The Doll's House

81

It was late and Ceri Harwood was alone in the darkness. After her unpleasant interview with Lloyd Fortune, she had poured the rest of the wine down the sink and collapsed on to the sofa. She lay there now, hangover slowly taking effect, chiding herself for her weakness and lack of control. To be drunk in the middle of the day was bad enough – to be drunk in front of a junior officer was unforgivable. What was he thinking now? Had her warnings hit home? Had she pushed him away? The thought made her feel sick.

As she cursed herself, her eyes drifted towards the island and the small Jiffy package sitting on top of it. In all the chaos and emotion, she had forgotten about it. Part of her couldn’t be bothered with it now – so much had happened in the last few hours to render previous preoccupations meaningless. Tim’s betrayal had changed her horizons for ever. And yet… there was something within her that suggested this might yet be her salvation. A way to assert herself against a world that delighted in hurting her.

Picking herself up off the sofa, she crossed over to the island and ripped the envelope open. As expected, inside was a tiny cassette. Fishing it out, she sought out her hand-held player and slipped the tape inside.

She was too wound up to sit – her body tense with anticipation – so she paced up and down having pressed ‘Play’. At first there was nothing – just the sound of fabric scratching against the microphone. She knew there must be more – Lloyd wouldn’t have hurried it over if it was blank – but still it made her worry.

Then the voices started. A man’s voice – odd, regional, unfamiliar – and a woman’s. The conversation was staccato and punctuated by silences as challenges were laid down and decisions made. The pair seemed to be coming to an agreement, despite their differences. As they did so, a smile tugged at the corners of Ceri’s mouth.

She listened some more. The pair didn’t exactly shake hands but the deal had been done. She had heard it straight from the horse’s mouth. What a bizarre day it had been. So unsettling, so distressing, and yet here amidst the wreckage of her life she had found the one thing she craved – the thing she had been searching for for months.

The means to destroy Helen Grace.