Page 14 of Her Hidden Shadow

He was right. She’d simply strolled out the front door in her sleep.

‘Have you taken your pills?’

‘Not yet.’ She knew she had to take her diazepam, and something the doctor gave her for the aches and pains, then there were her vitamins. Without her vitamin D, she ached even worse. ‘Can you pass me my pill box?’

He grabbed his glasses off the side and opened the medication cupboard, then he placed a pill box on the table.

She opened the Sunday compartment and tipped the tablets into her hand. She popped them into her mouth one by one and swallowed them down with cold coffee. ‘Thanks.’ She unlocked her phone and began scrolling through Facebook. Her jaw slackened until she was staring at the latest news with her mouth open. ‘Kieron?’

‘What?’

‘I think I know why the police want to see me.’

He took the phone from her and read a post that someone had shared from the ‘What’s Up Cleevesford’ Facebook group. ‘This is only on the next street. Someone has died.’

‘Kieron?’ She swallowed. ‘The bungalow in the photo belongs to Lauren. They say that someone has been killed.’ She quickly typed in Warwickshire Herald and scrolled down their posts. ‘It’s not Lauren, thank goodness, but that is her bungalow.’ She remembered the argument they had last night on the phone and her heart sank. Maybe it was a blessing that she didn’t go out with her colleagues. If she’d met up with Lauren at her bungalow, it might have been her body the police were dealing with today. A wave of panic flushed through her, and her fingers began to shake. ‘What time did you find me outside last night?’

‘I don’t know. I think it was about nine, maybe ten. I can’t remember, I’d been asleep myself.’

‘Maybe I saw something or…’ No, she had never been violent, never, not when she was awake. ‘Could I have had something to do with it?’

He took the phone off her. ‘No, definitely not. Stop thinking things like that. There’s no way.’

She felt her eyes welling up. ‘But that time. I…’ She couldn’t get her words out.

‘It was nothing, okay. Repeat after me. It. Was. Nothing. Just a bit of a sleepwalk onto the pavement.’

She reluctantly repeated his words, but she couldn’t avoid the fact that she had stabbed Kieron with a kebab skewer once while sleepwalking and still he would not believe she was capable of anything horrible. While asleep, she’d dreamed he was her attacker and she thought she was defending herself. She hadn’t meant to stab him. It still upset her to think back on how much he suffered with that wound. He’d refused to go to A&E, treating himself at home until the broken skin and flesh eventually started knitting together. He didn’t want the police to ask questions and arrest her. She thought of the tiny round scar on his bicep, the one forever reminding them both of what she did.

He walked over to her side of the table. ‘Come here.’ He held her and kissed the blonde curls on the top of her head. Kieron might be convinced that she had nothing to do with the incident, but Tiffany wasn’t. She sobbed into his arms as she imagined herself confessing to everything as soon as the police arrived. Her life as she knew it was over.

Nine

‘Maxine Winterbourne?’ Gina held up her identification. ‘I’m DI Harte and this is DS Driscoll.’ Gina glanced at Jacob. He still looked a little pale and he hadn’t said much in the car. He forced a smile and they both stepped into the woman’s hallway.

‘Can you take your shoes off, please? Sorry, it was a huge mistake getting such light carpets.’ Gina nodded and bent to remove her black ankle boots. A white Bichon Frise with a huge snowball-like head began licking her hand. She reached out and petted the dog while waiting for Jacob to do battle with his double-knotted laces.

‘Tilly, kitchen,’ Maxine ordered, and the dog obliged. Gina followed her through the white plush hallway with its sparkly silver mirrors, her feet sinking into the deep pile as they entered a cosy, but well accessorised lounge. She’d never seen so many cushions or throws.

‘Take a seat.’ Maxine swallowed. ‘I’ve seen the news and they’ve just announced that it was Sienna who was murdered. I can’t believe it.’ She paused. ‘I didn’t know Sienna, but I’ve tried to call Lauren and I can’t get through. Is she okay? I’ve been worried sick since your officer rang earlier.’

‘We have her phone which is why you’ve been unable to get through. You can call the hospital and leave your number with a nurse. We need to ask you a few questions about last night.’

‘Can I get you a drink? I’ve just boiled the kettle.’

Gina nodded and looked at Jacob. He really needed a drink. ‘I’d love a coffee, thank you. Black, no sugar.’

Jacob cleared his throat. ‘Just water, please.’

The woman left the room and the dog yapped as she entered the kitchen.

‘Are you feeling okay now?’ Gina asked.

He nodded.

She glanced at the shiny silver-framed photos on the mantelpiece. Maxine had been photographed with her arms around lots of people in social settings, but the centrepiece was reserved for her beloved dog.

Maxine hurried through the door carrying the drinks on a tray. Gina reached over and took her coffee. ‘Thank you.’ Jacob took a swig of the water and pulled out his notebook as Gina began. ‘Can you talk me through yesterday?’

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