Page 95 of The Last One to See Him

He kisses her forehead, breathing in her scent. She smells like roses and he likes it. He likes Kate Mason.

The moment she’s gone, panic overcomes him. He’s taken a lot of money to get Kate to his flat – money that he’s already used to pay off some of his debts – and now he’s let her go. There will be repercussions, he’s sure.

As Jamie clears their mugs away, there’s a knock on the door. Kate must have forgotten something. Smiling, Jamie rushes to answer it.

And the minute he opens the door, he knows he shouldn’t have.

FORTY-TWO

TUESDAY 4 FEBRUARY

She’s lost count of how many times she’s tried to call Kate. Harper should have stopped her leaving – she’s got a terrible feeling that tonight won’t end well.

A sudden pounding on the door startles her. She springs up from the sofa and makes her way to the front door, checking her doorbell camera on her phone. It’s Ellis. And Harper knows why he’s here.

‘What do you want?’ she shouts from behind the door.

‘Let me in, Harper. I need to see Kate. Now. Where is she?’

‘She’s not here. Just go before I call the police.’

There’s a moment of silence before Ellis responds. ‘I think that’s a good idea. Call the police. Because there’s a lot I need to tell them.’

This has to be a ruse, and Harper’s not falling for it. She puts the chain on the door and opens it a fraction. ‘Why the hell would you want me to call the police, after what you’ve done?’

‘What is it you think I’ve done, Harper? Just let me in before all the neighbours wake up.’

It’s a split-second decision, and Harper has no idea what’s about to happen, but if Ellis knows where Kate is then Harper needs to find out. She pulls the chain back and slowly opens the door. ‘I’ve got a video doorbell and it’s filmed you coming here. If anything happens to me, then?—’

Ellis steps inside. ‘What do you think I’m planning to do, Harper? Why would I hurt you? Turns out you’ve actually done me a favour by trying to turn Kate’s life upside down.’

She doesn’t trust him, but time is running out. ‘Where is Kate? What have you done?’

He frowns. ‘I’m here looking for Kate – why would I be here if I’d done anything to her? I need to see her. Now.’

‘If I knew where she was then I wouldn’t be asking you, would I?’ Harper snaps. ‘It was you who attacked her, wasn’t it?’

Ellis’s face crumples. ‘What are you talking about? Kate’s been attacked?’

‘This evening. She thinks it was you. I do too.’

Ellis’s mouth hangs open as he digests Harper’s words. ‘But…what happened? Is she okay?’ His voice is frantic.

‘Thankfully a group of teenagers walked past and the man ran off before he could do serious harm. But he tried to strangle her. He wanted her dead.’ She glares at Ellis, willing the truth to come out of his mouth.

‘Jesus! Where is she now, then? We need to find her!’

‘I told her to stay here but she said there was something urgent she needed to do. A bit like you did earlier. Now I don’t know where she is.’ She studies Ellis’s face. His concern seems genuine, but then he must be adept at lying by now. ‘It must have been you,’ Harper says. ‘Who else would want to hurt her? And you were with Jamie in a bar months ago – Maddy saw you! She’d come to meet you and saw you talking to Jamie.’

Ellis frowns. ‘If you’re talking about that time in the summer, that was a meeting with a potential client. He worked for the Financial Conduct Authority. But he never got back to me after that meeting. I never saw him again. I only saw him that once and I’m not great with remembering faces. He told me his name was Ewan.’

‘That’s his middle name,’ Harper says.

‘So that’s why Kate kept showing me pictures of Jamie. I didn’t recognise him – he looked different when we met up. He had facial hair.’

This all seems plausible, but Harper will never trust Ellis. ‘I still don’t believe you,’ she says.

‘Why the hell would I want to hurt my wife? I love her!’

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