In the Dark

Epilogue

The building is cold, despite the summer sunshine outside. It has the chill of somewhere not inhabited. The damp of no body heat, no warm breath. But that’s an illusion, because sitting in one corner, among the empty cans of Coke, the half-eaten burger and the bag of sanitary towels, there’s a girl. She’s leaning against the wall, a jacket wrapped around her like a blanket. The jacket is navy. Quilted.

The door opens slowly and now someone is standing there, the face in shadow against the sudden glare of sunlight behind.

Tricia tries to get up, but grimaces. She’s clearly in pain.

Vicky looks at her. ‘They said you were losing the baby.’

‘Yeah, well, the sooner I got rid of it the better. I only got pregnant because I wanted Rob. I didn’t want the bloody kid. Just my luck the sad bastard was firing blanks.’

Vicky says nothing.

‘What did you tell them?’ says Tricia. ‘The police?’

‘Nothing. They don’t know I’m here. I got bail.’

‘How did you know where to find me?’

‘I know how you think. I know you. The real you. Better than anyone.’

Tricia sneers. ‘But all those people, they don’t know you, do they, Vicky? You lied to them.’

‘So did you. And you lied to me. I nearly died because of what you did. I would have died.’

Vicky closes the door behind her with a sudden bang; the sheets of newspaper on the floor shift in the gust.

‘That Inspector – Fawley. He showed me what they found on your phone. Those websites you were looking at. About claiming the money.’

Tricia shifts her position a little. ‘Yeah, well, we needed to start working out what we were going to do, didn’t we?’

‘But it wasn’t we, was it?’ Vicky’s lips are trembling but there is something fierce and unforgiving in her eyes. ‘It was just you. It wasn’t just looking at stuff on the internet either – you emailed a law firm. You said you wanted to know how much you’d get if you sued someone for killing your sister.’

There’s a silence.

‘It wasn’t a mistake, was it, Tricia? You wanted me dead. And you were going to say Harper did it.’

They stare at each other. Openly hostile.

‘Where is it?’ says Vicky, her voice hard now.

‘What are you talking about?’

‘You know damn well what I’m talking about. Hand it over.’

Tricia’s eyes narrow. ‘Why the hell should I?’

‘Just give it to me and I’m out of here and you can go. Or –’

‘Or?’

The question hangs in the air.

Unanswered.