happened with this boyfriend of yours then?”

I took a deep breath, looked her in the eye and did what came naturally. I lied.

“My fiancé. Ex-fiancé.” I arranged my face into a suitably devastated expression and added a sniff for effect. “Three days ago, I got a migraine while I was out shopping, so I went home to rest, but as soon as I walked into the house, I heard noises coming from upstairs.”

These brownies were pretty good. Maybe I hadn’t lost my appetite after all, merely misplaced it. I forked in another mouthful while Carol salivated for the good bits.

“I almost called 911 because the house was meant to be empty, but then I figured I’d probably just left the TV on. It was supposed to have one of those energy-saving timers, but that never worked properly, and… Anyhow, I crept upstairs and realised the noises were coming from our bedroom. Kind of…grunting.” I screwed my eyes shut in mock disgust. “When I pushed the door open, Jamie was in there doing the deed with another woman.”

Carol’s mouth dropped open in horror. Or perhaps glee, since this was gossip gold.

“What did you do?”

I gazed past her. Lying was always easier if you didn’t look the person in the eye.

“First, I froze, but then I turned to run to my best friend’s house. Beth lived three doors up, and we’d been so close since we met at a yoga class three years ago and she recommended these really comfortable pants that—” I pursed my lips. “It was her! When Jamie moved, it was her underneath him. In my bed!”

“Did you kick his butt?” Carol asked.

I turned my laugh into a cough. This imaginary situation was anything but funny, but seriously? How many sweet little old ladies said that? She’d been watching too many US dramas.

“If I could turn the clock back, I’d have booted him up the backside, but I wasn’t thinking straight. I mean, they were naked. No, I ran right out of there.”

Carol reached over and squeezed my hand. “That’s quite understandable, dear.”

“Well, I threw my engagement ring at him and left, but now I wish I’d kept it. I could have pawned the diamond.”

“You know for next time.”

Next time? Boy, she had a high opinion of me, didn’t she?

“I guess.”

“But how did you end up in Lower Foxford?”

“I got worried he might come after me, so I ran to the bus stop and jumped on the first bus to arrive. Turned out it was going to the airport. So I got on a plane. Then a train, then a bus, and then I ended up here.” I gave a helpless shrug. “I’m a bit lost.”

I kept that last part close to the truth. Pretending was easier if you threw in a few facts, I knew that from years of experience. And when I first met my husband, he’d imparted a few words of wisdom: if you can only be good at one thing, be good at lying. Because if you’re good at lying, you’re good at everything. Words to live by. I’d taken his advice to heart, and like everything else I did, I practised. Practice made perfect.

“You said you flew?” Carol asked. “Where did you live?”

“In America.”

“Oh my, that’s a long way to come. No wonder you look tired.”

That was my cue to yawn. “I haven’t gotten much sleep over the past few days.”

“So, what are you planning to do now? Are you going to go back home and sort things out?”

I shook my head. “I never want to see that pig again. There’s not much to go back to, anyway.”

“What about your job?”

“The house was Jamie’s, and I didn’t work. He said I didn’t need to, that he earned enough for both of us. I thought we’d be together forever. How could I have been so stupid?”

“One of those control freaks, was he?”

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