Page 63 of The Girl in Room 12

Alice spent the morning with her clients, but had the afternoon free from personal training sessions. She then checked into the River Walk Hotel at 3:24 p.m. She waswearing a knee-length belted padded navy coat and a light pink bobble hat, gloves and scarf.

She gave staff at the hotel no impression that she was meeting anyone, and she’d checked in for only one night.

Speculation has been rife on social media as to why she was staying at the hotel when her home address was only a few miles away in Roehampton, but police are urging the public to be respectful to Alice’s family.

‘Sometimes Alice just needed to be in a different space. To clear her head,’ her mother told reporters, before begging people to stop speculating about her daughter.

A vigil for Alice has been held outside the hotel this morning, with attendees holding placards demanding ‘Justice for Alice’ and ‘Make London Safe for Women’, among others.

Confusion spreads over me like a wave crashing against the shore. I study the photos again, committing each one to memory.

There I am, leaving my house. Walking along Putney High Street. Waiting outside the school to pick up Poppy. Letting myself into the shop. There’s even one of me behind the till.

My brain scrambles to work out what this means. Was Alice stalking me? This is all about Max, it has to be. Did she become obsessed with the wife of the man she fell in love with?

Taylor said he thought Alice was leaving Max. But it’s possible she had been following me before she made that decision.

I grab my phone and call Taylor; once again he’s the only person I can speak to about what I’ve found.

Just as I’ve expected, his voicemail kicks in again. There’s little point leaving a message when he hasn’t replied to my otherones. Or maybe he can’t. Someone’s been watching both of us, and it must have something to do with Max.

I need to put an end to this.

Grabbing my bag, I leave the office. Cole is busy with a customer. I wait for him to finish, but the woman appears to be in no hurry to leave, even though she’s already paid and Cole has handed over her purchase.

I walk up to them, hoping she’ll take the hint, but instead she keeps talking.

‘Such a shame. I really did like that Katy. She was always so kind to me. Even gave me free refills sometimes.’

Cole nods. ‘Unfortunately, she never really fit in here, though. I don’t think books were her passion. Shame. I hope she finds a job she’ll love as much as I love mine.’ He glances at me and smiles.

I wait for the woman to leave, then tell Cole I need to go.

‘Has something happened?’ he asks, his forehead creased with concern.

‘I just need to be with Max.’

‘You go. I’ll take care of everything here.’ He frowns. ‘Are you sure you’re okay, though? I’m a good listener if you need to talk.’

‘Thanks. I appreciate that. I’ll muddle through, though.’

I walk away, wishing I could believe my own words.

I sit in the car for a few minutes and prepare to face Max. I’m parked further down our road instead of the driveway to avoid any questions about why I haven’t come straight in.

This has gone on long enough. Being unable to remember doesn’t excuse what he’s done.

Taking a deep breath, I scoop up my car key and reach for the door handle. But when a black Tesla pulls up outside the house, I freeze.

And then Max appears at the front door, stepping outside and shutting it behind him. He doesn’t notice I’m here; his eyes are fixed on the car as he rushes towards it. He leans in to speak to the driver before opening the door and climbing in.

It must be an Uber. But Sarah is supposed to be with Max, taking him to work.

The second the car drives away, I start my engine and pull out. It’s not too far ahead of me, so within seconds I’m right behind it. If the man is a taxi driver, then hopefully he won’t think twice about a car following him. I just pray that Max doesn’t turn around.

I follow them as they drive along Upper Richmond Road and turn off towards Wimbledon. A tsunami of questions crashes through my mind, vying for my attention, but I can’t give any of them my focus. What is Max doing? What am I about to find out?

And then I think of Taylor, surprised by the intensity of my need for him to be in the car with me, going through this with me. I brush it aside. I still don’t know him that well, so I won’t rely on him for anything. Besides, he’s not answering his phone, and I have no idea where he is. Or what’s happened to him. Something else I need to address.

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