Page 83 of The Last One to See Him

‘Are you okay? What’s happening?’ Kate pulls herself up, coughing from the dust that floats up as she moves.

‘My stomach,’ Mona says. He kicked me and I think it’s done some damage.’

‘Try not to panic,’ Kate says, shuffling over and putting her arm around Mona. We’re together. We’ll get out of this.’

‘Who was he?’ Kate says. ‘Did you get a good look at him?’

Mona frowns. ‘Didn’t you notice?’

‘What?’

‘It washim! Graham White. He’s the one who’s done this to us and now I don’t know what he’s going to do.’

Panic swells in Kate’s body. ‘I told you we should never have broken into his house. He’s going to kill us! He wants to keep you silent in case you tell the police what he did to you. And now I’m involved too. He knows you’ve told me!’

‘We need to just stay calm. And think of a plan.’ Mona pauses. ‘There are two of us and only one of him. As soon as he opens the door, I’ll kick him really hard between his legs and you run. I’m a bit faster than you so I’ll be able to catch you up.’

‘But we don’t even know where he’s taking us. Where are we supposed to run to?’

‘I don’t have all the answers, Kate. But I got us into this mess, so I’m going to get us out of it. Just…whatever happens, as soon as that door opens and I’ve done some damage – run!’

For what feels like hours, the van continues on, and soon Kate can tell they’re off the main roads and heading down a dirt track. She throws up, her vomit pooling across the floor of the van. Beside her, Mona squeezes her hand.

Eventually, the van comes to a stop and the girls turn to each other. ‘Get ready,’ Mona says. ‘This is it. We only get one chance to get this right.’

Kate crawls over to the door, her heart thumping in her chest. And when the door creaks open, like a wild animal Mona lunges towards Graham White, thrusting her knee right between his legs. He doubles over and Kate jumps out of the van, running into the darkness.

She waits to hear Mona’s footsteps behind her, but there is only silence. He must have hurt Mona, otherwise she’d be right behind Kate.

Stopping to turn around, Kate squints into the darkness. Nothing but silence. And then she turns around and runs back the way she’s just come, stopping short when she sees Mona up ahead, staring at something.

Graham White’s lifeless body.

THIRTY-SEVEN

TUESDAY 4 FEBRUARY

‘What do you mean by that? Who did you love?’

Kate needs to hear it from Mona’s mouth. The truth. After all these years.

‘Graham,’ Mona says, sinking onto the floor and drawing her knees up to her chin, childlike and vulnerable.

That’s when Kate understands everything, the murkiness clearing away and leaving a bright light for her to follow. ‘He didn’t rape you, did he?’

Seconds tick by and all the while Kate fears the answer she’s about to hear. It changes everything. On the floor, Mona shakes her head.

‘And you let me take the blame for his death.’ Anger rages inside Kate and she forces deep breaths to keep it at bay. But still her pulse races. ‘The only reason I covered for you back then was because I thought he’d raped you! And then when I wanted to tell the truth, you forced me to keep quiet. For years people think I killed a man. And now, after everything you put me through, it was all based on a lie!’ Kate stares at the woman who as teenagers she would have done anything for. ‘Why did we break into his house, then? What did you want revenge for? Did he dump you? Is that it?’

Mona’s voice is barely audible. ‘No, that’s not it.’

‘What? I can’t hear you.’ It’s getting harder for Kate to keep her rage contained.

‘I offered myself to him on a plate, and he turned me down. Basically told me I was little girl and made me feel this small.’ She gestures with her fingers.

Kate struggles to understand what she’s saying. ‘So Graham White didn’t touch you at all? He never went anywhere near you?’

The shake of Mona’s head leaves Kate seething. How easily she destroyed an innocent man’s life. ‘But why did he kidnap us?’

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