Page 83 of The Silent Patient

I cradled the phone between my ear and my shoulder as I lit a cigarette. I barely had time to inhale before the phone was answered, on the first ring. I hoped it would be Paul, not Lydia. I was in luck.

“Hello?”

“Paul. It’s Theo Faber.”

“Oh. Hello, mate. Sorry I’m whispering. Mum’s having her nap, and I don’t want to disturb her. How’s your head?”

“Much better, thanks.”

“Good, good. How can I help?”

“Well, I’ve received some new information about Alicia. I wanted to talk to you about it.”

“What kind of information?”

I told him that Alicia had given me her diary to read.

“Her diary? I didn’t know she kept one. What does it say?”

“It might be easier to talk in person. Are you free today at all?”

Paul hesitated. “It might be better if you don’t come to the house. Mother isn’t… well, she wasn’t too happy about your last visit.”

“Yes, I gathered that.”

“There’s a pub at the end of the road, by the roundabout. The White Bear—”

“Yes, I remember it. That sounds fine. What time?”

“Around five? I should be able to get away then for a bit.”

I heard Lydia shouting in the background. Evidently she had woken up.

“I have to go. I’ll see you later.” Paul hung up.

***

A few hours later, I was on my way back to Cambridge. On the train, I made another phone call—to Max Berenson. I hesitated before calling. He’d already complained to Diomedes once, so he wouldn’t be pleased to hear from me again. But I knew I had no choice.

Tanya answered. Her cold sounded better, but I could hear the tension in her voice when she realized who I was. “I don’t think—I mean, Max is busy. He’s in meetings all day.”

“I’ll call back.”

“I’m not sure that’s a good idea. I—”

I could hear Max in the background saying something, and Tanya’s reply: “I’m not saying that, Max.”

Max grabbed the phone and spoke to me directly: “I just told Tanya to tell you to fuck off.”

“Ah.”

“You’ve got a nerve calling here again. I already complained once to Professor Diomedes.”

“Yes, I’m aware of that. Nonetheless some new information has come to light, and it concerns you directly—so I felt I had no choice but to get in touch.”

“What information?”

“It’s a journal Alicia kept in the weeks leading up to the murder.”

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