Page 125 of The Half Sister

Kate feels Matt shift beside her as they both realize that they’ve fallen head first into Jess’s trap.

‘So have you even spoken to the police today?’ asks Kate. ‘Since the article came out?’

‘They’ve called me and asked me to go in.’ She looks at Matt. ‘I assume you’ve spoken to them too?’

‘They’ve bought us up to speed,’ he says, and Kate prays that he leaves it there. This is Jess’s stage – letherdo the performing.

‘If only you’d listened,’ says Jess threateningly. ‘None of this would have happened.’

‘I’m sorry,’ says Kate. ‘We’resorry. But we’re listening now.’

‘But it’s notmyturn to talk,’ says Jess, ‘is it, Rose?’

Rose holds Noah and Emmy closer to her. ‘I don’t know what you want me to say,’ she says shakily.

‘Well, you must havesomethingto offer,’ says Jess. ‘You knew your husband was having an affair, knew he’d had a baby...’

‘No,’ says Rose, shaking her head manically. ‘No, I didn’t.’

‘Sure you did,’ says Jess, gripping Jude tighter and making him cry. His distress makes Kate’s chest feel as if it’s being ripped open.

‘Lauren told you she’d seen Harry with me and my mum, didn’t you, Lauren?’

Kate looks at her sister wide-eyed, not knowing what answer she wants her to give.

‘Y-yes,’ stutters Lauren, her voice sounding as if she’s gargling blood.

‘Okay, I had my suspicions that he was having an affair,’ Rose blurts out, ‘but I swear I didn’t know about you.’

‘You sure about that?’ questions Jess, making Jude cry even louder.

‘Tell her!’ barks Kate, unable to listen to her nephew’s pitiful sobs any longer. ‘Tell her about the hospital tag.’

Rose looks at her, dumbstruck. ‘I don’t know what...’ she starts.

‘Isawit!’ exclaims Kate, wanting to scream, but mindful of not frightening the children any more than they already are. ‘It has Jess’s date of birth on it. Just tell her what you know.’

Rose’s head drops and her chest heaves. ‘I’m sorry,’ she cries.

‘YouknewJess’s mum wasn’t Helen Wilmington, didn’t you?’ says Kate tightly, as the truth begins to dawn on her.

Rose makes a strange noise in the back of her throat.

‘You gave us that name, hoping that it would be enough to throw us off the scent. Thinking that we’d run with it, find out she’d died and that would be the end of it.’

Rose looks at her imploringly, silently begging her to understand why.

‘So you knew all along that Jess’s mum was Julia Woods? That Dad’s lover had been murdered?’

A sob catches in Rose’s chest. ‘Yes. I just didn’t want you to find out, and start asking questions that I couldn’t answer.’

‘So what do you know about my mum?’ asks Jess.

‘Not much,’ Rose whimpers. ‘Nothing at all in fact, apart from what happened to her.’

‘And how did you find out aboutthat?’ presses Jess.

‘From the paper, like everyone else,’ offers Rose.

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