Page 26 of The Last One to See Him

With nothing online to help her, it can only be Harper who will lead her to the truth. Kate won’t stop until she finds out what Jamie wanted with her, and why he ended up dead. And who is targeting her because of it.

Chatter greets her the moment she steps into her house – Ellis’s throaty laugh followed by Thomas’s chuckle – and for the briefest moment it feels like it did before the separation, as if time has been erased. But Kate’s thrown back to reality when her phone pings and she sees Harper’s name. A voicemail this time. Once again, she ignores it and goes to the kitchen, where she finds Ellis and Thomas playing Uno.

‘Hi,’ she says, forcing a smile and hugging Thomas. She turns to Ellis. ‘Thanks for doing pick-up, Ellis.’

‘You’re welcome.’

‘Dad! You’ll lose again if you don’t concentrate,’ Thomas warns.

Ellis studies his cards before placing one down.

‘Don’t you need to get back?’ Kate asks.

‘Nope. All done for the day.’ He smiles at Thomas. ‘Pick up two!’

‘Great,’ Thomas moans. ‘Mum, can Dad stay for dinner?’ He places a card on the table. ‘Please?’

Kate glances at Ellis. ‘I don’t think so. Maybe another time?’

Ellis nods and turns back to his cards, masking his disappointment, she’s sure. And when Kate looks at Thomas, the sadness on his face is too much to bear.

‘Maybe it’s okay,’ she says. ‘We’re only having pasta, though.’

‘My favourite,’ Ellis says, even though they all know he’d rather avoid it.

After they eat – all of them pretending it’s a regular family dinner – Ellis helps Kate clear away while Thomas goes upstairs to have his bath. ‘What happened to the calendar?’ he asks, nodding his head towards the fridge.’

‘It got ruined. I spilled milk all over it so had to throw it out.’

‘Oh.’ He smiles. ‘Make sure you don’t forget anything.’

Kate doesn’t respond, and focuses on rinsing the plates.

‘Are you okay?’ Ellis asks. ‘You seem…quiet.’

‘Just tired. Work’s been busy this week. I operated on a cat today. She’s twenty-one – that’s a hundred in human years. She’s an amazing animal.’

He nods, but Kate can tell he’s not listening, even though he’s looking right at her. Behind his eyes is something unspoken.

‘What is it?’ she asks. ‘Something’s wrong.’

Ellis smiles. ‘You know me so well.’

‘Just spit it out.’

‘Maddy wants us to move in together.’

Kate’s breath catches in her throat for a moment, before she recovers herself. ‘Do it then.’

‘But we’ve only been together properly for a couple of months. I don’t count that one night a couple of years ago. Or the few times we’ve met up and tried to make it work. How do I know it will even work this time?’

‘Do you love her?’ Kate asks.

He hesitates, and in that brief silence she has her answer. ‘Please tell me this isn’t about me. Our marriage is over, Ellis.’

‘It doesn’t have to be,’ he says, reaching for her hand.

Kate pulls away; she can’t let Ellis drag her back in, especially now. ‘We’re separated. There’s no going back, you know that.’

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