Page 86 of The Girl in Room 12

My stomach rumbles, reminding me I haven’t eaten since breakfast. With another quick glance out of the window, I check the fridge to see if Cole’s left any food behind. There’s nothing in there, though – he never wastes food.

When I return to the window, I see a tall bulky figure across the road, standing there watching the shop. He looks straight at me but doesn’t move. It’s him.

I rush downstairs, almost knocking a chair over in my hurry to get to him. Fear and desperation mingle but I don’t slow down until I get to the door.

And see Cole right there smiling at me.

Across the street, the man has gone. It’s as if he was never there in the first place.

‘What are you doing?’ I say, unable to keep the anger from my voice.

‘Can you let me in? It’s starting to rain. I think snow’s coming, actually.’

I unlock the door and Cole comes in, rubbing his gloved hands together.

‘Why are you here?’ I step outside and scan the street. There’s no one out there except a group of teenagers heading towards the Tube station.

‘I was just passing. Having my usual walk,’ Cole says. ‘Didn’t feel right not to stop by and help you close up.’ He frowns. ‘Are you okay? You don’t look right, Hannah.’

‘Did you see anyone out there when you got here? Across the road?’

Cole frowns again. ‘Just those kids out there. Why? What’s going on?’

Stick to the truth as much as possible. ‘I was in the staffroom. I thought I saw someone watching the shop outside. Quite a tall, stocky man. Dark hair.’

Cole frowns. ‘I didn’t see anyone like that. Maybe that gang scared him off.’

Somehow I doubt that.

Cole watches me closely. ‘Are you coming, then?’ If there’s someone watching the shop, we’d better lock up quick and put the alarm on. And I’m walking you home.’

Cole knows something is wrong. Everything I’ve been doing lately is out of character. And we’ve worked together for years. How long can I keep things hidden?

A clock ticks silently. And everything is about to unravel.

TWENTY-FOUR

Days pass, with no sign of the man in the Golf. Yet even though I’m constantly on edge, looking over my shoulder wherever we go, Poppy and I settle into a new routine at home. And slowly I see glimpses of the old Poppy.

The shadow of Max looms over me, but somehow I keep it hidden from her. To Poppy, Max is still a loving father; he just needed to get away from everything.

‘Like a time-out to calm down?’ Poppy had asked on the morning I’d told her we were moving back home. That had been the easy part, and then I’d had to break it to her that Max wouldn’t be there.

‘Something like that,’ I’d replied. ‘A grown-up version of a time-out. But he still loves you. And you’ll see him again soon.’ I’d tried to stem the flow of my tears, but they hadn’t gone unnoticed, and Poppy had tilted her head, silently staring at me before wrapping her little arms around me.

Sarah has come to see us again this evening, as she’s done every day since we moved back. Her concern for Max touches me, even though he doesn’t deserve it.

‘Are you sure you don’t mind Ivy staying tonight?’ she asks.

She starts a night shift at the hospital in an hour, and refused my offer of food, even though the meatballs and gnocchi are nearly ready. I’ve made far too much – I can’t get used to cooking for only Poppy and me.

‘Not at all. Ivy’s welcome any time,’ I say.As long as I can keep her safe.‘Are you ready for tomorrow?’ Sarah is introducing Ivy to Dean tomorrow, which explains her lack of appetite.

She nods, but doesn’t smile, and picks fluff from her hospital scrubs. ‘It’s all a bit overwhelming. I’ve really wanted this to happen for ages, and now it’s just around the corner, I actually feel sick.’ She places her hand on her stomach. ‘Ivy’s so excited. That’s what’s helping me see it through. And Dean’s been…he’s been great. He’s changed so much.’

Sarah keeps insisting that Dean is a different person now. And people do change. Max did. But has Max reverted to the person he was long before I met him? Someone who could so badly hurt another person. Does he still have the capacity to harm people? I warn Sarah not to get sucked in.

‘I won’t.’ She pauses. ‘It’s about forgiveness. I’m making a choice to let the past go. We all make mistakes, don’t we? If we’re sorry for them, why should we be punished?’ She smiles. ‘And it’s Ivy who would lose out – not just Dean.’

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