Page 33 of The Last One to See Him

Rowan stands and walks over to her. ‘Kate, I’m urging you to go to the police. None of this sounds like it will end well.’ He glances at the clock again. ‘I’ll even come with you. Will that help? I’ll just have to call my wife – we have a dinner reservation at seven.’

Kate shakes her head. ‘Thank you but you don’t need to do that. I’ll go to the police.’

Rowan sighs. ‘I’m relieved to hear that. You’re innocent, Kate – you’ve got nothing to hide.’

But these words offer her no comfort. ‘Harper thinks I had something to do with Jamie’s murder.’ Although Kate’s had this thought in her head, saying it aloud breathes life into it.

For the first time since she met Rowan there is stark fear in his eyes. ‘But…I’m sure she can’t think that. Why would she? You left in the middle of the night, didn’t you?’

Now Kate has reached another crossroads. If she says out loud the thing she’s tried to suppress, there’ll be no going back.

‘There’s something else, isn’t there?’ Rowan says, his shoulders sagging. Seconds tick by while he waits patiently for her to answer. ‘I really think you need to talk about this, Kate,’ he urges.

‘There’s nothing else,’ she says, forcing herself to maintain eye contact.

But she can tell from his silence that Rowan doesn’t believe her.

SIXTEEN

TUESDAY 28 JANUARY

With adrenalin coursing through her body, Kate makes her way home from South Kensington. It’s still busy on the underground, but she manages to find a seat this time, next to a woman with a crying toddler in her arms.

There’s a silent clock ticking now – Rowan has promised to give her until the end of tomorrow to go to the police, otherwise he will do it himself. But Kate will make sure it never comes to that.

Ellis opens the door before she turns the key, immediately pulling her inside. ‘Where have you been? I’ve been trying to call you for the last hour. Why haven’t you checked your phone? You said you were working late but I called and David said you’d left ages ago.’

Kate stomach twists. ‘Is Thomas okay? Where is he?’

‘He’s fine. It’s not that. But we need to talk.’ He takes her arm and leads her into the kitchen.

‘Let go.’ She pulls away. ‘What’s going on?’ This can only be about Jamie; she’s never known Ellis to be agitated.

‘Sorry. It’s just…what did you say to Maddy?’

‘Maddy?’ Kate’s been so sure that Ellis was about to confront her about Jamie that she’s momentarily stunned.

‘She’s left me. For no reason. She said you’d called her and had a long chat about me. Warned her that I’ll never love her. You told her I still have feelings for you! Why would you do that, Kate?’ He shakes his head.

Stunned silent, Kate struggles to comprehend his words. ‘I…but I didn’t call Maddy!’

‘So you’re saying Maddy’s lying?’ Why would she do that? I don’t believe you, Kate. You’ve been acting really strangely lately and I don’t know what’s going on with you. Is this because of the other day? When I told you it doesn’t have to be over between us? Why are you punishing me?’ In all the time Ellis and Kate were married he’d rarely raised his voice, and Kate has never experienced this level of anger coming from him.

‘I’ve already told you – I didn’t call Maddy! Why would I interfere in your relationship?’

‘I don’t know! To get back at me for having an affair?’

‘How long have you known me? You know I’m not vindictive!’

With a heavy sigh, Ellis looks up to the ceiling. ‘So you haven’t spoken to Maddy at all?’

‘Only when she stopped by here to drop off Thomas’s homework book. I swear. We barely spoke for more than a minute and Thomas was right there. He heard it all – you can ask him.’ This is Harper’s doing, Kate knows it.

His looks her straight in the eyes. ‘She said we weren’t working and there was no future for us. It doesn’t make sense. It’s only been a couple of days since she said we should move in together! She sounded so upset. I’ve never heard her like that before.’

‘I’m sorry,’ Kate says. ‘But I honestly had nothing to do with that.’

Thomas strolls in holding an empty glass. ‘Hi, Mum. Didn’t know you were back.’

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