Page 34 of The Last One to See Him

Kate glances at his backpack on the floor in the hallway. ‘How was school? Everything okay?’

‘Yeah. Good.’

‘And is…Dex all right?’

He shrugs. ‘Yeah. Course. He’s looking forward to Friday.’

Kate’s stomach tightens. ‘I haven’t arranged it yet,’ she says. ‘Please don’t get your hopes up.’

‘Okay,’ Thomas says, filling his glass and taking it back to the living room. ‘But theyarefree, remember.’

‘What’s this about Friday?’ Ellis asks.

‘He wants a playdate with Dex. The one with the mum who called you about football.’

‘Oh,’ he says, wrinkling his nose. ‘Not surprised you’re not keen, then.’ He glances at his phone. ‘I’d better go. Maddy’s got some stuff at my place and I’m sure she’ll want it back. Better get it over with.’ He looks at Kate then shakes his head. ‘I hope you sort out whatever’s going on with you, Kate. But you can talk to me – you know that, don’t you?’

She nods. ‘I’m fine. Really.’

At the door, Ellis picks up Thomas’s backpack and hangs it on the peg. ‘I checked his bag. Nothing from the school.’

And that’s when it hits her – Ellis always checks Thomas’s bag. He likes to know what’s going on at school. ‘Did you check Thomas’s bag yesterday?’

He frowns. ‘Can’t remember. Why?’

‘There was a letter in there. And you normally check it.’

‘I guess I must have forgotten.’ He shrugs. ‘Was it something important?’

‘No,’ Kate says.

Kate has ignored her phone all day, and now she sits on her bed and picks it up, scrolling through the urgent messages Ellis sent earlier. There are no other messages from anyone, and Aleena hasn’t replied to the voicemail Kate left, asking how she’s doing. Kate sends her a message, telling Aleena she’s worried she hasn’t heard from her, then places her phone on the bedside table. Kate knows she didn’t do anything to him, but the police will never believe her. Not unless there’s another suspect.

Unless Jamie called Harper that night, after Kate had left, and admitted to sleeping with someone, how is it possible that she knew Kate had spent the night with him? He was dead the next day, so there was no time for Harper to have found out. Unless Harper saw them. Was she stalking Jamie and followed them from the club? But still, Harper would have no evidence that they actually slept together.

Kate doesn’t want to believe that Harper killed Jamie out of revenge; it sickens her to her core, but it’s possible. Though surely the police must have explored this line of enquiry?

Kate messages Maddy, asking if they can talk tomorrow. Kate needs proof that Harper was impersonating her on the phone, and she needs to know if Maddy can remember where she recognised Harper from. She’s surprised when she gets an immediate reply.

I think you said everything you needed to say last night.

Please, Maddy. It’s really important. It wasn’t me who called you.

Tomorrow morning at mine. 10 a.m.

Relieved, Kate calls David, praying that he’ll answer even though it’s late.

‘Kate? Is everything okay?’

‘Actually no, it’s not. You were right. I think I need to take a few days off. Sort things out in my head. The divorce has hit me harder than I thought. Could you manage without me until Monday?’ By then this will all be over – Kate will make sure of that.

There’s no hesitation in his response. ‘Of course. We’ll be fine. But Kate…’

‘Yes?’

‘Look after yourself.’

WEDNESDAY 29 JANUARY

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